What your first Tarantula and how did it go?

Ziad ElGuneid

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jan 25, 2016
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55
I thought it'd be fun to hear from everyone about the first tarantula you ever got, especially from the experienced keepers. And how it worked out for you, weather in hindsight it was a good idea and how that tarantula is doing now. this isn't about what tarantula is best for beginners, just where your collection started.
I'll start us off, I got a G.pulchripes from a pet store, as soon as i saw her i had to have her, she was around 2 inches just over a year ago and she turned out to be a female and her last molt was around 4.5 DLS.
*sorry for the bad grammar in the title.
 

KezyGLA

Arachnoking
Joined
Apr 8, 2016
Messages
3,013
G. porteri sling just over 10 years ago. Thought she was a male so called it Craig. Turned out to be a female though and is currently 5.5".

She was my only T for over a year but I never lost interest in her, although at most times she is a typical rosie pet rock. I never had any issues with her at all, she is awesome. She got me deep into this hobby and its great. I was a 90s kid but hey, who needs Pokémon when you got arachnids :D
 
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Tim Benzedrine

Prankster Possum
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Apr 4, 2004
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1,496
B. smithi. Found it at a petshop for 20 dollars. I was thrilled to death, i had never seen a tarantula offered here before.

How it turned out...matured male with it's first moult under my care. So I didn't get to enjoy it all that long. I think it made it six months longer, but it may have been longer than that, it has been quite a while and I can't recall exactly.
 

antinous

Pamphopharaoh
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Mar 28, 2013
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Phlogius sp. 'Stents', Chilobrachys sp. 'Vietnam Blue' and Ceratogyrous darlingi.

Donated all of them to a more experienced friend when I was going through some tough times. I stopped speaking with said friend but I'm sure they're doing fine.
 

AlbatrossWarrior

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Feb 6, 2016
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147
B. albopilosum, 1/2 inch sling named Kirby! I knew starting off with a sling was a bad idea, but there are zero petstores with older and bigger specimens, so I bought the best beginner species that Jamie offered online. I've had him for a year and a half and hes two inches now, and also a female, lol, but I can't stop saying "he"
 

REEFSPIDER

Arachnobaron
Joined
May 6, 2016
Messages
412
My first was a Grammastola Pulchra sling purchased in the beginning of this year. After having a lifelong fascination with tarantulas starting at a young age, but coming from a home where my mother would have never allowed me to keep them, I was working at an expo and I decided to buy 1 the next day. I'm now 9 T's richer and have 2 more on the way. The sling is now a jevenile and growing and doing well.
 

Coconana

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 21, 2015
Messages
105
A. Seemani "Blue Form" that I forgot the name of. We got him --he later matured into a beautiful male that looked more purple than blue--at a Petco when I was five or so. My mother, @Immortal-sin, was terrified of spiders, but she didn't want to pass on that fear to me, so she decided to confront her problems head on.

He almost died during a molt, and my mom did what she could to save him. To her surprise, and her morbid delight, it worked! He matured the following year or so, I believe.

There's a dinosaur of a thread floating around on AB about it all somewhere, complete with pictures :happy:
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
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Sep 24, 2015
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4,611
G porteri, gave it to a friend 4 years ago and its still doing fine today. it was a girl, and worked out great.
 

YagerManJennsen

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jan 3, 2016
Messages
508
A. avic back on October 18th 2015, first molt (early December) two or three months after I got him he matured. For a couple months, looking back, my enclosure set-up was appalling. I followed caresheets until I found AB where these lovely folks taught me the way of the tarantula-force aka telling me to use dry sub with avics and LOADS of cross ventilation. I sent him off to breed early in the summer. The sac sadly wen't sour. Fluffy was his name and I loved that little guy. I was in tears when I found him with a punctured abdomen on the floor of the enclosure. His body now resides preserved in the garage freezer.
 

shining

Arachnodemon
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Jul 15, 2011
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755
P. murinus and A. geniculata were my first. They grew into lovely ladies and have been great minus the abundance of hairs I've been hit with.
 

ratluvr76

Arachnodemon
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Jul 12, 2014
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759
my first T that was really mine was given to me by my brother in law. We were told it was "rose hair". He kept it and then I kept it in a standard LPS set up... Terrestrial, little to no substrate, sponge in the water dish etc. He, and then I, did not know any better. I had not yet found arachnoboards and indeed did not even THINK of such an option! I grew up in an age where google was a row of hard back books called "encycolpedias". ;) so i did not think to research past what the pet store people told us. I mean, that's what they do for a living they MUST know what's best right? Well, years later, after this poor T had passed away, I found the boards. My gifted "rose hair" was actually an Avic. Yeah, poor thing. :(

so to answer the question succinctly: First Tarantula - Avic sp. petstore
Outcome - dismal
 

Nanchantress

ArachnoFriend
Old Timer
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Apr 2, 2011
Messages
51
G. rosea bought at pet store for $15 in
October 2010. Thought it was an adult female and named it Carmella. Hooked out 9/4/2011 so changed name to Carmello . Still alive.
 

EulersK

Arachnonomicon
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Feb 22, 2013
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3,292
A devil spawn G. porteri. When I first got her, based on the accounts of their normal temperament, I thought I was doing something wrong. Nope, she's just overly defensive. It clearly went alright.

G. rosea bought at pet store for $15 in
October 2010. Thought it was an adult female and named it Carmella. Hooked out 9/4/2011 so changed name to Carmello . Still alive.
Your mature male is five years old? Are you sure it's a mature male?
 

BobBarley

Arachnoprince
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Sep 16, 2015
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1,486
G. rosea, got her 4(?) years ago at about 3.5-4", now at about 5"+. I paired her with a male last year, waiting on a sac. When I first got her, it didn't go so well. Heat lamp, and bark sub. Pretty bad... After a year or two though, I looked deeper into care and was like, "Whoa, I've been doing this wrong!" And last year, I joined the forum.
 

Nanchantress

ArachnoFriend
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Apr 2, 2011
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Your mature male is five years old? Are you sure it's a mature male?
Absolutely 100% positive. And if you search back far enough on this forum you can find my posts back in April 2011 when I was still referring to it as a "she". Funny!
 
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ratluvr76

Arachnodemon
Active Member
Joined
Jul 12, 2014
Messages
759
Your mature male is five years old? Are you sure it's a mature male?
Crazy, lifespan, wonder if he's still fertile.
my MM G. porteri was purchased by my husband from a pet store almost 3 years ago. He has never molted with us, we have no idea how long he as been mature since he was presumably wild caught. So at LEAST 3 years post ultimate molt, still going strong, still spinning sperm webs.
 

trinette

Arachnopeon
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Apr 14, 2016
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Contessa my G.porter. At the ripe old age of 44 I finally got my first t. 2 years on have five and slowly adding. She's still special in my heart.
 

Matabuey

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Aug 9, 2016
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96
I actually bought 4 at first i think.

M. balfouri, C.fimbriatus, O. sp Blue Panay and H.hainanum.

They're all doing great, i gave the (female) Hainanum to a friend last week as he has a male.
 

Ceymann

Arachnoknight
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Jul 3, 2016
Messages
185
G. rosea, got it when I was 10 years old, gave it away when I was 18 before heading off to college. So, I guess you could say it went pretty well.
 
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