Why do you like tarantulas, anyway?!

[Xian]

How do you know your tarantulas are “happy?”

When they do absolutely nothing for extended periods of time.

 

[PrimalTaunt]

I like tarantualas just because I've always found them interesting. I don't breed mine (yet) so I can't answer the one about breeding. And the others seem to have answered the other questions fairly well.

 

[Megan]

Catch cups are very handy! So long as you get the spider in the cup.. and not on the cup.. or around the cup.. or on the cup then up your arm

Haha, yes, I'm sure there's an art to that...

The problem is that you can't keep just one... How old are you ? I am almost 19 and last year when i was 17 and in (high school ? well the year before university...) I crossed a spider website wich i found some interesting tarantula pictures and information. I showed my mom various articles about information of tarantulas wich i packed on a word file xD I was like " mom... i discovered something really cool that i didn't know.. read this! Did you actually know that tarantulas are harmless !?" and so she read... some days /weeks l8r I showed her some pictures and about a month/2months i said i would like to have one.. she was/is always having fear about them but once in a while she sees them and i got my mom to enjoy the molting process of a tarantula wich I was very proud xD I got my first and about half year later i got another one. The beginning of january i bought 3 new slings as i'm moving my Ts to my "university's house". She always afraid that they escaped or something and yesterday we were having dinner and me and my little brother were all happy because of the Ts and she started whining about them escaping and I got up the table and started walking as there was no door and said "howcome am I able to get out of the kitchen if the door isn't open and i cant open it" ( Laughter all around and pretty much exemplified the thing) hehe My mum is a cutie!

I'm 22.. I don't live at home but I was hoping if I had to be gone ever, she would be willing to do some basic care for it. I got a resounding no! I'm hoping she will eventually warm up to the idea--she probably just as a monstrous idea of tarantulas in her head as many do!

Your mom does sound like a cutie.. it's cool how your mom seemed to have a very open mind to the whole thing!

The TKG is a great book, but it is targeting those new to the hobby. This means they give you advice for the most basic enclosures and husbandry. Since you are new that is a good thing! However, there are ways to keep Ts that are not utilitarian..............

Good to know! I really love all the plants in your cages.. such beautiful set-ups. Definitely something I might like to try in the future.

3. As far as wild caught Ts go, I try to buy only captive bred slings. This works well for me because I get to watch a tiny sling grow into a huge adult and I will have it longer before it dies of old age. Plus, I won't be contributing to the demise of it's wild counterparts, which is a great bonus.

I think I will definitely find something captive bred.. that way I'm supporting members of the tarantula community and not harming the wild populations. I would also like to try a sling to start with but I'm a little nervous because they seem sooo delicate!

 

[Ether Imp]

I think I will definitely find something captive bred.. that way I'm supporting members of the tarantula community and not harming the wild populations. I would also like to try a sling to start with but I'm a little nervous because they seem sooo delicate!

I do believe Cheshire is from Iowa, although I'm not sure how far he is from you. You may be able to ask him about reputable dealers in your area. Or just check the For Sale/Trade section.

Slings *are* delicate in some ways, but less delicate than adults in others.. For example, slings are much lighter and therefore more capable of surviving a fall, and they are much easier/safer to handle.. but yes, they can be squished much easier.

 

[jebbewocky]

For a newbie looking for slings, I'd advise starting with a sling around the 1" mark.
Just because they are a little hardier by then, and the are also easier to see, and get feeders for!
Most members of the Brachypelma genus, with the exception of B.vagans, would be good starter T's. Some of these can be pricey, but are less so if you have around 1". Some members of Aphonopelma are good starter T's, others aren't you'd want to check to be sure. I would caution against Grammostola of any type--they are generally good, but are prone to mood swings and/or inconsistent temperments more than other genera.

 

[Megan]

I do believe Cheshire is from Iowa, although I'm not sure how far he is from you. You may be able to ask him about reputable dealers in your area. Or just check the For Sale/Trade section.

Slings *are* delicate in some ways, but less delicate than adults in others.. For example, slings are much lighter and therefore more capable of surviving a fall, and they are much easier/safer to handle.. but yes, they can be squished much easier.

I've been lurking around the For Sale/Trade section and drooling! Sadly, the temperature in Iowa is still too low to safely get a tarantula here so I'm trying to wait patiently. It'd be awesome if I could find a reputable breeder but I haven't really heard of any so far..

And, oooh, someone else from Iowa?! I will have to stalk them.. ;D

For a newbie looking for slings, I'd advise starting with a sling around the 1" mark.
Just because they are a little hardier by then, and the are also easier to see, and get feeders for!
Most members of the Brachypelma genus, with the exception of B.vagans, would be good starter T's. Some of these can be pricey, but are less so if you have around 1". Some members of Aphonopelma are good starter T's, others aren't you'd want to check to be sure. I would caution against Grammostola of any type--they are generally good, but are prone to mood swings and/or inconsistent temperments more than other genera.

Thank you for these suggestions! I'm trying to make up a list of good starters to choose from. I originally had my heart set on an E. camp but I'm moving on to tarantulas that aren't quite so hard to access.

The one drawback to starting with a sling and that is I wouldn't be able to ensure that it was female, hehe. I'd really like my first tarantula to live to a ripe old age, but I'm trying to convince myself it wouldn't be a horrible thing if I ended up with a male!

I was reading a thread about itty bitty slings and their feeding methods. It made me laugh because there is no end to the lengths people will go to make their T's happy, including putting minuscule fruit flies in a stupor and forcep-feeding the flies to the little guys! I love it.

 

[ReMoVeR]

I think it is better to get a juvie! A T around 2" maybe ? I started off with my Avic at around 2" last year and yes she is now 3.9" so.. If you are gettin slings... wich I got recently 2 Grammostolas and 1 Nhandu... the Grammostolas will take 4ever to grow... Imagine it as your kids ... the nhandu will grow fast enough to be the one who you always want to feed and see it grow grow grow. This applies to the Avic too! (This for beginner Ts ?) I like the catchy colored ones.. Brachypelmas ... Avicularias.. There is a lot of variety xD Hf searching and trying to decide wich one first as you will end up having them all! POKEMON STYLE hihih =)

cheers,

//Tiago

 

[Ether Imp]

I've been lurking around the For Sale/Trade section and drooling! Sadly, the temperature in Iowa is still too low to safely get a tarantula here so I'm trying to wait patiently. It'd be awesome if I could find a reputable breeder but I haven't really heard of any so far..

And, oooh, someone else from Iowa?! I will have to stalk them.. ;D



Thank you for these suggestions! I'm trying to make up a list of good starters to choose from. I originally had my heart set on an E. camp but I'm moving on to tarantulas that aren't quite so hard to access.

The one drawback to starting with a sling and that is I wouldn't be able to ensure that it was female, hehe. I'd really like my first tarantula to live to a ripe old age, but I'm trying to convince myself it wouldn't be a horrible thing if I ended up with a male!

I was reading a thread about itty bitty slings and their feeding methods. It made me laugh because there is no end to the lengths people will go to make their T's happy, including putting minuscule fruit flies in a stupor and forcep-feeding the flies to the little guys! I love it.

I would say good starters include (but not limited to)

Aphonopelma Paysoni/Chalcodes/Hentzi/Anax

Brachypelma Vagans/Smithi/Boehmei

G. rosea are also common for beginners.

If you do the research I'm sure you could also properly care for most of the other commonly kept T's that are talked about alot on these boards, such as OBT, T. Blondi, etc.

And, I agree it's easier to keep a Juvi than a sling.. Also, there's nothing wrong with having Mature Females if you can get your hands on one and/or afford it. To raise the chances you at least get one female sling/juvi, just purchase 2-3 of each species. Of course there's no gaurentee you'll get a female, but it helps your odds.

 

[jbm150]

A juvie female of one of your choice species would be great to start with. While you have that, maybe pick up an itty bitty sling along the way and see what its like to raise one from almost nothing.

I got an L. parahybana sling with my regalis female and its been so neat to watch it grow. Chances are, if you order a juvie female, you might get a sling as a freebie.

You're gonna get more anyways, you might as well start now