What arboreal new world species to get?

TopLamp

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I am considering adding third tarantula to the mix. Really like the way Psalmopoeus cambridgei look, but I am wondering about how hard they are to care for, and the temperment. I was considering a.versicolor, but I don't like delicate, or high humidity species. I also would like to own from a sling so I don't think avics are the way to go. Any suggestions?
 

BobGrill

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P.cambridgei is easy to care for, but a bit defensive and high-strung and very fast-moving.

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TopLamp

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I know this can very from individuals, but do they tend to bolt, and mindlessly teleport around the enclosure/outside the enclosure? I fostered a blue fang sling for a friend and did not enjoy the experience as I had to make time every time I opened the enclosure to catch the escapee. I currently have an adult gbb that is really high strung for the species, and will throw threats, and charge when I fill her water dish, but she is controllable, I sorta felt at he mercy of the blue fang which is something I don't want.
 

BobGrill

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If you're not into defensive species then I'd avoid any psalmos. Unfortunately most arboreals are fairly high-strung outside of Avics. There are a few Avics you may wish to avoid, such as diversipes.

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Tfisher

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My diversipes is mean.

---------- Post added 09-03-2015 at 02:23 AM ----------

Not to mention she bolted out at me and perched on my hand. I scooted her gently back into her home tho.
 

pyro fiend

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i personaly dont believe psalmos to be defensive.. individuals are.. they are seclusive, and shy that ill give, a little flighty as a young one.. but of all my psalms iv NEVER had a rear from one..and i raised a male from 1/4-MM and iv NEVER had him run anywhere besides his hide.. iv had a fm camb bolt on me but thats because i was prodding her, out of the catch cup after revamping her enclosure from an ant infestation. and she didnt have her normal place to hide [she dug holes not used cork]

so imo, if you RESPECT the animal its less likely to bolt, i myself set up corks in the back only, discouraging them from webbing on the front of the cage [swing open door] their bowls near the front/middle, none have thrown a rear, only bolt to their web retreat.
 
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gypsy cola

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just picked up a diversipes for my fiancé. It's a sling so she won't handle it but...how why is it a species to avoid?
 

lalberts9310

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Altough P. Cambridgei can be very defensive at times, they tend to be less skittish and more calm than P. Irminia. I heard P. Pulcher is also great, cambridgei don't bolt easily, and tends to stay put, but beware, they can also boogy like P. Irminia when they want, so be careful during rehouse. IMHO I think P. Cambridgei is a great 1st aboreal, great looks, very fast growing species, awesome eaters and the biggest of the genus (gets around 7"). They are also more visible than other psalmos, so you'll see it more frequently than you would P. Irminia.

Psalms are easy to care for, my first T is a P. Irminia sling, raised it to maturity (MM today) and never had issues, very hardy. These are tropical aboreals and should be kept on moist sub. I tend to moisten the sub, let it dry out a bit and then moisten it up again. Provide a waterbowl and cork bark and fake plants. You'll be in for a treat when it starts webbing, they make amazing dirt webs. And provide cross-ventilation. Great species, IMO, but definitely hands off. I have raised both P. Cambridgei and P. Irminia slings, none ever disappointed me. Remember that you do get individuals that are rather calm, and not so defensive, my one P. Cam juvie rarely gives me threat poses where the other would bear fangs at the slightest movement. I have a AF P. Irminia that has never given me a threat pose, where both my MMs are rather defensive as well as the one sling I currently have. I absolutely adore psalmos.
 
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GG80

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I was considering a.versicolor, but I don't like delicate, or high humidity species. I also would like to own from a sling so I don't think avics are the way to go. Any suggestions?
I felt the same about Avics until I bit the bullet and got a versi sling 5-6 weeks ago. The consensus on the boards here is that they dont need high humidity, but do require lots of cross ventilation which is easily provided, and are not as delicate as some would believe.
This is how I have been keeping mine and things have been good so far. In fact, I woke up this morning to find the little guy had molted for the first time in my care.
All mine has for humidity is a constantly full moderate sized water dish, a few drops of water on two of the fake leaves every time I feed it, and once a week I put a few drops of water onto the substrate. I don't spray at all.
I'd say go for the A.versicolor, they are great little slings and ooh, that colour.
 

lalberts9310

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just picked up a diversipes for my fiancé. It's a sling so she won't handle it but...how why is it a species to avoid?
Some of them can be as defensive as psalmos, also, if one is not properly informed about how to care for them, they can easily succumb to incorrect husbandry, especially slings.

Newbs are advised against keeping these. Because they often follow care-sheets on the internet which for avics is totally incorrect. If you know how their enclosure should be set up like, if the husbandry is correct they can be just as hardy as any other T.
 
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gypsy cola

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Some of them can be as defensive as psalmos, also, if one is not properly informed about how to care for them, they can easily succumb to incorrect husbandry, especially slings.

Newbs are advised against keeping these. Because they often follow care-sheets on the internet which for avics is totally incorrect. If you know how their enclosure should be set up like, if the husbandry is correct they can be just as hardy as any other T.

husbandry is good. She knows what she is doing, if she doesn't then I do.
Couldn't find info on temperament as everything I google said they were "gentle" but I seriously disbelieved it. Figured eh, we will find out in a year or two.

Never dealt with a psalmos are they anything as a mean as a n.chromatus? Got plenty of OWs including OBT and pokies and N. chromatus are the worst.
 

lalberts9310

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What about A,Minatrix? theyr brilliant.
Shhh! Shhh! You'll make me want avics now! :p

---------- Post added 09-03-2015 at 11:38 AM ----------

husbandry is good. She knows what she is doing, if she doesn't then I do.
Couldn't find info on temperament as everything I google said they were "gentle" but I seriously disbelieved it. Figured eh, we will find out in a year or two.

Never dealt with a psalmos are they anything as a mean as a n.chromatus? Got plenty of OWs including OBT and pokies and N. chromatus are the worst.
Never owned N. chromatus before, but they can be really really defensive, might be worse than nhandu even. Even my poeci is calmer than some of my psalmos. Some people on here call them "the poor mans pokie" :p. They are (along with tapinauchenius) great bridging genera to OWs, because of the speed and defensive nature. But I'm one for feisty spiders, so I adore mine with attitude and all. Get yourself one :) I really doubt you'll be disappointed. Just a side note they are very secretive - but when you do see them, especially when they molted.... wow
 

johnny quango

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How about a lovely Avicularia sp kwitara I think this is slowly rising to the top of my wishlist
 

cold blood

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P. cams are great....as said, while they can be defensive, they are more to the reclusive side. I've never had one fly around the enclosure, H. mac style, and I don't believe I have ever seen a threat posture...I just packed a MM for shipping yesterday and like most of my Psalmo experiences, it went totally smooth...the 2 MM versicolor I packed earlier in the week both fought the packing process the entire way....although not in a defensive way, more of a stubborn way.

The thing about Psalms is that they are fast...teleportation fast, and if you've never dealt with that kind of speed, they may not be the best 1st choice. I like Avics as a first arboreal...juvies or adults actually. But if a sling is your goal, it shouldn't be too much of an issue. You mention them as a high humidity species...this shows me that you have been gathering info from "care-sheets", which is not a good idea, especially with Avics. Care-sheets are garbage and should ONLY be read for entertainment value and not taken literally or even seriously.

While these online sheets stress humidity, they almost across the board fail to mention their need for cross ventilation, which is far more important than is humidity....this misaligned understanding is a big part of what leads to so many avics dead or dying with newer keepers. Keep the substrate dry, keep the water dish full (yes, even for a 1/2" sling), as this will be your humidity control and lightly, and I mean LIGHTLY sprits or dribble water onto the webbing, and only the webbing weekly and that's about it. They also need a good piece of wood to climb that should reach to the top, as that's where an avic will want to live, and surround that wood with plastic plants to provide anchor points for it to web to. There are 100's of examples available here if you're willing to look.


Lolla, chromatus IS a Nhandu (at least for now).:wink:

Terrestrials don't adequately compare to arboreals IMO.
 

lalberts9310

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Lolla, chromatus IS a Nhandu (at least for now).:wink:

Terrestrials don't adequately compare to arboreals IMO.
I knooooow :p... I never owned one so I don't know if I can compare the attitude to that of a psalm hehe.. out of all my 15 Ts, one is a terrestrial... I really need more terrestrials.
 

Chris LXXIX

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Psalmopoeus cambridgei aren't so high strung, they aren't like Heteroscodra maculata, Stromatopelma calceatum, or the rest of the Asian arboreal T's army.
Except for "avics" genus, amazing great T's that are a joke when it comes to temperament (there's however exceptions and T's single temperament of course) there isn't much choice left for arboreals... so Psalmopoeus cambridgei is the best candidate.
Psalmopoeus irminia are a bit more "psycho". The others, like pulcher or reduncus are not so always available (at least here).
Psalmopoeus cambridgei are very fast, but not like Tapinauchenius sp. Good eaters. Great military green colour. They have size, also. Venom is a bit nasty. Not so hard to care.
Just rehoused a (supposed) female of mine two days ago. Smooth like always. A must have arboreal.
 

Poec54

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Psalmopoeus cambridgei aren't so high strung, they aren't like Heteroscodra maculata, Stromatopelma calceatum, or the rest of the Asian arboreal T's army.

The reason Stromatopelma are so respected (feared) in the hobby is their unpredictability. They can be very shy or they can be very defensive and confrontational, and they have great speed so things can happen in the blink of an eye. When you open their cage you don't know what you're going to get. Evidently they've evolved with some serious predators up in the palms and trees, and have experienced significant losses over the millennia to them.
 

Chris LXXIX

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The reason Stromatopelma are so respected (feared) in the hobby is their unpredictability. They can be very shy or they can be very defensive and confrontational, and they have great speed so things can happen in the blink of an eye. When you open their cage you don't know what you're going to get. Evidently they've evolved with some serious predators up in the palms and trees, and have experienced significant losses over the millennia to them.
True. I remember in the early 2000, prior to ban, some rehouse of Stromatopelma calceatum i was involved for help. Really there was no place for errors with those. They have a powerful venom, ready to bite.. African predators doesn't love to share the same tree with those T's for a good reason.
I never had one because arboreals aren't my league (i prefer OBT, "Haplos", obligate burrowers in general like Pelinobius muticus, NW intermediate T's) but all the Stromatopelma calceatum and Heteroscodra maculata of other keepers here i worked with, well, all of them were really really defensive, unlike some "Pookies" i have to say.
 

BobGrill

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i personaly dont believe psalmos to be defensive.. individuals are.. they are seclusive, and shy that ill give, a little flighty as a young one.. but of all my psalms iv NEVER had a rear from one..and i raised a male from 1/4-MM and iv NEVER had him run anywhere besides his hide.. iv had a fm camb bolt on me but thats because i was prodding her, out of the catch cup after revamping her enclosure from an ant infestation. and she didnt have her normal place to hide [she dug holes not used cork]

so imo, if you RESPECT the animal its less likely to bolt, i myself set up corks in the back only, discouraging them from webbing on the front of the cage [swing open door] their bowls near the front/middle, none have thrown a rear, only bolt to their web retreat.
Tell that to this guy. He must missed that message.
uploadfromtaptalk1441304861934.jpg

Obviously we have had entirely different experiences with this genus.

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