A Good (second) T for a Cautious Newbie?

[Jordan Bean]

Hey guys, I was thinking of getting a second T when the next expo rolls around (I think there's one in March 2016). Just curious as to what you think would be good for a noob.

I've seen a lot of arguments about the ladder system and whether or not I should follow it; I like to think of myself as extremely cautious and I care mostly about the T's safety and well-being. Look or size isn't as important to me.

I have a B. albopilosum juvi.

Thanks! C:

 

[Jordan Bean]

P.S. - I am also curious about age. Would it be best to get an adult or start a little younger? I have a juvi right now and she's really skittish. Do they slow down as they age?

 

[~8-legz~]

its all up to you really... I got an obt for my second but I wouldn't ever tell anyone to do the same lol... I would suggest everyone in the hobby to get a b. smithi though just because you cant go wrong with a red knee...

 

[Meludox]

There's a lot of good beginner species I could recommend..I think you should first decide if you want an arboreal or terrestrial species and go from there. Good terrestrials are B. smithi, G. pulchra, G. pulchripes or a GreenBottle Blue definitely. Arboreals could be A. versicolor, A. avicularia or A. metallica to name a few. Adults tend to be more expensive then slings.

 

[Thistles]

What attributes do you find most appealing? Another Brachypelma, or a Grammostola, Euathlus, Aphonopelma or Avicularia would all be good 2nd tarantulas for someone looking to take things slowly. Juveniles are the best for novices in my opinion. You get the enjoyment of watching them grow but they aren't as delicate as spiderlings or as expensive as adults and you get something that already looks sort of like what it will be when grown instead of a little brown naked thing. What do you like and what are you looking for? If you want to take a tiny baby step up, get a Brachypelma vagans. They're still Brachys and relatively docile, but in my experience a little more fiery than most Brachys.

 

[MassExodus]

Since you have a slow grower, I recommend a sling or juvie Lp. It would be good second T and while they do get big, they're generally not overly defensive, they do have a very strong feeding response you have to be careful of. You might find it interesting watching it rapidly outgrow your Brachypelma. I do mean rapidly..

 

[Scoolman]

Acanthoscuria grow pretty fast, great feeding response, get more calm as they grow.

 

[micheldied]

It really depends on how comfortable you think you are with potential speed and venom potency. It's tough to gauge with no real experience, and IMO if you don't have any experience with potentially dangerous animals and you don't feel confident, any doubt at all, with faster Ts, then you should follow the ladder system.

That being said, I've always believed that starting with slings is the best way to learn. They're only slightly more fragile, and because of that you'll be more cautious and pay more attention to husbandry. Also, it's the best way to learn their behavior and become more accustomed to their speed or defensiveness; the potential of both tends to increase gradually with age.

I'd go with whatever you goal is. If you want to move on to more defensive Ts, then follow the ladder system and get something slightly more "advanced" than what you have now.

 

[Enn49]

Since you have a slow grower, I recommend a sling or juvie Lp. It would be good second T and while they do get big, they're generally not overly defensive, they do have a very strong feeding response you have to be careful of. You might find it interesting watching it rapidly outgrow your Brachypelma. I do mean rapidly..

I'd agree with you on L. parahybana. They do grow at an amazing rate, and grow into beautiful Ts which happily sit out in the open for long periods.

 

[Tomoran]

P.S. - I am also curious about age. Would it be best to get an adult or start a little younger? I have a juvi right now and she's really skittish. Do they slow down as they age?

Slings are fantastic, as there is nothing quite like growing a spider from a tiny spiderling to a bold adult. That being said, some of the best "beginner" species (G. pulchra, G. pulchripes, G. porteri, B. smithi, etc) can take a LONG time to grow, meaning it will be a good many years until you have a your large, hairy spider. And, yes...the majority are quite skittish as slings and even juveniles and calm down with age. B. smithis, for example, are widely recognized as being quite calm and docile. However, slings and juveniles are quite high-strung and flighty. Just something to keep in mind. If you're really new to the hobby, you might start with a juvenile as they are a bit hardier and past the more delicate sling stage where a husbandry mistake can lead to accidental death.

If you start with a sling, I agree with the folks above that something like the L. parahybana would be great due to the faster growth rate and hardiness. If you don't mind a bit of speed and some possible hairs, a C. cyaneopubescens (GBB) is another tough-as-nails, fast growing species (plus, this one goes through some fantastic color changes as it matures). If you'd like to try an arboreal, something in the Avicularia genus would be great. I think there have been a lot of great suggestions already, so perhaps you can look some of these up, see what strikes your fancy, then ask folks some questions about the species you're interested in.

 

[Entity]

I agree with these guys. cant go wrong with a Brachy and an LP would be a good second choice.

 

[Jordan Bean]

Thanks all. I like the L. parahybana and B. smithi a lot. The hard part now is deciding between the two

 

[Enn49]

Thanks all. I like the L. parahybana and B. smithi a lot. The hard part now is deciding between the two

The simple answer to that is - get both

 

[N8tive556]

The simple formula to "How many T's you REALLY need"

T+1=
(T) is equal to the amount of T's you currently own.

 

[khatchet]

I would agree with @Enn49 get both. If price is also in you consern get the L. parahybana, they are much cheaper.

 

[micheldied]

In most places LPs are really, really cheap, so you could definitely afford both. Or a few of both.

 

[Fuzzball79]

Acanthoscuria grow pretty fast, great feeding response, get more calm as they grow.

Gosh, my Genic has always been very calm and laid back as a juvie/subadult (although I would never attempt to handle (any of) mine, I can do tank maintenance with her just sitting there and nothing seems to spook her). Does this mean she'll be a right pet rock when she's fully grown lol?
Although I have heard the opposite before: Docile slings/juvies turning into nasty adults. Suppose each T is different, even within the same species.

 

[MassExodus]

Gosh, my Genic has always been very calm and laid back as a juvie/subadult (although I would never attempt to handle (any of) mine, I can do tank maintenance with her just sitting there and nothing seems to spook her). Does this mean she'll be a right pet rock when she's fully grown lol?
Although I have heard the opposite before: Docile slings/juvies turning into nasty adults. Suppose each T is different, even within the same species.

My experience has been the opposite.. Both my large female sling and my adult female have attitude to spare.

 

[Roo]

Any of the Aponopelmas