"Handleable" Tarantulas?

Hey guys, my boyfriend is really interested in getting a tarantula for himself. He does want one that he would be able to pick up and handle if he wanted to.

I myself have kept a couple of species... Rosehair, Red rump, and tiger rump. The Rosehair was by far the most calm, but I was wondering if anyone knows of any other species that have the same kind of temperment?

Thanks in advance!

I'd say one of the best handleable Ts are Grammostola aureostriata (Chaco golden stripe). Calm and beautiful, plus they get pretty big at an 8"+ legspan. Avics are also great if you want an arboreal, but a little jumpy sometimes. Brachypelma smithi are great, but some individuals kick hairs pretty readily. Grammostola albopilosum are generally calm also. I would prefer any of the above to a rosie by looks alone.

-Evan

Thanks for the info! Know of any breeders where I can see these or buy them from?

I've purchased from

Botar by eights
Krazy 8s
Todd Gearheart

All of which I would recommend. They all have general info on most species, and a good number of pics. Have fun!! :D

-Evan

any avic is also a good choice :carrot:

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Originally Posted by bodar

any avic is also a good choice :carrot:

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As handleable? Mine are so fast I fear it would bolt right off me and plummet to the floor.

I handle our 3 A. versicolor regularly and have never had them bolt "off" me, but more "around" me. Occasionally they will jump from hand to hand, or hand to shirt, but never from hand to floor.

-Evan

Handling of Tarantulas..What is this world coming to? :)

As posted above, you can't go wrong with grammostola aureostriata. Also good would be grammostola pulchra (Brazillian Black), but they are more expensive unless you are looking at a sling. Grammostola Rosea (Chilean Rose) is readily available and generally docile as well. Of course, there are always risks with handling any tarantula, because of urticating hairs as well as the potential for being bitten. Also, dropping a tarantula is likely to prove fatal.

Brazilian Black.

Mexican Red Knee.



http://www.petbugs.com/caresheets/tarantulas.html

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Originally Posted by SPJ

Brazilian Black.

Mexican Red Knee.



http://www.petbugs.com/caresheets/tarantulas.html

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I left out brachypelma smithi (Mexican Red Knee) because adults are hard (and expensive) to come by. I don't own one, but by most accounts, they are docile and handleable. Good call.

I have two Chaco Golden Knees(Grammostola aureostriata), one is around 2" and the other is around 1/2". Too cute for words and very nice to handle(the bigger one). I am REALLY wanting a Brazilian Black, and should hopefully have a female or a sling pretty soon(come on Austin Show!). They are just gorgeous and sweet as can be.

A friend of mine just got a Pinktoe(which type of Pinktoe, I don't remember). But this T is so calm, you don't even have to make her get on you. Just pick her up and be done with it. She could care less. I also have 4 Texas sp. T's that I got in Austin from Zookeeper, a pet store there(I love freebies). One is from Lancaster county, I think and the other 3 are from another county. They are supposed to be pretty docile when grown.

Also found an albopilosum sling, but it's still around 1/4", TINEENSY little thing. Eats like a pig though and will take down crickets about twice its size. I hope it grows up to be a nice looking T.

Hi,


Another vote for Mexican Red Knee - as long as you dont spook her mine is an absolute dream to handle. For total docility I'd have to say the white collars though, it would actually let you roll it onto its back with your thumb, but they are quite small. Oh and the zebra was also quite placid if a little nervous at first.



dr del

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,


Another vote for Mexican Red Knee - as long as you dont spook her mine is an absolute dream to handle. For total docility I'd have to say the white collars though, it would actually let you roll it onto its back with your thumb, but they are quite small. Oh and the zebra was also quite placid if a little nervous at first.



dr del

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I am not familiar with a white collar. What is the scientific name?

yeah i have my G.aureostriata and she's definitely a good beginner species.also try some of the brachypelma species,they are docile and colorful.the Grammastola species are also good beginners.and the Avicularia species are also good species.

I just picked up a m and f Rose Hair! They are so docile IMO it's crazy!

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Originally Posted by Kilo

I just picked up a m and f Rose Hair! They are so docile IMO it's crazy!

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Mine is just a sling about the size of a thumbnail. I have heard stories about psycho rosies, though I think they are pretty few and far between.

yeah i have a psycho rosie not a way in hell would i handle him. i would handle my haplopelma sp vietnam, before i would handle this rosie. but you cant win'em all and he is a awsome T to watch eat let me tell you. and yeah avics are incredibly fast but very handleable, you must take your time and read your spider. know what it is doing and how it will react in certain situations

Hi,


Whitecollared were reffered to as Eupalaestrus Weijenberghi on the lists I originally bought her from - had to go dig in the cupboard to find it :) . This information is waay old though so check the scientific name hasn't changed.

The care sheet I got at the time say's they reach 4" legspan as adults but I have to say mine never seemed to get much above 3" - they also apparently change colour with their maturing molt, but again I didnt see that, - anyone else here thinking I sold her a little too early?:oops:

I've been quite lucky with how easy my T's have been to handle over the years but the best recomendation I can give is try and go for a docile species and if you are buying from a shop and it's well grown on try handling it before you buy.

theres a pic here;

http://giantspiders.com/E_weijenberghi.html



dr del

Another good one is a B. emilia, although right now my two best handlers are my chaco juvie and my adult male rosehair. Pink Zebra beauty is also a good handler, mine is docile and lets me know when she does not want to be picked up, she slaps my hand with her front legs.

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Originally Posted by ErikH

Mine is just a sling about the size of a thumbnail. I have heard stories about psycho rosies, though I think they are pretty few and far between.

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I bought a sub adult male and an adult female because I couldn't find a sling (not that I have any plans to breed them what so ever!). Do you know of any place online I could order myself a sling rosie and a sling that is blue (I want to say Blue Cobalt).

www.botarby8s.com

http://krazy8sinvertebrates.com/catalog/


Are good ones. There are many others. I got my rosie sling for free when I bought an acanthoscuria geniculata from krazy 8s. I assume what you are looking for is haplopelma lividium (cobalt blue). I haven't checked either of the above catalogs recently, but I know they both have had them.

Swift Invertebrates is another good one.

http://www.swiftinverts.com/

or Southern Spider Works.

http://www.southernspiderworks.com/

Sorry to hijack but I keep seeing this "sling" thing... Is that slang for a male T or is that something altogether different... Also I had 2 rosies when I was younger, the female was a dream to hold and could readily be picked up, but the male was the complete opposite! So who knows I guess...

Anyone know about the handling characteristics of the sweet-looking blue ones from Singapore? Sorry I don't even know the common name, let alone the scientific!

spiderling = sling = baby spider

yup, thar she blows :rolleye2:

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Originally Posted by MARCUS ANTONIUS

Sorry to hijack but I keep seeing this "sling" thing... Is that slang for a male T or is that something altogether different... Also I had 2 rosies when I was younger, the female was a dream to hold and could readily be picked up, but the male was the complete opposite! So who knows I guess...

Anyone know about the handling characteristics of the sweet-looking blue ones from Singapore? Sorry I don't even know the common name, let alone the scientific!

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I think you are talking about cyriopagopus sp. singapore blue. The are defensive/aggressive from what I understand, and definitely not for handling.

Ahh... Thanks for clearing that up Bodar... I probably wouldn't have figured that out anytime soon!

ErikH - Thanks, I think that's it... They get almost dinner plate size (legs not body) right? They look awesome!! So they probably are bad for handling... It seems like the best looking (most exotic, I guess) animals usually don't make good pets, as a general rule.

Anyone have any experience with Avicularia mettallica (metallic pinktoe)?
Docile? Fast?

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Originally Posted by SPJ

Anyone have any experience with Avicularia mettallica (metallic pinktoe)?
Docile? Fast?

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I don't have any experience with any avics, but I understand they are docile and fast, just like most avics.

i've been keeping avics for like 2 years and they are very nice. versicolors are my fav. pretty fast though, not pokie fast, but fast. but very beautiful

Thanks everyone for the great info and links... I finally got him to pick out a few that he liked... Here's what we came up with:

Aphonopelma bicoloratum - Mexican Bloodleg (more for me than him... they are AWESOME IMO)
Brachypelma smithi - Mexican Redknee
Grammostola pulchra - Brazilian Black
Grammostola rosea

If anyone can give any info on these specific species that might help us out in deciding between these, I'd be thankful... :)

They are all good choices IMO. The bicoloratum and the smithi can be hair kickers, but they are generally calm and docile. The rosea is a classic starter tarantula, some people claim they have more personality than other tarantulas, mine is just a tiny spiderling, so I couldn't say. The pulchra has a reputation for being the most handleable of any tarantula, they are beautiful, they look almost like black velvet. All of them like it fairly dry, the rosea likes it's substrate bone dry, just give it a water dish. The pulchra likes it slightly more humid than the others, but just keeping the substrate moist around the water dish will probably suffice. All are fairly slow growing.

Here's a web site that may be of interest to you as well. http://http://www.arachnopets.com/tarantulas/tcss.htm

Erik

i've been craving for an A.bicoloratum since i first laid eyes on it a couple of years back but finding large ones for sale is pretty hard.plus they're slow growers. but any of those species you mentioned are good beginners.

Cool, thanks for the link.

And Snakeman, watching them grow is one of my favorite parts... :)

You're welcome. Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Rapture

Thanks everyone for the great info and links... I finally got him to pick out a few that he liked... Here's what we came up with:

Aphonopelma bicoloratum - Mexican Bloodleg (more for me than him... they are AWESOME IMO)
Brachypelma smithi - Mexican Redknee
Grammostola pulchra - Brazilian Black
Grammostola rosea

If anyone can give any info on these specific species that might help us out in deciding between these, I'd be thankful... :)

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These are all great choices. The Aphonopelma will grow the slowest. The pulchra will probably be the hardest to find and the G. rosea the easiest. Don't get the smithi from a pet store, they like to jack the price up to $70 or more for a small individual.

I was planning on getting either of these from one of the websites posted in this thread. :)

Good luck! Let us know how you make out.

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/index.php

this is the best forum i have found on the net for Tarantulas and all sorts of spineless wonders




Don't be shy hit the rep button
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Originally Posted by Kilo

I bought a sub adult male and an adult female because I couldn't find a sling (not that I have any plans to breed them what so ever!). Do you know of any place online I could order myself a sling rosie and a sling that is blue (I want to say Blue Cobalt).

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kyle, there are lots of blue tarantulas. some avics are blue a. versi for instance ;) the cobalt blues are NOT friendly... and you almost never ever ever see them. you really have a pet hole when you have one of those and a nasty pet hole to boot!

as a first t (this is to the thread creator) - i highly recommend a GBB - very beautiful, will get you good and addicted ;)

i don't agree personally with holding Tarantulas much like i don't agree with housing snakes together. it's a potential accident waiting to happen. i've heard too many stories about Ts jumping and splitting themselves open.... or bolting and then your knee goes down and "crunch". so i keep mine in a clear container so i can enjoy them alive and well in their ecosystem of choice. if we need to remove them, we do so in the tub with a blanket in the bottom and we carefully move them to their new enclosure.

brachys is a species i don't recommend for holding as they are major hair kickers and once you've been hit with those hairs once, you won't want to again. very itchy... and if you got it in the face... that wouldn't be much fun.

some people do hold their Ts... and of course it's their choice, just as some people house multiple snakes together... it's just not my recommendation is all. ;)

Thanks for the advice, Aleesha.

My view on holding T's is comparable to the way I go about handling which snake I keep. I think that every individual can be different. My rosehair was completely docile, but then again, I can undoubtfully say that I was good at handling it also. I treat all my animals with respect and handle them accordingly. I could pick up my rosehair, turn it over, and feel its soft belly with little to no movement from it. I had a couple other T's of different species that were too skittish for me to handle comfortably, so I never did.

I am hoping to be able to find a T for my boyfriend that is docile enough for him to hold, but I know a lot of it is going to depend on him and if he has or can learn that good sense of handling an animal.

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Originally Posted by Rapture

I think that every individual can be different.

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i totally agree with you. when i was a lot younger LOL - about 18 - there was a guy who had a T and would bring it out at parties. he'd walk around with it on his shoulder... it went all over the place with him... and never jumped off...

;)

.
.
did that get him laid? My money is on.... yes.

!! :bolt:

Ho-kay....

I have only had one kind of T and I would most recomend it. Hard to find though. Unless your in Arizona and its summer. I have yet to find any for sale but I really didnt look all that much. I do not know the true name of this kind. It stays small roughly 4 to 6 inches (legspan) is not known to kick it's hairs, and is calm.

I only know it by the common AZ names of Arizona Blonde, Mexican Blonde, and American Blonde hair.

Mine was a female and I always had her out and that is with my extream fear of spiders.

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I only know it by the common AZ names of Arizona Blonde, Mexican Blonde, and American Blonde hair.

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Aphonopelma chalcodes
They are not extreamly easy to find in the hobby, but are available, more so in the warmer months though and generaly in liminted number.

I have to agree with Aleesha on the handling issue. I too think it is a matter of personal choice, however, I also think that every keeper should use a bit of common sense when it comes to keeping tarantulas. They are *not* kittins or puppies. They *are* fragile and can be injured and/or killed *very* easily. In addition, they are prone to stress more so than most reptiles. Every time a tarantula is removed from it's home and "played with" it stresses the spider out. Did y'all know that tarantulas *can* die from a heart attack? Yes, they can and *over handling* is one way to cause such a demise. It is not a matter of being "good at handling" tarantulas, it is a matter of *the tarantula is good at tollerating being handled*. ;)

On the *other* hand....I also take the stand that *every* keeper who intends to keep tarantulas for any length of time *should* know the proper and safest ways to pick up and hold *any* tarantula. Why? Because, if you are in this hobby long enough, the occasion WILL arise where handling a tarantula will make its self necessary.
For example, if you have an adult H. lividum or Poeclithera sp. that has a severe case of mites or a bit of mold on it....how are you going to get it off so it doesn't end up killing the spider? You *need* to know the methods of handling, securing and working with tarantulas, no matter what species they are, docile or not.

i had a giganto bird eating tarantula who loved being held he was the size of a normal dinner plate by the time i got rid of him and eating small finches for breakfast a mouse for lunch and a baby chick for dinner

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Originally Posted by Monty

i had a giganto bird eating tarantula who loved being held he was the size of a normal dinner plate by the time i got rid of him and eating small finches for breakfast a mouse for lunch and a baby chick for dinner

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Why is it that I am not very inclined to believe this?
Hmm, perhaps the name "giganto" has something to do with it and perhaps the menu.

Seeing as how tarantulas are not fed 3 times a day and *no* tarantula, even my 10" Theraphosa blondi (she's pretty "giganto" ;) ) would not eat that much in one day, must less every day. :rolleyes:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...lr%3D%26sa%3DG


sorry its goliath his name was giganto