P. Irminia vs H. Maculata

bscheidt1020

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To those of you who keep these spiders or just are interested in these species, which one would you prefer to own and why? I am trying to decide as I just found out that mine are both males. I like both species for their looks but so far, my two are very reclusive. Does anybody have any ideas about comparison in temperament, which one is more likely to be visible, etc? Likewise, if you have ideas about a more visible and striking arboreal tarantula, feel free to make some recommendations. I am not interested in Avicularia though, nor spending more than $30-$40 on a spiderling. Thanks in advance and don't hesitate to share experiences and opinions!
 

problemchildx

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I've had P irminia before and she was really cool to look at when she was out. She was also VERY defensive and was my first T. I have not owned an H mac, but I really want one. If I were presented with the option I would definitely go with H mac.
 

Gpappy31

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I've had P irminia before and she was really cool to look at when she was out. She was also VERY defensive and was my first T. I have not owned an H mac, but I really want one. If I were presented with the option I would definitely go with H mac.
I just had a successful H maculata egg sac. They are cool but very defensive and quite fast.
 

BobGrill

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That's a tough one. Still, I'm gonna have to go with P.irminia. Both are very high-strung species, and while the irminias don't like me disturbing their enclosures either, they at least are a lot less likely to bolt out of the tank like my female H.maculata when startled.
 

14pokies

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H.macs are an advanced t because of there speed,aggression and venom potency..irminia is more for the intermediate keeper..they are just as fast as hmac pretty defensive but they lack the potency to there venom..although I hear vomiting is common with there bites..both hide a lot! Depending on your experience level I would suggest tapinauchenius sp..there super fast, some what defensive and have a mild/moderate bite...its a good species to consider if your into old world arboreal...I would rather make a mistake with a tapi then a poec or lampropelma....honestly I think h.Mac and s.cal( similar species) should only be kept after having a few years and species of arboreal under your belt..I would stick with irminia though the females are amazeing..
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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To those of you who keep these spiders or just are interested in these species, which one would you prefer to own and why? I am trying to decide as I just found out that mine are both males. I like both species for their looks but so far, my two are very reclusive. Does anybody have any ideas about comparison in temperament, which one is more likely to be visible, etc? Likewise, if you have ideas about a more visible and striking arboreal tarantula, feel free to make some recommendations. I am not interested in Avicularia though, nor spending more than $30-$40 on a spiderling. Thanks in advance and don't hesitate to share experiences and opinions!
Id get them both, Very cool both are reclusive P irminia more so.
 

BobGrill

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My female H.maculata goes for walks at night sometimes. My irminias are almost always hiding.
 

bscheidt1020

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Are we at all close to reaching a consensus that Hmac tends to be visible more than P. Irminia, or does anybody have any evidence to the contrary?
 

14pokies

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My female H.maculata goes for walks at night sometimes. My irminias are almost always hiding.
I have a 2 1/2 in male irminia that is always legs out of his hide and the hide itself is built up against the glass so I can kinda see in..I haven't seen my females in weeks!!! The one would come out once in a while...but its been about 3 weeks now...my interaction with them goes like this..feed wait for bolus,remove it..do this over and over..until they seal there burrow..wait about a week and a half until there burrow is open, offer food wait for bolus and molt at the opening..

---------- Post added 12-18-2014 at 01:16 AM ----------

Are we at all close to reaching a consensus that Hmac tends to be visible more than P. Irminia, or does anybody have any evidence to the contrary?
well what were your specimens like? Did you see your h.Mac more or your irminia? Your the only tie breaker here.lol
 

problemchildx

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I have a 2 1/2 in male irminia that is always legs out of his hide and the hide itself is built up against the glass so I can kinda see in..I haven't seen my females in weeks!!! The one would come out once in a while...but its been about 3 weeks now...my interaction with them goes like this..feed wait for bolus,remove it..do this over and over..until they seal there burrow..wait about a week and a half until there burrow is open, offer food wait for bolus and molt at the opening..

---------- Post added 12-18-2014 at 01:16 AM ----------

well what were your specimens like? Did you see your h.Mac more or your irminia? Your the only tie breaker here.lol
This is one of the reasons I don't like P irminia as much. They are quite stunning but don't blend in well to their natural habitat, which explains their secrecy. Granted, most OW arboreals do this but in my experience P irmimia does this more often.

Too bad I just bought some spiders. I'm gonna get a P camb, H mac, and other old worlds in the spring ;)
I want my slings to molt once or twice :p

Also H maculata definitely is an advanced species and I think a person needs to really consider their reaction time before getting this species.
 

bscheidt1020

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I have a 2 1/2 in male irminia that is always legs out of his hide and the hide itself is built up against the glass so I can kinda see in..I haven't seen my females in weeks!!! The one would come out once in a while...but its been about 3 weeks now...my interaction with them goes like this..feed wait for bolus,remove it..do this over and over..until they seal there burrow..wait about a week and a half until there burrow is open, offer food wait for bolus and molt at the opening..

---------- Post added 12-18-2014 at 01:16 AM ----------

well what were your specimens like? Did you see your h.Mac more or your irminia? Your the only tie breaker here.lol
Yeah I suppose you are right! Mine were both ghosts...rarely seen. Both hid for months!!! I guess I was looking to see if those who have mature females have noticed any activity patterns with theirs... Dang, Psalmos are so fun to raise but I would like to see my spiders once in awhile....My OBT is out more often than both Hmac and P. Irminia combined....
 

Formerphobe

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IME, they are similarly reclusive and equally fast. I raised a H. mac sling for 2.5 years. I saw him a total of maybe 7 times - once when I unpacked him, once during rehousing, and the last time when I dug him out to ship. The other times were random sightings. I did hear him regularly at night doing laps of his enclosure. Took me a few months to figure out who was waking me up at night sounding like a herd of elephants on my dresser. He was easy to unpack as a sling, easy to rehouse, easy to dig out and pack for shipping. More of a 'ostrich' response than either fight or flight.

I raised two female P. irminia slings from ~1.0 inch. One was regularly visible up to about 4 inches. The other stayed burrowed constantly. I traded the burrower - the hardest packing job I've ever had. She fought 'tooth and nail', striking, slapping, biting, spewing venom, wedging herself in the transfer funnel. It was ugly. She most likely would have fled had I given her opportunity. (I'm told she walked out of the shipping vial on the other end like a little lamb... Wench.) Her formerly visible sac mate, since being rehoused in December 2013, has only been sighted a few times, and usually just her feet.

Six of one, half dozen of the other, and individuals will vary.
 

klawfran3

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Id get them both, Very cool both are reclusive P irminia more so.


I just got 5 irminia slings about a month ago... I haven't seen one since. I know they're eating because the prekilled food is gone or turned in to a bolas, yet I have not seen a single one.

To answer the question, I can't decide. They are both very pretty and each has their pluses/minuses. Why not get both? they're both pretty cheap too (about $15 a sling atm)
for you though, I recommend Irminia. If you have to decide whether you're ready or not for an Old world arboreal, you're not ready.

EDIT__ just realized you've owned both! I need to read things better haha

I would still go with irminia. On the off chance you actually see the spider, it will look marvelous.
 
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IHeartTs

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My irminia is always out and so is one of my h macs. The other one hides all day. It depends on the individual. I haven't had my h macs long but my irminia can really be a witch. I think my h macs are faster but seemed to prefer hiding rather than darting out of the enclosure but I'm sure they'll be defensive at some point. I'm at a dead tie on them. But if you can only pick one, I'd say h mac.
 

awiec

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To those of you who keep these spiders or just are interested in these species, which one would you prefer to own and why? I am trying to decide as I just found out that mine are both males. I like both species for their looks but so far, my two are very reclusive. Does anybody have any ideas about comparison in temperament, which one is more likely to be visible, etc? Likewise, if you have ideas about a more visible and striking arboreal tarantula, feel free to make some recommendations. I am not interested in Avicularia though, nor spending more than $30-$40 on a spiderling. Thanks in advance and don't hesitate to share experiences and opinions!
Well if you want a more visible arboreal why not Tapinauchenius? When I was at the cross roads of between psalmo or taps I decided to go for the tap as I read they are generally more visible than psalmo. My T.gigas is out pretty much everyday and was a very reasonable $25 dollars and the rest of the genus is around $25-$40 as well so you won't be breaking the bank. The genus is known to be "neurotic" but if you take special considerations when housing them (they like larger cages) they aren't any more trouble to service than an avic or psalmo. Plus they are voracious eaters and grow rather fast, my female T.gigas is keeping pace with my male P.vitatta. As for your males I'd definitely try to get that P.irminia bred as they are striking in their own right and you have a larger pool of people willing to buy them as they are aren't pet rocks like roseas but don't have the nasty venom of the H.mac.
 

awiec

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Because they're the Lamborghini's of the tarantula world.
I thought that is what makes them fun? The OP already has raised an H.mac, a tap shouldn't be *too* much for them to handle.
 

Poec54

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I thought that is what makes them fun? The OP already has raised an H.mac, a tap shouldn't be *too* much for them to handle.
I have 35 species of arboreals, and I'm in no hurry to get a Tap.
 

bscheidt1020

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I have 35 species of arboreals, and I'm in no hurry to get a Tap.
If Poec54 is nervous about T. Gigas even with his background of keeping some hot snakes, I smell something fishy here...Poec, you trying to keep the Tapinauchenius genus to yourself bro? Just kidding, but how would you guys rate Poecilotheria in comparison to the previously mentioned species, as far as visibility and defensiveness and what not? I am mostly referring to P. Regalis and Vittata. T. Gigas has been borderline on my wishlist for awhile but this experience with Hmac and P. Irminia has me really appreciating my spiders that I see every morning while I get ready for work....love you Geniculata:love: Seriously, I appreciate all the recommendations and experiences, keep em coming, I think with y'alls help I might be able to make a decision.....trying to find a few slings to accompany the G. Pulchras I plan on ordering come spring....I have some time to work this thing out with you guys and gals since upstate NY is in the 20s and 30s these days. Oh, and my P. Irminia and H. Maculata were less than viscious. They really didnt do anything unpredictable to me....nary a burst of speed or more than a low legged threat pose. I did my best not to "worry" them and I think it worked.....MY little OBT I named "Fire Nugget," she put them both to shame with her acts of lunacy...unpacking her had me sweating from my forehead a bit...
 

cold blood

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This is one of the reasons I don't like P irminia as much. They are quite stunning but don't blend in well to their natural habitat, which explains their secrecy.

Actually, in their "natural" habitat they blend in amazingly well. The soil in that area is reddish-orange, just like the color the irminia sport. Here's a quip from an arachnologists (Sam Marshall) personal experience with the species in the wild:

"I have seen suntiger tarantulas living in silken retreats along road banks in southern Venezuela near the Brazilian border. At the time, I was struck with how closely the red marks of the spider matched the red of the earth."

My irminia female went 6 months without me seeing anything other than the front feet sticking out. Then it recently came out, just before I re-housed. When I did, I put it into a 32oz deli cup (spider is about 3.5"), and put a large piece of wood (that's orange) in the middle. I was trying to figure out how it would adapt to a more arboreal enclosure. The results have been most excellent as it has brought and webbed substrate up one of the sides. It now has a comfortable home there and I now have visibility 100% of the time. I love seeing her, she's just a spectacular looking species. Great eater, builder, easy to keep and a fast grower. Psalmopeous is definitely a favorite genus for me.

My H. macs have only been with me for a short time, and they are still quite small, so I can't really speak of them. Time will tell for me.
 
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