Good display only species?

So I've caught the bug and am now wanting more t's. I currently have a chilean copper and a versicolor sling and now I want something that would make a good display spider, maybe something a little more aggressive and colorful. I was hoping for something that liked to web or had other cool habits. I was looking at an obt or gbb, any suggestions or pointers? I never plan on touching it or really bothering it at all, just setting it up in a cool naturalistic viv and letting it do it's thing. My local store gets tons of crazy t's in all the time so if you have any other suggestions chances are I can find them. Thanks!

Experiment397 said:

So I've caught the bug and am now wanting more t's. I currently have a chilean copper and a versicolor sling and now I want something that would make a good display spider, maybe something a little more aggressive and colorful. I was hoping for something that liked to web or had other cool habits. I was looking at an obt or gbb, any suggestions or pointers? I never plan on touching it or really bothering it at all, just setting it up in a cool naturalistic viv and letting it do it's thing. My local store gets tons of crazy t's in all the time so if you have any other suggestions chances are I can find them. Thanks!

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A. geniculata and a GBB would both be good, as would G. pulchripes, pulchra or iheringi or any of the red leg Brachypelmas, like emelia, smithi, or boehmei. Nhandu chromatus is yet another beaut.

I wouldn't jump to an obt quite yet.

Scratch OBT. You're not ready for orange fury yet, and they're secretive. Lasiodora, pulchripes, and geniculata tend to stay out in the open. Most T's that do this get picked off by predators so it's not a widespread behavior.

Poec54 said:

Scratch OBT. You're not ready for orange fury yet, and they're secretive. Lasiodora, pulchripes, and geniculata tend to stay out in the open. Most T's that do this get picked off by predators so it's not a widespread behavior.

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Something I've though of in regards to that: Do tarantulas in captivity think that they are in a burrow due to differences in airflow etc that are caused by our enclosures that could bear a similarity wild burrows? So they act as they would in a burrow?

JZC said:

Something I've though of in regards to that: Do tarantulas in captivity think that they are in a burrow due to differences in airflow etc that are caused by our enclosures that could bear a similarity wild burrows? So they act as they would in a burrow?

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That's an excellent question. If the answer is yes, it would help explain why so many are willing to molt out in the open, and why some Ts refuse to burrow.

To be honest I wouldn't shoot the OBT down. I have three slings and they are beautiful. With everything you explained it pushed more and more towards OBT. It was my second T species I had gotten. Stop giving OBT's such a bad rep, they are beautiful vibrant T's that look even better under a purple LED light.

Poec54 said:

Scratch OBT. You're not ready for orange fury yet, and they're secretive. Lasiodora, pulchripes, and geniculata tend to stay out in the open. Most T's that do this get picked off by predators so it's not a widespread behavior.

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How do these Large Terrestrials act so bold? Is it there Extremely painful hairs?? I cannot get haired of I get pain for a day or two. Were do you get cheap Throwaway gloves?

People aren't giving them a bad reputation. They are simply stating it isn't good for a beginner, they are a high strung potent old world and they are easily overwhelming.

I like the look of the Gbb, Boehmei and Chromatus. I'll have to check out what kind of viv I could design for them. I had a really nasty Aphonopelma hentzi a while back. That thing struck, kicked hairs and threw up a threat pose whenever I walked past the tank. I think I could handle the nastiness of the obt. Unless they are really that terrible- which if that's the case then I'll check out something else. I also forget to mention I've kept bark scorpions and a few other fairly toxic species so I understand the look not touch policy that they carry. OW species and their venom wouldn't be a problem.

Aphonopelma aren't so great at climbing smooth surfaces...Pterinochilus is. They also tend to move a lot faster, I say get the GBB.

Ultum4Spiderz said:

How do these Large Terrestrials act so bold? Is it there Extremely painful hairs?? I cannot get haired of I get pain for a day or two. Were do you get cheap Throwaway gloves?

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I think most or all of the big tropical NW terrestrials have bad hairs. One might suspect that it's not entirely a coincidence.

I wear disposable vinyl gloves when I work with my spiders, especially when feeding them. Crickets have that disgusting habit of putting their saliva on you.

Its not about a bad rap, its about the truth. Slings and the adults they turn into are quite different creatures. Anyone can handle them as slings, its that one day that their attitude develops that the keeper needs to be prepared for, and most newer t owners simply aren't, especially when you add the speed factor. They're cheap and readily available and will always be, there's no need to rush right over to them IMO.

I hear this "bad rap" thing a lot, and I think its quite misunderstood. I wouldn't give a new driver a zr-1 because I know for a fact that a new driver will eventually become overwhelmed, usually right when they start getting comfortable. No one's giving them a bad rap, and their popularity is evidence of this. There's hundreds of t's available, why jump right to the top, there's plenty of time and plenty of really great t's, many of which would offer great experience toward a future OBT down the line.

Advanced spiders should not, IMO, be purchased simply based on their colors.

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Experiment397 said:

I like the look of the Gbb, Boehmei and Chromatus. I'll have to check out what kind of viv I could design for them. I had a really nasty Aphonopelma hentzi a while back. That thing struck, kicked hairs and threw up a threat pose whenever I walked past the tank. I think I could handle the nastiness of the obt. Unless they are really that terrible- which if that's the case then I'll check out something else. I also forget to mention I've kept bark scorpions and a few other fairly toxic species so I understand the look not touch policy that they carry. OW species and their venom wouldn't be a problem.

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Just so you're aware, boehmi has notoriously bad hairs and is one of, if not the most ready flicker in the genus....hence the common name, fire leg...cause of the feeling they'll give you with those nasty hairs.

OBT's also are also exceedingly fast, another reason they can be difficult for less experienced keepers.

Tfisher said:

To be honest I wouldn't shoot the OBT down. I have three slings and they are beautiful. With everything you explained it pushed more and more towards OBT. It was my second T species I had gotten. Stop giving OBT's such a bad rep, they are beautiful vibrant T's that look even better under a purple LED light.

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Great reply. They get way too much of a bad rap. May not be good as a first or second T, but don't believe everything bad you're told about them. OBTs are amazing. I have 2 and they are as calm as any other T I have.

I hadn't thought about climbing ability or speed much. Good points, I was super careful with my scorps but they couldn't climb glass and weren't what I would consider speedy . I'm used to hairs. My hentzi didn't get his lid off unless he was in his burrow and then only after I had blocked the entrance or given him a cricket to distract him. I just looked up the natural habitat for the gbb, Boehmei and chromatus and a few of the others mentioned in this thread. I think I could make some thing really sweet for a gbb to web up. Or some fake rock ledges for a Boehmei to sit on.

keeper2013 said:

Great reply. They get way too much of a bad rap. May not be good as a first or second T, but don't believe everything bad you're told about them. OBTs are amazing. I have 2 and they are as calm as any other T I have.

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Yes OBTs are amazing & calm but when provoked mine will not hesitate to show fangs. IMO id rather take a OW bite than Urticating hairs. I itch for many days after hairs and red bumps itchy.

Experiment397 said:

I like the look of the Gbb, Boehmei and Chromatus. I'll have to check out what kind of viv I could design for them. I had a really nasty Aphonopelma hentzi a while back. That thing struck, kicked hairs and threw up a threat pose whenever I walked past the tank. I think I could handle the nastiness of the obt. Unless they are really that terrible- which if that's the case then I'll check out something else. I also forget to mention I've kept bark scorpions and a few other fairly toxic species so I understand the look not touch policy that they carry. OW species and their venom wouldn't be a problem.

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Believe me, OBTs are not as bad as people make you think. There can be a "psyco" one, just like there are "psyco" people. Doesn't make them all bad. I have raised bark scorpions from new born to adult. Traded many of them for Ts right here on this board. Can't compare the two tho. True barks have a mild venom, but how fast can an adult bark travel 10". An OBT will cover that while you're still looking where it was. Please don't confuse working with scorpions the same as with Ts. You can handle an OBT, as in keep one, not in your hand

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Ultum4Spiderz said:

Yes OBTs are amazing & calm but when provoked mine will not hesitate to show fangs. IMO id rather take a OW bite than Urticating hairs. I itch for many days after hairs and red bumps itchy.

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I have not had either, but I doubt a bite or hairs is much fun. Hope I never find out. What happens that provokes it to go into a threat pose?? I have 2 sub adults and both will either stretch out and be still like they do, or run and hide. I've never seen a threat, or even have one stand up on it's legs like it was ready.Is it during maint.?

keeper2013 said:

Believe me, OBTs are not as bad as people make you think. There can be a "psyco" one, just like there are "psyco" people. Doesn't make them all bad. I have raised bark scorpions from new born to adult. Traded many of them for Ts right here on this board. Can't compare the two tho. True barks have a mild venom, but how fast can an adult bark travel 10". An OBT will cover that while you're still looking where it was. Please don't confuse working with scorpions the same as with Ts. You can handle an OBT.

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OBT are a way smaller threat than say a 8" angry lasiodora , hatian brown or anything that big that wants to bite you, P ornata Etc. OBT will bite more than once though remember that.

Ultum4Spiderz said:

OBT are a way smaller threat than say a 8" angry lasiodora , hatian brown or anything that big that wants to bite you, P ornata Etc. OBT will bite more than once though remember that.

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Very true, and several others.

keeper2013 said:

Very true, and several others.

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Lucky my female 6.5" LP would rather run away, if that thing wanted to bite me it would nail me in seconds. She is way bigger than my 4.5" OBT prob 4x the weight or more.

Get the GBB, you won't regret the color change nor the immense amount of webbing!! Good luck on cage maintenance, def. not fun.

Tfisher said:

Stop giving OBT's such a bad rep, they are beautiful vibrant T's that look even better under a purple LED light.

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Bad Rep? Hmm let's see, they have a reputation because of certain FACTS about this species. It's not because people just make things up to "join the crowd". IF that was the case, we'd read about other Ts with a "bad rep" because there are other Ts which aren't exactly human tolerant either, but they don't have a "bad rep" like an OBT, and some don't even have a rep.

The OBT has a RIGHTEOUS deserved rep.


You own OBT slings, and while they are lightning fast, they are nothing in behavior like my adult OBT was, and mine was the typical behaved adult.

I'll use my male P rufilata as an example. When he was a sling, he was as "nice" as my adult female B. smithi. At 3" DLS he started noticing me from 2 ft away and running away, at 4-4.5", he's ready to give me a 4 legged "handshake" (aka threat display) now instead, and will stand his ground at times.

My OBT was absolutely BEAUTIFUL, AND was the only T I've ever owned to great me with a threat display every single time but once,and never backed down. It's a very, very fast and HIGHLY defensive species. Does that mean it's bad, no, but it sure isn't a E. sp Red/Yellow now, is it? No, it isn't. But hey, I'm sure people are just making up the incredibly great rep of E sp Reds/Yellows too haha

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keeper2013 said:

Believe me, OBTs are not as bad as people make you think. There can be a "psyco" one, just like there are "psyco" people.

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Your statement about people is true, applied to the OBT species it is not indicative of facts. Every species of animal has "exceptions to the rule", but collectively the species, be it snake, lizard, fish or T have general, categorized behaviors. To suggest to someone what you did, is irresponsible.

It would be like you saying "there are good Tiger Snakes/Black Mambas and bad Tiger Snakes/Black Mambas.", which couldn't be further from the truth.