what is a good starter arboreal?

[orkimedies]

howdy.

was thinking about getting an arboreal T. however i have only ever dealt with terestial T's before, mostly i deal with scorpions.

what is a good beginer arboreal and why?


i have been thinking about maybe starting a pink toe colony, i was reading that they are docile enough that they can be kept in large groups so long as they are well cared for.

 

[Alice]

any species of the genus avicularia is a good first arboreal. with the possible exception of braunhauseni, they tend to 'docile' - that is run rather than threaten or even bite. they can be quick, but not as quick as pokies or other ow arboreals. many avicularia are more or less laid back, though i wouldn't recommend handling them as they tend to jump and run when startled. also, you will see them more often than many ows.

however, i would never try to keep them in a colony if you are not prepared for cannibalism. they might not mind each other as much as many other species, but they will still munch each other if the occasion presents itself, even if they are well fed. i know at least 3 people personally who have tried and failed. in one case, the male even killed one of the females he mated with, to be in turn killed by the second female in the communal tank.

 

[Banza]

I think that Psalmopoeus spp. will be good to start witch arboreals

 

[Alice]

hm, they are beautiful, but very secretive (had an irmina i never ever saw) and a tad quicker and more agressive than avicularias. my cambridgei would throw a threat pose at anything moving near her tank and didn't hesitate to jump on things (including tongs) and bite them.

 

[cheetah13mo]

I would go with the Avicularia versicolor for it's colors, size and temperment. It's an excellent arboreal starter. Most are very handlable and arboreals can handle a decent fall so you really can't go wrong.

 

[Sunar]

My first arboreal was a P. striata sling. I'll never be attempting to handle it though. Go with what you are interested in...if it's avics then go for it!

Like Alice said, I wouldn't do communal either, unless you are already telling yourself you'll just end up with one fat T left is all and that you are ok with that.

~Fred

 

[padkison]

I have several avics and I like them a lot. With the right container they are very viewable. They will also take food right out of the tweezers. They can really zoom if spooked but I suppose that is true with all aboreals.

 

[dalejamin]

I hav an A. avic and A. versi and have had no problems from either. Both are laid back, but I don't handle them much. I had the A avic out one day, and my girlfirend's 14-year-old boy yelled, on purpose I might add. The little guy got nervous, but he didn't jump or bite. I was rather impressed. I'm actually looking for an A. purpurea or A. geroldi next

 

[Pennywise]

A. Versicolor gets my vote. One thing that is really nice about
them is when they are tiny, you can let them scoot all over your
hand and up and down your arms. Their care is a little tricky though,
lots of airholes in their lid and a light mist every 2 days will work.

 

[Brian S]

Poecilotheria will be more hardy when compared to Avic slings IMO

 

[cheetah13mo]

Poecilotheria will be more hardy when compared to Avic slings IMO

They are more hardy but wouldn't a T from the pokie genus be a little much to start out on?

 

[mrbonzai211]

i have been thinking about maybe starting a pink toe colony, i was reading that they are docile enough that they can be kept in large groups so long as they are well cared for.

Start out with an Avic. avic. Just get one and see how it fairs for a few months before moving on to something more expensive. I wouldn't ever put two avics together though because they WILL eventually kill each other. It may not happen for a year, or a few years, but it will happen eventually and I think everyone here would agree with me on that.

My next two choices for an arboreal are outside of the Avic family. Avics are kind of the trendy T lately and there are other amazing arboreals that I believe are even more beautiful then even the metallicas or the versis.

The two I like the most right now are the Tapinauchenius gigas and the Iridopelma hirsutum. They are a little more rare then other T's but Swift has them currently in stock.

 

[mikeymo]

i'm also going to suggest the Avicularia avicularia (the regular pink toe). The one i have is a brilliant blue (sort of surprised it turned out that way after its molt). It's very viewable and not a huge webber, at least compared to my Avicularia laeta. I don't handle it because it does have a tendency to jump and i don't want it to hurt itself with a fall. I wouldn't worry too much about jumping. It's not as if it will cling to your face whenever you're doing tank maintenence, mine just seems to "hop" if i get to close. But it takes crickets right out of my feeding tweezers and is a very hardy eater.

The A. Versicolor is beautiful, but, as it has already been stated, they are a bit more particular about living conditions. Also, depending on where you live, the versicolor is considerably more expensive then the avicularia. And while nobody wants anything bad to happen to any species of tarantula, i'd feel better "learning" on a $15 dollar tarantula then a $100 one.

all the best with your choice

 

[mikeymo]

also, in case you wanted to see the colour. This is mine fresh off a molt

 

[Brian S]

They are more hardy but wouldn't a T from the pokie genus be a little much to start out on?

Actually, no. I see no reason why anyone couldnt start out with a Poke sling. Remember, they will be dealing with a small sling so by the time it gets some size they should pretty much no what to expect. Besides, I have always said that they arent near as bad as what you read on the net. Now H mac, S cal are a different story. They are more spazzy, fast and more unpredictable than Pokes.
Avics are docile and all but small slings can be difficult to raise as they can die for no apparant reason. I have had it happen to me just as alot here have. It doesnt seem to be the keeper's fault on many of these instances. I have had them die while siblings thrived while kept in identicle conditions. Now once they get about 1.5 inches, the chances of survival is almost certain.

 

[P. Novak]

Well since you already have terrestrial Ts, any arboreal Ts would work. It's just like a terrestrial T, but vertical.

Personally, I'd recommend any Avicularia spp. They are cute and cuddly and very docile. They also have a variety of color.

Pokies are a great choice, they are a bit more skittish and their venom is one of the more toxic ones, but still a very nice arboreal. Most of them grow to some pretty good sizes as well.

I'd go with either of two I mentioned if I were you. Let us know what you pick.

 

[Mina]

Another vote for one of the avicularias here. I have a lot of avics now and I just love them. In my personl opinion though, the three best lookers of the avics are the versicolors, the purpurea and the geroldi.

 

[monitormonster]

Go with a A. Avicularia. They are really easy to care for, nice enough little creatures, and boy are they cuties~

I kept my first 2 Pinktoes together for several months and had no problems with them....but knowing what I know now, I probably wouldnt do it again.