Choosing a Beginner Tarantula
April 16th 2009 14:35
Tarantulas are actually a fairly popular pet now days. I mean, you'll never find more tarantulas kept as pets than dogs and cats, or even birds or reptiles, but their popularity is growing an increasing. Even at reptile expos, you'll find many vendors with tarantulas for sale, which is not odd anymore to see, and it's not uncommon for the tarantulas to be sold out by the end of the reptile show.
But, the problem comes with inexperienced people see the tarantula at the reptile show or the pet store, and decide "Hey, that would be a cool pet, and none of my friends have one." Well, it's not like caring for a gecko. You just can play with tarantulas, and if you get the wrong one as a beginner keeper, you could find yourself in some trouble.
There are many different tarantula species that you can find in the pet trade, but if you are a beginner you want to make sure that you find a species that is easy to care for and is a manageable size.
The best beginner tarantulas are typically going to be ground dwellers or burrowers because they are generally slower moving. Some of the best beginner tarantulas include the following species:
* Chilean Rose Hair (Grammostola rosea)
* Costa Rican Zebra (Aphonoplema seemani)
* Mexican Redknee (Brachypelma smithi)
* Mexican Redleg (Brachypelma emilia)
* Desert/Mexican Blonde (Aphonopelma chalcodes)
* Curly Hair Tarantula (Brachypelma albopilosum)
You will probably hear that the pinktoe tarantula (Avicularia avicularia) is a good arboreal species, but it is not a good beginner species. Typically arboreal tarantulas are harder to care for, as they have a more challenging environment. Plus, as for the pinktoe, they are fast and agile, which makes handling near impossible.
When it comes to choosing which gender- male or female- that you want to have as a pet, you may want to consider a female tarantula. Females typically live longer than males; some females will live up to 20 years, whereas males typically only live a few years. Most breeders will guarantee the sex, whereas most pet stores won't have a clue.
When choosing which tarantula you want as your pet, you want to avoid those that are ill. You can spot the sick tarantulas because they typically are hunched with their legs curled underneath them. Sometimes, those housed with a dish of water can be a problem, depending on the species.
Before you make the purchase, you really should verify the scientific name of the tarantula, the gender, and the age of the tarantula. Remember that most pet stores will not be able to provide you with all of this information. They may be able to tell you the scientific name of the tarantula, but whether they can guarantee that the one they ordered is the exactly what their wholesaler shipped, is another concern.
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