New Owner...

[NatashaG]

Hi!
I recently, on 31st of March '16, got my hands on our first ever T! It is an un-sexed B.Smithi (although we refer to him as male) and he is a juvenile, named Zoltan!
Now I did a hell of a lot of research before purchasing, and expected him to be very shy after shipping, which he has been. He has also done the seemingly normal thing of blocking up his hide and not coming out until the small hours of the morning, so overall we are pleased with how well he seems to be making himself at home.
It was just a quick question really, as I was wondering how long you leave the T in his hide, before you should have a quick peek and make sure all is well? I know it can take some time (even months) before he feels comfortable coming out, and I do not wish to disturb him at all, but is there a certain amount of time when you should start to worry and see if he is still alive and doing okay?
Natasha.

 

[NatashaG]

Hi LC72 Thanks for the reply!
I thought this would be the case, and have been more than happy to leave him be. He is definitely moving about and getting himself settled, as I have woke up to seeing some substrate in his water bowl and a small gap at the front of his hide, so no worries there. It was purely just in case there was a time limit on how long you should check, and since this is my first T, I want to do everything right!
Good luck with Angel Fingers (great name!), I suppose it is only a good thing that we want to see them this badly
Natasha.

 

[NatashaG]

Oh thanks for the tip, will definitely have a look
I few years back I had been watching videos on-line with my Tarantula-obsessed nephew, and really became interested, but assumed they would be pretty hard work to keep and left it at that. A few weeks ago I then get a suggestion to watch something on a B.Smithi and I was instantly hooked! I can see how it is addictive!
What a huge collection! But a worth-while one at that!!
Hope your new T's arrive swiftly and safely!
Natasha.

 

[Enn49]

Hi Natasha and welcome. B. smithi is a great choice.

 

[NatashaG]

Thanks Enn49! I am more than willing to admit that I am a first degree novice at the hobby, and the Mexican Red Knee seemed to be the number one choice for beginners. This was all the more exciting when I knew that the little fella was exactly the type I found most appealing anyway!
Natasha.

 

[Enn49]

@NatashaG They are adorable. Our 2 are only just over 1" dls and they've been here 18 months now, 1 used to hide away but the other never has, now they are out all the time. Another T that is great for beginners is the B. albopilosum (Curly Hair) as tiny slings they never seem to stop digging, constructing amazing tunnels through the substrate but as they get to around 1"-1.5" dls they spend most of their time sitting in view.

 

[NatashaG]

Oh gosh, don't mention any other types, or before I know it I will be ordering another!
I expected him to hide away, so I'm fine with him doing whatever he feels comfortable with, it's just a shame because my nephew is dying to see him, and he will no doubt be disappointed (although I am probably more eager to catch a glimpse of little Zoltan than him!! )
I am unsure of the size of my T, I ordered him as 5cm but he seems a little smaller than that. It's going to be fascinating to experience him growing anyhow!
I love how individual each T can be, they really do seem to have their own little personalities!!
Natasha.

 

[Enn49]

@NatashaG You'll soon see plenty of other Ts on here to tempt you. 5cm will be the leg span, around 2"dls (diagonal leg span). Zoltan may have hidden away to moult in which case he could appear soon wearing new clothes. I love watching them grow and develop their adult colours.

 

[NatashaG]

@NatashaG You'll soon see plenty of other Ts on here to tempt you. 5cm will be the leg span, around 2"dls (diagonal leg span). Zoltan may have hidden away to moult in which case he could appear soon wearing new clothes. I love watching them grow and develop their adult colours.

I thought this myself, but a few days after I tried placing a small meal worm near the entrance of his hide, and he instantly took it and ran back off, is it possible for him to still eat if he is due to moult?
His leg span doesn't seem to be 2" yet, so I suppose this is a possibility then!! How exciting!!

You got a long way to go Natasha, till Zoltan gets too look like this. Sammie my AD F.

Oh my goodness! What an absolute beauty!!! It's going to be amazing watching him get that big!! This is the only picture I managed to snap of him before he took to hiding.
Natasha

 

[NatashaG]

Thanks Natasha, Lovely little Fellow you got there, If Zoltan is in pre molt, he will not feed, Sammie is off her food , very unusual for her she has an appetite like a pig, she may be going into pre molt as well.

I thought so, and since has already eaten, I assumed he was, understandably, a little nervous to be out and about. He is a cute little thing! I've already fallen head over heels for him!
Oh my goodness, will she get much bigger than she already is? I assume females are a lot larger than males anyway, but she seems quite an impressive size already!! Go Sammie!!

 

[NatashaG]

Wow, it looks like you are going to have a gentle giant on your hands!! She sounds lovely, hopefully in time Zoltan will have a similar nature, which is why I am trying so hard to not freak him out and let him do his own thing

From what I was told , when I got her , she has about 3/4 molts to go , she so placid , doesn`t even Hair flick, Smithi`s love to hair flick.

 

[NatashaG]

Unlike my Caramac - Arizona Desert Blonde (Aphonopelma Chalcodes she is the other end of the scale, Attack Attack, she is very defensive ..

Caramac! Another lovely name!! If I ever do choose to get another T, I may need to consult you for something!
And another beautiful lady! I've never consistently been the biggest fan of spiders, and I think an aggressive one would scare the crap out of me!

 

[Enn49]

I thought this myself, but a few days after I tried placing a small meal worm near the entrance of his hide, and he instantly took it and ran back off, is it possible for him to still eat if he is due to moult?
His leg span doesn't seem to be 2" yet, so I suppose this is a possibility then!! How exciting!!

Some will eat during premoult others won't. My little Ami sp Panama grabbed her food one evening and moulted next afternoon

 

[NatashaG]

so I guess it's just a case of learning/watching the T's behaviour...this is good to know, will keep an eye out for this!

Some will eat during premoult others won't. My little Ami sp Panama grabbed her food one evening and moulted next afternoon

 

[NatashaG]

Thank you. Be best if you stick to NWT`s , sort of new to this myself. OWT`s i am not ready for yet. Do not consider myself experienced enough yet to go down that route. Now if it was a Venomous Snake, that`s different, lot`s of experience with them , lol .

I plan on having little Zoltan and seeing how things play out. A few years back I could never have thought of me having a tarantula sitting in my house, but now I am absolutely loving it, so I do hope that things continue this way!
Not so sure about the snakes, but after looking up on a lot of reptiles and exotic pets, I definitely have a new found respect for them!

 

[kormath]

B. Smithi is a great starter. I have one finally that is about 1/2" now.

If you're looking for more I agree with Enn. The Brachypelma albopilosum or Honduran curly hair is another great. Or the Mexican fire leg Brachypelma boehmei.

And then my favorite the GBB or green bottle blue.

All great for beginner and raised the same way except the GBB, they tend to be more arboreal and like to web, at least my 2 do.

 

[NatashaG]

B. Smithi is a great starter. I have one finally that is about 1/2" now.

If you're looking for more I agree with Enn. The Brachypelma albopilosum or Honduran curly hair is another great. Or the Mexican fire leg Brachypelma boehmei.

And then my favorite the GBB or green bottle blue.

All great for beginner and raised the same way except the GBB, they tend to be more arboreal and like to web, at least my 2 do.

I'd love to get more in the future, I will definitely look into these if the time seems right
Still no sign of little Zoltan today, although he was out last night, seeming slightly more active. Fingers crossed!!

 

[RedCapTrio]

For brachys, they do have a period where they burrow most of the time. But as they grow older, they also grow bolder and will mostly stay out in the open except to molt or when in premolt. My brachys are great display Ts! Hope your smithi will teach you patience.

 

[NatashaG]

I thought I was patient before this!! but I did expect it, and as long as I have a healthy, happy T, I don't mind if he takes his time
Although I am must admit I jump about with excitement if I see even a tiny orange stripe

For brachys, they do have a period where they burrow most of the time. But as they grow older, they also grow bolder and will mostly stay out in the open except to molt or when in premolt. My brachys are great display Ts! Hope your smithi will teach you patience.