Getting your first aggressive T's

AubZ · Oct 26, 2007

I was wondering when it came to getting your first aggresive T's, is it better to get them from slings or jump straight into adult? And is there any set time or rough time line that you should be in the hobby before getting them?

7mary3 · Oct 26, 2007

Well, here's the thing. I'm still relatively new to the hobby, but I started with a P. regalis. Not horribly prone to biting, she'll try to run away first. It is a rather nasty bite should she tag you though. I then moved on to an OBT. Now, the P regalis was an adult when I got her. The OBT was a sling. I am much more nervous about the OBT for a couple of reasons. First, should she get out, then it could be damn near impossible to find her. Second, because she's so small, she can be hard to locate at times, which makes going into her enclosure rather nerve racking, because I don't want to get tagged. Third, and perhaps the biggest reason, is that because she's a sling, she can't necessarily control the amount of venom delivered with her bite, whereas an adult can and may even dry bite you. With a sling, you're getting a full load of juice, and it could very likely be a more severe bite then you'd get with an adult. All of that being said, I love my P. Regalis, but that OBT is my baby. I love that thing, it's just more exciting, plus, it's a lot of fun raising them from a sling. Ultimately it's up to you. An adult isn't a bad choice, at all. They can be much easier to care for (in my experience) and you don't have to worry nearly as much about losing one to a bad molt. Slings you get to watch grow up, but you've got these added issues that I mentioned above. Use your judgement, because only you know what you're comfortable with. I hope this helped a little bit.

RottweilExpress · Oct 26, 2007

Slings, you get accustomed to it's ways with time. No problem at all.

Also, if you use your wits and look for some advice regarding specific events like transfers between boxes, you'll find plenty of tips. "Aggressivness" is not a problem.

spartybassoon · Oct 26, 2007

It depends on the person. If you have a strong heart and are okay with being startled a lot, then go for it. Most of the T's labeled as overly defensive aren't going to require exceptionally different husbandry, but they do require you to have a stronger nerves and the wits to keep your fingers out. As long as you know what to expect, you won't get any surprises. Except maybe that first threat pose

GailC · Oct 26, 2007

My first defensive T was a adult Hap species. I figured a adult would be better because I wouldn't have to mess with cage transferrers as it grew. I had only been in the hobby a few months and the hap was my 4th or 5th T.

Now I'm raising a P.regalis and king baboon from slings. Transferring a defensive, pissed T no longer scares me like it used to. Get what you are comfortable with.

ZooRex · Oct 26, 2007

I'd go with a sling. For your first expiriance would you rather have a 1" sling to watch grow or a POed 5" spider that you have to wrangle into its enclosure? ~ Rex

AubZ · Oct 26, 2007

Thanks everyone. I thought I might have been a bit too quick getting mine. I started with a King Baboon as a sling as I knew that by the time he would need me to be more careful, I would have the experience. After 6 months I got my 2 OBT's, 2 x H Minax's & a H Lividium. The OBT's are the biggest out of all those and I spent alot of time going through caresheets and ppl advise here on them. I would have had pokies by now, but they are hard to come by here.

Quixtar · Oct 26, 2007

I started this hobby with 2 very defensive Ts, a Citharischius crawshayi and Haplopelma lividum. Needless to say, none of the Ts I got after that ever scared me.

AubZ · Oct 26, 2007

Have you owned an OBT?

Scott C. · Oct 26, 2007

AubZ said:
I was wondering when it came to getting your first aggresive T's, is it better to get them from slings or jump straight into adult? And is there any set time or rough time line that you should be in the hobby before getting them?

I won't say what's better, but I will say that my first two T's were adult females P. murinus, and C. crawshayi.

I've never been bitten though the P. murinus nearly tagged me once.... You know your limits better than anyone here, just use good sense. Defensive T's really are overrated. You have to work to have any real problems.

The_Thunderer · Oct 26, 2007

My very first T was a G. rosea. My SECOND T was a P. murinus juvenile. I bought it because it was beautiful and because I was highly impressed with the webbing. I also had learned that they were very defensive and would bite without hesitation if they felt threatened (and everything threatens them). I KNEW these things, so I also knew that I needed to be as careful as possible with it. I never let my guard down when dealing with it or my P. regalis adult. You just gotta be careful.

Ohhh... I bought my first 2 P. regalis as slings (Thanks, Brandon) and my 3rd as an adult (thanks Wildside Pets). So, for me, as long as you're prepared, you can buy them as slings or adults.

thedude · Oct 26, 2007

KingRex said:
I'd go with a sling. For your first expiriance would you rather have a 1" sling to watch grow or a POed 5" spider that you have to wrangle into its enclosure? ~ Rex

i did this with a h. lividium,e.murinus and p. murinus lol they were docile and all... till they got settled in.

the h/ lividium had to spend a night in a KK till i got a 5gal tank and mroe dirt (i used it all up when i housed the e. murinus ) and boy the next day did i regret not stoping to get some peatmoss and a 5 gal tank lol fangs barred and doing back flips lol.. but the E/P. murinus were fine and bolth transfers from deli cups went smooth.. the scarriest transfer was the p. murinus caus i knew how unpredictable they were and ive seen the youtube vids oh and the t. blondi was sorta scary caus i got her when she was 7" or so and when i opend her big deli cup she came out hairs and hissing lol but never has she barred ne fangs but she has pulled my 10" tweezers in with her lol

PhormictopusMan · Oct 26, 2007

When I started collecting I wanted slings just so I could experience the spiders full growth. I did however win an adult female T. blondi in a contest, after only having my first T for two months. I was interested primarily in aggresive spiders at the time and have only recently started collecting some of the less aggresive/defensive ones. I shy away from the "best spider for beginners" guideline. It really depends on the person in my opinion.

AubZ · Oct 26, 2007

I watched those vids aswell before I got mine, and that made me even more weary when I got my OBT's. The smaller one I transferred first and did the 'open old enclosure in new one' method, but the smaller one just manged to fit through the opening. Once in and T out battled to get old one out. Then I thought I would learn from that with the bigger OBT, so I put new container & old one in a empty glass tank thinking that the OBT won't be able to run that fast up the glass. Bad idea for anyone thinking like that. He ran straight out onto the counter and jumped for the floor. I think the hard tiles and cold must have given him a shocked cuz he never ran as quick. Gave me time to grip some tupperware and cover him. Eventually got him off the floor and in new enclosure. All I can say is I'm not looking forward to rehousing him again, although his next move will be into a big glass tank, so maybe won't be as bad.

AubZ · Oct 26, 2007

PhormictopusMan said:
I shy away from the "best spider for beginners" guideline. It really depends on the person in my opinion.

With my experiences thus far, I have to agree with that. I feel that a person can get whatever they want as a first T, provided they have done the proper research on them and know exactly what they are getting themselves into.

vvx · Oct 26, 2007

I kind of approach the question of "beginner" in two ways. Often it means immature and unable to follow directions (whether they're really young or not) and if that's the case I'd tell people to get a rosea and be happy with that. Then there's the people willing to spend more time learning about their pet and most of them could get any spider they want and be okay with it. I consider the 7 year old kid living here a "beginner" but not the same as the 30 year old who's had reptiles/other pets for years and just getting into spiders now.

silieputty · Oct 26, 2007

I, too shied away from the species that were "good for beginners". I was afraid they would be too boring for me, though some were very pretty.

So...I've only had Ts for about 2 months or less. My first two were C. cyaneopubescens (greenbottle blue) (1.25") and L. difficilis (3"). A few weeks later, I got P. murinus (orange bitey thing!) (2") and A. metallica (2"). So far I'm very happy and don't feel like I'm over my head.

But I'm a veterinarian and have a lifetime of experience with a large variety of pet species. I do my research and don't buy on impulse. I keep all of my pets for their entire lives, however long that may be. I didn't/don't plan on handling my Ts so aggression and defensiveness is not a problem (and makes them more exciting). My OBT so far is no big deal - hides all the time and I have yet to see a threat posture (though I did experience how FAST it can be when I first placed it into its terrarium).

The_Thunderer · Oct 26, 2007

silieputty said:
I, too shied away from the species that were "good for beginners". I was afraid they would be too boring for me, though some were very pretty.

I'm with you, however, I am impulsive! LOL. I bought my G. rosea because the deal was simply too good to pass up. Right after buying that one, I bought an OBT and I DID get a little carried away, but now that I've been reigned in, I'm enjoying the ones that I do have.

Also, like Sillieputty, I do not plan on handling my T's. They're all safely tucked away in their enclosures (some of which I built!) enjoying life. Defensiveness and venom aren't factors because I am a very careful person when it comes to uncertainty... almost Obsessive Compulsive - ask my wife! LOL. There is, quite a "rush" (for lack of a better term) when dealing with the defensive T's. While it isn't WHY I have them, it is a nice "fulfilling" part of it - kinda like watching them molt successfully or perch peacefully on a piece of corkbark that I siliconed to the self-made enclosure. All, quite fulfilling.

Paramite · Oct 27, 2007

Nah. As long as you know what to expect you can get a defensive tarantula any time. I think Haploplema-like madness is a surprise to many people.

Paramite · Oct 27, 2007

Scott C. said:
You have to work to have any real problems.

With my H. minax, I have to work if I don't want to get tagged. It's also pretty large enclosure.

Getting your first aggressive T's

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