What is a beginner species of tarantula that can live in a 5.5 gallon tank

[darkness975]

Just to parrot what @viper69 said, you got lucky. All my albos with the exception of one exceptionally placid individual are quote frantic and skittish (WC Nicaraguan stock) I'm positive they would all readily bolt if handled.

Sounds like my B. smithi. A lot of people I talk to seem to view them as slow moving and a bit lumbering but my girl is one of the fastest things I have ever seen. Recently I was doing feeding/maintenance and when I got to her I cracked the lid, turned to my right to grab a replacement souffle cup, and when I turned back to the enclosure she was on the complete opposite side (she ran long ways) and half way up the wall. It made my heart skip a beat since it was so fast and so close.
She also tackles prey like a gladiator.

@shadowjimmy107 Let this and other stories be a lesson to you to never get complacent no matter how "slow" or stationary they appear to be at any given time.

 

[Andrea82]

Sounds like my B. smithi. A lot of people I talk to seem to view them as slow moving and a bit lumbering but my girl is one of the fastest things I have ever seen. Recently I was doing feeding/maintenance and when I got to her I cracked the lid, turned to my right to grab a replacement souffle cup, and when I turned back to the enclosure she was on the complete opposite side (she ran long ways) and half way up the wall. It made my heart skip a beat since it was so fast and so close.
She also tackles prey like a gladiator.

@shadowjimmy107 Let this and other stories be a lesson to you to never get complacent no matter how "slow" or stationary they appear to be at any given time.

My B.smithi is nervous and flicky and pretty fast too. She'll kick when i get her enclosure from the shelves, when i open the lid, and then actually comes towards me, and flicks again.
Not amusing when Brachypelma urticating hairs create blisters on hands, face and arms.
She is gorgeous and eats like a horse, but man, those hairs...

 

[darkness975]

My B.smithi is nervous and flicky and pretty fast too. She'll kick when i get her enclosure from the shelves, when i open the lid, and then actually comes towards me, and flicks again.
Not amusing when Brachypelma urticating hairs create blisters on hands, face and arms.
She is gorgeous and eats like a horse, but man, those hairs...

Interesting. Mine does not even move usually when I open the lid or start messing with the water dish. I guess that is another reason why her teleportation was a quick heart beat skip. I know they are able to move fast but it seems like one of those things that always startles you no matter how many times you experience it.

I hope she remains a non setae flicking specimen lol.

 

[Walker253]

Hi, my name is jimmy and I am starting to get into tarantulas. Now I am a BIG reptile person owning many reptiles. Now my brother was going to get me a tarantula for Christmas but he said he couldn't keep it warm so he gave me a gift card to Petco. Now I decide to look more into tarantulas to see if I would like them and I decided to give them a shot. Now doing a lot of research I have found that they don't need large cages. Now I don't have access to a range of tanks so I got a 5.5-gallon tank. Now I have been drying out eco earth so I am able to add as much as I need. So height is not an issue. Now the first type of tarantula I was going to get was a euathlus sp. red (Chilean flame I think). Now I still like them a lot and I still would not be opposed to getting one it just there a little small for me. And care sheets are not that good so I can't find that many articles on specific info. The other species is the Brachypelma albopilosum (Honduran curly hair). I really like this species and I think that I this would also be a very good starter from what I hear. But I don't know I have the proper tank size. My main question would be what is the best species to get following these points.

• They need to be able to live in a 5.5-gallon tank
• A terrestrial and dry species
• At least tolerant of handling
• Slow
• Not super expensive
• A beginner type.

I am going to order the tarantula off of http://www.net-bug.net/ because they are cheapish and have some good reviews. Any help would be greatly appreciated

Let's go back in time about 3 weeks ago and see another example of why planned handling is once again, not a good idea:

I'm in a bit of a tough situation right now with my newest tarantula, a 2 year old female curly hair. I had been handling her for a couple of minutes and she started to get a little moody, so I got ready to put her back in her enclosure. I must have moved my hand or something, but she panicked and climbed up the mesh frame of the fireplace and into the inner workings (an electric fireplace, unfortunately). I tried to open it up and take it apart as much as possible but the only conclusion I can come up with is she must have gone into a space in between the fireplace itself and the brick wall, about 3 inches wide and wraps around the entire fireplace. Luckily it's off and won't be going on any time soon so she won't cook, but I'm worried she may freeze or get stuck back there. My dad is going to ask to borrow a scope tomorrow to see if we can find her and maybe nudge her towards us to get her out- but I'm very concerned about her and how much danger she could really be in. I care deeply for all my tarantulas and consider them to be family to me, I'd be crushed if I had to give up on her. What could I try in order to get her back?

This person found put the hard way. I won't say it will happen, but it can happen. You'll never know when.

As far as keeping your new addition, I would suggest if it isn't already obvious that it should be 3.5-4" minimum in length. A sling in a 5 gallon is a bad idea unless it's in a deli cup inside the 5 gallon.

Welcome to the hobby and this board!

 

[Andrea82]

Interesting. Mine does not even move usually when I open the lid or start messing with the water dish. I guess that is another reason why her teleportation was a quick heart beat skip. I know they are able to move fast but it seems like one of those things that always startles you no matter how many times you experience it.

I hope she remains a non setae flicking specimen lol.

I'm hoping that maybe after her next molt she changes a little. But it could also get worse. And it will get worse before she molts, since she'll then kick her abdomen almost completely bald, readying her enclosure for molting. Oh well, in the meantime i have my gloves ready.
It sucks that my sensitivity is mainly focussed on Brachypelma. There are such beautiful species in it.

 

[Goodlukwitthat]

Ya reptile don't enjoy handling but they just don't care. But I have another question about jamiestarantulas.com is you know. Now do they ship during winter. And if so if I choose standard shipping (1-3 days) How unsafe will that be. I can have somebody pick it up when it gets here.

Jamie is closed for shipping until next year. (as I previously said, most reputable sellers won't ship during winter months) Yes I recommend her shipping due to the fact I had a freak incident on some slings I ordered that got lost in transit for almost 2 weeks. Jamie still stood by her LAG and when they finally arrived, they were alive and well and one molted in transit.

OP you can check out www.swiftinverts.com and www.net-bug.net If you use facebook there are a lot of seller groups. Steer clear from a guy by the name of Juju S Rodman on fb. He recently showed how horrible of a seller/business man he is. There is a review section here if you intend on checking out the classifieds section. ALWAYS (I can not stress this enough) do your research on the person you are going to buy from. check out their reviews, (Juju demanded a bad review of his be changed to a positive one before he would give the guy his refund) If something sounds fishy, best thing is to go elsewhere and spend a little more for better service.

 

[Walker253]

Jamie is closed for shipping until next year. (as I previously said, most reputable sellers won't ship during winter months)

So next year, meaning next week. Lololol

 

[Goodlukwitthat]

So next year, meaning next week. Lololol

She emailed me stating she'd reopen next year when the weather became warmer.

 

[Walker253]

If you ordered right now, her website says it will ship January 4th

https://jamiestarantulas.com/shipping-policy/