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Anonymous
Hey /an/. I'm strongly considering getting a tarantula pretty soon, although I am still in the process of learning how to care for them. There seems to be a lot of mixed messages on handling tarantulas. Some say that it's fine as long as you are careful not to hurt it, and others say that you should pretty much never touch your tarantula. What do the spider owners of 4chan have to say about this?

Also, any tips to a spider noob will be appreciated. Any specific species that are good for beginners? I hear rose hair and Mexican are good starters. How large of an enclosure do you have and what type of substrate do you use? Any and all tips are welcome.
>> Anonymous
when I lived in Del Rio, TX we had a bunch of tarantulas outside our base housing (dad was in pilot training then)

along with the bats, they liked to chill in our garage and they scared the shit out of me, until one windy day when I saw one struggling against the wind

I ran up to him and picked him up and brought him to the garage. After that incident it seemed everywhere I went there was a tarantula near by, I even brought him (I assumed it was him) to play with my army men, he was my tarantula battle tank, etc

but now spiders scare the shit out of me again, so I think you are gross
>> Anonymous
>>333342

I had a bearded dragon when I was younger that play with like that. Put a couple crickets on the yellow army's side and he would wreck squadrons.
>> Anonymous
When I was young I had a mexican, and my sister had a rose.

Handling just depends on the tarantula's age and personality. You need to get them used to being handled young - I didn't with mine, and it grew up really bad tempered. If you even went near it for cleaning out the tank, it'd flick hairs at you.

We didn't handle the rose much, but it still grew up quite friendly.

Size of tank just depends on size of tarantula. When mine was a baby it lived in a cleaned out cheese spread tub. As it got bigger it moved to a proper tank. Used vermiculite.
>> Anonymous
The size of the enclosure and whether you can handle them depends on the species. The more docile species like the ones you mention are fine to handle so long so you keep them close to a surface and you're extremely careful (seriously, a drop of a couple feet and their abdomen will pop open) but trying to handle a birdeater or a baboon spider probably isn't worth it. Either way, it's kind of pointless as they're really not interested in affection and you'd just be stressing them.

Honduras Curly-Hairs and Costa-Rican Zebras are some of the most popular 'beginner tarantulas' and for good reason, but they both require relatively high humidity unlike the Chilean Rosehair, which is native to bone-dry deserts.
>> Anonymous
never take them to asia, they fry them and eat them... apparently they taste like crab
>> Anonymous
Mmm, delicious tarantula.
>> Anonymous
>What do the spider owners of 4chan have to say about this?

Do what you want. Spiders will usually tolerate handling fine as long as they're allowed to roam at their will along your hands. Make sure they don't fall and don't freak them out by breathing on them/moving quickly.

I think it's a good idea for beginners to get used to handling their spiders to get familiar with them. It makes you more comfortable dealing with them (at least the docile species) in case you need to handle them in the future. You'll eventually get over it and handle only during rehousing or when you show it to people or something. It always happens.

>Any specific species that are good for beginners?

Grammostola aureostriata, Aphonopelma chalcodes, or Brachypelma albopilosum.

>I hear rose hair and Mexican are good starters.

Grammostola rosea is a bland looking spider who freaks new keepers out with their strange behavior. Brachypelma smithi tends to flick urticating hairs, but are fantastic display spiders and good eaters.

>How large of an enclosure do you have

Pill vials for babies, delicups for juveniles, and Kritter Keepers, 2.5 gallon glass tanks, or larger plastic food containers for adults.

>what type of substrate do you use?

Coconut fiber. Easiest to deal with in my opinion and doesn't dry out as shittily as peat moss, which forms a brick if you don't keep it slightly moist.
>> Anonymous
>>333558

Great stuff, thanks. Are there any particular adult tarantulas that are comfortable in a 10gal terrarium? I know a lot of space can freak some animals out. Would providing plenty of spots to hide remedy this?

Also, are there any websites that you can recommend?
>> Anonymous
Since you guys are all talking insect/arachnid pets I figure I might ask here. Are there any species of beetles you can easily keep for a pet?
>> Anonymous
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Get a cobalt Blue
>> H
>>333342
Tarantula battle tanks are serious business
>> Anonymous
>>333342

dude

you helped one in stress, so they will help you.

They follow you.

They owe you one favor.
>> Anonymous
Alright guy, the only type of tarantula that my local pet store has that I was considering is a rose hair. Does anybody know of a good online source, preferably one based out of Florida?
>> Anonymous
>>333692

Lasiodora parahybana. They can get to 10 inches in legspan. The only downside is that some can be incessant hair flickers.

>>333810

Spiders are easily shipped. You don't have to worry about them dying if you do 1 day shipping.

The only Florida dealer I know is Glades Herp Farms: http://www.gherp.com

They're mostly reptiles, but they usually have some invertebrates for sale. They have 3" G. aureostriata for $25, which isn't a bad deal.

Others you can check out are Krazy 8s Invertebrates and Ken the Bug Guy. They're based in California, but it would be worth considering them as an option.

You could also find reptile shows near you. I've never been to one that hasn't had a good selection of spiders. You're bound to have a nice selection that you can see in person if you do that.
>> Anonymous
>>333845

I think I'm taking your advice with Krazy 8s. I also think I'm going with Grammostola aureostriata (Chaco Golden). If there are any complaints with either of these decisions I'd like to hear them.
>> Anonymous
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>>333905

That's how I started. G. aureo from Krazy 8s. Still have that guy.

Now I have 35 tarantulas or something. They're addictive.
>> Anonymous
Tarantulas are the EASIEST pets to take care of. I worked for an animal program and we had a Chilean Rose Hair... wonderful spider! Hardly ever had to clean the tank and it eats 4 crickets once every two weeks. I used to be scared of spiders until I got use to handling the tarantula and I love bringing it out to programs! I've heard stories of tarantulas only eating one time A YEAR too so yea... if you can deal with spiders, tarantulas are awesome!
>> Anonymous
Alright /an/. I'm going to head out in an hour or two to buy everything I need and after that I'll send out the order for my new little friend. Any suggestions for what I should name it? Granted, it will be female, but I'm open to masculine names too.
>> Anonymous
>>334176

Mrs. Haberdasher
>> Anonymous
>>334176

Big Mama Charlotte
>> Anonymous
>>334173

This is true. I have nearly 40 tarantulas, and I probably put in 3 hours total caring for them per month. All they need is food very occasionally and water if you live in an overly dry environment.

Really cheap to set up too. Toss in some coconut fiber into a delicup and put a juvenile spider in. You now have a rearing enclosure that will last for years.
>> Anonymous
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Hoohah! Need a name for this guy. I got him quite a while ago and still havnt named him, but the other one I bought at the same time is pure white, so of course it was Ivory. This ones dirty gray and way calmer than the other, who's kinda a bastard.
>> Anonymous
FUCK. Accidently replied to a thread instead of makin a new one. Bahhhhhhhhh!
>> Anonymous
>>334891
>>334893

I lol'd.
>> Anonymous
>>334702
I've never had a pet other than a dog... but what's the fun in having a pet if you barely have to mind it at all?

If it's just to observe them, I totally understand that. But it seems like most critters don't do terribly exciting things in captivity.

Sorry /an/ you must educate a noob here