Tarantulas

[nicolevins]

I never had a tarantula before.
I was always afraid of spiders. Always, always always!! But when I was 8 years old I made a new friend (because of her hamster lol). Her Dad owned a tarantula and I thought they were very interesting. We went into town one time to get crickets for the tarantula and we went into a few different pet shops. When we were in there, I was looking at the tarantulas and thought they were cool.
Anyway.. days later I was asked by my friends Dad, if I wanted to hold the spider. I was scared but I wanted to. I put out my two hands and it crawled on. It was really tickelish(sp?). I liked the spider though. I got a little nervous because it began to crawl up my arm so I asked her Dad to take it off of me.

Im afraid of ants! Or any other spider I have came across in my life. Im not afraid of tarantulas though.

My 10 year old cousin has a disability with his brain. He has since he was born. He likes to talk alot and likes to explore new things.
He has gone through many phases (liking different things). He has shown interest in hoovers (vaccums), rabbits, dogs, footballs, babies (lol), nintendos, technology, computers.. and spiders. He has a few different books on them. He read them all. He is a great reader/learner. But anyway..
He wanted a spider really badly. His parents allowed him. He has a tarantula (not sure which type) in a small glass tank
Like this: http://www.redferret...htank_small.jpg
He showed me his tarantula (Alex) and told me he only has to feed it once a week.

But.. eh.. anyway.. do any of you have/had tarantulas? What are they like to keep?
Are they expensive to keep/buy?

I asked my mam to get me one but she said no. I told her I could buy it from my birthday money (June 2nd) and she said okay.
Im thinking of getting one, but I would like a small one. I will do my research before I get one though (cause thats important)

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We've had several over the years. My personal favorite was a "Pink Toe". they have the ability to climb right up the glass which leads to some interesting views, Another plus is that they tend to be a bit on the smaller side so they don't require a huge tank. We also had a Rose Hair that was pretty neat, especially when she shed. The females live longer than the males and can be sexed by the shape of their palps.

 

[nicolevins]

The thing I'd be worried about getting a girl is if it would have babies (un-expected, if it was already pregnant buying it)

I was looking at some pictures of the pink toes

Thanks

 

[RandomWiktor]

I have twenty tarantulas and have been keeping them about ten years now. They're wonderful, fascinating, low-maintenence pets. But they do have some specialized care needs; they're simple to meet, but many people get bad advice. I would definitely research via enthusiasts' organizations rather than relying on pet stores or casual net sources if you do get one.

I agree that pink toes and rosehairs are the easiest beginner species. I do think you should go with a female though, as males have a very short lifespan, and end kindof tragically. It would be rare to get a gravid female, and even if she did lay an egg sac, if you removed it and froze it, no babies would develop.

Let me know if you need any web links to help your search. I also am almost finished writing an overall tarantula care guide for one of the sites I moderate, and would be happy to send you a copy of it.

 

[nicolevins]

RandomWiktor wrote:

I have twenty tarantulas and have been keeping them about ten years now. They're wonderful, fascinating, low-maintenence pets. But they do have some specialized care needs; they're simple to meet, but many people get bad advice. I would definitely research via enthusiasts' organizations rather than relying on pet stores or casual net sources if you do get one.

I agree that pink toes and rosehairs are the easiest beginner species. I do think you should go with a female though, as males have a very short lifespan, and end kindof tragically. It would be rare to get a gravid female, and even if she did lay an egg sac, if you removed it and froze it, no babies would develop.

Let me know if you need any web links to help your search. I also am almost finished writing an overall tarantula care guide for one of the sites I moderate, and would be happy to send you a copy of it.

If you could recommened me a site with reliable information I would be so grateful :biggrin2:

I'd also like to have a look at the care guide you are writing if you dont mind If you happen to remember, please do leave the link here or you could PM me :highfive:

Im planning to go to the library on Monday (or tomorrow if it is open) and see what they have. Next week, I'm going to go to the book shop and see if they have any books available!

Also, I have just watched a video of a Colbalt Blue Molting.. amazing! :inlove:

 

[RandomWiktor]

Sure thing; I'll get together some links for you tonight

 

[nicolevins]

Aww, thanks Ren that's so nice of you :bunnydance:

 

[Luluznewz]

I just wanted to say that my twin sister has a tarantula and she adores it.

Its funny, even though they aren't exactly the most interactive species shes really bonded to him (or her...he hasnt molted yet so she isnt sure).

Anyway, they seem like cool pets.

 

[nicolevins]

LOL, I'm dying for my T

I saw some molting videos on Youtube its amazing lol! I hope I get to bond with my tarantula like your sis did

 

[Jessyka]

I love watching videos of tarantulas on youtube. I'm terrified of them, so I don't think I could ever keep one, but they're fun to watch. When you get one take lots of pictures!

 

[RandomWiktor]

Petbugs.com has some decent care sheets, though if any care sheet says "wood chips" for substrate... no. All tarantula species can be safely kept on coconut fiber, peat, or soil adjusted to their preferred humidity. For desert species some people mix in sand, but overall tarantula keepers find the easiest and best to be coconut fiber/peat. Wood chips are a rupture risk and hold humidity poorly.

Arachnopets.com has general and species specific care info.

Venomlist.com has some good pinned topics in the forum that you can read without membership, and the species of the month has links to specific care info.

TarantulaGuide.com has some decent info, but I disagree on bottom-placed heating pads, assome speciesburrow to escape heat and can wind up overheating burrowing towards a heat pad.

 

[nicolevins]

Jessyka wrote:

I love watching videos of tarantulas on youtube. I'm terrified of them, so I don't think I could ever keep one, but they're fun to watch. When you get one take lots of pictures!

Will do :biggrin2:

RandomWiktor

Petbugs.com has some decent care sheets, though if any care sheet says "wood chips" for substrate... no. All tarantula species can be safely kept on coconut fiber, peat, or soil adjusted to their preferred humidity. For desert species some people mix in sand, but overall tarantula keepers find the easiest and best to be coconut fiber/peat. Wood chips are a rupture risk and hold humidity poorly.

Arachnopets.com has general and species specific care info.

Venomlist.com has some good pinned topics in the forum that you can read without membership, and the species of the month has links to specific care info.

TarantulaGuide.com has some decent info, but I disagree on bottom-placed heating pads, as some species burrow to escape heat and can wind up overheating burrowing towards a heat pad.

Thanks so much! I will definitely look at all these.
Im so excited about getting a tarantula now
I'm thinking of getting a Rose Hair since they are good for beginners. And I would rather a tank that it longer rather than tall lol!
Thanks again Ren
:wave:

 

[RandomWiktor]

Rosehairs are definitely a good beginner species: inexpensive, long livespan, extremely hardy and forgiving of errors, minimal dietary needs, and laid back. One thing I will say though, is this: a lot of new rosehair owners make three major mistakes:
1. Too much space betwen the substrate and the tank lid. Rosehairs are heavy spiders meant to be on ground level only. If they have more than a legspan's length between the "ground" and the lid, they can rupture themselves in a fall. I personally like Lee's Herp Haven 12" L X 17.75" W X 7" H - it's basically the perfect size for a nicely enriched rosehair enclosure, but short/shallow enough to prevent fatal falls. They don't burrow like other ground-dwellers, so it works nicely.
2. Too humid! People hear Chile and assume they're from a humid environment. Rosehairs like it DRY. You can mist one corner for a humidity gradient, but overall, they despite dampness. Many people put their rosie on nice damp coconut fiber and wonder why it's frantically climbing the walls or sitting on top of its hide 24/7; it's because they dislike the dampness.
3. Feeding panic. Rosehairs have slow metabolisms. Don't be surprised if a fat, well fed rosehair swings wildly back and fourth between to feeding modes: binge eater and runway model. They might eat everything you given them even if it is excessive, or they might stop eating for months. I had a rosehair go a full year without feeding once. It's nothing to panic about unless you see significant loss of mass.

Also: I don't know if Ireland is a thicket of irresponsible pet owners like the US is, but you may be able to find a rosehair free or cheap for adoption. I have four rosehairs presently, all from folks who didn't want them any more. Females can live a good 20 years so people wind up getting bored with them in a year or two than dumping them.

Here is Berha, one of my rosies!

 

[nicolevins]

In my local pet store they have cages/tanks like that, that are for tarantulas. The tanks the tarantulas live in, in the pet shop are actually very nice.. not too big or too small.

Its crazy how T's only eat once a week (well it depends if it is hungry )

Yeah, my friends Dad who I mentioned in the first post actually got it from an irresponsable owner. He said the owner actually had a few tarantulas. I wonder if he could find me a tarantula.. (exept I dont talk to him or my old friend anymore)

Ireland is FULL of bad pet owners too. I wonder would they have tarantulas in the SCPA? I better check that out, just incase.

I hope I do get a female though, so she can live a long life with me


Oh- Berha is a little cutie :inlove:
Im falling in love with tarantulas now :nod

:thanks:

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

My friend had what I think is a RoseHair one named Elvira, lol. I let her crawl on my bare arm and after, it felt like I rolled around in that pink insulation! Burned!