venturing into Ts

[Anatopism]

For somebody who is getting over their fear of spiders and wants a tarantula that will come out to explore, I strongly advise against your first spider being a P murinus or a P metallica... or any other teleporting-fast or murderously aggressive tarantula.. unless you're fully prepared to rehouse them/move them into new homes as they get larger. I'm not certain of the temperament of P metallica specifically, but be prepared for a quick animal. P murinus will wish you dead. Look at them funny and they'll start taking notes on your loved ones to hold hostage later. There is a reason baboons have the alternate abbreviation of OBT (Orange Bitey Thing). They are hardy, but be prepared for a pissy spider.

My understanding of the A geniculatas are that they can be defensive much like a b vagans, but I don't believe they are aggressive or bitey, just a greater chance of flicking hairs - there are of course differences between individuals. Would probably be the best of the ones you mentioned specifically to start with.

My personal recommendations for hardy/robust AND docile slings to start with would be a G pulchripes, or many other Grammastola sp., B vagans (keeping in mind the behavior note above), and a few other Brachypelma sp. There are many hardy avics you can get as slings or a little larger, as great starter 'arboreals' that are more forgiving than some of the more expensive animals, and who tend to be known for their friendly temperament - They can be quick and many will jump between your hands. I've interacted with quite a few avic avic, but own only a single A diversipes right now as a sling - more demanding than my terrestrial slings (G pulchripes and G pulchra, but not by much).

I do not recommend a G rosea as a first spider, ever. They go on fasts at times, and many of the caresheets you find on non-spider websites or in pet stores are just plain wrong. Some are plain evil, some are so docile or shy they'll die before they ever eat.

Slings all have their challenges, and some more difficult than others, but I enjoy starting them out as slings. Biggest thing is humidity. It isn't terribly difficult to keep them at the proper temperature. There is always the chance of having a sling that dies despite doing everything right with husbandry.

They're primitive animals, but they do vary between individuals. I like getting a 'feel' for an individual spider as a sling as it grows into an adult, rather than starting right off as an adult most of the time. I do handle my Ts on occasion, to clean/tidy up the cage mostly, or for photos, and most of my friends who see them for the first time are willing to handle the terrestrial slings because they are less intimidating. I do not handle the avic sling - he's simply WAY too fast, and the risk of harming the little guy is way too high.