What's the best display tarantula?

[JamesTheArizonaBlonde]

Hello, I am new to tarantulas and wanted to know the best display tarantula for a beginner. I was looking at GBB but even the females have a relatively short lifespan. I was also thinking about a brachypelma hamorii (Mexican red knee) and a Grammostola Pulchra (Brazilian Black). I don't have any preference between NW and OW or if the species is known to be very defensive.

 

[coolnweird]

GBB can't be beat, their coloration and webs make them the #1 NW display species imo. If you're really not into them, I would recommend a T. albopilosus or an A. geniculata!

 

[JamesTheArizonaBlonde]

Thanks for the Advice

 

[DaveM]

Given that you're new to tarantulas, and that you care about lifespan, I recommend narrowing your search to NW species.
Many in the Brachypelma and Grammostola genera would be great choices (including the ones you mentioned).
Beauty is subjective. B. hamorii looks great to me, but if you want something similar with redder knees, check out B. auratum.
B. klaasi has a class of its own. B. emilia look very elegant and can live a very long time. Tliltocatl albopilosus has amazing curly hairs. Many Aphonopelma species are very beautiful, but may be reclusive for periods of times, hidden in burrows. A. geniculata and GBBs are feisty and beautiful, though they generally won't live as long as Brachypelma spp., Aphonopelma spp., or Grammostola spp; still, how long do you really need a spider to live?; they live a fairly long time, especially females. Grammostola pulchra are beautiful if you like black, and they tend to behave in a bold way, and to move substrate around a lot.

 

[Gilligan]

Welcome. Due to their lightning speed and defensiveness, I would suggest you stay away from old worlds as a first spider until you have experience with faster new worlds.
Based on the species you listed, I would say a juvenile Grammastola pulchra would be a good display species, just know they grow slow.
Here is a thread with begginer information that will help you get started.

Admin Announcement - Tarantula Information for Beginners (and More)

Below are some helpful resources. (Rather than having half a dozen or more pinned threads, which clutter the top of the board, we are pinning this index.) While the focus is on beginners, there are other threads on health and more advanced species that may be useful to more experienced keepers...

arachnoboards.com

 

[DomGom TheFather]

Think on it and shop around.
There are threads on here and videos on boobtube covering the topic. For what it's worth, my pick for a first time spider owner would be any of the classics with T. albo and A. geniculata being way up there... But B. emilias and such can sometimes be found at juvie stage for a steal... It depends on what you like looking at. Don't rush it.

Happy hunting.

 

[Hardus nameous]

My Lasiodora parahybana, Phormictopus sp. purple and Davus pentaloris are all out and visible quite a bit. The Chromatopelma cyaenopubescens was more often than not tucked back behind a bunch of webbing and hard to see.

 

[JamesTheArizonaBlonde]

Thx for the suggestions. I am mainly thinking about the T. albo and the A. geniculata. They are both cheap, easy to find, and beautiful. I might just get both.

 

[Gilligan]

Thx for the suggestions. I am mainly thinking about the T. albo and the A. geniculata. They are both cheap, easy to find, and beautiful. I might just get both.

Cool. You can't go wrong with either.

 

[Cmac2111]

brachypelma hamorii (Mexican red knee) and a Grammostola Pulchra (Brazilian Black)

Both are gorgeous T's and IME are out a fair ammount even at a smaller size, they can also be fairly calm (temperaments/behaviors can and will vary between individual spiders). I agree with @DaveM, take a look at the other spiders in the Brachypelma genus as those guys are really stunning. One thing that you should take into account is the speed at which Brachypelma & Grammostola species grow, as it ain't quick... and larger individuals can be pricey (not trying to put you off at all, but these things matter to many new keepers so are always worth mentioning).
GBB might not live as long as many Brachypelma/Grammostola species, but females aren't exactly short lived. Brilliantly colored, relatively large but not huge, intense webbers, out most if not all of the time as adults... hard to think of a better display T than that! As @coolnweird says, A. geniculata is another awesome option (though they do get big and can be feisty so bear that in mind).
IMO, you should look at Grammostola pulchripes as they have some stunning features (golden knees being the standout), they get pretty big, and they don't grow as slow as other Grammostola sp. IME.

Take your time, think about things, no pressure to buy. Also, pls read through the source provided by @Gilligan if you haven't already, it's one of the best starting points for new keepers on the internet (if not the best). Good luck!

 

[Wolf135]

My hapolopus sp lg aka the pumpkin patch tarantula is very eye catching, everyone always compliments on how pretty it is and its always out.

 

[JamesTheArizonaBlonde]

after hearing all of these suggestions and researching a couple i am starting to see how someone can go from having 1 tarantula to 15 in a month

 

[campj]

15

Let's not shortchange ourselves here.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

It helps to have a person limiting you, lol..

 

[Dorifto]

IMG_20220611_221511.jpg

• Dorifto
• Jun 11, 2022
• 5

 

[JamesTheArizonaBlonde]

Wow! She or he is stunning. Is she/he out a lot?

 

[me and my Ts]

For me it’s any of the following
Grammostola grossa
Grammostola actaeon
Tliltocatl vagans
Tliltocatl albopilosus
All of these species are also very easy to keep. My favorite is probably my T. vagans for sentimental reasons but otherwise it’s a tie between the Actaeon, Grossa, and Vagans. The upside of either of the Tliltocatls is that they’re both easy to find and pretty cheap.
that’s my T. vagans, she molted a few weeks ago and now needs a rehouse

Grammostola grossa, not freshly molted

Grammostola actaeon

and I really don’t have a good picture of my Tliltocatl albo

 

[viper69]

The one you can see!

 

[campj]

Pamphobeteus and Xenesthis are great choices. Always out, get huge, look great, voracious eaters, fast growing, easy to care for. They can be a bit feisty.

I don't have any preference between NW and OW or if the species is known to be very defensive.

Also would like to address this. A fast and defensive OW spider with potent venom can get you in over your head (and into the hospital) in a flash. You might want to get at least some experience with fast NW spiders first. Read some bite reports for Poecilotheria and some of the baboons (H. maculata, OBT, S. calceatum, etc). These spiders can move very quickly and if bit you'll be in excruciating pain for several hours with potentially severe cramps for days.

 

[TechnoGeek]

Display Ts are about 2 things: being out and about, and being good lookers. I can tell you from my experience which of my Ts stay out often but beauty is in the eye of the beholder

With that being said, my most beautiful Ts that don't hide often are:

- A geniculata (size - colors)
- L parahybana (Impressive size - pink hue)
- G pulchra (gorgeous velvety black)
- T apophysis (Orange brown and pink females - purple males - massive Ts)
- GBB (insane colors -heavy webbing)
- B emilia (raccoon tarantula)

Honorable mention: T albopilosum but not all of them stay out and about. I had a Nicaraguan female that would hide often. I now have a Honduran (aka hobby form) female that doesn't hide at all but she's a pet rock for the most part. Still the fluffy looks always get people's attention.