what kind?

[James Box]

i have to say i agree 100% with Rich, actually!
P murinus is a wonderful tarantula, and very attractive. i have two Typical Colour Form and two Red CF.
i raised the reds from slings, which has enabled me to get used to them as they grew more defensive. that being said, they are more cowardly than anything.
i rehoused my two now large juves with no hassle at all, and i wasn't even as careful as i should've been (though not careless, and i did have my heart in my mouth!)
what Rich says about always knowing where you stand with defensive tarantulas is completely true. you don't have the illusion it's tame, you're always on your guard, always respectful.
also, i find that my "docile" T's, whenever i take their lids off, want to go walkies! however my defensive T's huddle down, or duck down their burrows.
there are all sorts of stories about baboon spiders, but frankly i think they're overblown!
and recently i've heard of absolute monster G rosea's and incredibly defensive and flicky Brachypelma's!
another bonus with African species is no urticating hairs...that means no random blasts of hairs up your nose, no painful itching for weeks from a light dusting (if you're sensitive like i am...and especially to Grammastola hairs).
Rich's other points about murinus being hardy and great feeders is also true. dead easy spiders, attractive and no stress! just as i always say, avoid the pointy end, which is FAR more easy then people say.
also...how the heck are you supposed to get used to "feistier" spiders if you don't try?

and i believe Poecilotheria, another spider lots of people get soon after beginning in the hobby it seems, has probably alot worse venom than murinus.

incidentally my first T's were a breeding pair of C darlingi...both turned out to be male, but they were lovely spiders, and i never had any hassle except for a brief escape, which was my fault for underestimating what they can squeeze through...and was easily remedied as the spider took up residence in a clear plastic bag.
and i would say the temperament for them is not all that far removed from Pterinochilus, and i don't know if there's any reason to assume the venom is more or less potent.

and another point, you never know if you'll be sensitive to venom or not...and you don't want to find out, whether it's a suddenly stroppy "beginner's" spider or a baboon spider.

that being said, it's Glen's choice, and he has to decide what he wants, i am only posting this in defense of Rich's excellent suggestion!

(but G rosea is still immensely underrated!)

[Mrs Linda Street]

Interesting to read your comments James, we've not had a lot of success with the P. Murinus, we've found ours jumpy and poor feeders, nonetheless a really nice T. but maybe pointing newcomers to the old world T's is still maybe not the wisest thing, as one bad experience can put them off for life, but I certainly would'nt recommend the C. Crawshayi, T. Blondi, T. Apophysis, or the A. Hentzi (our Hentzi needs an asbo lol, as I have to say it is one of the most aggressive T's we have ever owned, it just lives to try and bite you), but I think the question of starter T's is open to debate, and has to be based on peoples experiences with what they keep.

[James Box]

well i differ there, i just dived in headfirst and C darlingi was ideal! no one recommended them, but they were beautiful and not too expensive, and it was fine!

that's too bad you are having trouble with your murinus, hopefully they improve! apart from one sling dying on me a month or two after getting these, they have been bulletproof since though.

my only issue with not recommending a given species is how difficult they are to look after, for instance nothing wrong with T blondi or apophysis, but it may be daunting to a beginner keeping the humidity right for them.

[Mrs Linda Street]

Can't say I would like to recommend the Blondi or Apophysis, we've got three of each. The apophysis, I think, is more aggressive than the Blondi, our female Apo. will fly at the feeding tweezers and try and wrap herself around them, and they are extremely fast. Our C. Crawshayi will do the same, and this happens sometimes for no apparent reason. So we are always 100% on guard for this happening, whereas it might just catch a newbie out.

[James Box]

well imagine being sold that and told to be careful...and so you are, and you end up being fine because of it...
OR
you buy a so-called docile spider only find out you've got one of the psychos?
which seems to happen quite alot these days!

[Michael Peachey]

Hi Glen. I'd also suggest an adult or sub adult to begin with. As Peter said, they will be hardier and easier to keep. Venture into spiderlings when you are confident with a bigger one. The spidershop comes highly recommended from me too.

Phil pretty much hit the nail on the head there

[Craig Mackay]

My chile rose is quite aggressive these days. She always used to be skittish but now she seems to have overcame her fear of me and throws threat displays all the time. I was rehoming her a month or so back and I put a little tub in front of her and tried to coax her into it with my the lid and she turned and made a strike for the lid, lol! Glad it wasn't my hand. I'm always a bit wary of her now and she's easy enough to deal with. A much faster species with a similar or worse temperament and I'd have my hands full. At the end of the day P. murinus bites seem to be a lot more common and more severe than G. rosea and the vast majority of rosea's are docile and easy to care for or they wouldn't be so highly recommended. Each spider has it's own unique personality though and you should take nothing for granted. Anyway, we need more G. rosea in the hobby so that they can keep being bred so we don't lose them when Chile bans exports.