- Joined
- Jul 22, 2002
- Messages
- 3,783
The big factor to consider is the experience of the keeper for two reasons.
First, the obvious: I see that we already have an Usambara, one of the foulest tempered Ts in the trade, and a Hysterocrates, not that foul tempered but packing one of the most physically damaging of bites in the T trade.
Then we have the standard G. rosea, A. seemanni, and an A. avicularia.
Since it doesn't sound like either the Usambara or H. gigas are more than slings, unless you've got at least several months under your belt working with more challenging Ts, I would not add anything else aggressive/defensive to the plate, particularly anything with potentially hot venom (e.g. H. maculata), but that's just me.
I would recommend a non-burrower (you've got the H. gigas for that already), new worlder. If you want a somewhat challenging but non-hot variety of T, try something from the Nhandu genus. Large, feisty, beautiful, easy to care for, but not known to be hot at all. A similar suggestion would be an Acanthoscurria geniculata.
You can never go wrong with any Brachypelma, Avicularia, or Grammostola while you're at it.
The second reason I ask is I assume we're discussing a teenager in regards to this question. Ts live a long time; I had one T that was with me from before the 8th grade, through high school, through college, through getting married, and finally dying back in 1998 - more than 16 years in captivity, and that was for a wild caught B. smithi. Some of these species that we're starting off with as slings might live 30 years or more in our care. When selecting a T, consider if you're going to be taking care of these things when you're 40, or if you're still just an 'experimenter'. Shorter lived species (e.g. Avicularia or Pterinochilus) may fit your bill better because they grow faster and won't be a burden on your life when you retire.
Above all else, try to familiarize yourself with the different types of Ts out there. Not necessarily memorizing all 250+ that have appeared in the pet trade, but just getting a feel for habits, temperaments, size, longevity, speed, and hotness across the genera. Learn those necessary bits of knowledge and you won't be having to trust complete strangers to make such a decision for you.
First, the obvious: I see that we already have an Usambara, one of the foulest tempered Ts in the trade, and a Hysterocrates, not that foul tempered but packing one of the most physically damaging of bites in the T trade.
Then we have the standard G. rosea, A. seemanni, and an A. avicularia.
Since it doesn't sound like either the Usambara or H. gigas are more than slings, unless you've got at least several months under your belt working with more challenging Ts, I would not add anything else aggressive/defensive to the plate, particularly anything with potentially hot venom (e.g. H. maculata), but that's just me.
I would recommend a non-burrower (you've got the H. gigas for that already), new worlder. If you want a somewhat challenging but non-hot variety of T, try something from the Nhandu genus. Large, feisty, beautiful, easy to care for, but not known to be hot at all. A similar suggestion would be an Acanthoscurria geniculata.
You can never go wrong with any Brachypelma, Avicularia, or Grammostola while you're at it.
The second reason I ask is I assume we're discussing a teenager in regards to this question. Ts live a long time; I had one T that was with me from before the 8th grade, through high school, through college, through getting married, and finally dying back in 1998 - more than 16 years in captivity, and that was for a wild caught B. smithi. Some of these species that we're starting off with as slings might live 30 years or more in our care. When selecting a T, consider if you're going to be taking care of these things when you're 40, or if you're still just an 'experimenter'. Shorter lived species (e.g. Avicularia or Pterinochilus) may fit your bill better because they grow faster and won't be a burden on your life when you retire.
Above all else, try to familiarize yourself with the different types of Ts out there. Not necessarily memorizing all 250+ that have appeared in the pet trade, but just getting a feel for habits, temperaments, size, longevity, speed, and hotness across the genera. Learn those necessary bits of knowledge and you won't be having to trust complete strangers to make such a decision for you.
