help a beginner out...

[luckyluke]

So im considering gettin a tarantula and i was wondering where is a good place to learn the basics online... and what species are the most docile and easiest to start with? anything helps... thanks

[Jason]

Im not a spider guy. I think my wife would not onlykill me till i died from it if i brang one home but would devorce me first, but heres what i found. hope it helps

Top Ten Tarantulas

[luckyluke]

thanks man... helpful start...

[Pavel]

One thing to keep in mind -- even if you get a T of a 'docile' species, there's no guarantee that it will be docile. Individual animals can have markedly different attitudes. Chilean Rosehair T's have a rep for being very docile -- and mine definitely fits that mold. However, I have run into the odd CR owner here and there who have commented that their CR is not docile at all. So just a heads up.

That said, I would recommend a Rosehair for a beginner's first T. They do tend to be very docile -- with the rare odd exception -- and are very easy to care for.

Also, be sure to research 'threat' displays the Ts give. Sometimes helps to avoid nasty surprises.

[Chu'Wuti]

Luke, you are a smart guy starting off by researching FIRST and buying second! Lots of people make the mistake of doing this backwards and end up killing a new pet.

Ts are really cool pets and can live for years in the proper environment. You'll find out a lot from care sheets--you can google, for example, rosehair tarantula care sheet and get pretty good info.

One thing I'll mention--my son learned the hard way that they are very fragile and will do unexpected things. He was carrying one to show someone and it suddenly jumped off his hand. Hit the floor from about three feet up. That was enough to cause fatal internal injuries. So don't carry them around on the palm of your hand without having something underneath in case it drops suddently.

[bareass]

arachnoboards.com

great forum for info
a lot of T's should be considered "look at" pets in my opinoin, they are just way to fast for the most part, and typically the ones that are calm don't do anything ever!
also know that their blood does not congeal, so if they get injured they can die easily
awesome pets though, i have a green bottle blue and they web structures always amaze me! and watching them strike down a cricket!

[luckyluke]

thanks everyone this is all really helpful... i would treat more as a look at vs handle pet for sure... i just have some extra space around and i wanted to build a tank to fit in there and it seems like a good place to build for a T... ill post some pictures up if it works out... thanks again

[darc]

First of all, I'm not an arachnid person, I only know what I've read but have never kept one, so keep that in mind...

Many people have suggested rose hair tarantula's, and from what I've read and talked to with "experts" (people who know more than me) they are a fairly docile species. But, like Pavel said, individuals of a species have different temperments, just like humans do. So, a typically docile rose hair, could decide to eat your face off (or try it's best : ) if he's particularly nasty. Yes, that's an over-exaggeration, but I'm just agreeing with Pavel that not all individuals in a species are the same... so interact with your potential buy before you purchase at least.

Or, like you mentioned above, treat it as an observatory pet, not a hands-on pet (so long as it's taken care of).

-darc

[Nickoli93]

I used to keep tarantulas,

I would start with either a chilean rose, mexican red knee or a mexican red leg. Or you could always go for a pink toe.

Just have a look around on google there are some pretty good websites out there.

gd luck