Smaller beginner species?

[DeeCeeJay]

Hallo again forum!

After my banana surprise tarantula, I'm already looking for more.

I'm looking for a slightly different beginner tarantula than is usually asked about, mostly because I'm interested in something smaller than your average bear. Maybe something around 5" as an adult. I'm looking to use the medium or large exo terra breeder (thats the plastic one, not the taller ones with the mesh tops) so any T I get will need to be able to live in there as an adult without being crowded. I don't care much about size apart from that.

I'm looking at a terrestrial spid, and I don't mind if it burrows, I kinda like that. I'd just like to see it from time to time. I don't mind pet rocks either.

I'm freaking out about the kicking hairs a little. I'm very NOT interested in handling it, but I still don't want to get haired when I'm doing maintenance and what have you.

I would prefer a guy that doesn't web heavily, but I can cope with that (I'm planning on getting a caribena versicolor at some point in the distant future)

I'd like something pretty, of course, but I'm not opposed to one that's completely black. I love the grammastola pulcra/quirigon, but they're like £80 for a sling here (oh, I'm in the UK)

I'm also not afraid of a dwarf spider, but as I've already got a hapalopus species I'd like something other than hapolopus sp columbia and cyriocosmus elegans (love heart butt) IF such a spider exists.

I'm not enamoured with guys with a pale carapace, especially if their legs are dark, but I'm not above considering them. I don't care about popularity of the T either.

I'm sorry that's such a laundry list of wants, but I've been swimming through the other beginner posts and a lot of them ask for more specifics re: what the potential keeper is looking for. Feel free to ask if I've missed anything.

PS, I've checked out the sticky links re: tarantula care

Otherwise, thank you for being so welcoming and helpful so far, I appreciate it very much!

 

[Xharyel]

Hey,

I was about to suggest you either Dolichothele diamantinensis and Neoholothele incei as they're small, easy to care for, very pretty and lack urticating hairs... BUT, they do web heavily.
Now, if you don't mind the price tag, if you can find a Theraphosinae sp panama, you might like it, since you're in Europe they cost around 40€, they fit all your boxes and they're one of the prettiest sling I've ever owned.

Other species I have experience with and I can recommend as well are Ami sp panama and Citharacanthus cyaneus. Maybe some Aphonopelma if that's your thing, they're a bit bigger than 5" but they can do well in Large Exo Terra breeding boxes.

 

[Spoodfood]

Kochiana brunnipes, Neischnocolus sp. Panama, Davus pentaloris, Holothele longipes, Pseudohapalopus sp. blue, And the ones mentioned above.

Heterothele gabonensis is beautiful if you’re comfortable with old worlds.

Many dwarf species are heavy webbers. There’s a heck of a lot of Ts that are around 5” though. I don’t even think I could list them all, but these are some dwarf species.

Edit: oh and Neischnocolus sp. chica is beautiful as well! Forgot that one.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

These are great and a couple of UK sellers have them at the moment.

Neischnocolus sp. "Panama"

• The Grym Reaper
• Nov 13, 2020
• 5
• gold banded sunburst dwarf neischnocolus neischnocolus sp. "panama" sp. "panama" subadult

New suit for Toxin.

I love the Grammostola pulchra/quirogai, but they're like £80 for a sling here (oh, I'm in the UK)

Not sure I want to know who's trying to flog slings for that much, either species shouldn't cost you any more than £25 as slings.

Now, if you don't mind the price tag, if you can find a Theraphosinae sp panama, you might like it, since you're in Europe they cost around 40€

They're about £50 a pop in the UK and sell out quickly on the rare occasions they pop up for sale, I basically lucked out with getting my two around the same time I sold my SAM.

 

[Peterlimburg]

Hi

How about a Tliltocatl verdezi? I have 2 and they are small, very docile and always visible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tliltocatl_verdezi

 

[DeeCeeJay]

@Xharyel
I love the Blue Dwarf Beauty, but not it's price tag, lol. It punched me in the stomach, it's over £100, so I shall cry. N incei might be a choice though, they aren't that expensive around here. I'll put them no the list with the 'heavy webber' note.

I'm going to look into that guy, but preliminary Googles doesn't show any available. It seems that T's available in Europe are starting to be harder to get because of dumbass Brexit. We've had issues getting certain species here, mostly Brachypelma, which blows my mind. Apparently there are CITES problems?

Slightly bigger T's are cool as long as they can fit in those breeding boxes.

Thank you kindly for taking the time to reply!


@Spoodfood
Woah, time to get on Google If I find a species I like, I GUESS I'll put up with the webbing, lol.

Thank you so much for the lengthy list, you've given me a great starting point, I appreciate it.


@The Grym Reaper
That's the second time they've cropped up, I may put that around the top of the list.

REALLY? I haven't been able to find any lower than that, do you have any good sources I could pick your brains for?

Thank you so much for your input, and taking the time to add a picture AND giving me hope about the Grammastola, I appreciate the time you put in, thank you

@Peterlimburg What a cute little guy! Thank you for drawing my attention to them, and thank you for doing some of the legwork and finding that link for me.

Thank you very much!

 

[The Grym Reaper]

REALLY? I haven't been able to find any lower than that, do you have any good sources I could pick your brains for?

Don't think anyone I buy from has G. pulchra/quirogai atm but The Spider Shop, So Many Legs, Portsmouth Tarantulas, and Spider Planet get them in from time to time so keep an eye on their sites.

I love the Blue Dwarf Beauty, but not it's price tag, lol. It punched me in the stomach, it's over £100, so I shall cry.

Is that for a sling? That's absolutely mental if it is. I paid £25 for my first one IIRC, my second cost me £20.

 

[DeeCeeJay]

@The Grym Reaper Ah, therein lies the issue, I'm impatient as hell, lol. No, but I will keep an eye on those, thank you so much!

Yeah! Maybe I'm just bad at looking for them though, there's always that.

Thank you again for replying

 

[Xharyel]

I agree with @The Grym Reaper, that price tag is insane if it's for a sling, I was about to ask if the Brexit changed your prices that much lol... But yeah, for a sling, I paid mine around 15€ and even for a confirmed female, over £100 seems expensive!

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I was about to ask if the Brexit changed your prices that much lol

The idiocy that is Brexit has caused prices to go up but not by anywhere near that much lol

 

[AlbaArachnids92]

2 of my absolute favorites in my collection have been N. incei and D. pentaloris!

The incei having no urticating setae which is a bonus....seems they make up for it with blinding speed mine has made some mad cool web tunnels, dirt mounds and there's 2 water dishes buried in there somewhere too

D. pentaloris (creatively named Dave) is such a cool mix of dark legs, light carapace and tiger bum! Mine has a thing for gathering everything up into a pile in the center of the enclosure

I know both have characteristics you're not particularly keen on but I really enjoy these 2 dwarf species so had to weigh in

 

[Craig73]

I’m going left field here and throwing out I. mira. While it’s an ow, they are as equally beginner friendly as some of the ones suggested.

They‘re small, fossorial (aka ultimate burrower ), amazing pattern, and on the timid/shy side. I see mine out late at night usually several times a week.

 

[viper69]

5” isn’t that small, plenty to choose from

 

[DeeCeeJay]

@Xharyel I'm so sad right now. I'm wondering if anyone in the EU would post over to the UK actually

@The Grym Reaper preach!

@AlbeAlachnids92 no flicky hairs IS a bonus! but yeah! now that I think about it, I saw that one escape when Tom Moran did a rehouse.

Lol, Dave is a perfectly fine name. My Hapolopus stowaway is called Frank. That is freaking adorable, I love a little bulldozer.

I love your input, thank you so much for sharing your experience with these guys, and for taking the time to comment


@Craig73 I love fossorial tiny men. I'm going to look into I mira, see if I think I can manage it. It's cool that you see it out and about at least some of the time, especially because I'm up a lot at night.

Thank you for suggesting something much different, I appreciate your thoughtfulness


@viper69 I honestly only picked that size because I thought it was the largest size I could fit into the large ExoTerra flat large faunarium, I'm willing to look at larger tarantulas if they'd fit though!

I'm cross-referencing them all with what's available in the stores around where I live and anyone who'll post - so far, some of the most interesting species are either too expensive or just don't seem to exist in the UK.

Thank you for your input!

 

[Ian14]

I'm guessing you've been looking in reptile shops rather than online invert dealers?
If so, they buy from places like The Spider Shop, then sell on to the public at a massively inflated price.
Online UK sellers have Brachypelma bohemei at £9, Neischnoculus sp Panama for £20.
You could also look at H sp Columbia "large" and Cyriocosmus elegans.
As for CITES, it's not an issue, just extra paperwork for dealers to arrange if they are importing them.

 

[DeeCeeJay]

@Ian14 I've been looking at reptile shops and tarantula shops like the spider shop. I think my search abilities just suuuuck, lol.
The little guy I have now is H sp coloratus, and despite my longing to have 'all the spiders!', I can only get another two, one of which is definitely going to be caribena versicolor, so I'm really down to one.

To be fair, I've only seen the CITES problems on two sites.

Thank you for your advice and info, thank you for looking up those prices and thank you for taking the time to respond

 

[AlbaArachnids92]

@Ian14 I've been looking at reptile shops and tarantula shops like the spider shop. I think my search abilities just suuuuck, lol.

Try asking on UK facebook T pages for online sellers, you'll get a list as long as your arm to keep an eye on. Or even asking for any links to a specific species can bare fruit (I'll preface that suggestion with this......the care/husbandry advice on these pages are VERY hit or miss. Either fantastic or absolute garbage, there is no in between, making it very difficult to separate what is actually useful)

 

[DeeCeeJay]

@AlbaArachnids92 I shall do! You are a gem

 

[DeeCeeJay]

Thank you to everyone for your help and the time you took to comment, it was really helpful and I really do appreciate the help and your kindness.

I've settled on a Neischnocolus sp Panama and the Caribena Versicolor too.

I hope I can restrain myself and just stop at these two.

Thank you again!

 

[Konstantin Konstantinov]

Thank you to everyone for your help and the time you took to comment, it was really helpful and I really do appreciate the help and your kindness.

I've settled on a Neischnocolus sp Panama and the Caribena Versicolor too.

I hope I can restrain myself and just stop at these two.

Thank you again!

Hi
Great species you have chosen.
Pay attention to sizes when buying as Neischnocolus sp Panama I have seen for sale are sometimes as little as 4 - 5mm in DLS(Diagonal leg span) and that small slings stress some keepers.If you go for them think 1 oz deli pot as first enclosure.lol
Having said that mine have been very eager eaters and hit nearly 2 inch in an year.
Regards Konstantin