What one tip would you pass on to new T keepers that you almost never hear about here?

[gypsy cola]

As a newbie, could you elaborate: what's the proper clothing and why?

I feel like this question is a trap...someone else can explain.

 

[Anoplogaster]

Rehouse in your bath tub. Don't forget to plug the drain!

 

[0311usmc]

heres my tip to beginners....ignore this type of advice...working your way up slowly is far more advantageous for both keeper and t.

I have been keeping inverts for 11 going on 12 years now. I am turning 31 years old this June. Until two years ago I never owned a reptile. Just never got into them I was always happy with my scorpions,centipedes and tarantulas. Well two years ago I am browsing my favorite local pet shop and I see some snakes that catch my eye. Turns out to be colored phase Amazon Tree Boas. I have never owned a snake before but what beautiful snakes I had to have one.
I asked the shop owner some questions then I went home to get on the internet to do my own research. I ordered the enclosure, substrate and most of the decor off Amazon and some at Micheals arts and crafts. Two days later I got my order and assembled the terrarium. I settled with a 4 foot tall Zoo Med repti breeze enclosure.
Once the enclosure was setup and I was happy with it I went down and bought my first snake.
Amazon tree boas say experienced keepers only, well I never had a snake before so i spent a few hours doing research so I could see how to properly house it and give it plenty of room so I can safely work in its enclosure when I need to.

Long story short its been over two years and I have had zero issues with my first snake. A little research and putting the animal in a bigger enclosure so I can safely work inside and using common sense and treating with respect just like when working with inverts has kept me free from bites and escape attempts.
If you do some research before hand and house accordingly and treat with respect you can keep ANYTHING you want.
Like I said before if you can chew bubble gum and walk you can keep any specie of tarantula.

 

[Adenovirus19]

Research is great, and a must for beginners and intermediates....But I agree with CB: NOTHING compares to experience. Of course, the only way to get experience is to begin and deal with inevitable mistakes.

 

[Anoplogaster]

There is definitely a delicate balance between research and experience. Both sides seem to claim 100% of the importance. But it really requires both. I believe it really depends on the type of person you are. I'd been keeping reptiles literally all my life (first lizard, I was 5 years old). I don't even buy enclosures anymore.... I just build them, because I don't believe ANY manufactured enclosure fits my liking. Anyways, I only started getting into Ts a couple years ago, and have done pretty well because I researched the heck out of it! But there have definitely been some surprises. Sometimes, Ts will do things you never expected. And that's where experience comes in handy. Knowing what to expect.

Now, not everyone has experience with animal husbandry. And not everyone is going to know where to look when researching. This is where those "beloved" online caresheets shine like gold to a newbie, and they end up killing their first avic! My first avic setup was COMPLETELY wrong. I still have her, properly housed now, along with a variety of other species. I still have pictures of her original enclosure that I'd be too embarrassed to share here. And this is coming from someone with a pretty rich background of exotic animals. I got cocky. So to make the claim that tarantulas are as easy as chewing gum and walking at the same time, that's just oversimplifying it.

 

[Deb60]

Just because the care sheet sayes the species is docile all species are different, two of my Ts can be aggressive, but the previous owners said they have been ok , will so far so good . Every species is different, and any T can turn on you !

 

[cold blood]

Like I said before if you can chew bubble gum and walk you can keep any specie of tarantula

Like I said...terrible advice for t owners, just awful.....if your "theory" held water, we wouldn't see a constant influx of new keepers and their issues....just because it worked for you, doesn't mean its the best way or even a remotely good way.

There is definitely a delicate balance between research and experience

I always say a person with a year of experience and no research is more prepared than someone who's done a decade of research, but has no experience....research, while important, pales in comparison to actual experience.

 

[Timc]

@cold blood Couldn't agree more. "Fast" and "defensive" are only words and as soon as you get some of that actual behavior in real life you realize what understatements they can be.

 

[Rittdk01]

Just use heavy duty tape on screen lids. I use gorilla tape. Tape the screen and poke holes...done. members like to give newbs a laundry list of problems w their setups, which is fine. The lid is nearly always screen, cuz that's all they sell at the lps. Members always tell them to go to the store and get acrylic for the lid. Newbs are never gonna go to the trouble. Vets forget that these newbies aren't dedicated to the hobby like they might be. They would, however, do an easy fix like tape.

 

[cold blood]

Just use heavy duty tape on screen lids. I use gorilla tape. Tape the screen and poke holes...done. members like to give newbs a laundry list of problems w their setups, which is fine. The lid is nearly always screen, cuz that's all they sell at the lps. Members always tell them to go to the store and get acrylic for the lid. Newbs are never gonna go to the trouble. Vets forget that these newbies aren't dedicated to the hobby like they might be. They would, however, do an easy fix like tape.

Tape can be chewed easily, and worse than that, it can stick to the t in the process....I'm not a huge fan of this tape technique. It is a great temporary solution though...but its not comparable to drilled acrylic or plexi IMO.

And that doesn't even touch on the fact that ts can chew through the stuff...even the heavy duty screening...although the heavy duty stuff isn't as likely to catch the tarsal claws, so that's a plus.

 

[EulersK]

Rehouse in your bath tub. Don't forget to plug the drain!

The best piece of advice that I could have gotten when I started would have been literally the opposite of this. I used to do rehouses in the bathtub, and since I was a newbie, they'd usually result in escapes. The problem is that bathtubs are curved, and catch cups are not. Put a catch cup over a spider in a bathtub and they have no problem just climbing under the cup. Now you have an even more terrified spider that's trying to get away from you with nowhere to hide. Know what spiders do when there's nowhere to hide? They keep running up, up, up. Because of that little bathtub trick, I had to catch a P. irminia that scurried up the wall.

The best place to rehouse is in the middle of a wide open space on the floor. Even the fastest spiders are surprisingly slow once they hit open land. Have an oversized catch cup on hand and simply drop it over the spider. Simple.

 

[cold blood]

Anything I re-house that's fast and bolty is transferred in the tub...my tub must be shaped differently than yours...lmao

Its so easy to control them on the lenolium...the only time I ever had a problem was with a particularly nasty MM striata (cough cough @EulersK)...that dude was off my hand and between the shower curtains with the quickness. Still, it was never a worrisome situation.

 

[EulersK]

Anything I re-house that's fast and bolty is transferred in the tub...my tub must be shaped differently than yours...lmao

Its so east to control them on the lenolium...the only time I ever had a problem was with a particularly nasty MM striat (cough cough @EulersK)...that dude was off my hand and between the shower curtains with the quickness. Still, it was never a worrisome situation.

Yeah, that little dude is a jerk. Packing him wasn't much more fun. But in the two houses I've lived in since I started this hobby, the bathtubs have had curved edges making catch cups impossible to use. I started using the floor after @Poec54 suggested it.

 

[mack1855]

Use your senses.So many posts about my sling is hidden for months.
I have not seen my T for two months.Should I dig it out.
Pop the top of the enclosure,and take a smell.IF you don't lose your lunch,
or smell something foul,its fine.T,s have no odor.Death is unmistakable.

 

[Anoplogaster]

The best piece of advice that I could have gotten when I started would have been literally the opposite of this. I used to do rehouses in the bathtub, and since I was a newbie, they'd usually result in escapes. The problem is that bathtubs are curved, and catch cups are not. Put a catch cup over a spider in a bathtub and they have no problem just climbing under the cup. Now you have an even more terrified spider that's trying to get away from you with nowhere to hide. Know what spiders do when there's nowhere to hide? They keep running up, up, up. Because of that little bathtub trick, I had to catch a P. irminia that scurried up the wall.

The best place to rehouse is in the middle of a wide open space on the floor. Even the fastest spiders are surprisingly slow once they hit open land. Have an oversized catch cup on hand and simply drop it over the spider. Simple.

A tub is a controlled area. I would much prefer chasing a spider up a shower wall than across an open floor and (you guessed it) up the wall anyways

Spray a little water on the sides of the tub, and the T will have a pretty tough time climbing it. Just a little input from my experience

 

[JoshDM020]

I have been keeping inverts for 11 going on 12 years now. I am turning 31 years old this June. Until two years ago I never owned a reptile. Just never got into them I was always happy with my scorpions,centipedes and tarantulas. Well two years ago I am browsing my favorite local pet shop and I see some snakes that catch my eye. Turns out to be colored phase Amazon Tree Boas. I have never owned a snake before but what beautiful snakes I had to have one.
I asked the shop owner some questions then I went home to get on the internet to do my own research. I ordered the enclosure, substrate and most of the decor off Amazon and some at Micheals arts and crafts. Two days later I got my order and assembled the terrarium. I settled with a 4 foot tall Zoo Med repti breeze enclosure.
Once the enclosure was setup and I was happy with it I went down and bought my first snake.
Amazon tree boas say experienced keepers only, well I never had a snake before so i spent a few hours doing research so I could see how to properly house it and give it plenty of room so I can safely work in its enclosure when I need to.

Long story short its been over two years and I have had zero issues with my first snake. A little research and putting the animal in a bigger enclosure so I can safely work inside and using common sense and treating with respect just like when working with inverts has kept me free from bites and escape attempts.
If you do some research before hand and house accordingly and treat with respect you can keep ANYTHING you want.
Like I said before if you can chew bubble gum and walk you can keep any specie of tarantula.

Apples and oranges. They look different, they taste different, and they have different requirements. As someone who owned snakes BEFORE tarantulas, its a whole different ball park. My pythons didnt teleport. Nor were they venomous. Sure, the curved teeth suck when they get in you but that only hurts for a couple minutes. All the research and respect in the world wont keep any tarantula from going wherever it wants should it feel the need, and a P. murinus is not something you want to learn that with. Sure, you CAN. But common sense and GOOD research strongly suggests you dont. Its why I didnt.