It's narrowed down to these - help me choose

I am looking for the most likely "pet" candidate.
One not prone to biting or kicking hairs when handled for short periods of time.
Help me pick the best one that would fit the bill for a docile pet T.

Here are the ones to choose from.

Brachypelma albopilosum - curlyhair
Brachypelma smithi - Mexican redknee
Grammostola pulchra - Brazilian black
Grammostola rosea - rosehair

I have no real experience to speak of other than working in pet stores and one night I cared for a tarantula over night before giving her to my biology teacher for extra credit (I found out later that he actually tormented one of my friends with it for the next 2 years LOL) and she was the Chilean Rose, and I just loved her! Sweet as could be! If I were getting a tarantula it'd be a rosehair :) Have fun with whatever you decide on though!

Get B. smithi :), I dont keep Ts but they are awesome, generally very docile and beutiful.

Of those four I have personal experience only with g. rosea.. I've had mine 3 years.. it's never kicked hairs, and I used to handle it (I prefer to leave them alone now) it never tried to bite, but if you breathe on them they freak out.. be careful they're very fragile animals.

My friend has G. pulchra.. gorgeous spider, and they are known for being docile.

B. smithi is known for it's great pet qualities. Truly beautiful spider too.

brachys kick hairs. it's what they do.

i personally don't agree wtih holding Ts - it's not in their best interest and can cause injury to them if they decide to bolt. :(

a great first T is GBB (green bottle blue) absolutely gorgeous!!! that's the first one i got... now i have about a dozen but again, we don't hold our Ts we just enjoy their beauty through their enclosures.

Well if I wanted to go toward agressive and potent I would get a Singapore blue.


Whatcha trying to do? Have me taken out by a T?:D

If you find G. pulchra slings, PLEASE for the love of all that is cold-blooded and good, let me know!! I think I'd sell a kidney..

I have a B. smithi and so far it's been nice to have. I also have two G. aureostriata slings, one is 2" and the other is 1/2". Both very easy to care for and easy to handle. I also have two B. albopilosum, and they are just dolls. Not flighty at all, but are easily overfed as slings and it's possible to kill them(mine get fed once every 1.5 weeks or so and they do fine). Also have a Haitian Brown, but yeah... ;) THAT one's fun to deal with, hehe.

I have found 2.5 inch female G. pulchras.

Kinda pricey but he claims he can sex them accurately.

B.albopilosum. I have 3, and they are wonderful!!!!! Yes, they are bracys, but none of mine have ever kicked. Well, to be honest, one is a sling, but the other two are an adult female somewhere in her teen years, and a juvie that is almost 2 years old that I have raised from being very tiny.

They are great, active earthmovers, avid eaters, beautiful in a sublte way, gentle, and really fun to watch. Their earth moving acts are hysterical!!!! I have one of each of the others, and there is no comparision in my mind. Go for the B. albo, you won't be sorry.

i have all except for G.pulchra. both B.smithi and B.albopilosum flick hairs at me but of course i keep my distance so the hairs dont actually get to me (either that or im not affected by the hairs). both of my g.rosea have never flicked a hair at me and i dont think G.pulchra wold flick hairs either unless it really wanted to. for the chice, either G.pulchra or G.rosea.

I vote for B. smithi - mine has been a complete joy since the day I bought her.


Handles well and absolutely glorious colours.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...herhands12.JPG



dr del

Tuesday morning the new rosehair will be arriving.

I bought a 2.5 inch CB rosehair from Charles Black (Botar).

Hopefully it's a female but only time will tell. It's too small for him to sex yet.

I'll post some pics when it arrives.

Thanks for the help everyone.

well, better late than never right? here's my suggestion for your next one, and trust me there will be more.
it is one of my all-time personal favorites, try an avic. avic., very docile, aboreal, web spinners. which i think makes them interesting. easy on the pocket and to keep. i know it wasn't on your list, just a suggestion. i don't believe in handing t's, but an avic. is a pretty safe choice. good luck with your rosey!

p.s. my smithi is a flicker too, bigtime!