First timer advice please and thank you...

[Phil Lilley]

Hello to one and all.

I've not yet, but will be getting my first spider soon. I'm a little afraid of them, well, house spiders, but at the same time find them utterly fascinating. So, I thought I will get one, pretty much for display, but hopefully to get over my fears.

I'm very happy for any advice, since I will want to keep it for as long as possible.

At the moment, it's between a Chilean Rose, a Mexican Red Knee or a Curly hair. I plan to keep it at work, not on a busy desk and out of the sun. My office is a good temperature, no drafts, but can get warm on a hot day.

What might be best for me? Also, what type of enclosure might be best? I don't want to spend a fortune, but I want something that will show it off and it can be comfortable in.

Thank you..I'll hopefully be around a while when I get my first one.

[Stanley A. Schultz]

Hello to one and all.

I've not yet, but will be getting my first spider soon. I'm a little afraid of them, well, house spiders, but at the same time find them utterly fascinating. So, I thought I will get one, pretty much for display, but hopefully to get over my fears.

I'm very happy for any advice, since I will want to keep it for as long as possible.

At the moment, it's between a Chilean Rose, a Mexican Red Knee or a Curly hair. I plan to keep it at work, not on a busy desk and out of the sun. My office is a good temperature, no drafts, but can get warm on a hot day.

What might be best for me? Also, what type of enclosure might be best? I don't want to spend a fortune, but I want something that will show it off and it can be comfortable in.

Thank you..I'll hopefully be around a while when I get my first one.

Phil, my friend, what you're asking is for us to spoon feed you via the Internet 60 years of experience in learning how to care for these animals. It ain't gonna happen. Even if we had the time and the forum allowed such lengthy posts. So, I'm going to do the next best thing. I'm going to point you in the right direction and tell you how to proceed. Stand by for loading of canned speech.

HEY PEOPLE! WE'VE GOT ANOTHER NEWBIE!

Cue the mariachis and the confetti. Let's start the party!
Phil, please don't be offended! I've been messing with tarantulas longer than most people on this forum have been alive, and I still consider myself a newbie. I'm just having a little fun with you.


Okay, let's get down to business. First, the pleasantries:

"Welcome to the hobby!"

"Welcome to these forums!"


Now, to get you started on the right foot I urge you to read the following webpages.

Stan's Rant - A little initial boost in the right direction. READ AND HEED THE WARNINGS! READ THE BOOKS!

Myths, Misconceptions, and Mistakes Perpetuated by Tarantula Enthusiasts - A growing list of bad information in the hobby. Be sure to explore all the links.

And since your talking about possibly getting a Chilean rose tarantula (Grammostola rosea) you definitely should also read Care and Husbandry of the Chilean Rose Tarantula - How NOT to let your Chilean rose tarantula drive you to the funny farm!

Additional Thoughts:

The Search Function:
Don't take this as a criticism, but if you don't already know about it, please learn to use the Search function at the top of the page. It'll save us all a lot of time and effort. Most novices and even many seasoned enthusiasts fail to appreciate that 99% of all problems and questions have already been addressed, sometimes ad nauseam, on these forums. All you need do is look for the discussions.

A Basic Operating Principle:
If you can't find an answer to your concern using the Search function (search engines are far from perfect), by all means ask us. Remember,

"The only dumb questions are the ones you don't ask."
"And, dumb questions are always easier to deal with than dumb mistakes!"


Fire away!
"We aims to please."


Lastly, has no one told you?

THE TARANTULA KEEPER'S LAMENT

Like those potato chips,

you can't have just one!



You've been warned!

(And, we offer a tip of the ol' hat and our profound thanks to the Frito-Lay Company for institutionalizing the progenitor of this little joke.)

End of canned speech.

Now it's your responsibility to do your homework. Read the webpages. Read the books. Do the searches. It's all there, laid out for you. All you need is to go for it! We'll fill in the fine points, help with the rough spots, and even offer a few up-to-date pointers as needed. Just give us a shout.

Best of luck to you!

[Phil Lilley]

Haha, now that's a welcome!

I did mean to say, I've got a few books and have been reading up like mad. It does seem to offer both sides, when someone says one thing, someone else says another, lol. But I'm piecing it together. I still need to decide on the first spider, THEN I can ask questions.

Thanks for the links, I will read up. When I get one, I'll post some pics.

I also apologies for any other n00b questions I ask. Even if the advice is from you n00bs.

[Mark Pennell]

Haha, now that's a welcome!

I did mean to say, I've got a few books and have been reading up like mad. It does seem to offer both sides, when someone says one thing, someone else says another, lol. But I'm piecing it together. I still need to decide on the first spider, THEN I can ask questions.

Thanks for the links, I will read up. When I get one, I'll post some pics.

I also apologies for any other n00b questions I ask. Even if the advice is from you n00bs.

Phil
here are few other pages worth looking at

http://www.thebts.co.uk/so_you_want_to_keep.htm

http://www.thebts.co.uk/keeping_tarantulas.html

http://www.thebts.co.uk/Question_matrix.htm

http://www.thebts.co.uk/old_articles/natural.htm

Personally you can't go wrong with a B, smithi

Cheers
Mark

[Stanley A. Schultz]

... It does seem to offer both sides, when someone says one thing, someone else says another, lol. ...

That's because tarantulas are pretty hardy as a rule. Very adaptable. I've even heard them called "pretty much bullet proof" on occasion.

You will seldom hear anyone say that they absolutely have to have this or that set of conditions or they'll die. There are a few like that. But, ONLY a few. And, in the long run your tarantula will probably do okay if you can get anywhere inside a huge ball park set of conditions.

In the TKG series of books (Sorry for the self-serving plug, people. ) we propound one particular method for caring for them (actually 5 such methods, but I didn't want to dilute the point too much), not because it is the ONLY way, but because we developed it with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people while we were selling tarantulas in a pet shop. We've been tweaking it for over 30 years and it now IS pretty much bullet proof.

I recommend that you use that care regimen (or whichever one is appropriate for the species you have) for the first little while (maybe a year or so), then start trying some of the ideas of others. That'll give you a chance to get used to these bizarre little creatures before you start experimenting with them.

... But I'm piecing it together. I still need to decide on the first spider, THEN I can ask questions. ...

And, I note with interest that you said, "on the first spider!" You're learning fast. You already have accepted the premise that you're going to end up with more than one!

... I also apologies for any other n00b questions I ask. Even if the advice is from you n00bs.

No apologies necessary. That's a large part of the reason we're here!


Enjoy your little, 8-legged, Earth aliens!

[Lee Furness]

I plan to keep it at work

Hi Phil! Obviously I don't know what your workplace is, but I presume this is okay with other folk there (assuming there are other workers?) and that there isn't some numpty who may get the urge to go poking around...
I'd love to have a T at my place, probably be better conversation than most of the office drones! But even having a plant causes issues at my place

[Phil Lilley]

I work on my own, self employed, and rarely get customers come in, so it shouldn't be an issue. But at the same time, be a nice talking point.

[Lee Furness]

I work on my own, self employed, and rarely get customers come in, so it shouldn't be an issue. But at the same time, be a nice talking point.

Ahh good stuff mate, wish I was in the same boat and could have something more interesting on my desk - best I've been able to manage is a second screen which I vary the wallpapers on, photo's of tarantula's of course; a lovely pic of an A. versicolor this week, various pokies adorned it last month and yes I still get someone complaining (my retort that they were more appealing than some of the pics of peoples children didn't go down well!!!!).

[Stanley A. Schultz]

Ahh good stuff mate, wish I was in the same boat and could have something more interesting on my desk - best I've been able to manage is a second screen which I vary the wallpapers on, photo's of tarantula's of course; a lovely pic of an A. versicolor this week, various pokies adorned it last month and yes I still get someone complaining (my retort that they were more appealing than some of the pics of peoples children didn't go down well!!!!).

My response was, "Hey! You walked in here. If you don't like it, walk back out." But then I was the lab manager and pretty much controlled the air they breathed, and my supervisor didn't care because it meant he didn't have to deal with their silly-<edit> problems!

(Mods: Nyah, nyah ,nyah, nyah! I beat you to it with the <edit> thingie! I just love being smart-<edit>!)

[Phil Lilley]

My response was, "Hey! You walked in here. If you don't like it, walk back out."

The down side being, I need my customers for money, lol.

[Phil Lilley]

Well, I'm decided on the C Rose or C Beauty, for something a little different.

I've ordered a 12x12x12 inch glass terrarium, which i got, vented and delivered for £22, new.

I've ordered substrate and the odd decoration, but not a lot, since i want it to look nice, but natural. I'm going to get the tank and then let the sub dry out, then i can order the T. I have to get mail order, since there's none close to me.

Can someone point to a good place to buy, or a link to a list? I've been looking at a few sites, but i would prefer to get some recommendations...thanks!

[Lee Furness]

Plenty of choice mate, TSS (The Spider Shop), BugzUK & Metamorphosis are the ones I use. TSS the most simply because their stock is updated so frequently with a lot of choice. All nice folks to deal with and I'm sure people will add others to the list plus there's classifieds on here and other sites.

[Stanley A. Schultz]

Well, I'm decided on the C Rose or C Beauty, for something a little different.

I've ordered a 12x12x12 inch glass terrarium, which i got, vented and delivered for £22, new.

I've ordered substrate and the odd decoration, but not a lot, since i want it to look nice, but natural. I'm going to get the tank and then let the sub dry out, then i can order the T. I have to get mail order, since there's none close to me.

Can someone point to a good place to buy, or a link to a list? I've been looking at a few sites, but i would prefer to get some recommendations...thanks!

Phil: In the banner across the top of this page look for and click "Classifieds."

[Phil Lilley]

I'm on Tapatalk, but i will check that on the computer today.

I never thought of that...duh me!

[Phil Lilley]

Bumpage on this, i should be tomorrow having a Bracy Verdezi put in the post for me! Good first T, right?