Start with beginner species, great idea!

Matttoadman

Arachnoknight
Joined
Aug 11, 2016
Messages
216
So I have had my Aphonopelma seemani juvie since Saturday. I researched for ever trying to decide what to get, what was my favorite, blah blah. The folks on here kept stressing start out with one of the recommended ones. At first that seemed like a waste of time and space. Now I see the brilliance in it. First, your new t will not want to leave its shipping container without a nudge. My guy slowly ambled out into its new home where in calmly stopped once it was out of the cup. I can only imagine how this would have went with an OBT. I'm sure fangs and running would have been envolved. Today I went to remove its water dish and it rushed out of its hide to see me. Imagining a pop goes the weasel with the OBT lol. Eventually I will be ready for an OBT or Cyriopagopus, but for now Aphonopelma will do. Who knows I may just want to stay within the Aphonopelma genus. Thanks for the help all.
 

scott308

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 6, 2008
Messages
74
There are a lot of good species in that genus. I know albopilosum is quite popular, although I haven't had one of those yet. I do love my chalcodes, and I have a little hentzi that I am really coming to like a lot more now that it isn't super-tiny. It's still tiny, but it is showing much more personality now.

Glad to hear you are enjoying your new little friend.
 

WeightedAbyss75

Arachnoangel
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
921
There are so many sp. that a beginner can handle with some common sense and care, it is insane! Glad you like your seemani ;) never owned it. Feels like it would be very similar to G. pulchripes.
 

Walker253

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jun 12, 2016
Messages
554
There are so many sp. that a beginner can handle with some common sense and care, it is insane! Glad you like your seemani ;) never owned it. Feels like it would be very similar to G. pulchripes.
Switch out the G pulchripes and insert a G porteri and you'll get a better comparison with the A seemanni.

Who knows I may just want to stay within the Aphonopelma genus.
Lot's of great choices in this genus. I love T's that can be found in the USA. I'm getting 2 A chalcodes females later this week. I had an A seemanni before, mistake when I sold her, I'll get another before long. Enjoy
 

Poec54

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Mar 26, 2013
Messages
4,745
You've only seen the tip of the iceberg. Anything can happen. Even the calmest species can have fast and violent feeding responses. During cage maintenance I've had P cambridgei grab an empty plastic water bowl and pull it out of my forceps, and roll over on it's back, biting and wrestling the bowl. During cage transfers I've had juvenile Poecilotheria run out of their cage and inside my clothing.
 

Haksilence

Bad At Titles
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Joined
Dec 6, 2015
Messages
405
You've only seen the tip of the iceberg. Anything can happen. Even the calmest species can have fast and violent feeding responses. During cage maintenance I've had P cambridgei grab an empty plastic water bowl and pull it out of my forceps, and roll over on it's back, biting and wrestling the bowl. During cage transfers I've had juvenile Poecilotheria run out of their cage and inside my clothing.
I had a 1.0 s calceatum inside my shirt last week. Easily the most terrifying moment of my life.
One nudge to xfer him to the females enclosure and he goes right up the 24" tongs up my underarm and right down my shirt. The second time he's done that, but thankfully I haven't seen any aggression from him only an insatiable sex drive that I guess is keeping him distracted from outing me in the hospital
 

Andrea82

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Joined
Jan 12, 2016
Messages
3,686
I had a 1.0 s calceatum inside my shirt last week. Easily the most terrifying moment of my life.
One nudge to xfer him to the females enclosure and he goes right up the 24" tongs up my underarm and right down my shirt. The second time he's done that, but thankfully I haven't seen any aggression from him only an insatiable sex drive that I guess is keeping him distracted from outing me in the hospital
He was just scared, being 'bed and breakfast' and all...He simply wanted your protection! 'daddy help, she's trying to eat me! :D
 

louise f

Arachnoangel
Joined
Jul 8, 2012
Messages
936
but thankfully I haven't seen any aggression from him only an insatiable sex drive that I guess is keeping him distracted from outing me in the hospital
I think you are completely right about that sex drive keeping you out of the hospital.:)
I have mated so many species and i have discovered that when they are getting on with their romance :kiss: i can do whatever i want.

I can take pics close up without they are getting bothered from lights from the camera.

But heck friend i would have peed my panties if a S.calceatum ran into my shirt :D
 

Vanessa

Grammostola Groupie
Joined
Mar 12, 2016
Messages
2,423
I think that some people feel as if the advice that they get here, to take it slowly and build up to some of the more challenging species, is a personal attack of some sort... when it clearly never has been or never will be.
Sure, there are some people who can be right jerks in their delivery, which doesn't help when the recipient is already on the defensive, but the advice that people are delivering is sound advice and designed to ensure that the tarantula survives and the hobbyist has a positive experience and remains in the hobby. It also reaches beyond that to ensuring that bans are not put in place that affect ALL of us.
If you have been around long enough, you have come across, at least, a couple of scenarios where a tarantula has been neglected almost to death because they are clearly too much of a challenge for the hobbyist and they are scared of them. It is a lose-lose situation all round and one that could have been easily avoided.
I have a number of years of keeping tarantulas under my belt and I have never had any interest in keeping the more advanced species. It is not because I don't love them, or think that they are gorgeous, because they all are. It is because I want this to be a relaxing and enjoyable hobby for me that does not cause me stress. In order for me to continue to enjoy it, it has to continue to be stress free.
Never feel that you have to prove anything to anyone by stepping outside of your comfort zone. Dealing with potentially harmful, venomous, animals with teleporting abilities is maybe not the best thing to challenge yourself with. Keep within your comfort level and enjoy learning and you will be in this hobby a lot longer than those who are here to prove something.
 

Chris LXXIX

ArachnoGod
Joined
Dec 25, 2014
Messages
5,845
I can only imagine how this would have went with an OBT. I'm sure fangs and running would have been envolved. Today I went to remove its water dish and it rushed out of its hide to see me. Imagining a pop goes the weasel with the OBT lol.
I understand what you wanted to say, but it's not a "written in stone" thing either. I remove on a regular basis the water dish from my 'Baboon' enclosures (I use glass water dish only, so I need to clean those, no matter how much my 'Baboons' water dish are "clean" and "tidy" unlike other certain NW's I have/had... I'm watching you E.murinus and Psalmos) and nothing happens. They are in their burrows, not waiting for jump out and chase my butt around the room. Yes, including my female P.murinus.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
The folks on here kept stressing start out with one of the recommended ones.
Nice to see someone take advice, AND report back it was useful and logical.

I know it sounds absolutely crazy but people really do take their time to type, away from other things, because they are trying to be helpful. Crazy I know :rolleyes:
 

Andrea82

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Jan 12, 2016
Messages
3,686
I think that some people feel as if the advice that they get here, to take it slowly and build up to some of the more challenging species, is a personal attack of some sort... when it clearly never has been or never will be.
Sure, there are some people who can be right jerks in their delivery, which doesn't help when the recipient is already on the defensive, but the advice that people are delivering is sound advice and designed to ensure that the tarantula survives and the hobbyist has a positive experience and remains in the hobby. It also reaches beyond that to ensuring that bans are not put in place that affect ALL of us.
If you have been around long enough, you have come across, at least, a couple of scenarios where a tarantula has been neglected almost to death because they are clearly too much of a challenge for the hobbyist and they are scared of them. It is a lose-lose situation all round and one that could have been easily avoided.
I have a number of years of keeping tarantulas under my belt and I have never had any interest in keeping the more advanced species. It is not because I don't love them, or think that they are gorgeous, because they all are. It is because I want this to be a relaxing and enjoyable hobby for me that does not cause me stress. In order for me to continue to enjoy it, it has to continue to be stress free.
Never feel that you have to prove anything to anyone by stepping outside of your comfort zone. Dealing with potentially harmful, venomous, animals with teleporting abilities is maybe not the best thing to challenge yourself with. Keep within your comfort level and enjoy learning and you will be in this hobby a lot longer than those who are here to prove something.
Darn, i wish i could use more than one rating for posts. For this i would use the love, helpful, agree and award :)
 

Poec54

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Mar 26, 2013
Messages
4,745
I remove on a regular basis the water dish from my 'Baboon' enclosures...They are in their burrows, not waiting for jump out and chase my butt around the room. Yes, including my female P.murinus.

Most of the time maintenance is uneventful, until that time when the spider doesn't something different, and grabs a water bowl from you, runs out of its cage, or runs up your arm. It's not what usually happens, it's what can happen when you're not expecting it. There's been many times spiders have made a fool of me, because I expected them to do what they usually do, and they didn't.
 

Chris LXXIX

ArachnoGod
Joined
Dec 25, 2014
Messages
5,845
Most of the time maintenance is uneventful, until that time when the spider doesn't something different, and grabs a water bowl from you, runs out of its cage, or runs up your arm. It's not what usually happens, it's what can happen when you're not expecting it. There's been many times spiders have made a fool of me, because I expected them to do what they usually do, and they didn't.
Well, I know that, man. As I know that I need to remove those for cleaning, after all. There's few tricks that IMO helps, even if the % chances of unpredictable scenario remains of course and are always behind the corner.

Like working during the day, when those are in their burrow, operating fast but with calm at the same time, making the less noise possible.
 
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