New little girl...

[Ravnos]

Was given this little girl the other day... not very friendly. =)




Rav
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[rottie]

I am totally not a spider guy ... I would like to say that it is nice but i dont know what to look for....


Rav why dont you educate some of us on what to look for in a spider ?


rottie
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[Boa_Master]

Nice looking spider you got there
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[Ravnos]

Alright... well, choosing a tarantula is something that I've had alot of debate with people on. Trying to express to people who are looking to buy for all the wrong reasons. Many first time keepers end up getting something like a Goliath Bird Eater because of the 'glam' associated with it. Everyone's heard of a goliath, but they are really very bad to keep as pets, even for experienced keepers.

As with any pet really, you need to do your research on your choices for species - there are literally thousands of species available to the pet trade. Each has its own unique care needs and most of all... each species has its own particular personality traits. Since I mentioned the goliath, I'll use them as an example. Goliaths are not very friendly, and since they have what are called 'urticating hairs' which come off just like the fine hairs on a cactus and stick in the skin causing irritation, and can even cause blindness if you accidentally get one in your eye. Goliaths are also very secretive... if they are set up properly, they will spend 99% of their time inside their burrow and you never see them. Whats the point in having a pet that you never see? [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img] Other species, like the Indian Ornamental may be very pretty don't make very good pets simply because they are aggressive, very fast, they jump, and they have particularily potent venom if they should happen to bite you. The girl in this post up above is an usambara baboon tarantula. A friend of mine got bit by one a few years ago, and he was laid out for a week in intense pain. They have a nasty disposition, and won't hesitate to bite... again, while being pretty - only recommended for a more advanced keeper.

A few other things to consider... do you want an arboreal tarantula or a terrestrial one? Arboreal ones are frequently a little more skittish, are not afraid to jump and are much faster. Terrestrial ones on the other hand are a little slower, and quite frequently spend most of their time in their burrows.

Locality makes a big difference... most asiatic species of tarantula have nasty dispositions. While they don't have the urticating hairs that tarantulas from the Americas have, they don't generally mind biting and displaying defensive posture. African species seem to have more potent venom, and are no friendlier than most of the asiatic species. Although, I'm not really familiar with african species, this usambara baboon being my first one.

There are plenty of species which are good pets though and are just as pretty. Pink Toe tarantulas is what I started with. They are a smaller arboreal species from Guyana. They can be a little skittish, but are not known for biting or being aggressive. Most species of Aphonopelma are also good starters. They are largely terrestrial, and some, like the Rio Grande Gold can get very pretty. This group also includes Desert Blonds, Texas Browns, Costa Rican Zebras, Mexican Bloodlegs, and many others. They are easy to care for and tend to do well in captivity. Brachypelma species are another good starter. Curly Hairs, Mexican Flame Knees, Mexican Red Legs, and many others. They are very tolerant of captivity, and if kept in an appropriate enclosure they can thrive. They sometimes are prone to kicking their urticating hairs if threatened, but they get comfortable with handling and activity after a while.

I dunno... so hard to give a good guide because there is such a large range of options avaible to the prospective tarantula keeper, all I can suggest is that make sure you do your homework. Read everything you can find before buying, they are so poorly understood that almost every bit of information out there is pure opinion and of course, everyone has their own opinions. And never rely on common names for identification, always get a scientific name... if the seller can't give you that, take your business elsewhere because you may never know what you're getting - many species look similar but can be worlds different. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img] Many species of tarantula are being captive bred now... so if you can find a captive born one, it has a much higher chance of being healthier than a wild caught one - which can have parasites and can even harbor infections and so forth for years before they lead to the demise of the spider. I recently lost a cobalt blue to phorid flies (an insect species that sometimes comes in on imported tarantulas and literally lays eggs in their body and then the maggots burst out, killing the spider.

Anyway, I've prattled enough... I'm happy to answer specific questions if I can, but writing a general guide is enough information to write an entire book on. =)

Rav

[Ravnos]

-Come back here, I want to bite you!

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[Bry]

#$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^&, that last picture is especially freaky. Maybe the caption has something to do with it, but I guess you know that's what the spider's thinking. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] I've always been really fascinated by spiders, but at the same time, quite creeped out by them. I don't think I could ever keep one. I'm just not much of a spider guy. Cool looking animals there.

Bry

_________________
"Silly kids, rabbits are for snakes!"

"I got a pet cactus in the bathroom. But we don't got nothing to say to each other." - Walter Matthau

[Jack_Daniels]

Indian Ornamentals ROCK!!... talk bad about them and I'll sik one on you...! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img]


....ive never seen on in 'the flesh' tho, so I only know'em by picture. They're much more 'docile' like that.
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