Hey all you spider freaks :yes:

So, my wife is kind of interested in getting into tarantulas... Looking for suggestions on a good starter species and/or species that ought to be avoided.

Also, any good sources? Probably going to hit Hamburg this weekend if anyone good to talk to will be there


Thanks

Chaco Golden Knee (Grammostola pulchripes) is my "go to" for beginners. Generally extremely docile, burrows but is out a fair amount, good eater. Nice size, fairly slow moving.

Avoid... OBT and anything arboreal that is not a pink toe species. They are generally fast and defensive.

Rose hairs are great beginners as well. They're as docile as a tarantula can be, and pretty to boot!

Pink toe tarantula, They are arboreal so they are always out and you can make there cages look pretty with leaves and all does fancy things and they are in my opinion the calmest T's other than the rosies.

Avoid... OBT

OBT?? :dunno:


She was looking at rose-hairs but I have heard they are unpredictable temper wise, sometimes they are mellow and sometimes they are psycho... just a luck of the draw type thing...

How are Red-Knees? Or Green Bottle Blues? She is interested in those as well?

My opinion, do not get a red-knee. They throw hairs like crazy, I have never seen mine actually try to bite but they brush hair like a mad man when you mess with them. I have never worked with GBB's but they are cool looking fellows for sure.

OBT?? :dunno:


She was looking at rose-hairs but I have heard they are unpredictable temper wise, sometimes they are mellow and sometimes they are psycho... just a luck of the draw type thing...

How are Red-Knees? Or Green Bottle Blues? She is interested in those as well?

OBT=Orange Bitey Thing:lmao::lmao: (Pterinochilus murinus, I think) They are commonly available and very pretty, but not a good beginner.

Red knees are awesome, but much more prone to hair flicking. They are one of Tia's "go to's" for beginners, but not mine because they make me itch something fierce. She has zero reaction to hairs. They are also one of Bruce's favorites, but I don't think he has much of a reaction to them either.

Green Bottle Blues are stunning. You are going to have more of the hit or miss on docility, and they are fairly fast. So if you do get a defensive one it's going to be a quicker animal then a rosehair or a red knee. I'd rate a green bottle as an intermediate tarantula, just IMO.

Again, of course it's just my opinion, I'd have her look at the chaco's... You're going less expensive then the red knees but keeping a nice size and usually calm temperament.

Forewarning... T's can be addictive! In no time at all she's going to be talking you into a Gooty!:lmao::cheers:

You can always check this site. http://www.kenthebugguy.com/index.php?cPath=21&osCsid=kqn5ljj3lt0gm98dkopl657ai0

Lots of pics, good basic info for needs, as well as temperaments. We have purchased from him several times and have always had very good transactions.

Okay, we will certainly avoid bitey things. And, if Red-Knees throw a lot then I am going to have to strike them from the list. My wife I am sure would be fine but since I break out just by looking at poison ivy and given the scratch test I had for allergies years ago earned me cortisone shots and a 4 hour observation period to make sure I did not go into anaphylaxis... Probably not a far guess to say I will have a bad reaction to their hairs.

Sara, thanks for the link to KTBG. We were actually looking on his site last night :)

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.

Forewarning... T's can be addictive! In no time at all she's going to be talking you into a Gooty!:lmao::cheers:

Gooty??

Personally, I am not too bothered if she decides to get into T's, I have never had a problem with them they were just never really of great interest to me. I do have to say I am a little befuddled that my wife is getting all into this idea though, she has always hated spiders so seeing her go up to the T tables at shows has thrown me and now that she has asked me to seek opinions from experienced people... I am just so confused. But I wholly support her and I think it is great if she wants to pursue T's as a hobby.

http://www.gootyornamentaltarantula.com/ This was the first link that came up on a gooty. Tia (my oldest daughter) has one of these, it was her 'dream' T for a long time. I wouldn't let her get one as long as she was living in my house. I bought her an indian ornamental for her 18th birthday while she was still here, but the gooty was something she had to do herself... in her own place. Fast and wicked painful bite. But stunningly beautiful.

I can totally understand your 'where did that come from?' confusion! I've never been a fan of spiders, we sell them and I know more about them then I ever thought I would, but they've never been my thing. Then Tia got into them hard... no clue why, she just decided she loves em, and now has a bunch. I came to the conclusion it was because it was the only way the poor kid had left to rebel, with Bruce and I there just wasn't a lot that could throw us, lol!!!

I have owned several tarantulas and my pink toe was the hardest to keep in its cage. Every time I opened the top she made a break for it, and most of the time she was out before I could react. Maybe mine was the exception. Idk. Super pretty and fun to watch, but fast and hard to keep track of.