Entering new territory. My first tarantula.

[YungRasputin]

Oh, by the way- now I remember why they said my (California) tarantula was surely a female, without even checking the underside: it was because of her size. The females can live 20-25 years, while the males usually only live to 7 or 8 (10 max), & her "abdomen" was the size of a ping pong ball- she was huge, & all the males I ever saw were so tiny by comparison. I don't know if the lifespan & size differential applies to any other kinds of tarantulas- as I said, my experience with them is very limited, but they're all pretty cool.

sexual dimorphism is seen virtually all tarantula species - i think there may be a couple species where this may not be the case or is less extreme than in most cases but this true for like 99% of tarantulas - the size of the abdomen is largely dependent upon food intake and in both sexes it should be relatively proportional to the rest of their body tho as you say females are a bit bigger of course - lifespan wise i would say that’s about average - in their late stages of life males will just wander and mate until they’re a) eaten by the female or b) die of their own accord

[Bogertophis]

sexual dimorphism is seen virtually all tarantula species - i think there may be a couple species where this may not be the case or is less extreme than in most cases but this true for like 99% of tarantulas - the size of the abdomen is largely dependent upon food intake and in both sexes it should be relatively proportional to the rest of their body tho as you say females are a bit bigger of course - lifespan wise i would say that’s about average - in their late stages of life males will just wander and mate until they’re a) eaten by the female or b) die of their own accord

Yeah, I've heard that some of them are pretty bad at dating. Poor guys...

[YungRasputin]

also pokies are super cool, i kept them/bred them, P. rufilata is my particular favorite of the genus but given the size, temperament and venom level they’re definitely an advanced/veteran level species

but! you can work your way up to them by keeping what i call “bridge species” i.e. lower level species with particular traits comparable to pokies - so like starting with A. avicularia, then P. irminia/P. cambridgei then Tapinauchenius then Pokies - would be a good way to do it - this way you build up skills in basic arboreal keeping (Avics), speed (Tapinauchenius), and hyper-defensive behaviors and higher venom levels (Psalmopoeus)

this all needed because ‘teleporting’ is v real and hard to deal with even with experience and pokies are one of the few species that won’t give you a threat pose or any clues before bolting or striking - something I’ve only seen in African arboreals like S. cals + H. maculata and fossorial baboons like P. muticus

[plateOfFlan]

Interesting. From what I read, A. Seemani was considered "intermediate" due to being skittish, fast and not wanting to be handled. But I didn't really see much of the speed when I moved her into the tank, and no tarantula actively likes being handled so, yeah, kind of weird. And this was a big box store so I wasn't exactly expecting any advanced species to be sold there anyway (but I did do my due research beforehand regardless).

You're the second person to suggest she's female, so I guess it's a safe bet that's what she is by now.

imo A seemanni is a great starter. The "beginner" lists out there often seem to have a very narrow view of what a beginner wants and can manage, so only the most stone-still docile, handleable terrestrials are included. My first T was a dwarf fossorial known for its teleportation abilities and I did fine with him. Someone with reptile keeping experience and who is going to read up on a species before buying is fine with like, *most* tarantula species probably. Plenty of people even get the Psalmopoeus irminia as their first tarantula and do fine

[Snagrio]

She still hasn't moved. Must still be adjusting. As a snake keeper I of all people should be aware of the time it takes for something to settle in, but I can't help with the "new family member hovering" no matter the species. I can't help but wonder if some of it is also because, well, chances are she has never experienced actual diggable substrate before. She was at the pet store for around half a year or more (that's why I got her for free after all) and all she had there was a flat, useless "layer" of bark chips and who knows what living conditions she had before then. I'm sure instincts will kick in eventually though.


In better news, finally decided on a name for her. Rachnera. Went back and forth on it because the character of the same name is rather, um, NSFW, but I will leave the Googling to the rest of you as I won't post a pic here for reasons.

[YungRasputin]

imo A seemanni is a great starter. The "beginner" lists out there often seem to have a very narrow view of what a beginner wants and can manage, so only the most stone-still docile, handleable terrestrials are included. My first T was a dwarf fossorial known for its teleportation abilities and I did fine with him. Someone with reptile keeping experience and who is going to read up on a species before buying is fine with like, *most* tarantula species probably. Plenty of people even get the Psalmopoeus irminia as their first tarantula and do fine

people have done that yes but it’s not wise to do this imo both for your sake and the sake of the animal because what i should be asked: if you get tagged are you going to have the nerves to safely secure the animal before treating yourself? will you be able to keep calm through the pain? will you be able to control your knee jerk reactions to pain so you don’t fling the spider across the room? this is what should be considered because Irminia and Cambridgei are both highly unpredictable - they can be super chill one moment and then furious the next - more than that, they’re fangs will hurt in and of themselves in addition to the sting of venom

i would also note with this genus specifically the side-effects of their venom also include 8+ hours of vomiting in addition to the pain and can also include lightheadedness, muscle cramps, heart palpitations, profuse sweating, etc - not trying to scare anyone off but they’re a p serious animal and i would argue there is a difference between general reptile reflexes/muscle memory and venom reflexes/muscle memory eg: i have several decades of reflex experience dodging “zero mistake” arachnids who’s venom could be lethal even with immediate medical treatment which is different than reflexes involving non-lethal/non-venomous where the primary thing is just avoiding a little bit of pain

is the difference between: a ball Python bite might be annoying for 5-10 min, a bite from Venezuelan Sun-Tiger will ruin your entire day

it sounds weird from the outside i understand but i just think working with venomous animals gives you a whole different mindset

[YungRasputin]

it’s the same for other popular species like OBT - they may not be labeled lethal but the bite itself, as described to me by other keepers, feels like the bite site was “slammed with a hammer” + “slammed with a car door” - also, there is something particular about OBT venom which also makes those with pre-existing heart conditions at risk of something more serious - i would encourage anyone getting into the hobby to really seriously consider the ladder system and to full consider the venom level of the specimens you get and keep because “not lethal” is still a real serious thing

[YungRasputin]

not to seem ranty, just something to put in your noodles, but i do sympathize with wanting to skip steps - my biggest goal for my snake keeping and why i initially got into snakes in the first place is because i want to have in my personal collection, at least once, a copperhead - to me they’re the coolest and prettiest little things ever but i know i must crawl before i walk before i run

[ecoles5]

Hi and congratulations! You’re best off waiting for a molt. Soak it in water and dab of dish soap and then on the inside you can tell if the molt went well. Most T’s sexual dimorphism is seen coloration of the ones that display outer signs until ultimate molt for males I have over 30 at this time. I adore them.

[Snagrio]

people have done that yes but it’s not wise to do this imo both for your sake and the sake of the animal because what i should be asked: if you get tagged are you going to have the nerves to safely secure the animal before treating yourself? will you be able to keep calm through the pain? will you be able to control your knee jerk reactions to pain so you don’t fling the spider across the room? this is what should be considered because Irminia and Cambridgei are both highly unpredictable - they can be super chill one moment and then furious the next - more than that, they’re fangs will hurt in and of themselves in addition to the sting of venom

i would also note with this genus specifically the side-effects of their venom also include 8+ hours of vomiting in addition to the pain and can also include lightheadedness, muscle cramps, heart palpitations, profuse sweating, etc - not trying to scare anyone off but they’re a p serious animal and i would argue there is a difference between general reptile reflexes/muscle memory and venom reflexes/muscle memory eg: i have several decades of reflex experience dodging “zero mistake” arachnids who’s venom could be lethal even with immediate medical treatment which is different than reflexes involving non-lethal/non-venomous where the primary thing is just avoiding a little bit of pain

is the difference between: a ball Python bite might be annoying for 5-10 min, a bite from Venezuelan Sun-Tiger will ruin your entire day

it sounds weird from the outside i understand but i just think working with venomous animals gives you a whole different mindset

From my standpoint, when I brought up wanting to keep the other, more advanced species mentioned, it was very much a hypothetical, in the "If I really got into Ts and had some years of experience" kind of way. Like how I didn't immediately jump to a blue beauty when I got back into keeping snakes. That and I wasn't exactly planning on keeping a T anytime soon, this was a special circumstance. One that I properly researched and prepared for mind you, but not a premeditated one for sure. Not that her being a free animal means I will treat her with any less care than the others of course. If anything I'm just happy to give her a home by Christmas.