Possible New Pet?

Hey all I've recently been at my local herp shop and he has a bunch of different tarantulas and some emperor scorpion. Well bein that I can never have too many pets lol I've been thinkin bout gettin one of them.

Which would you reccomend an emperor or a tarrantula? Also how is the care and how demanding are they

Any tips or suggestions are appreciated!

depends on what kinda T it is. some are very skittish and aggressive, some are very docile.

The only one I can remember off hand is called a skeleton tarantula.

Is there a good starter?

ive never actually heard of that. i know theres a lot of tarantulas that are docile, the most common being the Chilean Rose Tarantula. I have one and she is very sweet. and will just crawl on your hand.

i lied i have heard of the skeleton, its with the white stripes on its legs right?

http://www.eightlegs.org/skel/skeleton.html
look at this

Yeah its pricey I thought for a spider like $45

But how is the care and how do they compare to scorpions

i have an emporer as well, the spiders like to be held more! the scorpions are very skittish and defensive

i'm not too good on common names.. but i think that E. murinus has a common name of skeleton knee or something.
i've had one of these tarantulas and they are aggressive sps, and very fast.. i would not recommend one for a beginer.
as far as emperors go.. i've only had one and it was aggressive but i know that some are very docile, i think that all depends on the individual scorp.

aphonopelma, avicularia, brachypelma and grammostola are usually very docile tarantula sps and would be great for beginers. there are always exceptions though! i have a B. smithi that strikes everything that comes in her cage, and these tarantulas are usually recommended for beginers.

my first tarantula was a G. rosea and i love him. they're very cheap (about $5 for s'ling, $25 for adult female), come in colors from muddy brown to a red phase copper color, and require very little care as they do not like any humidity. i would personally recommend this species for a beginner.

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Originally Posted by AdamJB

Yeah its pricey I thought for a spider like $45

But how is the care and how do they compare to scorpions

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$45 is acutally nothing for a spider.. they can get extremely pricey.. my cheapest one is worth $20 and my most expensive one is worth $300

i got my E. murinus for $35 as a 1" s'ling, so $45 isn't bad
if you visit some online websites you can get a pretty good idea for mainstream prices of tarantulas
http://swiftinverts.com/
thats a good website, i've bought from him before

here is a picture of my muddy brown female G. rosea

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...s/DSC02122.jpg

and my copper male G. rosea

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...s/DSC00259.jpg

thanks edie do you happen to have a care sheet on one of those little guys as such as cage size and temps?

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Originally Posted by AdamJB

thanks edie do you happen to have a care sheet on one of those little guys as such as cage size and temps?

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No problem, they are SO easy to take care of.
I'm part of Arachnoboards for my tarantulas, there is a care sheet for G. roseas that everyone really likes.. here is the link;
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=5292
This care sheet is HUGE, but if you take the time to read it, it will tell you everything you could possibly need to know about G. roseas.

I'm not sure if it tells you about cage size.. its very similar to snakes though, you do not want the cage too big because it will stress them out. Since this is a terrestrial tarantula, you do want to make sure that the distance from the ground to the top of the cage is no more than 1x-2x the length of the tarantula. Any higher and the tarantula could fall from the top of the cage and burst its abdomen open.

Here are some cages I use that would work well for a G. rosea;

Kritter Keeper - these work well because they come in sizes that are not too tall, cost about $10, and are highly ventilated, which cuts down humidity.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...e/DSC08042.jpg

Sterilite container - these are also come in sizes that are not too tall, and since the tops are flat plastic the tarantula cannot climb on them. these do require some drilling though, especially if you're getting a G. rosea, you'll have to make sure that there is enough ventilation so that it doesn't get too humid inside of the enclosure.

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...e/DSC08044.jpg

Food container - these are also good for the same reasons of the sterilite container, but also require drilling

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...e/DSC08046.jpg

If you have any questions after you read that please let me know, I love talking about tarantulas!

how is the temperment of most ornamentals?

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Originally Posted by $nake$

how is the temperment of most ornamentals?

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I've kept 5 ornamentals.. (P. regalis, 3 P. ornata, and P. pederseni). They're defensive sps.. They WILL bite, if they feel threatened ehough, and I've heard that its very painful. Also, they are arboreal sps, so they are very fast. If you keep one you should know how to read tarantulas and be able to move them (for cage cleanings.. feeding.. ect) without injuring yourself or the spider.
I don't believe they make a good beginers sps.. but if you have previous experience with aroboreals, and aggressive/defensive sps. of tarantulas then they make great pets. They're beautiful tarantulas, and mine were very easy to keep.