Help me pick a new NW tarantula

TownesVanZandt

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I have an empty enclosure (30 x 20 x 20 cm) that is screaming for a new inhabitant :) I would like to get a NW terrestrial species, but I am having trouble choosing which one. I have been keeping a lot of OW species for years so I am not new to tarantulas as such. The only NW tarantula I have is a GBB. It is really nice and mostly well behaved, but I do react quite badly to it´s urticating hairs so I will like to avoid those species that have a habit of flicking hairs. Any help will be much appreciated :)
 

awiec

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Well my personal favorite NW genus is Pamphobeteus, they can flick but my female prefers just to throw her weight around as she knows she is a big spider. If you want something more chill then Thrixopelma or Aphonopelma are quite nice and I've only heard of a few that were very flicky. If you really hate hairs and don't mind aboreals then Taps and Psalmos don't have hairs at all and are delightful little ninjas.
 

Arachnomaniac19

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Pamphobeteus are nice. It's hard to tell what your reaction would be to their hairs. I barely get a reaction. Holothele incei is another good choice.

[Edit]
Ephebopus and Psalmopoeus are also good choices. Psalmopoeus have no hairs and I think Ephebopus only have hair on their pedipalps.
 
Last edited:

MrsHaas

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Pamphobeteus are nice. It's hard to tell what your reaction would be to their hairs. I barely get a reaction. Holothele incei is another good choice.

[Edit]
Ephebopus and Psalmopoeus are also good choices. Psalmopoeus have no hairs and I think Ephebopus only have hair on their pedipalps.
+1 on those two species. Both are spunky and gorgeous!
 

TownesVanZandt

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Well my personal favorite NW genus is Pamphobeteus, they can flick but my female prefers just to throw her weight around as she knows she is a big spider. If you want something more chill then Thrixopelma or Aphonopelma are quite nice and I've only heard of a few that were very flicky. If you really hate hairs and don't mind aboreals then Taps and Psalmos don't have hairs at all and are delightful little ninjas.
The Pamphobeteus species looks great, but they will probably get to big for my enclosure though.
 

pinktoed

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E cyanognathus would be great, beautiful species and you're used to the speed considering you keep OWs
 

cold blood

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Maraca cabocla, now Bumba cabocla, might be one to look at...not too big and pretty unique looking...not too popular, expensive or large.

C. fasciatum is another...beautiful, not overly popular, not too expensive and smaller sized.

If you like Pamphobetus genus and are willing to put forth more cash, ultramaranius is one of the more coveted species and also the smallest species in the genus...probably about the right size.

Or one of the really cool and unique members of Aphonopelma, like moderatum or bicoloratum.

B. smithi is a classic, and for good reason...great spider for any collection.

G. pulchra also deserves some consideration as they have a "cult" following as many list this jet black beauty as their favorite. Gets to about 5" and has a great feeding response.
 

TownesVanZandt

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Thank you all for great recommendations :) I will have do some reading about these as I have not even heard of all this species.
 

Arachnomaniac19

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E.rufescens also looks amazing. My favourite species from the genus right now. I just posted a picture in the T galleries.
 

TownesVanZandt

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Let us know what you decide!
I spent the night reading a lot of care sheets and posts at this forum, and after checking what is easily available here at the moment the decision was between a Ephpebopus cyanognathus and a Aphonopelma seemani. In the end I decided that I already have too many pet holes, so I ordered an adult female Aphonopelma seemani. I should get it early next week, so I am looking forward to that :)
 

cold blood

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Please do not rely on care-sheets, they are basically :poop:

---------- Post added 05-29-2015 at 01:22 AM ----------

I consider care-sheets "for entertainment purposes only"
 

Storm76

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New World Terrestrials? Some ideas from my end:


A. geniculata (grows big, has some attitude usually, awesome feeding response, striking looks and grows pretty fast for a terrestrial)
Pamphobetheus spp. (also big, many species look extremely good...my personal fav is the ultramarinus)
C. cyaneopubescens (also known as "GBB" - heavy webber anyone?)
C. fasciatum or C. pentalore (be aware - different habitats one more humid while the other pretty dry!)
G. pulcheripes (there should be one in every collection really - great looks, grow to around 6-7" and while showing typical Grammostola spp. behavior are usually pretty calm - beware of fasts though)
Brachypelma spp. (boehmei, smithi, auratum, baumgarteni aso are all great options of which auratum and boehmei are more prone to flick hairs - also klaasi looks nice)
Ephebopus spp. (requires more attention to care as it's a very moisture dependant species - burrower, but out frequently at night usually - striking looks!)
Nhandu spp. (bad urticating hairs, but chromatus look just awesome!)
H. incei (dwarf species, heavy webber as well - not suited for big cages unless kept as communal)

...and there are many more great choices out there. Read up on what you like, research their habitat, behavior, growth and all that - then make an educated decision.
 

awiec

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I spent the night reading a lot of care sheets and posts at this forum, and after checking what is easily available here at the moment the decision was between a Ephpebopus cyanognathus and a Aphonopelma seemani. In the end I decided that I already have too many pet holes, so I ordered an adult female Aphonopelma seemani. I should get it early next week, so I am looking forward to that :)
It depends on your specimen, my A.seemani has an intense tunnel system and I only catch her out at night. Currently I think she is going though a pre-molt fast (or is dead you never know) and I haven't seen her for a month. While on the other hand my Ephpebopus is out all the time and is not kicky...until I have to re-house.
 

TownesVanZandt

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It depends on your specimen, my A.seemani has an intense tunnel system and I only catch her out at night. Currently I think she is going though a pre-molt fast (or is dead you never know) and I haven't seen her for a month. While on the other hand my Ephpebopus is out all the time and is not kicky...until I have to re-house.
What kind of set up would you recommend for it? I am planning to just give it a standard terrestrial setup with around 7 cm slightly moist eco earth, a water dish and a flower pot hide.
 

awiec

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What kind of set up would you recommend for it? I am planning to just give it a standard terrestrial setup with around 7 cm slightly moist eco earth, a water dish and a flower pot hide.
Mine actually has 10-12 inches (25-30 cm) of soil with a log that I slightly buried with a water dish on the other side. I then dump water on about 1/3 of the soil and allow it to dry and then pour water on a different part of the cage. Sure I don't see her as much with this set-up but she seems pretty happy and I get to see her build a ton of tunnels every month.
 
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