Tarantulas and Spiders

Thanks

Just curious; don't actually have a tarantula (yet), but am thinking that they may be a good way for me to overcome my fear of creepy-crawlies.

The husbandry looks pretty simple for most of them....

I like that blue one. Nice pic

Crystal Meph getttttt oneeee!!!

What are your recommendations for initial type and for husbandry??

And yes I did read the care sheet/buyers guide sticky; I'd like all y'all's opinions though:)

Give us an idea of what you might want. A certain color, size etc.

B. vagans
G. pulchripes
B. albopilosum
G. rosea, but sometimes they can fast for long periods.

The above can be great first Ts that don't cost a lot.

So happy i'm getting my cambridgei tomorrow! thanks for the pic of a larger one Rich!

as for a first T there are some things to consider. hands on or off? how fast do you want it to reach full size? How fast do you want to have to run around the room with a cup to catch it when it gets out while doing cage maintenance? For the most part recommended first T's are just about anything in the Grammostola, or Brachypelma families. They are slow growing, not incredibly fast, relatively handable. Also a lot of the different Chilean Beautys are very handable.

*edit haha you type faster than me Rich. must have been doing these at the same time.

About the size of my palm....3.5-4" across (??)

My folks like bright colors (I like blue colors and anything with bright stripes etc) and something that might crawl out for a look around the cage once in a while.

And the space requirements would have to be small....probably would need to keep it in a plastic tub of some sort. Parents are all into the "small space" thing lol

And I'm big on trying to educate the local kids and stuff about exotics, so I'd like to be able to pull it out once in a while to show people and not have to worry about it kicking little hairs at them or pouncing off to bite their face, etc.

I'm telling you, cambridgei are so cool. I wish she would come out for a proper photo. I need more of these for sure.
Would also like to add a couple more Psalms

For that size with a nice color, maybe check out C. fasciatum. Might not be the best for a beginner. If you get one around .75" you'll grow your skills as the T grows ( which is slow )
I have a couple and they are nothing crazy. Mine are pretty slow, don't dart around.
Not one I would handle.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclosternum_fasciatum

I don't know how old you are but something like a G. rosea grows very slow. Most likely wouldn't be an adult size until you were out on your own.
Years!

Just remember...
They all have venom.
They all have fangs.
New worlds can kick hairs.
Old worlds can send you to the ER.
A fall more than a couple of feet can kill them.
The most docile T can still bite.
Even the slower ones can be pretty quick.
The faster ones can teleport :p
They are very addicting, so go ahead and start making a wish list before you get your first one.

Oh and most can live in tubs with no problem. I have a lot of mine in tubs.

Oh and that little blue one, Avicularia versicolor, change as they grow.

Same spider as the blue one
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/15/e3e6yma7.jpg

They are a little more fragile than most Ts. More attention. To their care is needed. Higher air flow while keeping the humidity up. Only need something about the size of a small Nano exoterra.

They are arboreal so they need something higher than wider. Again, maybe not the best beginner T but it really depends on a history of what you have cared for.
I have handled Avics before. They can be skittish and quick. They can also leap and have pretty good aim when they want to poo :o

What's with the old worlds??
And is there a website I can go to to get more info?? All the scientific names are kinda confusing to keep track of for me, and I've only ever seen ones sold by their common name...

and I'm 19