Featherleg or earth tiger?

PanzoN88

Arachnodemon
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Sep 15, 2014
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I hope to add both the featherleg and the chinese black earth tiger when i have a lot more experience.
Out of curiosity, which one of the two is the most aggressive? Or could there be a tarantula out in the
Hobby with a temperment that makes these two seem docile when in comparison.
 

BobGrill

Arachnoprince
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Jan 25, 2011
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I've heard comments on the featherleg that directly contradict each other. I've had some people say they're defensive to the point of being aggressive, while others say this is an exaggeration and they're no worse than most OW species. Haven't kept either species myself. I do have an H.maculata, which as you may know, is a close relative of the featherleg.
 

Poec54

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Latin names please. 'Featherleg' is used for a mild-tempered terrestrial from East Africa, Eucratoscelus pachypus, and also for a West African arboreal, Stromatopelma calceatum, which should only be kept by people with years of experience with fast, confrontational species. Big difference. The former is one of the better-behaved OW's; the latter could be your worst nightmare.

You seem to be rushing things. If you're using common names, you're already getting ahead of yourself. Gradually work your way up in stages, and see if the advanced species are still of interest to you. They may not. No point in trying to figure out the most aggressive species and making plans to get them in the future. Take your time and enjoy what you have. As you get further in this, you could very well lose all interest in the fast, defensive ones, especially after a few close calls with intermediate species. It's one thing to see pictures and read about them; it's another to have them race out of a cage and up your arm and on your back where you can't reach it. Or is it gets loose in the house. Take takes the fun out of it for some people. What we sometimes see is inquiries like this, where the guy says he has no intention of getting any advanced species for years, then in a few weeks he has some. We tell him it was a poorly thought out move, he gets argumentative and loses his temper. The spider grows, and in a few months he's afraid of it and wants to sell it. Please don't be an idiot like that. Take it stages and we welcome you with open arms.
 
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goodoldneon

Arachnoknight
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Aug 25, 2011
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243
Neither species is actively aggressive – at least in the sense that they will not go out of their way to plot your destruction (they might think about it, but you’re big and their small, so, they’ll never get past the planning stages…) – they will defend themselves if they feel threatened, but otherwise, like most species, they would rather retreat to the safety of their burrow. Both are, essentially, pet holes. Of the two, you may see the S. calceatum slightly more often, but for the most part, you’ll be peering into what looks like an empty enclosure. They’re the cranky, yet shy, eccentric agoraphobics of the tarantula world.
 

PanzoN88

Arachnodemon
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Sep 15, 2014
Messages
713
Could not remember how to spell the latin names and i do not know the latin name for the earth tiger
 

Poec54

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Mar 26, 2013
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Could not remember how to spell the latin names and i do not know the latin name for the earth tiger
Then they're years off for you, and you have a lot more pressing things to think about in the meantime, like taking the dry cleaning in. Latin names are a requirement for anyone with more than a passing interest in spiders. Common names are useless, as the example I gave showed.
 

Hydrazine

Arachnobaron
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Oct 5, 2012
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Ah, the cavalry has arrived, Poec54 and his high horse are here. I don't deny you're correct, I just don't like your way of presenting things.

If we want to be technical, I'd use the term 'scientific names' rather than Latin, because it's quasi-Latin at best.
 

Akai

Arachnobaron
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Jul 23, 2012
Messages
326
Could not remember how to spell the latin names and i do not know the latin name for the earth tiger
Haplopelma hainanum is probably what you are talking about which is why you should always use latin names. If you are new to the hobby, you might find these quite boring because if you practice correct husbandry with these then you will hardly ever see it because they spend 99% of their time deep in the safety of their burrow which makes for a happy Haplopelma.

Watch this video. This will explain everything you need to know about Haplopelmas courtesy of AB member Spiderengineer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyjKIQmluF0
 

Formerphobe

Arachnoking
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Scientific binomial would be more appropriate. And, learning them and being completely aware of which species you speak (and potentially purchase) will save a lot of grief in the future.

"Aggression" is more appropriately applied to humanoids, not spiders. Tarantulas, per genus, species and even per individual, can be more or less defensive.

Ah, the cavalry has arrived, Poec54 and his high horse are here. I don't deny you're correct, I just don't like your way of presenting things.
Well, just like in 'real life', people on the internet present things differently. Some choose to sugar coat replies, others call it like they see it. However terse, Poec nailed it.
 

Hydrazine

Arachnobaron
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To be fair, he was milder than his usual. Must be getting soft.
 

PanzoN88

Arachnodemon
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Sep 15, 2014
Messages
713
I am getting better, i just remembered that i can use tarantula canadas gallery as a reference for the bames i do not know. I
am i would say 89% there. Most of the time it is a spelling issue with me.
 

MadMauC

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 19, 2014
Messages
39
I started 25 years ago with OWs, my 1st T was a 3cm Pelinobius muticus, followed by a Stromatopelma calceatum, the SC grew relatively fast compared to PM. 1 day out of carelessness I left the SC terrarium cover open, the sub adult SC crawl up my bed that night while I was asleep and bit me on my torso - if you had shingles before - it's exactly that - hot burning poker stabbing pain -swelling - slight fever for 2 days - on the 4th day I was pissing dark brown liquid - not a pleasant experience - but it taught me to always treat Ts with respect. I learn it the painful way - never take Ts for granted OW or NW - I cringed everytime I see someone showing off their T posing on their faces/necks/body.

Whatever your choice - you need to evaluate the reasons why you want to keep Ts and accord them the respect that they deserve.

I started off with OW and got the meanest and the biggest OW T - because I wanted to take on the best and the rarest then.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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PanzoN88

Arachnodemon
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Sep 15, 2014
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That does not sound pleasant at all, good thing i am planning to start from the bottom (brachypelma albopilosum and smithi,
Eupalaestrus campestratus or euathlus sp red or yellow) and work my way up.
If my spelling is wrong correct me, as that is the only thing keeping me from putting up more scientific names.
 

Poec54

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Mar 26, 2013
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Ah, the cavalry has arrived, Poec54 and his high horse are here. I don't deny you're correct, I just don't like your way of presenting things.

If we want to be technical, I'd use the term 'scientific names' rather than Latin, because it's quasi-Latin at best.

It's practically an industry standard with plants and animals for people to use the term 'Latin name' rather than 'scientific name' or 'binomial nomenclature.' I did it for expediency's sake, and that I wasn't sure that the OP knows what those terms mean.

Many people here do like my direct style and sense of humor. I can't please everyone.

---------- Post added 09-18-2014 at 01:23 PM ----------

That does not sound pleasant at all, good thing i am planning to start from the bottom (brachypelma albopilosum and smithi,
Eupalaestrus campestratus or euathlus sp red or yellow) and work my way up.

Excellent choices. Beautiful species, that are owned by many advanced collectors too. This is the way to get into the hobby and get the most enjoyment from it. Just about everybody has to get used to working with tarantulas; big hairy spiders are a bit disconcerting at first. Get comfortable with these for a while, and see if you want anything high strung and quick. No apologies necessary if you don't. You can have a great collection of gorgeous spiders that are docile. Tropicals are usually nervous and faster moving, and in many cases spend a lot of time in their retreats. Many aren't particularly good for display. And there's also the jack-in-the-box factor than many people don't want to deal with on a regular basis. See how these go, and take your time deciding on what you get next, or even if these are animals that are that interesting to you.

Here's an example: I don't handle any of mine, but during a cage transfer this year, I had a juvenile Poecilotheria regalis run out of it's cage onto me, down my leg, and then up inside my shorts. I had to stand in the middle of the room and carefully take my shorts off, and look for the spider hiding in them. If this doesn't sound overly appealing to you (and by that, I don't mean the sight of me standing in my spider room in my underwear), then there's no need for you to rush into the faster, unpredictable species.
 
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PanzoN88

Arachnodemon
Joined
Sep 15, 2014
Messages
713
I know at some point i plan to get ahold of an aphonopelma moderatum, as they are from an area of the states that my
family is from.
 

Formerphobe

Arachnoking
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Feb 27, 2011
Messages
2,336
I am getting better, i just remembered that i can use tarantula canadas gallery as a reference for the bames i do not know. I
am i would say 89% there. Most of the time it is a spelling issue with me.
The ATS website has some documents with listings of the most common tarantula species and their pronunciation. Keep in mind that even Latin pronunciations can vary depending on where one attended school. If you're even somewhat close, most T people will know what you're talking about, especially since many of them aren't certain on pronunciations either. :)
Many names on the list may be obsolete, too. I'm not sure when it was updated last.
The spelling will come with regular usage, as will recognition of scientific names.
 

Formerphobe

Arachnoking
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Feb 27, 2011
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(brachypelma albopilosum and smithi,
Eupalaestrus campestratus or euathlus sp red or yellow) and work my way up.
If my spelling is wrong correct me, as that is the only thing keeping me from putting up more scientific names.
Technically speaking, the genus name begins with a capital letter, species name with lower case. And, the entire scientific binomial is italicized.
Some folks are OCD over it. Don't sweat it. You're doing fine. :)
Many species are common enough (i.e. - B. albopilosum and B. smithi) that there is rarely need to spell out Brachypelma.

I never learned to spell Eupalaestrus campestratus, because I don't have one. One self-imposed tarantula acquisition rule that I set myself is that I must be able to spell the species I want. Helps curtail spending... LOL Also allows more time to research appropriate care conditions.

---------- Post added 09-18-2014 at 01:42 PM ----------

American tarantula society? What section is the document under
Downloads, I think...
 
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