My second Tarantula

[Chris R. Jones (Sirunus)]

Hi all,

My 19th Birthday is coming up this month. I already got Cora, my Mexican Red Knee juvenile, as an early birthday present. Hopefully by the end of this month, with the money I get from my birthday and (hopefully) that I'll no longer be jobless, I'll have enough money to purchase a next door neighbour for Cora. If it's female, I'll call her Mallory, if it's a male, I'll call him Gale. What species do you recommend as my second? I'd like to get Brachypelma Vagans, Boehmi or Emilia, or Grammostola Rosa or Pulchra.

Thanks,

~Chris

[Neil Richardson]

Another Brachy, although a good choice would be a bit too samey for me. I had a G.Rosea for my first spider and i wanted something totally different for my second 6 months later. Ended up picking a P.Fasciata and an A.Geniculata.

A.Geniculata could be a reasonable choice, they feed well, are always out and about and reach impressive legspans. You will need more space for one though because of their size.

The P.Fasciata is fast, and definately not a hand pet, but otherwise i've had no problems from it. Defensive more than agressive, but i dont see it too often as she's always in her lair.

Perhaps you could choose an Avicularia species? They aren't too agressive, but can move fast when startled. Plus most of them are quite pretty as well

[Richard Groves]

What are you looking for in your new spider?

If you are after a hand pet then would go for G. rosea. Avicularia make excellent hand pets too but they are FAST and move differently to terrstrial T's. They also have the ability to jump quite a distance which can put your nerves on edge when you see it for the first time!

If your after a spider you can just look at in a tank then the list goes on. B. vagans are beautiful but most seem to be aggressive. I would reccomend a Green bottle blue. They are quite easy to keep in a dry setup, produce huge amounts of webbing, eat like food is going out of fashion and have the most amazing colours to boot!

It should also be noted that male spiders don't live anywhere near as long as females so you would be best avoiding them if you can. Always try to buy a proven female if possible.

[Chris R. Jones (Sirunus)]

I'd like another Brachy or Grammostola Pulchra. I saw that documentary with Rick C. West called the "Real Spiderman" and Vagans seemed really docile, even that little boy held one in his hand. I think, in many ways, spiders are just like people, with their own individual personalities. I'd like one that would make a good hand pet. There are some full-grown female Emilia's for sale too, and are apparently really docile.

As for my Smithi, I haven't handled her in my three months of having her. I'm a little apprehansive, she's really docile and hasn't shown any aggression to me, but is a bit skittish. She seemed to get more nervous as she settled in, and I know she was handled a lot before. I was told from various sources that handling more mellow T's correctly will keep them docile. I'm just worried about what might happen; she used her fang to help her climb once because she was too fat to support her own weight! If I do handle her, I'll do it low over a cushion or my bed so she'll be okay if I screw-up and drop her, maybe even let her wander around a bit.

[Stefan]

Firstly, An emilia is a great spider, one that any keeper should have, no matter what level they class themselves. I have to go with the BTS way of doing things and that is to never handle a spider. All my satisfaction is gained from watching them and caring for them. Giving this, I recomend not handling your spider..... You haven't do far, so why start.

If you do handle your spider it is a wise thing to do it over a bed or pillow. Make sure to only lift your hands a couple of inchs above the soft floor to protect your spider from harm; take extra care with the terrestrial ones. They seem to be the clumsy'est.

another spider for you to consider is the Mexican Blonde....But they are not as easy to come by. The scientific name is Aphonopelma chalcodes.