second T ?

[iain dickie]

Hi all

im currently thinking about adding a 2nd T to my collection and was wondering what you all recommend ?

any info would be fantastic

iain

[Colin D Wilson]

I've just basically cheated and copied my answer from Vickys post, still relevant though

You could look for any of the Brachypelma, Grammostola, Euathlus type ... most species within these genus could be classed as docile, although the brachypelma are more inclined to flick hairs occasionally.

My choices for your second spider .....

Grammostola porteri / rosea (whatever colour form you like the look of)
Grammostola pulchripes
Grammostola grossa
Grammostola sp "Concepcion"

Brachypelma albopilosum
Brachypelma auratum
Brachypelma vagans
Brachypelma emilia

Euathlus sp "blue" or "red" or "green" or polka dot whatever you like the look of.

[iain dickie]

hi colin

i noticed that post right after i had already posted . couldnt find the way to delete it !

thanks for the reply anyway

[craig mcinnes]

One of these-

Harpactira sp. RBN


H. maculata


P. irminia



You can pick any of these up for £1 a sling at the moment.

[Mark Harrison]

H.Maculata for a second tarantula, thats pretty bold lol. They are not normally advised to beginners due to their high strung nature, potent venom and requirements. And i found now that my irmina has grown larger has become more willing to be aggressive but they are beautiful T's. As with everything, beauty comes with a price.

[iain dickie]

hi craig

im liking these three spiders alot !

cheers for the reply

[craig mcinnes]

To be honest i don't think any of the spiders i mentioned are a bad choice really. It all comes down to what the OP is looking for in a spider. If he is after something he can take out its tank and handle then fair enough i wouldn't recommend any of my choices (actually i wouldn't recommend any spider for that, much better off with a rat) but if he wants something that is stunning looking, active, fairly hardy and he is happy to leave it in its tank then they are excellent choices. By getting a spiderling he also gets the added satisfaction of watching it grow up and gets an easy introduction to their speed and behaviour.

[Mark Harrison]

Dont get me wrong craig, i agree its all down to personal preference. I just thought the fact that maculata's are nocturnal and i never see my SA until lights out and their aggressive personality would make them a less attractive propostition for a novice Tarantula keeper. I personally dont agree that they are as hardy as other Eumenophorinae (P.Murinus,C.Crawshayi) as the family Stromatopelminae (H.Maculata,S.Calceatum) require different humidty and temperature due to different living conditions. But the reason for watching a small sling grown into a decent adult is grea but surely you would like to see them not just a hole?

[craig mcinnes]

Dont get me wrong craig, i agree its all down to personal preference. I just thought the fact that maculata's are nocturnal and i never see my SA until lights out and their aggressive personality would make them a less attractive propostition for a novice Tarantula keeper.

All tarantulas are nocturnal creatures, granted some are out more than others. My female maculata are out all the time, slings as well. It all depends on the individual i suppose. I agree maculata are probably a less attractive proposition for a novice keeper due to all the bad press they get but so long as you aren't looking for fluffy the wonder spider that likes to be picked up and stroked then there is no reason not to consider them.

I personally dont agree that they are as hardy as other Eumenophorinae (P.Murinus,C.Crawshayi)

I never mentioned anything about them being as hardy as other Eumenophorinae i just said the 3 species (not just maculata) i mentioned were fairly hardy. By the way P. murinus is a Harpactirinae and C. crawshayi is now Pelinobius muticus.

as the family Stromatopelminae (H.Maculata,S.Calceatum) require different humidty and temperature due to different living conditions. But the reason for watching a small sling grown into a decent adult is grea but surely you would like to see them not just a hole?

Give them a tub with some mud and a bit of cork bark then keep them at temps of around 75-85F. Throw a cricket in occasionally and spray the tub with water once a week. Don't see what is particularly hard about that? Mine sit on the side of their tubs in web hides or web the back of cork bark rather than live in holes. They must be a faulty batch.

[Mark Harrison]

I stand corrected on the Genus identification for P.Murinus. I never said that H.maculata were hard to keep, just that compared to Tarantula's associated with a novice keeper it requires more attention and experience . You must be very lucky then to see your maculata's all the time, and i agree each spider is different so i doubt its a "faulty batch".