Friendliest Tarantula

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Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 15, 2004
Messages
40
i just wondered what is the best tarantula for a first 1.

i want a kind that doesnt bite much and is easy to handle.

thanx
 

Bearskin10

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 13, 2003
Messages
1,405
This is something that has been discussed here many times and you will get a few different answers, for me I would recommend the common pinktoe "Avicularia avicularia" as my first choice, they are just about as docile as they get but can be a little qiuck for some new to the hobby, second choice would be a chaco gold knee "Grammostola aureostriata" they get big but are also very docile, hope that helps a little. Greg
 

Nerri1029

Chief Cook n Bottlewasher
Old Timer
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Sep 29, 2004
Messages
1,725
BUT for your money.. and availability concerns..

The OLD standby G. rosea in my fav.. I just moved my two to new quarters. and they barely put up a fuss.. no hairs. and absolutely NO threat or defensive moves..

If you plan on handling it ( which I don't recommend ) I'd get a slower moving species

Learn how they behave and react..


I don't handle mine because of the stress to the T AND the danger to the T from a fall or other dangers.. but if I did I wouldn't even think of handling my OBT or my cobalt blue..

READ lots and learn for yourself ..
 

shogun804

Arachnogeneral
Old Timer
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Oct 5, 2004
Messages
1,387
i think a lot of the avics are good, E.campestratus (pink zebra beauty), the G rosea, B smithi. i believe these are all good for a beginner one ive got them and they all tolerate being handled...i consider myself somewhat of a beginner but like a lot of people will tell you all T's are different....
 

greenbay1

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 16, 2003
Messages
181
The Pink Zebra Beauties I've had have been very docile and more predictable than other 'starter' T's. The common Pink Toe is also a great one. Mine have been gentle and tolerant as a whole. They are fast though and if you haven't been around T's much they can scare you with their speed. Just remember that there are differences among T's as there are among people. Some nice, docile ones like the Pink Toe's can surprise you with a grumpy one that will chase your finger down! :p
 

ShaunHolder

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 29, 2004
Messages
828
I'd have to agree with A.Avic and G.Rosea for thier cost, availability, and thier tendency to have such a docile nature. A.Avic's are also less intimidating in my opinion. Some people also like to buy slings and handle them as they molt. A sling is much less intimidating to hold and this way you can gradually coax yourself into it.

As nerri said, make sure you know a lot about your T before you begin to handle them. Use the search function and read up on some handling posts.
 

Henry Kane

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Messages
1,884
Hands down, E. campestratus, G. pulchra or G aureostriata.

Rosies tend to be a touch unpredictable in my opinion.

Good luck on your choice. :)

Atrax
 

David_F

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 9, 2004
Messages
1,764
What about B. albopilosum? Wasn't my first but the more I work around them I'm finding they are great Ts for beginners. The few I have do like to kick hairs but once I get them in my hands they are as calm as can be. Better coloration than the G. rosea too IMO.
 

mouse

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2004
Messages
603
well my favorite is my rosie, but i heard a few times that they are unpredictable....mine is the most mellow, docile t i know thou.
but the chaco gold knee is nice and a nice size.
and the b.albopilosums are cute (curlie hair), they are so fuzzy looking and eat good (love my 3" curly),
avic's are docile, but they are fast .
aphonopelmas are nice and they are slower (plus there are tons of them to choose from) A.hentzi, A. seemanni, A.bicoloratum, A.anax, A.caniceps, and on and on the list goes, for what ever color you want just about, most are brown, there are some that are grey(a.behlei, a.euty..), black (a.caniceps), black and red (a.bicoloratum), a chalcodes.. but i'd say the seemanni would be the one to start with on the aphonopelmas
PZB are nice also
most of mine are slings. but my curly, rosie, avic are 3" plus.

dianne
 

pitbulllady

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
May 1, 2004
Messages
2,290
G. roseas, in my opinion, tend to be much too unpredictable. I know it's not all that reasonably to generalize when it comes to tarantula temperaments, since I've seen plenty of nasty G. pulchras, but I can say that every single G. rosea I've ever had(and I have four right now)has, at one time or another, threatened to bite, or actually tried to. They can be the sweetest things one day, and the very next will be these nasty little bee-atches. Even my sweetest girl surprised me with a full-blown threat display last week, first time I've ever seen her do this!
My huge, fat G. aureostriata, on the other hand, has never offered to bite, run, or kick hairs. I'm sure that someone out there has a nasty one, but chances are, it's CONSISTENTLY nasty, just like my smaller G. pulchra, so there's at least no surprises. It seems that if you pick a G. aureostriata that's nice, it stays nice. My E. campestratus is a bit moody, as well, though she's never actually attempted to bite. She will do a head stand and hiss like a Thai Black Bird-eater on occasion, though, and I don't push her to see just how far she's willing to go! I've also never seen any aggressive/defensive behavior from most of my Aphonopelmas, though some of them will kick hairs every now and then. I'd recommend an Aphonopelma hentzi or Aphonopelma chalcodes(which are truelly beautiful spiders, IMHO)as readily as any other species, any day.

pitbulllady
 

WayneT

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
May 28, 2004
Messages
865
I have all of the above mentioned, and agree...but I have a little Aphonopelma hentzi that is by far the sweetest little T I have. She walks over to me when I open her enclosure, and most times seems to want to be held, although I realize I'm probably imagining it. When I gathered her from the wild, same story. She willingly walked right up onto my hand.
 

The Juice

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
May 24, 2003
Messages
827
I would recommend a G. Pulcha ( Brazilian Black) My first T was a rosey and I found it to be boring ( Pet Rock) If handling isn't a must I would get a GBB. Also Rosey's are not that pretty in my opinion, But they are cheap.
 

Washout

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 18, 2004
Messages
624
Mattyb said:
I'd say a A.Avic or a G.Rosea



-Mattyb
I've vote against the G. rosea, I've got 4 now and 3 of them throw threat postures when you try and touch them. The 3rd is ok though. My avic has never shown a threat posture though.

So from personal expierence I'd say avics are the most docile. I don't have a chaco, except for slings. But Dwaynes are very docile as well.

mouse said:
but i'd say the seemanni would be the one to start with on the aphonopelmas
My seemanni is nasty, almost as bad as my lividum or cancerides..
 
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Henry Kane

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
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Jul 19, 2002
Messages
1,884
Avics are a good recommendation, especially for beginners interested in possibly keeping old world arboreals in the future. The only thing to watch is that they have a tendency to jump from time to time. Oh, the other thing would be to watch out for their butt. They also like to crap on ya just to show what grateful creatures they can be.

Something else to keep in mind is that for each specie with a reputation for being calm or docile, there's are always going to be specimens of each that go the exact opposite of our expectations.

Take care.

Atrax
 

brandi

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 19, 2004
Messages
155
Can't believe nobody's said Brachypelma yet! I think most docile, predicatble spiders I've worked with so far are B. smithi (Mex Red Knee). Occasionally I will get a little hair flicking if I startle one of them, but in general they are super mellow.

I would suggest when you hold them, hold them over something soft and cushy, like a bed. This really helps with the Avicularia, as they do tend to like to jump. And if you are nervous, you don't have the added worry of dropping them on something that will hurt them. Let us know what you wind up getting! :)

B~
 

JohnxII

Avicoholic
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 21, 2004
Messages
899
Bearskin10 said:
This is something that has been discussed here many times and you will get a few different answers, for me I would recommend the common pinktoe "Avicularia avicularia" as my first choice, they are just about as docile as they get but can be a little qiuck for some new to the hobby, second choice would be a chaco gold knee "Grammostola aureostriata" they get big but are also very docile, hope that helps a little. Greg
Exactly my thoughts. A.avic for 1st choice because they are very tolerant when it comes to handling (no aggression and threat posture etc.). Adults which are readily available in petstores don't jump often.

I'd also recommend Chaco's over Rosies for 2nd, 1 because they are more active and predictable, and 2 I've had close encounters with 1 of the psycho Rosies, and those are very strong Grammies and they bare their dripping fangs like other "bitey" T's!
 

jeffh_x

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 23, 2004
Messages
460
a. avicularia is da best! well ive never gotten a rosie so i wudn know..but my first T was the pinktoe and almost imediately i wanted to handle it..but i never had tthe courage to do so..weeks later i managed to..and theyre quite slow and calm as long as i dun startle them..not even with my breath!even by accidentally exhaling at it, he just scrambles everywhere..but he's alright..no signs of biting ever at all...really nice Ts.. :rolleyes:
 

Brian S

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
May 29, 2004
Messages
6,526
Atrax said:
. Oh, the other thing would be to watch out for their butt. They also like to crap on ya just to show what grateful creatures they can be.
LOL!! That is a good point {D My A avic won't jump, bite, run etc. but it WILL take a crap on you {D

I would say A avicularia, Chacos, or G pulchra or A hentzi. My first T was A hentzi that I caught by where I live. This was in 1982 so I don't have one anymore but the one I had was extremely docile. I will agree with G rosea being a little unpredictable. I have seen several that would be more than happy to give a threat display.
 
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