Starter Arboreal - Information?

[abstract]

Hello all - I've got a G. Rosea, who alone has managed to impress and woo my friends into wanting their own spiders. (Why are these little guys so addicting?)

Anywho - My friends are GIANT plant fans also, so I suggested they get an arborial spider - one that they COULD hold if they really wanted to. Unfortunately, I know little to nothing about arborials, other than the brief tidbits I've read here.

Any suggestions for a species (preferably not tooo expensive)? Also - is there any good guidelines for arborial tank sizes, and/or what types of plants can be grown in their tanks?

Unfortunately - my friends are WAY behind the times and without inet. access, so I'm going to try and put together a big informational package and give that to them to prepare to buy it, based on your suggestions.

Thank you all for your help in advance!:?

 

[dennis]

For a great arboreal species that looks great, and can be handled I would recommend Avicularia versicolor. They aren't too expensive, so I guess they would match your description.

Goodluck on finding them a good T.

Dennis

 

[MizM]

I just recently purchased a Pinktoe (avicularia avicularia) although I had been wanting one for years. I had a 1 1/2 ' tall x 5" deep x1' wide terrarium that was not being used, so of course I had to put a T in it. She is the sweetest little thing. She waves her front 2 feet and pedis in the air when she walks on me, and makes a real show of being pretty! They are a well-known hobby favorite for their docileness. NOT being a plant lover, I got some branches with silk leaves and set them in the terrarium. She just climbed right up to the top and made a beautiful bed of web and is perfectly happy to sit there. This is one of the most extremely docile of the T's I have ever owned!

 

[chid]

I would go with an Avicularia avicularia -Pink Toe you cant go wrong with them<cheap to buy,plenty of caresheets about.
Chid

 

[Tarantula Lover]

hey

a good t that you can hold and that is arboreal would be either:
Avicularia avicularia- Pinktoe
or any other avic species.
avicularia t's need high humidity around 78-82%, as far as plants, any would be fine, as long as they are no pesticides or toxics. You should also make sure to water them as well. Avicularia avicularia can go up as much as $7 a sling, to $15 for a subadult female or male, so they are cheap. Tank size will depend on what size of t you will get, sling a deli cup or vial, or an adult a 5 gal. or 10 gal. would be fine as well. Avics are also really colorful and they web but not a whole lot. They should feed slings crickets (pinheads) every 2 days, adults 3-4 a week. You dont need to clean their cages much. They are pretty skittish, but very docile and calm. I attached a link to a guide to New World Arboreals from the ATS (American Tarantula Society)


<<Click Me>>


Hope this helps!

James

 

[Code Monkey]

Yes, for a starter arboreal you'd be hard pressed to beat A. avicularia. Common as dirt in the hobby (they're often available for less than $5 as slings, rarely exceed $20 in pet stores as juves or adults), are far more attractive than their price tag suggests, and are docile.

They're also good because for little $$$ they'll introduce your friend into the issues with arboreals: harder to find/make good housing, often hidden away in a tube web, although they will rarely bite that doesn't mean they won't go hopping from your hand to your face or other extremities, and so on.

 

[abstract]

Thank you all!

Once again - in about 6 hours I've gotten more information than I ever could have from a pet store or neverending google searches.

 

[LPacker79]

There's nothing cuter than watching my 2" A. avic walking on me. All that leg waving, just makes you say "awwwww...."

Leanne