Cheshkitty
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2011
- Messages
- 23
I have been digging around in the forum for a couple days now and have decided to actually make a post seeing as I need help. I am technically new to the hobby. My first T was an A. Versicolor that I bought (if memory serves me right) for 30 dollars at a LPS. They informed me that they were good for new owners but they 'forgot' to mention that as a sling it had a chance of not making it. I brought it home and did my research (I have to admit the tiny fuzzy blue thing in a bottle was enough to win me over without research). I named it Avi and after a week it died. I have no clue as to why it died, a day or two before I had it out on my finger and it 'jumped' to the floor with was two inches away. Then I found it dead. It was housed in the tiniest of Kritter Keepers, which from reading I now realize was probably too big for a sling the size of my finger nail. Then I moved on to Cricket my Rose hair. Sadly though after 3 months I had her in a travel kritter keeper to take her to the store to have her sexed. My dog somehow managed to knock her off the table causing the carrier to open and I found her bleeding on my carpet with her abdomen ruptured ( I will admit that I did cry she was an awesome little T. Before anyone has to ask the table was very tall and she was in the center of the table. My dog stands at about 2 1/2 feet on his hind legs and there were no chairs around for him to jump up on. The question of how he managed to get her cage off the table is still a mystery to me.). After this fiasco I am on guard about the animals I choose to keep around my terror of a dacshund.
That being said, I am looking to get another T. I miss having one in the house and have put it off due to relationships where the partner was arachnophobic. As I see it though I am at an age in my life where I am thinking 'Why shouldn't I do what I want?' If a person in my life does not like spiders... well then they can stay out of my bedroom . So, on to my question. I was wanting some opinions on a T. that would fit nicely into what I want. Although Cricket was awesome I was thinking this time around I would want a spider that would be more of a show spider and less of a 'lets hold the spider A LOT' kind of thing. I was looking into getting another Versicolor but I am not sold on this idea. I would like something that is not going to launch itself out of the cage when ever I go to clean it. The LPS has OBT's for sale and although I enjoy watching the resident 'spider guy' show off how mean they are this is not the one for me. They also carry Versicolor slings but after Avi I am a little scared about dropping money on a sling to have it die in a week.
I have been running in circles watching youtube videos, searching numerous forums, and googling for information on the types of tarantulas in the trade. Quite frankly it is making my head hurt. Just when I think I have settled on a type here comes another that might be better fitted to the situation. I have found that I like the look of A. Metallica and am willing to pay extra if this type fits the bill. The problem occurs when I try to narrow down the search. It is like google gives me the big middle finger, and searching the forum comes up with a lot of posts where that certain type of t has been mentioned.
Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions on a type of T that is nice for beginners wanting a show t? I prefer to do research before any type of animal is brought home. I plan on going to get my new T (or ordering it online if that is the case) mid January. Also if you do comment please try not to be too harsh. I am open for suggestions just not for 'you are stupid because..' remarks. Trust me I am still searching through the forums and every other link I can possibly find. This is just another option for me to get personal suggestions from people who have owned or do own types of T's instead of settling with the generic run down of personalities (which I have also sifted through)
I was thinking of getting an exo-terra tank thing... yeah... for the T (obviously if I get another sling it will not be big enough for this for a while) just to help I guess... I would like an arboreal T. I love the look of the pokies but the medically significant venom is kinda putting me off (not that I would be holding it. The 'possible escape' of a pokie is what is really making me grimace). Also like I said I want a T that is not going to be overly aggressive or flighty during cage cleans.
If more answers to questions are needed from me feel free to ask so that I can pin point the exact T that would fit all of these requirements. Also if I made no sense at all I apologize, just ask and I will try to clear things up. Thank you ahead of time
Cheshire.
-Edit- As a run down of the questions...
1. What type of T would be best for me?
1a. I need one that is not going to be aggressive during routine care.
1b. I would like an arboreal that would do good in either a Exo-terra type of habitat or the common 10 gallon on the side with a hatch like cage door.
1c. I would prefer one that is a show T one that would have either nice colors or nice patterns.
2. If I do decide to get an A. versicolor sling how would I ensure that it survives to adulthood?
2a If you have a link to a specific thread pertaining to this question that would be greatly appreciated.
2b. Would it be better to order a sub adult or an adult online?
3. Does anyone have any suggestions or links pertaining to information about A. Metallica?
3a. Are they worth dropping more money on them over buying a versicolor?
Oh and I forgot a topic/question.
4. I am eventually wanting to get into the breeding side of this hobby, I was thinking it would be best to talk to a local breeder and walk through their T room with them. Possibly start slow (I mean really slow) by doing a suedo apprentice thing with a local T breeder. This being so I can get the hang of it by learning from someone who has been doing it for a while. This is a goal of mine that is possibly several years into the future. Is this the right path to be heading down? How would you guys suggest starting up on this idea? I would rather NOT just get a male and female and just throw them in a tank for some fun . How did the breeders of this site start up? Also I already have someone in mind to ask about learning how to breed from. I think personally I am just nervous about bringing up the topic. I mean how often do you get someone walking up to you wanting to learn about breeding Ts? Actually that is a nice question... Do you, meaning the breeders, ever have people want to learn from you in this type of situation? Do people ever walk up to you (after learning about your t's) and ask to follow you around to get an idea on how breeding works? Fun question I guess it does not need to be answered but it would be interesting to me and would give me the nerve to actually ask this guy. Thank you again, sorry for the long post.
That being said, I am looking to get another T. I miss having one in the house and have put it off due to relationships where the partner was arachnophobic. As I see it though I am at an age in my life where I am thinking 'Why shouldn't I do what I want?' If a person in my life does not like spiders... well then they can stay out of my bedroom . So, on to my question. I was wanting some opinions on a T. that would fit nicely into what I want. Although Cricket was awesome I was thinking this time around I would want a spider that would be more of a show spider and less of a 'lets hold the spider A LOT' kind of thing. I was looking into getting another Versicolor but I am not sold on this idea. I would like something that is not going to launch itself out of the cage when ever I go to clean it. The LPS has OBT's for sale and although I enjoy watching the resident 'spider guy' show off how mean they are this is not the one for me. They also carry Versicolor slings but after Avi I am a little scared about dropping money on a sling to have it die in a week.
I have been running in circles watching youtube videos, searching numerous forums, and googling for information on the types of tarantulas in the trade. Quite frankly it is making my head hurt. Just when I think I have settled on a type here comes another that might be better fitted to the situation. I have found that I like the look of A. Metallica and am willing to pay extra if this type fits the bill. The problem occurs when I try to narrow down the search. It is like google gives me the big middle finger, and searching the forum comes up with a lot of posts where that certain type of t has been mentioned.
Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions on a type of T that is nice for beginners wanting a show t? I prefer to do research before any type of animal is brought home. I plan on going to get my new T (or ordering it online if that is the case) mid January. Also if you do comment please try not to be too harsh. I am open for suggestions just not for 'you are stupid because..' remarks. Trust me I am still searching through the forums and every other link I can possibly find. This is just another option for me to get personal suggestions from people who have owned or do own types of T's instead of settling with the generic run down of personalities (which I have also sifted through)
I was thinking of getting an exo-terra tank thing... yeah... for the T (obviously if I get another sling it will not be big enough for this for a while) just to help I guess... I would like an arboreal T. I love the look of the pokies but the medically significant venom is kinda putting me off (not that I would be holding it. The 'possible escape' of a pokie is what is really making me grimace). Also like I said I want a T that is not going to be overly aggressive or flighty during cage cleans.
If more answers to questions are needed from me feel free to ask so that I can pin point the exact T that would fit all of these requirements. Also if I made no sense at all I apologize, just ask and I will try to clear things up. Thank you ahead of time
Cheshire.
-Edit- As a run down of the questions...
1. What type of T would be best for me?
1a. I need one that is not going to be aggressive during routine care.
1b. I would like an arboreal that would do good in either a Exo-terra type of habitat or the common 10 gallon on the side with a hatch like cage door.
1c. I would prefer one that is a show T one that would have either nice colors or nice patterns.
2. If I do decide to get an A. versicolor sling how would I ensure that it survives to adulthood?
2a If you have a link to a specific thread pertaining to this question that would be greatly appreciated.
2b. Would it be better to order a sub adult or an adult online?
3. Does anyone have any suggestions or links pertaining to information about A. Metallica?
3a. Are they worth dropping more money on them over buying a versicolor?
Oh and I forgot a topic/question.
4. I am eventually wanting to get into the breeding side of this hobby, I was thinking it would be best to talk to a local breeder and walk through their T room with them. Possibly start slow (I mean really slow) by doing a suedo apprentice thing with a local T breeder. This being so I can get the hang of it by learning from someone who has been doing it for a while. This is a goal of mine that is possibly several years into the future. Is this the right path to be heading down? How would you guys suggest starting up on this idea? I would rather NOT just get a male and female and just throw them in a tank for some fun . How did the breeders of this site start up? Also I already have someone in mind to ask about learning how to breed from. I think personally I am just nervous about bringing up the topic. I mean how often do you get someone walking up to you wanting to learn about breeding Ts? Actually that is a nice question... Do you, meaning the breeders, ever have people want to learn from you in this type of situation? Do people ever walk up to you (after learning about your t's) and ask to follow you around to get an idea on how breeding works? Fun question I guess it does not need to be answered but it would be interesting to me and would give me the nerve to actually ask this guy. Thank you again, sorry for the long post.
Last edited: