Trying to decide on a large terrestrial

[Tremors]

I know my question is the type that gets asked a lot on this forum but I need the type of personal experience that care sheets just can't provide.

I want to buy a terrestrial tarantula for a pet, basically a display animal that I can take out occasionally and admire.

My preferences are this; It has to get large and be an overall robust spider that is also friendly. I've got it narrowed down to either a Chaco Gold Knee, Brazilian Black, or a Pink Zebra Beauty.

Please give me your pros and cons on these three species and let me know some of the differences you've noticed about them.

Thrill me with your acumen...

 

[Ghostmooner]

the Chaco i'd sudgest, i have a 4-5" female and she is just so striking in color, every time i come over to check on her i stay for a bit, just to watch her walk around and admire her. that black fuzzy background with the bright yellow stripes just look so awsome to me

 

[Chris_Skeleton]

G. pulchripes. I have a 5" one and my girlfriends is around 6.5". Both have awesome coloration and are super docile. Neither of them has ever given a threat display, and mine has only kicked hairs very few times.

Pros:
-Large
-Colorful
-Docile

Cons:
Hmm... Don't think there are any lol.


Why not a L. parahybana?

 

[fatich]

l suggest you Acanthoscurria geniculata, no offense but why don't you use scientific names ?

 

[bobusboy]

I'd vouch for the G. pulchra (Brazilian Black) mine is only about 2.5-3" right now but it is growing fast due to power feeding. It is the only one of my Ts which I would consider holding as it's the only calm one.

I'm looking forward to a 5.5" docile G.pulchra some day

Pros:
doesn't kick hairs (IME)
jet black
docile
constantly eating

Cons:
Every tarantula has its own personality, some are going to be calm and others not so;
I have a B. bohemi (5.5") which is supposed to be calm but really is a bit of a psychopath.

PS: welcome to the boards

l suggest you Acanthoscurria geniculata, no offense but why don't you use scientific names ?

Probably because they are new to the hobby and simply doesn't know the names.

 

[malevolentrobot]

i vote G. pulchripes, while not the most striking it is easily the calmest T i have in my collection. many people have posted about their excellent experiences with this tarantula, and i know my reccomendation is far from being alone. also, i have seen some massive females (including the mother of the one i have), so you will get the size you are asking for.

edit: they should also run you less than the pulchra as far as comparatively sized specimens. i am actually not sure about pricing on E. campestratus because i've never been really interested in them, but i believe they also run more than pulchripes.

Why not a L. parahybana?

because they are itchy, kicky and not always nice, unlike the three the OP listed who are regularly docile individuals? also, OP has admitted to wanting to "take out" which i assume means handle, something i would not personally do with an LP without full body armour to protect me from the u-hairs

I have a B. bohemi (5.5") which is supposed to be calm but really is a bit of a psychopath.

i actually have never heard of bohemei being particularly calm, especially as far as brachypelmas go. while mine is a pretty chill dude, an apt description would be "nervous kickers", imo.

 

[puck4u]

my opinion

I have 2 of the 3 you listed and LOVE my G. pulchra. My E. campestratus (PZB) was totally docile until I put her in the enclosure and then turned psycho and now slaps at everything that enters her territory. I think it's important to let you know that even if they are labeled "docile", it doesnt mean that they are friendly. EVERY spider is different and should be handled with respect...for the safety of your T and yourself. My G. rosea is named Lucifer for a reason ;P Welcome to the boards....and the hobby. Good luck at trying to stay at just 1

P.S. LP's are AWESOME display creatures as well as N. chromatus IMHO

 

[briarpatch10]

I vote for Acanthoscurria geniculata too . They are great display T's

 

[briarpatch10]

i actually have never heard of bohemei being particularly calm, especially as far as brachypelmas go. an apt description would be "nervous kickers", imo.
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I have to agree with this . Mine flicks almost every time I open her tank

 

[BigJ999]

My vote is for the LP although i really like Acanthoscurria geniculata.

 

[bobusboy]

i actually have never heard of bohemei being particularly calm, especially as far as brachypelmas go. an apt description would be "nervous kickers", imo.
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I have to agree with this . Mine flicks almost every time I open her tank

Mine is pretty calm, but I suppose I should have indicated but I meant realtive to other skittish spiders mine is very defensive; it stridulates and throws up threat displays easily.

 

[briarpatch10]

http://www.beccastarantulas.com/tarantulas/caresheets/care page.htm

check this link out

 

[Tremors]

l suggest you Acanthoscurria geniculata, no offense but why don't you use scientific names ?

Look - I also raise African Cichlids and most of them have no common names and are almost solely referred to by their scientific names. On a forum like this there can be all types of people reading the post and not all of them are familiar with the scientific names. I don't think there are any rules here that state you must use scientific names. By the way, how many times have you watched Midnight Express?

Anyhow...Thanks for all the suggestions so far and your observations about these species. I'm really thinking of getting one of each and observe the differences over time. I mostly raise scorpions, mostly, but want to have several Tarantulas to break-up the monotony.

 

[briarpatch10]

Midnight express

Look -By the way, how many times have you watched Midnight Express? .

LOL... I couldnt figure out why you said that until I went back and check local of the first post....That one got my funny bone for some reason!:clap:

 

[malevolentrobot]

Look - I also raise African Cichlids and most of them have no common names and are almost solely referred to by their scientific names. On a forum like this there can be all types of people reading the post and not all of them are familiar with the scientific names. I don't think there are any rules here that state you must use scientific names.

it helps with clarification in some cases, since the frowned upon, made-up common names by stores can be a total mess and a half. just look at people talking about their misleading "mexican rose hair" from petco or all the different common names synonymous with euathlus sp. "blue" for example, and you will get what i mean.

myself, i get brachypelma common names mixed up all the time, with all the legs, rumps, and knees, so i stick to scientific for everyone's sake and so i don't derp all over the boards about the wrong T.

edit: check out this thread for more reasons why: http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=195272

 

[Chris_Skeleton]

Also helps when you're talking about cobalt blue balls

 

[malevolentrobot]

Also helps when you're talking about cobalt blue balls

lol, aka. the hella deadly brumese cobalt blue

 

[Tremors]

My preferences are this; It has to get large and be an overall robust spider that is also friendly. I've got it narrowed down to either a Grammastola pulchripes, Grammostola pulchra, or a Eupalaestrus campestratus.

There! Not only do I love Arachnids, I've also restored order in the universe.

I would have posted a smiley after that last sentence but I haven't yet found one created that's appropriate. Well, this one comes close... It just needs some adjusting.

 

[killy]

My first tarantula was a B smithi ... for my second I wanted what I had been told is a "Chaco Gold-knee," as I held and fell in love with an adult one at a bug fair.

As I did my research, I came across "Gold-knee" and "Gold-stripe" as appellations associated with "Chaco" - I was confused: are they the same spider, or 2 varieties of Chaco" ?:? I wanted to be sure I got a "Gold-knee" because I wanted one just like the one I saw at the bug fair. I asked around and found out that "Chaco" "Gold-stripe" and "Gold-knee" are all common names for the same spider, known in purist circles as "Grammostola aureostriata." Thus, it was reasoned, it's best to use the scientific name to avoid confusion.

Which I did.

And just as I was getting used to that mellifluous moniker, the purists struck again and I was cautioned to call it a "pulchripes," not an "aureostriata." So even with scientific names you're going to get called on the carpet sometimes ... check it out, every once in a while you'll see a post that states "guess what? the ABC is now called the XYZ !" ...

Furthermore, I'd like to add, if you refer to spiders as "Chaco Gold Knee," "Brazilian Black," or a "Pink Zebra Beauty" we in the hobby all know exactly what you're talking about, whereas those NOT in hobby might not relate to "Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens" the way they would to "Green Bottle Blue."

So I vote for common names! :clap:

Back to your question - The A geniculata (in my opinion) is big and beautiful but wields a nasty U-hair. Go for the trifecta - big, beautiful and handleable: become the doting owner of the Chaco AND the Brazilian Black - don't fight it, whichever one you get you're then going to want the other one anyway (Then, once you have both, go ahead and get the A genic, just for show ).

p.s. I can't speak of the E. campustratus from personal experience, and although I have an LP, he's as afraid of me as I am of him so we've been tolerating each other from a respectable distance!

 

[mickey66]

i actually have never heard of bohemei being particularly calm, especially as far as brachypelmas go. an apt description would be "nervous kickers", imo.
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I have to agree with this . Mine flicks almost every time I open her tank

+! I agree 100%