Which tarantula would you pick???

AHMR

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Oct 3, 2016
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So this weekend I'm going to a expo in my city......upon research I've narrowed down 2 Ts I'm aiming for/eyeing.
But I've been put on a one T limit by my man lol he wants to slowly ease into getting use to the things that scare him. So he says 2 in the house for now would be enough.(he's scared of spiders)
I have a g.porteri female. She's a tad temperamental lol(I'm kinda fond of ones with attitude tho. So we're good there lol)
So I narrowed it down to 2 that I'm really intrigued by and love the look of....
lasiodora parahybana
and
phormictopus cancerides.
I like that both are similar in habitat as my g.porteri so it makes it easier on maintaining the habitats the same.
I like big T's so the size doesn't intimidate me.(my girl now is a good 5.5-6" herself).
I don't mind Ts that are temperamental. As I am not one to handle my Ts anyways(I do transfers by container and not my hands). Plus I'm kinda fond of animals with attitude period lol
I'm new to owning Ts but I researched tons before even bringing one into my home. As I like to know what to expect before jumping in,kinda thing.
I prefer terrestrial Ts. Altho maybe some day I may see what the fuss is about with arboreals lol
Also don't mind the size of the enclosure that would be needed when an adult as I already have a 15gallon tank or could buy it a upgrade as it needs it.
So if you had to pick...L.P or p.cancerides?
Which is a better species for someone that isn't completely green but is still learning?
The breeder I have in mind has both on their site measuring at 1". So still little.
Altho I'll admit,if my man gives so much as a hint he wouldn't be upset if I got two....and I can find both....ya....ill be making up another enclosure really quick lol(as I already have everything to do it lol)
 

WeightedAbyss75

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I would go with the LP if you are more of a beginner. P. cancerides can be very defensive and skittish. Not a bad tarantula, but I feel the LP is a little more relaxed than most cancerides. Although, if you want a little attitude, cancerides is the way to go. Just as a beginner though, an LP would do really well ;)
 

AHMR

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I would go with the LP if you are more of a beginner. P. cancerides can be very defensive and skittish. Not a bad tarantula, but I feel the LP is a little more relaxed than most cancerides. Although, if you want a little attitude, cancerides is the way to go. Just as a beginner though, an LP would do really well ;)
Ya L.P is in the lead with me to....although I was watching YouTube videos of people feeding them mice....is that a must?lol or can I just still feed crickets,worms and roaches?? As I'll be honest,the idea of throwing in a mouse hurts my heart(as I'm a rodent lover to lol)
Altho a lot of the comments were that you shouldn't feed mice to them. So that's where I'm confused. Esp cause other sites have stated they feed them pinkies.(that I may be able to do without breaking my heart. Maybe lol)
But p.cancerides being skittish and defensive isn't an issue either tho. My g.porteri is a skittish and defensive gal herself. If she even suspects your coming close she instantly kicks hairs and takes the defence stance.(Altho she has her calm moments occasionally and chills if I'm in her tank cleaning or changing water).
I'll just say tho I'm looking forward to one that has a good appetite! My girl is fasting at the moment and I don't like it lol(I feel like she's starving even tho I know logically she's not lol)
But ya,I'll stop rambling now haha
 

Chris LXXIX

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P.cancerides all the time. I love their attitude. Had a female in the past that was sublime, I named her 'Tonton Macoute' for her "bitey" high strung behavior.
 

WeightedAbyss75

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Ya L.P is in the lead with me to....although I was watching YouTube videos of people feeding them mice....is that a must?lol or can I just still feed crickets,worms and roaches?? As I'll be honest,the idea of throwing in a mouse hurts my heart(as I'm a rodent lover to lol)
Altho a lot of the comments were that you shouldn't feed mice to them. So that's where I'm confused. Esp cause other sites have stated they feed them pinkies.(that I may be able to do without breaking my heart. Maybe lol)
But p.cancerides being skittish and defensive isn't an issue either tho. My g.porteri is a skittish and defensive gal herself. If she even suspects your coming close she instantly kicks hairs and takes the defence stance.(Altho she has her calm moments occasionally and chills if I'm in her tank cleaning or changing water).
I'll just say tho I'm looking forward to one that has a good appetite! My girl is fasting at the moment and I don't like it lol(I feel like she's starving even tho I know logically she's not lol)
But ya,I'll stop rambling now haha
If the defensiveness isn't an issue, then cancerides all the way! Also, no mice EVER need to be fed. People just do that to show off...
 

AHMR

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If the defensiveness isn't an issue, then cancerides all the way! Also, no mice EVER need to be fed. People just do that to show off...
Ok whew lol cuz the idea of feeding mice had my heart aching lol as that's why even tho I love snakes,I'll never own one. I can't feed rodents to another animal. As I love the furry buggers to lol
Bugs....well I'm cool with that lol
See tho now I'm torn lol I love both the LP and p.cancerides. Both seen like phenomenal Ts. Both have great appetites which I'll love(that's the one thing I'm adjusting to,that Ts dont starve if they decide to skip a meal or two lol Altho I know not to over feed tho :) )
Hmmmm....maybe if I ask my man nicely and tell him he can count it as my Christmas gift he'll let me get both lol(Altho I won't hold my breath lol as he's scared of them. Altho he's adjusting better then I thought he would,to them in our house.)
Maybe I'll luck out and the breeder will only have one species with them and then the choice is taken outta my hands and I just gotta grab what's available lol
Cuz if they have both I think I'm screwed. As I want both.lol
Altho the LP goes better with the name I'm chosen due to their colouring lol
I have Jello(g.porteri)now and plan to name the next one Pudding lol
 

BorisTheSpider

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Do not feed your Ts mice . As I have said many times over the years the mouse doesn't always lose the fight . One well placed bite and you'll have chubby mouse and a few bits of mangled exoskeleton . I believe that Poec54 lost a baby cobra to a mouse once . A good rule to remember is that mice are tough little bastards that are quick to run but have no problem turning and fighting .
 
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WeightedAbyss75

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You should just get both! They are both relatively inexpensive as slings, so as long as space isn't an issue you could run both. Though, not sure what your situation is.
 

EulersK

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I don't think P. cancerides would be a terrible choice, just be ready for a very defensive spider. They will bite anything that gets close to them. Mine has been known to jump clear onto and up the forceps. Personally, I never do maintenance on their enclosure unless they have a meal in their fangs.

If you think that a fast, defensive terrestrial that gets quite large will scare you, then pass on the P. cancerides.
 

Andrea82

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You'll probably get a freebie L.parahybana with one new spider purchased in the future, so i would go with p.cancerides.
How come you have only those two though? There are better 'second T's' out there...
 

KezyGLA

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They will bite anything that gets close to them. Mine has been known to jump clear onto and up the forceps. Personally, I never do maintenance on their enclosure unless they have a meal in their fangs.
I have a Euathlus parvulus that does this. When I first got it I thought 'easy days'. I soon learned otherwise :rofl:
 

Poec54

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I don't think P. cancerides would be a terrible choice, just be ready for a very defensive spider. They will bite anything that gets close to them. Mine has been known to jump clear onto and up the forceps. Personally, I never do maintenance on their enclosure unless they have a meal in their fangs.

If you think that a fast, defensive terrestrial that gets quite large will scare you, then pass on the P. cancerides.

I've have some cancerides adults and juveniles, and had a number of them back in the 1970's too ( a reptile dealer/importer friend of mine went on a collecting trip to Haiti. Actually he stayed in the hotel pool with cocktails and paid kids to catch reptiles and tarantulas) I've see/owned/cared for well over 100 of them. The average personality is a little feisty, once in a while get a defensive pose, but most often not. They are avid eaters and will attack prey in a millisecond, but then I have fast and violent feeding responses with B smithi and g pulchra.

I'd definitely go with cancerides, you already have a feisty porteri, not much difference in attitude, you'll just want to keep the cancerides substrate moist. You'll wind up with free LP slings at some point, as they can have 2,000 eggs per sac, and the market quickly gets saturated with them. Keep in mind that the sizes of LP's are usually exaggerated, it's typically a 7-8" spider. I had an adult female that never got over 7", and cancerides get that big.
 

Vanessa

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Tarantulas never need to be fed rodents... ever. The chances of them ever catching a rodent in the wild is slim and none - even for the largest of species. Sure, they might luck out a couple of times, but the chances are extremely low. They are not part of their regular diet and they can live very happy and healthy lives without ever being fed a rodent. People do it for the shock and entertainment value and not because it is in the best interest of their tarantula... because it isn't in their best interest at all.
There have been cases where the overfeeding of rodents might be tied to some of the larger species, specifically T. blondi and T. stirmi, having their fangs fall out. In addition, rodents have teeth and claws that they use very successfully to defend themselves and you risk the spider being injured or killed. Only a complete idiot, who should never have a tarantula to begin with, is going to risk having their $300+ T. blondi killed by a mouse that cost them a dollar or two.
They will derive all of their needed nutrition from eating insects and there are more than enough varieties available to choose from.
 

cold blood

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Of the two you are considering, I'd go with the phormic every time.

But I will say that by the time they're juvies (phormics lose the blue sling colors about 3"), both will actually look pretty similar to the one you already have....if I were you, I would look for either Nhandu chromatus or Acanthoscurria geniculata. Both ts are similar in size, appetite and temperament to the ones you are considering, but they are much much more striking looking...and just as ridiculously cheap.

And like Andrea mentioned, if you buy more ts in the future, you will almost certainly get a freebie LP. I've avoided the Lasiodora genus like the plague, I still couldn't avoid them as I now have 3 species of Lasiodora....to me they're m'eh...good eaters, but nothing really special...plain jane's with a good feeding response (which most large terrestrials share).
 

cold blood

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People, stop beating this horse, she's made it clear she has no desire to feed rodents, even saying:

"the idea of feeding mice had my heart aching"
 

Vanessa

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People, stop beating this horse, she's made it clear she has no desire to feed rodents, even saying:

"the idea of feeding mice had my heart aching"
Who is beating this horse? There was one other person who made a comment and they did not provide an explanation on the health concerns surrounding why feeding rodents is not a good idea.
Are you the post police all of a sudden? Is there only allowed one response to someone's question all of a sudden?
 

Vanessa

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Who is beating this horse? There was one other person who made a comment and they did not provide an explanation on the health concerns surrounding why feeding rodents is not a good idea.
Are you the post police all of a sudden? Is there only allowed one response to someone's question all of a sudden?
I've edited this to include that I did not see one other response because there are a number of people who I ignore on this forum and I do not see their responses to posts.
Which might be something that people just might want to take into consideration before telling people how they should respond to threads. Ignoring people means you do not see their posts and that might result in things being said more than once. That is the way it is.
 

Walker253

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I'd say get both, but as an above poster said, take a serious look at the A genticulata. I have all 3 and she's much better looking. They are all pigs and easy to keep. Keeping T's is addictive and collections seem to always be growing. While I'm thinking about it, the N chromatus is also a great choice.
 

AHMR

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You'll probably get a freebie L.parahybana with one new spider purchased in the future, so i would go with p.cancerides.
How come you have only those two though? There are better 'second T's' out there...
I'm going off the stock the breeders have online that at least an inch or bigger within my budget. As smaller then an inch I'm just not ready for.lol(I wanna be able to see it if runs from me lol) it's not set in stone for these 2 only. Just going by what I know the breeders have.
Of the two you are considering, I'd go with the phormic every time.

But I will say that by the time they're juvies (phormics lose the blue sling colors about 3"), both will actually look pretty similar to the one you already have....if I were you, I would look for either Nhandu chromatus or Acanthoscurria geniculata. Both ts are similar in size, appetite and temperament to the ones you are considering, but they are much much more striking looking...and just as ridiculously cheap.

And like Andrea mentioned, if you buy more ts in the future, you will almost certainly get a freebie LP. I've avoided the Lasiodora genus like the plague, I still couldn't avoid them as I now have 3 species of Lasiodora....to me they're m'eh...good eaters, but nothing really special...plain jane's with a good feeding response (which most large terrestrials share).
Will have to check those species out lol

I know this won't be my last T. As I have fallen in love with them. Well I fell in love yrs ago but now that I have started owning them,it's worse lol
I just have to slowly bring them in to give my man time to adjust. As spiders scare him. So slowly bringing them in gives him time to ease into a room full ;) hehe

For the record....I'd NEVER feed mice. The reason I asked if these needed it,is cause had they,I'd have bypassed them completely. As being a rodent lover as well,I could never throw one in to die. So I just bypass animals that require them as food.
 
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