Thinking of getting my 1st T.

Forlorn112

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Welcome to the board. I just recently obtained my first T's. The two listed below are part of what I purchased and are recommended for beginners.
Euathlus Sp.'Red' (Chilean Red)
Eupalaestrus Campestratus (Pink Zebra Beauty)

Another spider I was considering that is highly recommended for beginners by many is Brachypelma albopilosum (Curly Hair).
I'm seriously thinking about starting with a Euathlus! From what i've read here & videos i've watched they seem to be about as friendly a tarantula as you can get. Also from what i've researched meal/super worms should be ok as a feeder :)
 

darkness975

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rally - Thanks very much for the long and informative answer it's much appreciated :), like i said i only want to occasionally hand my T. maybe only a bit before cleaning they're enclosure. As far as the crickets & roaches go i am ashamedly afraid/repulsed by them as i grew up with basement "Camel" crickets aka sprickets =/ & also a short lived oriental cockroaches aka "Water Bugs" infestation which are fairly large. Luckily now the only insect that annoys me is stink bugs every fall and i'm not scared of them just annoyed. But as i said my main concern is making sure the T. is happy/satisfied and truthfully i would probably be the type to overcare a bit =/, but that's just because i want the T. to be as happy as possibly.

shining - thanks for the response, if meal/super worms aren't good long term are there any feeders besides roaches/crickets that are acceptable?

Edit- also for a first timer what gender is best to start with?
You are probably referring to "Squash Bugs" (Coreidae family) regarding the infestations that occur in the fall.

I would not try to handle the Tarantula at all. No one benefits from it and if it senses a puff of air or something it does not like it could bolt in which case you have either an injured/dead spider or you have one that gets lost in your house. Neither situation is very good for either of you.
I would go with a female for your first Tarantula. They are longer lived and not going to wander constantly when they mature out like males.
As others have stated, B. smithi is an excellent spider but larger ones are prone to being expensive given their CITES status.

Here is my female B. smithi shortly after she molted a couple months ago.
 

Forlorn112

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You are probably referring to "Squash Bugs" (Coreidae family) regarding the infestations that occur in the fall.

I would not try to handle the Tarantula at all. No one benefits from it and if it senses a puff of air or something it does not like it could bolt in which case you have either an injured/dead spider or you have one that gets lost in your house. Neither situation is very good for either of you.
I would go with a female for your first Tarantula. They are longer lived and not going to wander constantly when they mature out like males.
As others have stated, B. smithi is an excellent spider but larger ones are prone to being expensive given their CITES status.

Here is my female B. smithi shortly after she molted a couple months ago.
I only plan on handling my T. when necessary, though i will admit i'd like touch/stroke/pet it just a bit on occasion with out getting bit.

As for the stink bugs thanks for the link but after seeing that i'm definitely sure i have brown marmorated stink bug. I always find a few of them around the house, but when i take me air conditioner out for the winter 10 or 20 of them skitter out. Also weirdly two out of the last five years they've shared the a/c window with a small (8-10ish) yellow jacket nest!
 
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Vanessa

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Unfortunately, there is a downside to many of the species who are perfect for beginners - they are extremely slow growing. The exceptions are the G. pulchripes and B. albopilosum. Although they can't be considered 'fast' growers, they grow a lot more quickly than Euathlus and B. smithi.
Eupalaestrus campestratus are also a very good species for new people, but I find that they are a bit more difficult to find. I had ordered one from TarCan, but when I went to pick them up at the expo, I decided to also buy the only other one they had. I love my two, but they grow fairly slowly as well.
You can find juvenile B. albopilsum, at a decent price, quite regularly. My vote is to go that route.
 

Forlorn112

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Unfortunately, there is a downside to many of the species who are perfect for beginners - they are extremely slow growing. The exceptions are the G. pulchripes and B. albopilosum. Although they can't be considered 'fast' growers, they grow a lot more quickly than Euathlus and B. smithi.
Eupalaestrus campestratus are also a very good species for new people, but I find that they are a bit more difficult to find. I had ordered one from TarCan, but when I went to pick them up at the expo, I decided to also buy the only other one they had. I love my two, but they grow fairly slowly as well.
You can find juvenile B. albopilsum, at a decent price, quite regularly. My vote is to go that route.
I've thought about B. albopilsum's, but i've heard many of them are skittish & defensive...
 

Vanessa

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I've thought about B. albopilsum's, but i've heard many of them are skittish & defensive...
All youngsters tend to be a bit more skittish than adults. It's their nature because they're vulnerable while they are smaller and not so much when they are full size.
I've never heard of a defensive B. albopilosum. I would think that you would have to be bothering them a fair bit for them to go on the defensive.
 

Toxoderidae

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I only plan on handling my T. when necessary, though i will admit i'd like touch/stroke/pet it just a bit on occasion with out getting bit.

As for the stink bugs thanks for the link but after seeing that i'm definitely sure i have brown marmorated stink bug. I always find a few of them around the house, but when i take me air conditioner out for the winter 10 or 20 of them skitter out. Also weirdly two out of the last five years they've shared the a/c window with a small (8-10ish) yellow jacket nest!
You can't really pet a tarantula, they don't understand whats going on, and will only see you as a threat. Aside from Euathlus, I wouldn't expect ANY spider to be handled at all, since Euathlus will clamber onto the person for no reason other than its a fearless little NW.
 

Forlorn112

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You can't really pet a tarantula, they don't understand whats going on, and will only see you as a threat. Aside from Euathlus, I wouldn't expect ANY spider to be handled at all, since Euathlus will clamber onto the person for no reason other than its a fearless little NW.
maybe pet was the wrong choice of words, what i meant is lightly touch which i've seen people do on youtube to get an idea of the tarantula's overall mood at the moment.

Except for the benign Mother, the gentle Goddess 0.1 Pelinobius muticus PBUH (Peace Be Upon Her)
OW tarantulas & especially Baboon's are awesome but i don't think i'd ever own one, too aggressive & unpredictable =\
 

magicmed

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Looks like everyone covered everything, but here's my opinions.

B. Smithi isn't bad, but they're pricey when they get bigger, like everyone said.

G. pulchripes is a fantastic beginner species, slow growing but they can be picked up cheap as large slings/juvie

Brachypelma Vagans and Aphonopelma hentzi in my opinion dont get the respect they deserve as a beginner. Sure people recommend them, but I see mine out and about a lot, and they're great eaters

Euathlus sp red or yellow is going to be hand down the most gentle, docile, and curious T there is. Even mine at 3/4" shows no skittishness, when I open its enclosure it comes OUT of its hide to see what's going on. If you do intend to handle (handling is generally not recommended due to the nature of T's and the risk to them) this is the species for you. (I'm not condoning handling, just a lot of people do handle this species)

Plenty of people here started out as arachnophobes. Just be warned, these little buggers are addicting :p
 

Chris LXXIX

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Baboon's are awesome but i don't think i'd ever own one, too aggressive & unpredictable =\
Oh, too bad :-(
tought for a minute to gain another disciple for my 0.1 Goddess Pelinobius muticus PBUH (Peace Be Upon Her) Cult of Hissing Wisdom. That beard of yours is perfect :-s

Who knows, who knows... maybe one day :angelic:

jok
 

viper69

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It's good you are asking questions, but it seems you don't know enough to get one yet. At this point, I certainly wouldn't recommend a T to you as a pet, not at all. Ts aren't for everyone either, no animal is. I'm not a guinea pig person for example.

If you bought one sooner rather than later I'm suspect you'll be another new owner w/a new pet who will be asking the types of questions that should have been asked/answered before purchasing an exotic animal.

I strongly consider you do a significant amount of research on this forum and learn more about Ts and T husbandry. The comments I've read suggest you haven't done enough to own a T anytime soon.

I DO NOT suggest you use YouTube as a source of information as you are already learning bad T husbandry from owners. You want to see a T move, eat, that's fine. But not to learn husbandry, not for a new person like yourself, TERRIBLE idea.

Perhaps instead of arachnids (which aren't insects), you should stick with insects if you enjoy invert pets. Giant millipedes are great to own, so are the Giant Hissing Cockroaches (quite a few species too).

though i will admit i'd like touch/stroke/pet it just a bit on occasion with out getting bit
Get a cat or a dog then. This is completely the opposite behavior you want to do w/a tarantula.

maybe pet was the wrong choice of words, what i meant is lightly touch which i've seen people do on youtube to get an idea of the tarantula's overall mood at the moment.
And their "moods" can change before you blink. Touching a T is simply sending off a warning sign to a T not a good thing, nothing more. They do not like to be touched at all.
 

cold blood

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Mealworms/superworms are not a good staple diet. They are really fatty and have a lot less nutrients as other feeders.
This is just not true...they make fine staple feeders, they are fatty, but there's no nutrient deficiencies involved with them...most of my slings are raised almost exclusively on mealworms (just because it makes things easier).....being fattier just means you need to feed a little less often.

Grammostola pulchripes does get to roundabout 8" though..I think shining meant to get one at 2-3"?
Females get to the 7" range, males will mature about 5-6".

Anything over 1.5" would be a great beginner, they're pretty darn hardy by then.

I would highly recommend Euathlus sp. red/yellow or Euathlus parvulus. All three are great beginner species known for a certain 'friendliness'.

They would make much better starter T than the B. smithi as they don't kick hairs as much.

Whatever you choose I wish you the best of luck with it :)
Smithi is in fact an excellent choice, one of the best you could make, along with its cousins emelia and albopilosum....Euathlus sp. red/yellow would also be a splendid choice, although their inquisitive nature often has them walking right out of open enclosures, which for an arachnophobe might not be the most confidence inspiring quality....they are however exceedingly docile and if you do not mind this inquisitive quality, a great choice.

Welcome to almost-T-ownership :) It's a big decision to get your first one. If you haven't already, pick up "The Tarantula Keeper's Guide" it's worth its weight in gold.
Was worth its weight in gold...the hobby has grown past much of the info in that book as its now quite out-dated...its not the recommended read that it was 5 years ago....another edition is in the works, although we've heard no time table as to when it may come out.

I only plan on handling my T. when necessary, though i will admit i'd like touch/stroke/pet it just a bit on occasion with out getting bit.
Its literally never necessary to handle, there are always other options...those with OW's would be getting tagged regularly if handling was ever necessary. I haven't intentionally handled a t in 15 years.

Touching or stroking a t with your fingers is a great way to get bit...that's not something you should ever consider;) Tongs/tweezers should always be used when working around any t, regardless of its temperament.

maybe pet was the wrong choice of words, what i meant is lightly touch which i've seen people do on youtube to get an idea of the tarantula's overall mood at the moment.
Pet may have been not the right choice of words, but I think we can get the gist of what you meant;)

Please do not try to emulate things on you tube...90% of what you see on there regarding ts is either stupid, or just plain irresponsible....you tube is a terrible place to attempt to learn about ts and their keeping...this is the best place...glad you found it.

Being a former arachnophobe I can appreciate where you are coming from, for many years I never thought I'd own more than one, and the thought of dozens of them, or breeding them almost seemed like crazy talk....that slow progression isn't a bad thing...first things first, get comfortable with your first one (when you finally get it)...you've been given a lot of great choices here, good luck choosing.

Welcome to the boards and to the hobby.
 

viper69

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often has them walking right out of open enclosures, which for an arachnophobe might not be the most confidence inspiring quality....they are however exceedingly docile and if you do not mind this inquisitive quality, a great choice
All of my E sp Red and E sp Yellows walk right out of their containers the moment the lid is lifted, turn your back for 30 seconds, they are out. Not a good choice for an arachnophobe IMO either.

 

Jeff23

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I'm seriously thinking about starting with a Euathlus! From what i've read here & videos i've watched they seem to be about as friendly a tarantula as you can get. Also from what i've researched meal/super worms should be ok as a feeder :)
You may have already started searching and know, but finding a larger size Euathlus Red or Yellow may be hard unless you are ready to spend some money. It seems like demand is exceeding supply on this species by a lot right now. Breeders are still working to overcome the fact that Chili closed their borders on export of them (if I am correct on what I read). A couple of people have noted that the Euathlus Blue variety is a little more skiddish, but I don't know if that it is true only for them or in general.

I ended up buy some small spiderlings which is fine for me since I have always had an interest in spiders from the curious angle.
 

Vanessa

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Tarantulas have so much to teach us. It's not fair to reduce them to having to fulfill our need for companionship. They are from different worlds and are just not able to provide us with the same thing that more 'traditional' companions do.
But what they do provide us with is awesome if you get to know them. They are such extraordinary creatures and it is a privilege to be able to share our lives with them.
You need to be able to look beyond what you're used to and see them for who they are - not who you want them to be for your purposes.
 

cold blood

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You may have already started searching and know, but finding a larger size Euathlus Red or Yellow may be hard unless you are ready to spend some money. It seems like demand is exceeding supply on this species by a lot right now.
Right, just a few years ago you could easily find sexed female adult and sub adults for 60-80 bucks...sometimes cheaper...slings went for $10 or less. But in recent years they've developed almost a cult following, which has made them as popular as they should have been all along...prices have skyrocketed in recent years...now they aren't even easy to find.
 

viper69

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A couple of people have noted that the Euathlus Blue variety is a little more skiddish, but I don't know if that it is true only for them or in general.
It's true of that locality in general, the "blue" is certainly more skittish, and not like Reds/Yellows. Only E sp Red and E sp Yellow have that great disposition.

Adult female Reds go for about 125-150$
I haven't seen any Yellows, sling or adults for sale regularly for over 3 years.

My MM Yellow in that picture is going to die a bachelor!
 

magicmed

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It's true of that locality in general, the "blue" is certainly more skittish, and like Reds/Yellows. Only E sp Red and E sp Yellow have that great disposition.

Adult female Reds go for about 125-150$
I haven't seen any Yellows, sling or adults for sale regularly for over 3 years.

My MM Yellow in that picture is going to die a bachelor!
Breed your MM yellow with a MF red! Make Euathlus sp orange!!!

(Joke)
 
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