Entering new territory. My first tarantula.

[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

[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.

[plateOfFlan]

Sorry for contributing to derail!
More on topic: about the screen top, if it's woven tightly like window screen, that's the dangerous kind. There is a type of screen lid that's flat with diamond-shaped openings, and those are perfectly safe. I can't tell from the pics but it looks like you have the safe one? Clips for the lid may also be a good idea, tarantulas are shockingly strong (and stubborn) and if she gets it into her head to lift the lid she's going to keep at it if there's any give.

[Snagrio]

Sorry for contributing to derail!
More on topic: about the screen top, if it's woven tightly like window screen, that's the dangerous kind. There is a type of screen lid that's flat with diamond-shaped openings, and those are perfectly safe. I can't tell from the pics but it looks like you have the safe one? Clips for the lid may also be a good idea, tarantulas are shockingly strong (and stubborn) and if she gets it into her head to lift the lid she's going to keep at it if there's any give.

Here's a pic of the lid. Looks like the diamond shape? Would be nice to take the tinfoil off for more air circulation and I think she'd prefer things to be drier anyway from what I've read. And I could get something to weigh the lid down if needed. Wasn't sure if she could hoist it open (not like she's moved for the past several days straight but still).

[Snagrio]

I've been getting concerned that she's been too cold, as she's been practically hugging the area where the heat pad is and hasn't moved or attempted to dig or anything. I changed the layout so the log above ground backs into the heat pad. I carefully nudged her to the entrance so she'll hopefully go in there, but as you can see she was not happy about it (glad I used tongs, she struck them several times while trying to slowly push her out of the way to move the log in place and then in front of it).


Update she did go inside. Hopefully she can settle in better now that she feels warm and secure at the same time.

[Snagrio]

I finally got around to offering Rachnera a couple crickets and she took both of them at the same time in a single strike almost as soon as I dropped them in. I'd say she's comfortable now.

[Bogertophis]

Wow, she's got real talent!

[Snagrio]

She randomly decided to sit out on the moss mound today.


Those tiny eyes are so unexpectedly cute.