Why not Thrixopelma?

[johnny quango]

Over time there as been and will be threads about good starter tarantulas and rightly so some of the 1St mentioned are Aphonopelma, Brachypelma and Grammostola. Every now and then you get the odd " an obt is good place to start" comment and whether you think that is right or not that's up to you. Even Gbb gets mentioned as a good place to start and although I agree somewhat that this isn't a bad place to start I'd class it as intermediate along with A genic pamphs and so on just because it can be a little more defensive/skittish than the typical brachy,Grammy or Aphonopelma. The thing that puzzles me a little though is why does it take quite a few replies before Thrixopelma sp are brought into the equation I mean I know they can be a little harder to find and sometimes expensive but unless I'm missing something aren't G iheringi,G pulchra, B klaasi, A moderatum a little expensive and sometimes hard to come by? Yet they are on the list of good starter tarantulas. I personally have an adult female Thrixopelma sp cajamarca, adult female Thrixopelma cyaneolum and a juvenile Thrixopelma lagunas and I find these nothing but a pleasure to own and can match and even surpass some of the other good beginner tarantulas in terms of beauty,feeding response and growth. Trust me on this a Thrixopelma sp cajamarca in the flesh is truly a stunning sight to behold. I think Thrixopelma has some of the most beautiful species available and should be more readily available. I'm sure I can't be the only one that feels this way

 

[awiec]

I try to suggest Thrixopelma cyaneolum (and the genus in general) whenever someone asks for a colorful, chill terrestrial but in the states the genus (especially cyaneolum) is hard to come by besides T.ockerti. My T. cyaneolum is the most calm spider I have, I can do maintenance without her even moving and the only threat pose I've seen is when I tried feed her a roach (she eventually ate it but it startled her the first time). She also grabs food very "daintily" as in she knows exactly when the cricket hits the ground and just non-chalantly rolls it with her legs to her fangs.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

From my point of view, Pterinochilus murinus, OBT, is a good starter Theraphosidae for someone who grow up in Afghanistan, playing as a children with friends "Indians (Native Americans i mean) VS Cowboys" with real, loaded .357

I keep saying that Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens IMO is a great starter one, way more than genus Grammostola, Brachypelma etc they aren't moody like those sometime are, easy to care, very hard, great eaters... they have only a bit of "speed" but just that (i don't view those as speedy T's at all, btw) and if someone is scared by speed (nothing wrong with that) that someone shouldn't jump into T's, because as you know, even "pet rocks" T's are able to perform "something" if they want.

Anyway, i never saw a GBB making a threat display in almost 25 years of T's keeping, unlike some "crazy" Grammostola rosea or a too much moody Brachypelma albopilosum or a Brachypelma vagans who can teach "you" who rule.

As for genus Thrixopelma they are great. But as you said, they are hard to find sometime, and a bit pricey (here at least). There's however, certain great T's genus who aren't always in the "showcase lights" like others, i noticed that, during years. And not only due to hard to breed issues etc

 

[cold blood]

Popularity is the reason...the only species that's what I would call readily available is okerti, and due to its skittish, flicky nature, isn't the best beginner species IMO. My adult female T. cyaneolum was without question the single best beginner type t that I've ever had the pleasure to own...ridiculously calm, spectacular eater, never ever flicked and was always visible...I mean always....and its one of the most gorgeous blue specimens of t available, truly stunning....and while not necessarily an expensive t (they're quite cheap actually)....locating one is exceedingly difficult, and often when you do come across the rare specimen, its misidentified. So I think this boils down simply to availability, or lack thereof and nothing more. T. lagunas and especially cajamarca are high on my list, but sadly, they're virtually unavailable here in the states, y'all Brits have a much better selection of Thrixies from what I can tell be browsing your dealer sites.

I wish T. cyaneolum was more readily available...I think they'd quickly become one of the more popular species here if they were just available. Its all about breeding them within the hobby...there OBVIOUSLY isn't enough Thrixie breeding going on aside from okerti.

---------- Post added 11-08-2015 at 10:45 AM ----------

I will add, that suggesting a rarer t for a newbie may in fact be doing the hobby a dis-service. Any species in low population density within the hobby should, IMO, first be in the hands of experienced keepers...those willing to and experienced in breeding. If you have low numbers, basically captive breeding is the ONLY way their numbers will increase, thereby allowing newbies to get them. I would really stink to get a bunch in the hobby, only to have them all end up in the hands of people that will never breed them....it kinda makes for a dead end, which is exactly what the hobby needs to avoid if we want to keep these rarer specimens around for the future.