Hello everyone!!

[pilgrim]

I'm new to this hobby - so new in fact, that I haven't even chosen my first tarantula yet!

I live in the US in upstate South Carolina, and have had a passion for critters big and small my entire life. I recently sold all of my ball pythons because their care was becoming too much for me to handle - I have severe anxiety and bouts of depression, so it makes it difficult to take care of pets that require a ton of maintenance right now (I do not miss having to clean those poops, I tell ya what). Hopefully one day I'll be healthy enough to have more in my life again. But until that time comes, I've decided to dive into one of the pets I've always been curious about but never had: a tarantula!

I welcome any and all suggestions on what I might want to consider. I've been researching for some time now (bless youtube), and I think I'm leaning towards a Brachypelma of some kind.

I'm also curious to find out how difficult it is to maintain more than one T at a time - I can easily see myself being tempted to owning more than one, as I'm a collector at heart, but I don't want to fall into the same problem I had before with my ball pythons.

 

[Balfouriboi]

First of all sorry about your ball pythons. Second of all I think you will have a great time owning tarantulas they are very low maintenance animals so little that I have 13 and only have to do is weekly spraying of enclosures, monthly- weekly feedings, and rare rehousings because their enclousure is too small. I think a brachypelma is a great choice for a beginner in my personal experience I would recommend albopilosum as they are very interesting compared to the other spiders in that genus. I would recommend checking out Tom big spiders on YouTube as he has good content that will help you along. Good luck getting your first tarantula and hope you don’t get addicted too quickly.

 

[m0lsx]

Hello & welcome to the forum.

 

[Enn49]

Hi and welcome.

 

[pilgrim]

Thank you all for a the warm welcome. I'm glad to hear their maintenance is low even when you have multiples - I was hoping that was the case! Maybe I've found the perfect pet. There's a Repticon in Charlotte soon and I'd love to go browse around there, but unfortunately I have to work that entire weekend. I may be able to make the Greenville Repticon. If I can't make it to either of those, I'll probably order online soon.

I had a friend who used to have a couple tarantulas suggest I get a juvenile, as they can be a little hardier. I kind of like the idea of raising one up though.

 

[gognomie]

Hey there, welcome to the forum! It's awesome you came here before getting your first T and doing your research.
I own 14, even with that number they're less work than my fish tank and bonsai (and especially 3 cats). Their care is super simple once you do your research, the only drawback is space for adults if you'd like to keep multiples.
Also seconding Tom's Big Spider as a great resource on youtube, he does a weekly podcast too if you like longer-form media.
I'd personally agree with getting a juvie for you first, they're hardier but you still have years to grow and learn with them, once you're confident you can always start on slings.

 

[pilgrim]

Thank you, I'll def have to check out Tom Big Spider on yt.

If I make it to Repticon, do they usually have juveniles and slings? I know I've seen some ts there before, but I was collecting ball pythons at the time so didn't really look too closely. I do recall seeing some larger ones, though.

 

[Jess S]

Welcome to the hobby and the forum p! All I'd say is be aware T's are very addictive so the advice I'd give is try not to fall into the trap too early of collecting slings like pokemon. You'll definitely need more than 1 (lol) as they are very low maintenance and often have long periods of inactivity, so it'd good to have a few.
Keep a small handful for at least a few months until you are confident with the husbandry and begin to decide on what species are your 'must haves' and go from there. That way you won't get overwhelmed plus you'll know whether it's really the hobby for you before you amass a huge collection.

 

[pilgrim]

Sound advice, thank you very much!

 

[menavodi]

Welcome to this great forum!

 

[Hemolymph]

Welcome to the group

 

[PanzoN88]

Welcome to the forum and eventually the hobby

Raising tarantulas is about as easy as maintaining a rock collection. Very low maintenance.

 

[pilgrim]

Thank you all very much for the welcome! @PanzoN88 I'm ecstatic to hear they're as easy to maintain as a rock collection lol there's hope for me yet!

 

[Tabitha]

Hi there, welcome to the forum!
Ive kept boas and pythons, chameleons, dart frogs, lots of things, i don’t have many now but I found for me personally being a worrier, I was constantly stressed caring for high maintainance reps, I didn’t mind the time and commitment, knew what I was taking on but it was just the worry of making sure they were fed and heated and had all the correct things, would they get ill, it just wore me out, the pleasure was outweighed but the concerns.
Along came tarantulas, which is funny as I was a big arachnophobe and I fell in love, they give so much and ask so little, and the care is a pleasure to give, it’s entertaining to see them, fun to build nice enclosures, they are just fun to have, so fascinating and there’s so much less stress involved. I’ve never enjoyed keeping any animal as much as a T.
I’m going through quite a bit at the moment but I find they help me so much, I zone out when I set to work and do a little maintenance with them, into my own happy little T filled world so I really find they enhance my life and I’m much happier with them, it makes me more focused for other things when I’ve checked them over and fed and watered them etc.
Good luck and I think and hope you will gain a lot from these little miracles, they are wonderful, even though they have itchy hair and fangs and try and bite you!

 

[Phil]

welcome to the forum @erilgrimm , it truly is a fantastic hobby and this is the best forum to be a member of. Some advice for anyone new to the hobby....forget on line care sheets! They are garbage.
Best advice and support comes from genuine keepers and lovers if these fascinating creatures. Many if which you will find here and as you can see are more than happy to already help with the "arachnoholic" addiction.
I have over 200 spiders atm and apart from one or two Theraphosa species (Goliath Bird Eaters) they are all kept as such:

Substrate:
Coco fibre is best.

Temps:
about 21 to 23°C (Ideally that should be air temp in the room rather than using heat mats to heat an enclosure). If you have a cold room, heat mats can be used with a thermostat but only ever place the heat mat vertically against the enclosure and cover no more than 50% of the enclosure

water:
always have an open water dish with fresh water in it (I use left over boiled and cooled water for drinking and misting...see below for misting)

Misting:
A light misting on one half of the tank is fine for most spiders. better to mist the "cool" side as well if you do use a heat mat

Feeding:
General rule if thumb is don't feed anything larger than the spiders abdomen. As the spider grows as dies the size if the prey. Adult spiders will only need feeding once a week but younger spiders may need 2 or 3 tinea a week.

Handling:
Lots of people think they look really cool holding a spider and posting in social media. Personally, I do not agree with it at all As @Tabitha has already mentioned, they have hairs that irritate and fangs that bite but the main reason I don't agree with it is that if you drop the spider and it is injured, chances are you are going to kill it. And for what? Just to get 'Likes' . Just don't do it.

Moulting:
This is necessary for the spider to grow but they are at their most vulnerable during this time. When they are about to go in to pre moult they will stop feeding and so always remove uneaten food after 24hours (should do that anyway). If you see your spider on it's back, dont worry, that's what they do to help moult. Do not turn them over or touch them during this time. Increase humidity slightly as this will help. After 7 to 10 days after moulting your spider can be offered food.

Buying:
I suggest you look at the vendor reviews on this forum as well as check our the for sales list. Pet shops a) dont typically have the in depth knowledge that members on here do and b) charge a lot more and try to sell you all sorts of other accessories that are usually unnecessary.

enclosure:
This us where aesthetics come in to play and everyone had their own preference. Just make sure whatever you put the spider in it has a secure lid, a hide (coconut shell l, cork bark, flower pot or whatever) and cross ventilation (holes on the side rather than just the lid)

I think that covers everything and I hope you find it useful (sorry for any spelling mistakes btw...ha ha)

Any questions, just ask away

Finally, when you do get you spider....enjoy your furry friend. One of many they usually become! LOL

 

[pilgrim]

Thanks @Tabitha and @Phil for all the helpful advice and welcoming. I'll be keeping an eye on the sales threads here and I've heard really good things about Jamie's Tarantulas and Fear Not Tarantulas, too. I'm finding it's hard picking a first "one" as the shipping costs make it appealing to order two or three at a time, ha. We'll see - I'll def update when I've made a purchase. I have to go out of town next week so I'll probably try and order the following week.

For enclosure(s) I made a list and I have a hobby store near me, so I'd like to make them from the little car display boxes. Pet store for substrate, etc. I might try starting a Dubia colony again, we used to have a Beardie but he sadly passed away last year and I sold off the colony. For now I'll prob just buy feeders locally.

@Tabitha I'm planning on putting the enclosure(s) on my studio desk, so when I'm in a mood I can just take a break and watch them if they're out. They just seem like such amazing and relaxing pets to observe. Kind of like fish are to some folks.

 

[Phil]

Thanks @Tabitha and @Phil for all the helpful advice and welcoming. I'll be keeping an eye on the sales threads here and I've heard really good things about Jamie's Tarantulas and Fear Not Tarantulas, too. I'm finding it's hard picking a first "one" as the shipping costs make it appealing to order two or three at a time, ha. We'll see - I'll def update when I've made a purchase. I have to go out of town next week so I'll probably try and order the following week.

For enclosure(s) I made a list and I have a hobby store near me, so I'd like to make them from the little car display boxes. Pet store for substrate, etc. I might try starting a Dubia colony again, we used to have a Beardie but he sadly passed away last year and I sold off the colony. For now I'll prob just buy feeders locally.

@Tabitha I'm planning on putting the enclosure(s) on my studio desk, so when I'm in a mood I can just take a break and watch them if they're out. They just seem like such amazing and relaxing pets to observe. Kind of like fish are to some folks.

many fish owners (myself included as used to breed tropical fish) turn towards Tarantulas. I think it must have something to do with trying to recreate their environment and then just the joy ow watching rather than intervening with them.

 

[ExMember]

I would like to second everything that @Phil and @Tabitha have said with one exception. Substrate is basically the keepers choice as long as it is safe. I use coco fibre a lot and also some peat. With reptiles I find it matters a lot more (humidity requirements etc). For tarantulas not so much.

Excellent advice especially the similarities shared with fish!

Cheers

 

[Stat]

Welcome to the addiction. I only started a couple of months back but did a lot of research online (year or 2) before buying and I already own 5 and brought 3 extra tubs for further slings once I find the ones I want my wife regrets telling me to get a hobbie.

I have also used coco fibre with a sprinkling of spag moss for a natural look in all my enclosures and started to add plants and anchor points more for me although my hairy now lives in the plants lol.

The guys on here are extremely helpful and encouraging so you could not be in a better place to get great advice off experienced keepers.

 

[Tabitha]

@Tabitha I'm planning on putting the enclosure(s) on my studio desk, so when I'm in a mood I can just take a break and watch them if they're out. They just seem like such amazing and relaxing pets to observe. Kind of like fish are to some folks.

that sounds great, I think you will get a lot of pleasure and positive distraction watching them, they are fascinating and it helps channel your thoughts away from negative things.
i have all of mine in Fish Tank like set ups decorated with rocks and plants etc and illuminated so I can watch them too and the good thing about having LOTS of Tarantulas is it increases the chance that there’s always one or two out and about for you to watch, that’s my excuse.