A Tarantula keeper's blog

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2012-12-20T20:12:00.000-05:00

Last update: 26-Feb-09

Welcome to A Tarantula keeper's blog.

I have been keeping Tarantula for a while and I absolutely love these misunderstood giants. So I decide to make a small blog for them. They are some of the greatest pets you can keep. This is more like a website though. So please browse around using the menu on the left handside! You will like it. ^_^

This is not just another Tarantula website. I found some of the experts in the hobby were too into their own breeding projects, collection and what not while paying less attention to the beginners. If there is no new beginner, the hobby can't expand. Then I found many misconceptions about the hobby e.g. freak/goth/dark/show-off and those kinda things. So I will try to keep this site as beginner's friendly as possible with a bright, funny and lively image.

Here I will post videos, pictures (in the form of HD slideshows and sometimes real pics) and other information about Tarantulas. Thank you very much for dropping by. Enjoy!

Tarantulas got the Colbert Bump!

2009-02-26T20:34:00.005-05:00

Absolutely hillarious. Stephen Colbert (one of my favorite comedians) had 3 Tarantulas on his body - 1 on his wrist (flicking hair like crap) 1 on his shoulder and 1 on his head! I think all 3 are Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula (Grammostola rosea). Let's hope Tarantulas will get more popular, just like the politicians who appeared on the Colbert Report.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

The Word - Ablacknophobia

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Political Humor

Joke of the Day
Stand-Up Comedy

Watch it on Comedy Central. Skip to 4:20 onwards. :D

Handle Green Bottle Blue Tarantula

2009-02-26T13:38:00.004-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

I DO NOT RECOMMEND HANDLING ANY TARANTULA.

African Back Horn Tarantula webbing

2009-02-23T21:40:00.002-05:00

A very clear vid of my African Back Horn Tarantula (Ceratogyrus darlingi) webbing. This is direct, NOT through the enclosure wall so more detail is recorded. You can even see some strands of web reflecting light.

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Handle Cameroon Red Baboon (Hysterocrates gigas)

2009-02-21T16:25:00.002-05:00

First thing first: I don't recommend handling Tarantulas, especially Old World Tarantulas. Their bites can mess you up. If you do handle a Tarantula, it's at your own risk.

Cameroon Tawny Red Baboon Tarantula (Hysterocrates gigas) is known to be defensive, fast and defensive (double defensive!). One outside of her tank, my H. gigas calmed down a bit, enough to be handled. What you did not see in the vid is 10 seconds after I pressed "Stop" recording, she went back into her usual self. Gave me a huge adrenaline rush!

Best watched in HD quality: click here

GBB 240fps slow motion clip of catching and releasing a prey

2009-02-18T22:26:00.002-05:00

This is probably the only 240fps clip of a Tarantula catching a prey on Youtube. The other clips are normal speed (30 or 60 fps) stretched out to make it looks slow. This one is smooth! Staring in the clip is a Greenbottle Blue Tarantula (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens) and a Blaptica dubia roach.

Best watched in HD quality: click here

GBB sweetly walking around

2009-02-15T18:57:00.003-05:00

My Green Bottle Blue Tarantula (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens) is so sweet. She just calmly walks around and touches my hand and walks back down. The sweetest thing ever!

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Just got a new 8" Lasiodora parahybana and 4" Brachypelma albopilosum

2009-02-12T19:55:00.002-05:00

I got an 8" female Lasiodora parahybana (Brazilian Salmon Pink Tarantula) and a 4" female Brachypelma albopilosum (Honduran Curly Hair Tarantula). The LP is huge and the curly hair is so sweet.

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Ceratogyrus darlingi macro HD

2009-02-09T12:47:00.005-05:00

A macro HD look at this beautifully simple Tarantula.

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Ceratogyrus darlingi grooming (clear version)

2009-02-09T12:47:00.004-05:00

This is a clearer version of my African Horn Tarantula (Ceratogyrus darlingi) grooming.

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Centruroides sculpturatus exploring

2009-02-07T14:16:00.002-05:00

My Arizona Bark Scorpions (Centruroides sculpturatus) exploring their enclosure

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Just got a new Tarantula and scorpions

2009-02-05T22:49:00.004-05:00

I got a 5" female Hysterocrates gigas (Cameroon Tawny Red Baboon Tarantula) and 2 Centruroides sculpturatus (Arizona Bark Scorpion) in a trade. Another ABS died during shipping.

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescence macro HD

2009-02-04T16:30:00.003-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

My T can read!

2009-02-04T16:12:00.003-05:00

I was typing in a post that Ceratogyrus darlingi (African Back Horn Tarantula) is a burrowing specie - with her in a tank right next to me. I thought nothing was wrong.

Right the next routine handling, that same Ceratogyrus darlingi shot out of the tank screaming "What burrowing?!?!?! I'm arboreal!". She then ran towards the ceiling of my room. I had to step on the table to cup her and get her down. She kept on mumbling "I'm arboreal!" all the way back into the tank.

I aint typing anything about T with them near me anymore. They can read!

Ceratogyrus darlingi macro HD white

2009-02-02T14:21:00.005-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Ceratogyrus darlingi grooming (seeing through enclosure wall)

2009-02-02T14:21:00.004-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Ceratogyrus darlingi rare appearance

2009-01-31T21:29:00.002-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Grammostola rosea handling

2009-01-30T21:38:00.002-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

I DO NOT RECOMMEND HANDLING ANY TARANTULA.

Ceratogyrus darlingi eating leftover

2009-01-27T21:25:00.002-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Beginner's avoid list

2009-01-26T00:03:00.001-05:00

I will summarize some traits that you should avoid for your first (few) Tarantulas. Hope it will help those who want a specie that is not in my Top 10 beginner's Tarantulas list. Just because it is not in the top 10 doesn't mean it is not suitable for a beginner. In fact, there are so many species out there that I am not even aware of. Again, I need to remind you that all Tarantulas are venomous and some can cause serious medical consequences with their bites. So you should show the Tarantulas the appropriate respect.

Please remember this article is geared towards beginners so please don't generalize it to other more experienced keepers. And just because a specie fits into 1 category doesn't mean it is not suitable for a beginner. I interprete it as it will be more challenging. The list is in order of importance in my experience (most important first) so for example fitting the no.1 category will be more challenging to keep than fitting the no.2 category. Certain species fit into multiple categories and I will definitely try to avoid those as my first few Tarantulas.

1. Too delicate
Some species have certain requirements that are not easy to maintain. For example, Theraphosa blondi (Goliath Bird Eater) requires a lot of humidity; otherwise, it usually results in molting complication. This also applies to Theraphosa apophysis (Pinkfoot Goliath).

Some species just have strange requirements that are at odds with the majority of other species. For intance, Poecilotheria subfusca (Ivory Ornamental) prefers low temperature (in the 70's F) and do not enjoy it in the 80's F like other Poecilotheria species.

Or some species are just plain not hardy. For instance, most Avicularia spiderlings (particularly Avicularia versicolor in my experience) can die for no apparent reason - even in good care conditions. There is even a word for it - Sudden Avic Death Syndrome (S.A.D.S or SADS) - the T just dies. The word is quite appropriate because when a beautiful and docile T like an Avic dies or SADS, it's really SAD!

As a result, you should research and check (especially with relatively less experienced keepers) to make sure that you are not getting a delicate T. The best T's are those who have no specific humidity requirement (or just prefer it dry), like it around 75 - 85 F and hardy. I hate to say it but please don't listen to the experts who say it is easy to keep this or that specie. Trust me, there is a reason they are the experts!

2. Strong venom
Many people can make the argument that a Tarantula's venom can neither kill a person nor cause allergic reaction. I don't care if the argument is medically accurate. It creates a false sense of security for beginners that there is no need to worry about a T's venom. The fact is some Tarantulas can mess you up pretty badly with even long-term effects. That doesn't mean you are totally afraid of the venom either. Just respect a Tarantula. And for your first (few) Tarantulas, you should be rather more cautious. Be safe, don't be sorry!

Generally speaking, all Old World Tarantulas (those not coming from the American continents) have strong venom. The title of Most Venomous Tarantula currently have the following contenders:

All Poecilotheria species e.g. Poecilotheria regalis (Indian Ornamental Tarantula)
All Stromatopelma species e.g. Stromatopelma calceatum (Feather Leg Baboon Tarantula) - one source believes a bite in the neck area is extremely dangerous, possible fatal if one has pre-existing conditions.
All Haplopelma species e.g. Haplopelma hainanum (Chinese Black Earth Tiger) - I saw rumor that it caused one death in an infant but the report was not substantiated.
All Heteroscodra species e.g. Heteroscodra maculata (Togo Starburst Baboon Tarantula)
Pterinochilus murinus (Orange Bitey Thing - Orange Baboon Tarantula)

So please check to make sure your Tarantula does not have strong venom and try to avoid the above list as your first few Tarantulas. The safest bet in my experience is to go with New World Tarantulas (found in the American continents - including North, Central and South America).

3. Too fast
How fast is too fast? Basically anything that can move faster than your reaction time is too fast. Firstly, it can startle you and cause accidents (e.g. dropping the feeding tongs on your foot - it hurts!). Secondly, because you can's react in time, the T can escape or bite you.

What species are considered too fast? Below is a nonexhaustive list:

All Poecilotheria species e.g. Poecilotheria regalis (Indian Ornamental Tarantula)
All Stromatopelma species e.g. Stromatopelma calceatum (Feather Leg Baboon Tarantula)
All Haplopelma species e.g. Haplopelma vonwirthi (Vietnamese Tiger Tarantula)
All Heteroscodra species e.g. Heteroscodra maculata (Togo Starburst Baboon Tarantula)
Pterinochilus murinus (Orange Bitey Thing - Orange Baboon Tarantula)
Hystrocrates gigas (Cameroon Red Baboon Tarantula)

I rate speed more imortant than defensiveness/aggressiveness because you can dodge the attack of a slow defensive Taranula! You can notice that most are also highly venomous species. So ya, try to look for the slow Tarantulas (medium speed is ok though slow is much better).

4. Too defensive/aggressive
Many beginners want to handle their Tarantulas (I don't recommend it though!). Defensive means you cannot handle - no way no how! Don't watch those videos on Youtube of people handling defensive Tarantulas and think it is easy. It requires lots of experience, good technique, awareness, reaction and familiarity of the specific specimen. Degree of defensiveness varies even within a specie so it may be hard to predict exactly what you will get. But the safer bet is to get a generally known to be docile/skittish specie. Try to avoid Old World species because they are mostly defensive.

Of course, aggressiveness is a big no-no. Defensiveness means a T will react negatively to disturbance but will not chase after it - it only defends its territory. Aggressiveness means a T will react negatively to disturbance and will chase after the disturbance to a certain extent - it wants to attack the disturbance. There are 2 species that I consider aggressive. Make no mistake, they are likely to chase you around the room!

Stromatopelma calceatum (Feather Leg Baboon Tarantula)
Haplopelma hainanum (Chinese Black Earth Tiger)

I personally care a lot less about defensiveness as compared to speed because if it takes 10 seconds for the T to attack me, I usually can dodge it.

5. Visibility
You want to participate in the hobby for the Tarantulas, don't you? I think that means you want to see a Tarantula, not a hole or a tube web! Yes, visibility is very important for a beginner, especially those starting out. It is much harder to appreciate a hole on a ground than a Tarantula.

Visibility CAN be improved vastly with the correct enclosure design/material! However, most beginners are more comfortable with a simple tank-subtrate-hide-water dish set up so it's still better to choose a specie that prefers to hang out in the open to begin with.

Usually you should avoid burrowing species (e.g. the classic pet holes - Haplopelma species). They burrow and spend much of their time in tunnels underground! And one big concern for a beginner is to find out if the T is in the molting process and premolt. Removing a prey from the tunnels undeground is very challenging.

Then you should also avoid species that web too much or web a tube web and hide in there most of the time (e.g. Avicularia avicularia). Those are not visible and will be a big frustration if you want to see them.

Summary
So the below is a non-exhaustive list of what you need to avoid as your first few Tarantulas.

Spiderlings of all Avicularia species (too delicate!)
All Poecilotheria species - strong venom, defensive, fast
All Stromatopelma species - strong venom, defensive/aggressive, fast
All Haplopelma species - strong venom, defensive/aggressive, fast, not visible
All Heteroscodra species - strong venom, defensive, fast

Pterinochilus murinus (Orange Bitey Thing - Orange Baboon Tarantula) is a split case. I put it in the Top 10 beginner's Tarantulas mainly for its outstanding hardiness and beautiful color, which increases its score very substantially. However, it is defensive, fast and possesses a strong venom so you should know what you are getting into.

I don't say it just for the sake of saying it. I really hope that you can find a good Tarantula (or better a lot of Tarantulas) that fits your preferences and become part of this exciting hobby.

Below is a disclaimer for formality. It's like you don't want to write a dog breed review and then get complaints from those who are bitten by the dog!
Disclaimer: I shall not be held responsible for any harm and/or negative consequences (to anyone and/or anything) resulting directly and/or indirectly from my article.

Grammostola rosea picky eater

2009-01-25T21:59:00.002-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Acanthoscurria geniculata getting her water dish refilled

2009-01-23T16:59:00.007-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Poecilotheria regalis getting her water dish refilled

2009-01-23T16:59:00.006-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescence getting her water dished refilled

2009-01-22T23:04:00.002-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Grammostola rosea getting her water dish refilled

2009-01-22T15:26:00.003-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Acanthoscurria geniculata macro

2009-01-21T21:34:00.005-05:00

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescence macro

2009-01-21T21:34:00.004-05:00

Grammostola rosea macro

2009-01-20T20:13:00.002-05:00

Taking stock 2008

2009-01-19T21:43:00.002-05:00

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens HD picture slideshow 001

2009-01-13T19:49:00.002-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Poecilotheria regalis HD picture slideshow 003

2009-01-13T19:48:00.010-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Red Thick Tail Scorpion HD picture slideshow 002

2009-01-11T20:50:00.005-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

GBB dancing with the roach

2009-01-01T20:59:00.003-05:00

My Greenbottle Blue Tarantula (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens) does her happy dance with a roach.

Poecilotheria regalis eating a roach

2009-01-01T20:58:00.002-05:00

My Indian Ornamental Tarantula (Poecilotheria regalis) enjoying her meal. Contain some close up and nightvision shots.

Glossary

2008-12-29T20:42:00.003-05:00

You may come across some head-scratching words during your research about Tarantulas. Hope this list will help.

avic --- an Avicularia specie, or sometimes specifically Avicularia avicularia
brachy --- a Brachypelma specie
CB --- Captive Bred (the specimen was hatched in captivity)
CBB --- Captive Bred and Born (the specimen was hatched from a breeding attempt in captivity)
DCF --- Dark Color Form
DIY --- Do It Yourself
grammy --- a Grammostola specie
gravid --- pregnant with eggs
GBB --- GreenBottle Blue Tarantula (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens)
Haplo --- a Haplopelma specie
instar --- The number of molts a specimen has gone through, usually only apply to spiderling)
KB --- King Baboon Tarantula (Citharischius crawshayi)
LTC --- Long-Term Captive (a wild-caught specimen that has been kept in captivity for a long time)
MM --- Mature Male
NCF --- Normal Color Form
NW --- New World (generally mean the American continents - though technically it includes Australia)
OBT --- Orange Baboon Tarantula (Pterinochilus murinus) aka Orange Bitey Thing
OW --- Old World (the rest of the world that is not NW)
pet hole --- A burrowing specie/specimen that do not frequently come out of its burrow
pet rock --- A specimen that does not move much - usually means a Grammostola rosea
pokie --- A Poecilotheria specie. The word Poecilotheria is more appropriately pronounced Pea-see-low-thee-ree-ah
RCF --- Red Color Form
rosie --- Misspelling of rosea as in Grammostola rosea
sling --- A spiderling - baby spider
substrate --- The "soil" at the bottom of the enclosure for the Tarantula to rest on/burrow in
versi --- Avicularia versicolor
T --- Tarantula. Plural is T's.
WC --- Wild caught
x.y.z --- x number of male, y number of female and z number of unsexed specimens (respectively)

FAQ

2008-12-29T19:27:00.005-05:00

1. Can Tarantula climb/bite/escape?
Yes too all of them. In fact, some Tarantulas are so adapt at climbing (even smooth glass!), we call them "arboreal"! ^_^ Biting is the way Tarantulas catch prey and defend so ya, they can bite and some can pack a punch in each bite. And you will be surprised of their Houdini (read: escaping) skills. They can squeeze through "those tiny little cute holes". So you will need a secured lid for your enclosure with holes that the Tarantulas cannot squeeze their abdomen/carapace through. When in doubt, get smaller holes!

2. OMG! It can bite? Can it kill me?
According to Wikipedia: "Despite their often threatening appearance and reputation, none of the true tarantulas are known to have a bite which is deadly to humans." However, I still recommend extra care due to the following reasons:

The pain can vary from "ok, I can take it" to unbearable. And the side effects (especially from the bites of Old World speicies) can be severe such as cramping, rapid heart rate and breathing and even coma! So you should be careful.
Large Tarantulas (e.g. adult Theraphosa blondi) can cause mechanical damage with their huge fangs (1" in length or longer!). And the risk of infection is always there for any open wound.
Some New World Tarantulas (found in the American Continent) have urticating (itchy) hairs that they can flick. These hairs are very adapt at causing severe itches on mammals (e.g. human). If you get these hairs into your eyes (even indirectly - as in you forget to wash your hands and then rub your eyes), see a doctor immediately. They CAN cause blindness!

Fortunately, almost all Tarantula prefer to run away to facing a being 100 times its size. So don't push your luck and you should be fine, just like millions of Tarantula keepers!

3. They are so cute! Can I handle them?
Firstly, you must understand that Tarantulas are a lot more fragile than they look. So handling is actually more dangerous for the Tarantulas and not the handler. Now if you think you are extra careful and will not flinch/shake/panic/throw the Tarantula across the room, then handling is possible depending on the specie. Some extreme hobbiests have handled highly venomous and defensive species such as those belonging to the Poecilotheria genus but I do not recommend that. Unless you know what you are doing, it is still safer to handle a docile specie. Read my Tarantula review for list of some species commonly known to be docile. Note that each Tarantula has its own personality aka tarantuality so defensive specie can produce some very docile specimens while docile specie can definitely produce some bad psychos. Even a docile specimen can have a mood swing and bite/flick urticating hair. So be safe, don't handle!

4. Is gender important?
If you expect a male, you know you are into breeding because most people want a female. Females generally live longer, have larger bodies (which most of the time means larger size) and better resale value. Males have a much shorter life span, longer legs and smaller bodies. As a result, if you want a pet for long time, get a female. Otherwise, gender isn't that important.

5. Talk about time, how long do they live?
Nobody knows for sure. Generally, slow growing species (e.g. Grammostola species, Aphonopelma species, etc.) can live very long - up to 30 years! Females live longer than males because the males' destiny is to grow to maturity, breed and die. Sorta sad but that's nature. ^_^

6. Cool! What specie should I get?
I have written a list of top 10 beginner's Tarantulas here. Check it out! ^_^

7. Why do you italize all your scientific names?
Because that is the correct way of writing Latin names in scientific materials. ^_^ I do stay true to my mathematically-trained science-oriented hitech geek. ^_^

8. OMG! My Tarantula is belly up on its back!
Don't touch it! A Tarantula on its back is most of the time molting. It is NOT dead! Molting is the process during which a Tarantula sheds its outer skin to grow. During and after the molt, the Tarantula is extremely soft and vulnerable. Any touching can seriously do more harm than good. Just leave your Tarantula alone (and observe it; molting is a very interesting process). After the molting is done, wait for at least a week or until the fangs are black (which ever is later) before start to feed again.

Top 10 beginner's Tarantulas

2008-12-27T21:25:00.010-05:00

Updated: 05 April 2009

If you are new to the hobby and wonder what specie you should get, you are in the right place. However, before you read on, let me remind you: respect the Tarantula. All Tarantulas are venomous and some can cause serious medical consequences with their bites. This post is based on my personal experience and research so your experience may be different. I shall not be held responsible for any harm and/or negative consequences (to anyone and/or anything) resulting directly and/or indirectly from my article.

Ok, done with the formality, let's get rolling. All sizes are leg span size.

10. Pterinochilus murinus (Orange Baboon Tarantula)
This African specie is nicknamed "Orange Bitey Thing" (OBT) for a reason. It has a bad attitude and dangerous venom. It is also small (5" adult size) but extremely fast and ready to bite. In fact, this is the only Old World specie that makes it to the top 10 list. There are 3 reasons that pushes it up. The small reasons are that it grows like weed and is beautifully orange with nice black pattern. The big reasons is its hardiness. You probably have to go out trying to kill it to get a dead OBT. It is a webbing burrower but insufficient substrate is no problem - it will just adopt an artificial hide and web it up in to a "burrow". No hide? it just web itself its own hide. It can survive in almost any humidity, from bone dry to swampy. And you can go on a holiday and leave an adult without food for a ~~week~~ month with no problem (though it may think your finger is food the next time you feed).

9. Brachypelma albopilosum (Curly Hair Tarantula)
This terrestrial Tarantula is a hobby classic with the appearance of a perpetual bad hair day. This specie is generally docile and slow with moderately itchy urticating hair (if you can push it to use it). It also has no specific humidity requirement. The drawback is that it can be a bit picky with food and grow slowly.

8. Grammostola rosea (Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula)
I prefer to call this Chilean Rose Tarantula. It is another hobby classic and usually recommended to beginner (but as you can see, it is definitely not the number 1). You can usually find them in either Common Color Form (pink hair, pink carapace) or Red Color Form (Bright red hair). Widely considered to be docile, this specie sometimes produce specimen with defensive, even aggressive attitude aka "psycho rosie". It is generally slow (moving and growing), grows to around 6" and its urticating hair is moderately itchy. The two biggest complains are its inactivity (a content Rose Hair basically does nothing - though there is a trick you can use to make it slightly more active) and its unexplained fast (sometimes a Rose Hair will just not eat for no reason for a long period of time - sometimes lasting 6 months or more!). Mine eats well, though. Rose Hair is known for HATING wet substrate - it will hang itself on the enclosure wall for days until the substrate dry out. But keeping bone dry substrate is actually a plus - because you don't need to do anything!

7. Brachypelma vagans (Mexican Red Rump Tarantula)
This terrestrial Tarantula is velvety black with bright red abdomen hair. It is one of the faster grower of the Brachypelma genus (if not the fastest) - up to around 6". It is generally slow moving and docile but can have some unpredictable stretch of skittishness (and hair flicking - its urticating hair is moderately itchy). The plus is that it is good with food and has no specific humidity requirement.

6. Lasiodora difficilis (Brazilian Fire Red Tarantula)
This terrestrial Tarantula is packed with attitude. It is very defensive, quickly showing threat poses at the slightest disturbance and flick a lot of moderately itchy hair (which together can give you a serious rash). It is fortunately slow moving and spend more time threat posing than doing something serious. It grows very fast and adult can reach 9" with a huge appetite to satisfy the grow rate (I nicknamed mine "Living Trash Compactor"). Although it has no specific humidity requirement, it seems to enjoy a bit of misting every now and then.

5. Brachypelma smithi (Mexican Red Knee Tarantula)
This terrestrial Tarantula is another hobby classic and commonly seen on movies! It is beautiful, slow moving, slow growing (adult size is around 6") and docile. Some specimen will be prone to flicking moderately itchy hair (staying true to its Brachypelma heritage). It also has no specific humidity requirement but hates wet substrate and is not the best eater.

4. Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens (Greenbottle Blue Tarantula)
This Tarantula is BEAUTIFUL with blue-green carapace and legs and black-red/orange-ish abdomen and orange hair. It is terrestrial but webs as much as an arboreal (though some arboreal don't web much at all). This specie does not tolerate high humidity which can cause stress and even death. It can reach 6" at medium grow speed. It is moderately fast and quick to flick highly itchy hair. This specie eats very well and I have seen mine hunting/digging up prey in multiple occasions.

3. Acanthoscurria geniculata (Brazilian Giant White Knee Tarantula)
This specie is velvety black with white/yellow stripes on its legs. It can grow quickly to a huge 8" leg span with bulky body. You will often find your genic hungry, ready to eat and crushing its prey in multiple bites - the crunching sound is quite entertaining. Ok, that's kinda not true. You will find your genic ALWAYS hungry and ready to eat - there is just no limit to its stomach, probably the most hungry specie in the top 10. It has no special humidity requirement but seems to enjoy a bit of misting. This is one of the best specie as a display Tarantula because it simply does not understand the concept of hiding and has no problem hanging out in the open, regardless of the many eyes staring at it. The biggest draw back is that this specie loves to flick extremely itchy hair at disturbance.

2. Grammostola aureostriata (Chaco Golden Knee Tarantula)
The chaco is like a genic, with less black, "golden" knee and less white stripes. It can also grow to a huge 8" but at medium-slow speed (more slow than medium but definitely faster than a Chilean Rose). It makes up for that with a very docile attitude. I have never heard of a "psycho chaco". The urticating hair is a moderately itchy but it won't use it often, if at all. Three other pluses are good appetite, no specific humidity requirement and slow speed.

1. Lasiodora parahybana (Brazilian Salmon Pink Tarantula)
The champion is here for many reasons as I have found more and more people recommending LP as the best beginner's Tarantula. Firstly, it can grow to a huge size of 10" in weed growing speed (read: VERY VERY VERY fast). Growing from a 1" spiderling to 6" in a year is not rare. It is also available in abundant due to the large number of eggs in one sac. If genic is the champion of glutony, the LP is not very far behind. But a LP is a lot more docile. I have seen people handling 9"-10" specimen with no problem as the Tarantula just sat contently and move slowly. But don't push it because the fangs can cause mechanical damage (the urticating hair is moderately itchy). It is also very visible, usually hang out in the open for you to marvel at. Be prepare to get a big tank for this one! A 10" LP needs minimum a 20-gallon tank to show off!

So that's it! I really hope you can choose a good Tarantula that will grow your interest in the hobby. Thanks for reading.

Tarantula review

2008-12-27T11:11:00.002-05:00

I quite often come across people asking "What specie should I get?" The answers vary quite significantly due to people's personal preferences. So I wondered "why not a review for Tarantula?" I think that will help both newbies and experienced owners. I am by no mean an expert so I bet some Tarantula experts will find my reviews laughable. However, my conviction is that new and some old enthusiasts will find some uses for this.

I will try to be as objective as possible but sometimes, things just can't be 100% objective. To help newbies, I also include common names and a Beginner section. Please understand that there are many common names for the same specie so it's still best to look at scientific names. There is also a disclaimer, just as you don't want to write a dog review and receive a complain from someone getting bitten by the dog.

This will grow as time goes on. So check back frequently.
Updated: 12/27/2008

Click on the picture below.

How to read the table?
1. General characteristics
Types: Where the Tarantula usually hang out. Spiderlings are usually burrower regardless of specie.

T: Terrestrial (need more floor space)
OB: Opportunistic Burrower (will burrow if given enough substrate but has no problem adopting an artificial hide)
B: Obligate Burrower (need deep substrate to burrow, without which can lead to stress and even death)
A: Arboreal (need more climbing space)
/:Hybrids (some species exhibit different behaviors based on the husbandry conditions. E.g. a Pterinochilus murinus is supposed to be an obligate burrower but has no problem climbing, webbing and ending up above ground; the first type is the primary type)

Humidity: Specific humidity is hard to achieve and can do more harm than good. Here I break into 4 groups based on how much you CARE for the T, not how much humidity you measure. Note that you need to also be flexible based on the ambient humidity of the room and availability of an open water dish - I think my room is about 50% and all my T's above 2" get a water dish. Breeding may require different conditions. Spiderlings usually require medium/high humidity regardless of specie.

Insane (you'd better mist the enclosure daily to keep the substrate moist or face problems e.g. Theraphosa blondi NEEDS high humidity to molt properly)
High (maybe mist twice a week misting will suffice - letting the substrate partially dry out between misting is ok)
Medium (mist once a week - substrate can completley dry out between misting)
Low (maybe once a month or none at all)

Speed: Darting speed as compared to normal walking speed and a normal human reaction time. Most Tarantulas walk very slowly but some can dart at alarming speed. Spiderlings tend to be faster than adults of the same specie. This assessment is quite subjective.

Slow (difficult to differentiate walking and darting)
Medium (darting obviously faster than walking but slower than a normal person reaction)
Fast (darting obviously faster than walking and will require some good reaction speed)
Teleport (you pretty much can't tell whether it is running or teleporting)

Appetite: How well the specie reacts to prey items.

Voracious (usually chase after and crush or tear the prey apart)
Good (catch the prey quickly and never says no to food unless molting)
Ok (sometimes act afraid of food but generally eat well once a week)
Chicken (has serious eating problem - haven't found any specie fitting this label yet)

MS: Maximum legspan size in inches. 1 inch = 2.54 cm. Some species are bulkier so can appear bigger at smaller legspan (e.g. a 7" Lasiodora difficilis can look smaller than a 7" Acanthoscurria geniculata)

2. "Red" factor

Attitude: How the specie reacts to disturbance. Note that each Tarantula has a different personality ("Tarantuality") so a generally docile specie can produce some very aggressive specimens. Tarantulas usually do not show defensive behaviors unless cornered and cannot run away.

Docile (will take a lot of disturbance to induce a defensive behavior)
Skitish (prefer to run away from disturbance and is not quick to show defensive behaviors)
Defensive (Hair) (usually flick urticating hairs at disturbance - with or without showing a threat pose; Old World species have no urticating hair so this is not applicable)
Defensive (Bite) (prefers biting to defend itself - usually but not always throw a threat pose prior to biting)
Aggressive (actively go after the disturbance even as the disturbance is running away)

Itchiness: How itchy the urticating hair is to the hand skin - subjective. Urticating hair can cause allergic reactions to some individuals. See your doctor immediately if the urticating hair gets into your eyes - it can cause blindness.

NA (the specie does not possess urticating hair)
Low (no noticeable effect)
Medium (itchy but nothing unbearable)
High (very itchy and cause immediate rashes and may need intervention)

Venom: Strength of venom. Some people think Tarantula venom cannot cause severe allergic reactions but I beg to differ. ALL Tarantulas have and can inject venom in a bite though no verified death has been recorded. Effects of a bite can range from mere local pain to rapid heart rate, from short term (1-2 hours) to long term (months!). So you should exercise caution. Never underestimate a Tarantula and find things out the hard way.

Normal (pretty much just like any other Tarantula)
Strong (a lot of pain and may last up to a month)
Dangerous (strong possibility of a long term negative effect)

Grow: Some people like to watch their Tarantulas grow; some can't wait. Spiderlings are more abundant and reasonably priced so buying a fast growing Tarantula is a good way to save. Grow speed depends a lot on temperature, feeding schedule and gender (male grows a lot faster) so your experience may be different. Growing will slow down so this rating is based on the growth you will get from a 1" spiderling in 1 year.

Fast (up to 5")
Medium (up to 3")
Slow (up to 1")
Turtle (is there any change at all?)

3. Review scores
V: Visibility (how often do you expect to see your Tarantula from 10 (pretty much all the time) to 0 (can't differentiate from a tank of dirt). Note that tank design can significantly affect visibility.)

B: Beauty (How beautiful the Tarantula is from 10 (can spend whole day staring at it) to 0 (what the crap is this ugly thing?!?!). Note that this is very subjective and based on what I can see on normal lighting e.g. a Avicularia versicolor is beautiful under flash but pretty much black under normal lighting)

S: Size. I use a formula that use a base score of (MS - 2) and add more points from 8" up and deduct points for less than 5".

SC: Special characteristic factor (normally 1; add 0.5 for every additional special characteristic e.g. has a horn, can swim or communal)

Score: (V*2+B+S)*SC

Grade: Each specie get a grade based on how it scores compared to the other species on the list. So as more species are added, the grade may change. Grading is the same as in school: highest is A+, lowest is S (Satisfactory = pass: no Tarantula should fail!)

4. Beginner review
Cmod: A modifier factor based on the specie Characteristics. A deduction for high humidity requirement, fast speed and bad eating habit. Addition for low humidity requirement, slow speed and voracious eater.

Rmod: A modifier based on "Red" factors. Deduction for defensive behaviors, highly itchy urticating hair, strong venom and slow grow speed. Addition for docile, not so itchy urticating hair and fast grow speed.

Hardy: How tolerant the specie is to owner's husbandry mistakes? Standard score is 1. Less than 1 means easier to die from problems (e.g. Theraphosa blondi molt problems due to low humidity). Greater than 1 means you will have to do something very wrong to have a dead Tarantula (e.g. Pterinochilus murinus is known to be very hardy and adaptable to any environment).

Score: (V*2+B+S)*(SC+Cmod+Rmod)*(Hardy^2)

Grade: Each specie get a grade based on how it scores compared to the other species on the list. So as more species are added, the grade may change. Grading is the same as in school: highest is A+, lowest is S (Satisfactory = pass: no Tarantula should fail!). This score applies a lot more to a beginner collector.

Disclaimer: All information is based on my personal experience and research so there is no guarantee yours will be the same. In Internet term, it's YMMV (Your millage may vary). Exercise caution! I shall not be held responsible for any harm and/or negative consequences (to anyone and/or anything) resulting directly and/or indirectly from my article. Tarantulas are venomous and keeping them involve some risks. Tarantulas also have personalities ("tarantualities") so a generally docile specie can have some aggressive specimens.

Posh T's

2008-12-21T21:22:00.003-05:00

I just realized the 2 most beautiful of my T's - the GBB and the P. regalis are soooo posh! This is not another - my T is not eating food story! ^_^

GBB:
I tried feeding her with nymph/MM/MF dubia and she said no no no to all 3! This was her reaction:

Drop the roach
"Food!" Baam! [try to bite]
"Yak! What is this crappy tasting food! You terrible owner!"
Do a 180 and walk away slowly, leaving the roach pooping its pants.

And she is not fat at all - rather very thin. Today, I threw in a freshly molted male dubia. This was her reactions:

Drop the roach
"Food!" Baam! [try to bite]
"Uhm! Tastes good! You are still a terrible owner!"
Do a 180 and dance with the roach
[after about 10 minutes] "Uhm! This thing dirties my toes!" Lick her toes like she is grooming.
Resume eating

P. regalis:
There was a dubia that was in her enclosure since yesterday night. So I prod it out in a last-ditch effort to see if she was interested. This was her reactions:

[the roach runs near]
"Uhm! What is this?" [touch the roach]
[the roach poops in its pants]
"Eww! Leftover! Nah nah nah! You are a terrible owner!"
[the roach poops in its pants again]

Poecilotheria regalis HD picture slideshow 002

2008-12-18T19:48:00.000-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Red Thick Tail Scoprion HD picture slideshow 001

2008-12-15T20:51:00.000-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

African Horned Baboon Tarantula HD picture slideshow 001

2008-12-15T20:50:00.001-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Brazilian Giant White Knee Tarantula HD slideshow 002

2008-12-10T09:54:00.001-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Brazilian Giant White Knee Tarantula wipe video

2008-12-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

A funny spin to Tarantula grooming. ^_^

Pacman frog feeding

2008-12-08T17:33:00.001-05:00

I don't just keep Tarantula and scorpion. I have a Pacman Frog that will eat anything that moves - including your finger if you are not careful. I have traded this away for some good Tarantulas.

Packing a large Tarantula tutorial [by request]

2008-12-08T17:28:00.000-05:00

The correct way of packing a Tarantula for shipping. The air holes are optional. And some people prefer not to wet the napkins.

Holothele incei feeding video

2008-12-08T16:28:00.001-05:00

This is a better video of a Peruvian Olive (Holothele incei) eating. This is one of the few species that are communal

Hysterocrates gigas grooming

2008-12-08T15:31:00.000-05:00

A Tarantula will only groom if it feels safe.

Beware: the cutest defensive behavior recorded!

2008-12-07T22:03:00.002-05:00

It's quite common for us to find it amusing for a T to try to take us on mano-a-mano. But how about a T trying to challenge a... fake leaf mano-a-leafo?

I was trying to take a feeding vid for my H. gigas so I got the camera ready and turned around to pick up a meal worm. I accidentally knocked the fake plant with the feeding tongs and my H. gigas seriously thought the fake leaf is a predator. So I knocked on the plant a few more times and it indeed thought the plant is a predator. Only after the 3rd times that it finally figured out that if you try to bite something 3 times and the thing doesn't move away, it is probably a plant.

Hysterocrates gigas cutest defensive behavior

2008-12-07T11:31:00.000-05:00

To show you how Cameroon Red Baboon Tarantula (Hysterocrates gigas) can be very defensive - it tries to attack a leaf, thinking it's a predator. So goofy = very cute. ^_^

Cameroon Red Baboon Tarantula digging video

2008-12-06T15:30:00.001-05:00

Cameroon Red Baboon Tarantula (Hysterocrates gigas) is a fast defensive burrowing specie. This is the only specie I know that love water. It can (and will) dive and swim under water.

Hysterocrates gigas HD picture slideshow 001

2008-12-05T19:48:00.003-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Poecilotheria regalis HD picture slideshow 001

2008-12-05T19:48:00.002-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

White Striped Bird Eater molting video

2008-12-05T19:19:00.001-05:00

White Striped Bird Eater is the same specie as Brazilian Red and White (Nhandu chromatus).

Learning to be Jackie Chan

2008-12-04T22:18:00.000-05:00

I was unpacking the 2 H. gigas today. I saw one of the label saying "H. gigas aka LP eater" so I was like "Hey this is cool!". I read that they can be quite fast so I was very careful opening the deli cup in side the tank and carefully lure the T out. Below is the sequences:

Poke poke.
Blink
Where is it? Oh on the side of the tank.
Blink
Crap! Where is it?
Looking... Oh, on the carpet...
Blink
Crap!Grab the big deli cup.

I saw it scurrying into the underneath of my desk. So imagine a 180 pounds Asian man (btw, that's big for Asian) launching himself toward the T with arm outreached trying to cup the T.

And my head hit the desk.

The T was safe and I think I saw Master Jackie Chan laughing at me.

P. regalis kiss of love

2008-12-01T22:21:00.002-05:00

Something is wrong with pokies today!
I found poop in the my P. regalis water bowl. [Hate it when they do that] So I use the feeding tongs to grab some pieces of toilet paper to clean the water bowl - the usual method. I don't know why she teleported onto my hand.
She literally was hanging on the hand with her front 4 legs and the back 4 wriggling to grip on to something. I was so scared but was calm enough to put her back down and she teleported into the back of the tank. So I finished up the routine and closed the tank.
A few minutes later, I felt itchy on the side of my palm. Found 2 red dots and the area is a bit swollen. I think she "kissed" me while hanging and trying to hold on to something. Don't think it's a bite. Pokie bites are supposed to be very bad and this one doesn't even hurt, just itchy. And if it were a real bite, the 2 holes would be wider and deeper. This is a 6" pokie we are talking about.
So I'm convinced my pokie loves me so much, she gave me a kiss! ^_^

Notice the left hole is deeper than the right hole? I think it suits the way the T was hanging on to my hand.

Update: a day later, the left hole showed more damage but no pain.

Peruvian Olive Tarantula HD picture slideshow 001

2008-12-01T13:25:00.001-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Pandinus exitialis HD picture slideshow 001

2008-12-01T12:56:00.000-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Pandinus exitialis drinking and grooming video

2008-11-30T19:27:00.000-05:00

The scorpion is thirsty so it drinks. Then the water kinda makes it feel dirty so it cleans itself.

Peruvian Olive Tarantula catching a mealworm video

2008-11-30T17:26:00.002-05:00

Peruvian Olive Tarantula (Holothele incei) is a dwarf webber. It eats a lot for its size.

Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula HD picture slideshow 001

2008-11-20T20:51:00.000-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Brazilian Giant White Knee Tarantula HD slideshow 001

2008-11-16T20:46:00.002-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Orange Spotted Roach molting

2008-11-15T22:25:00.003-05:00

Caught this roach (Blaptica dubia) molting on video. This is the only molting roach video on youtube! ^_^ And I "pulled its pants" at the end of the clip. ^_^

Giant White Knee Tarantula feeding video

2008-11-15T19:24:00.001-05:00

Brazilian Giant White Knee Tarantula (Acanthoscurria geniculata) is one of the larger bulky Tarantula. Its leg span can reach up to 9". It has an appetite matching its huge size.

Orange Baboon Tarantula dancing video

2008-11-15T17:22:00.003-05:00

Orange Baboon Tarantula (Pterinochilus murinus) aka OBT aka Orange Bitey Thing is a defensive and fast African Tarantula. It is also a big webber.

Pandinus exitialis cleaning video

2008-11-15T17:20:00.002-05:00

Caught my Pandinus exitialis cleaning itself on video. It's quite cool.

Brazilian Fire Red Tarantula HD picture slideshow 004

2008-11-14T22:56:00.001-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Chilean Rose Tarantula HD picture slideshow 001

2008-11-14T13:48:00.001-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Brazilian Fire Red Tarantula molting video 02

2008-11-13T15:00:00.000-05:00

This one is better in term of quality.

Chilean Rose Tarantula feeding video

2008-11-12T20:00:00.001-05:00

The Chilean Rose Tarantula (Grammostola rosea) is known for fasting with no apparent reason. Mine seems to eat better after getting traded back.

Brazilian Fire Red Tarantula HD picture slideshow 003

2008-11-12T17:06:00.001-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Brazilian Fire Red Tarantula molting video

2008-11-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the low quality. This one chose the back corner of the tank to molt.

Nhandu chromatus HD picture slideshow 001

2008-11-11T19:48:00.000-05:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Flagstaff Orange Tarantula HD picture slideshow 001

2008-11-01T20:51:00.000-04:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Flagstaff Orange Tarantula feeding video

2008-10-29T07:00:00.001-04:00

Flagstaff Orange Tarantula (Aphonopelma sp. flagstaff) is a tarantula native to America. Mine is very docile though slightly skittish and with a good appetite.

Brazilian Red and WhiteTarantula digging burrow video

2008-10-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

The Brazilian Red and White Tarantula (Nhandu chromatus) aka White Striped Bird Eater is supposed to be an opportunistic burrower. Mine prefers to dig.

Brazilian Fire Red Tarantula HD picture slideshow 002

2008-10-23T14:54:00.001-04:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

Feeding Brazilian Fire Red Tarantula video

2008-10-22T21:00:00.000-04:00

Brazilian Fire Red Tarantula (Lasiodora difficilis) has a huge appetite. Watching it eat is a great fun thing to do.

Chilean Rose Tarantula grooming video

2008-10-22T20:00:00.000-04:00

I made this video intending as a tribute for my first ever Tarantula - a Chilean Rose Tarantula (Grammostola rosea). I gave her away for free due to space constraint - the reason of the comment at the end of the slide. However, I have traded a more expensive specie to get ger back. This specie rocks!

Brazilian Fire Red Tarantula HD picture slideshow 001

2008-10-20T15:51:00.001-04:00

Best watched in HD quality: click here

LIVE Tarantula webcam

2008-06-05T21:31:00.002-04:00

The webcam is provided by Museum Victoria which I have no connection with. Just found it while googling. I think it is a Chaco Golden Knee Tarantula (Grammostola aureostriata)

All media content

2001-01-01T23:31:00.004-05:00

The playlists will be updated with my youtube videos. The videos are added to the end of the playlist so you may have to navigate to the last page of the playlist to see the new videos. I'm sorry for the inconvenience but there is no other way to do it.

HD videos

HD slide shows

Old SD videos

Vlog

Content index

2001-01-01T01:01:00.044-05:00

Group by specie scientific name (number of posts)

Group by special activity/feature (number of posts)

bite (1)
burrow (2)
feed (11)
groom (7)
handle (4)
macro (5)
molt (4)
Night vision (7)
Slow motion (1)
web (2)

My T's and I

2001-01-01T01:01:00.035-05:00

My first encouter with Tarantula was completely coincidental. I was a geek/nerd that loved to read anything about science. So one day I was watching some Youtube videos and accidentally came across a Tarantula video. Curiosity compelled me to go to wikipedia to read up some "background knowledge". Then background knowledge became knowledge obsession which eventually became a hobby as I bought the first T - a Chilean Rose (Grammostola rosea).

From my background as a Hitech geek, I have relative clear criteria for my T's. As a result, I am not a collector - I have no desire to collect every T - rare or not and is very willing to trade away a T I don't want to get a T I really want. Below are my criteria:

Visible: I keep Tarantula, not dirt so I don't want to see a tank of dirt with a T hiding somewhere inside. I'll try to redesign a tank a few times to make sure the T is visible one way or another. If all effort is to no avail, I don't want it.
Beauty: More specifically, I like bright color and try to avoid brown and black.
Size: Tarantula is known for its size so bigger size is a bigger plus.
Special characteristic: This vague criterium is used to modify the other 3 because sometimes, certain traits make 1 T stand out e.g. a swimming Hysterocrates gigas or a horned baboon Tarantula.
Ease of care: One strength of keeping a Tarantula as a pet is its ease of care. So I don't want a T that has lots of special requirements - just make it too worrisome to be enjoyable. That's why I don't anticipate having a Theraphosa blondi any time in the future.
Appetite: I love eating and love watching my T's eat. So it is really frustrating to drop a prey in and the T just ignores it.

So I basically give each T a score (the same you way one reviews a hitech toy like MP3 player) and keep the best of them. Some people will frown at the technical, rigid assessment but that stays true to my background - a mathematically-trained science-oriented hitech geek. I have been very happy with the T's I have so I must be doing things right. No worry for the "unwanted" T's, I very much appreicate lives so as long as the T's are in my hands, I will look after them very well, regardless of the preference score. Needless to say, the T's that I love are very pampered.

So here they are, my current Tarantulas:
0.1.0 Acanthoscurria geniculata 6"+
0.1.0 Poecilotheria regalis 6"
0.1.2 Hysterocrates gigas 5", 3", 2"
0.1.0 Grammostola rosea 4"+
0.1.0 Ceratogyrus darlingi 4"+
0.1.0 Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens 3"+

Used to own list:
0.1.0 Aphonopelma sp. flagstaff 5.5"
0.1.0 Avicularia versicolor 5"
1.1.1 Lasiodora difficilis 5.5" 4.5" 3"
0.1.0 Nhandu chromatus 4.5"
0.1.0 Pandinus exitialis 4.5" (scorpion)
0.1.0 Avicularia avicularia 4"
0.0.1 Holothele incei 3"
0.0.1 Pterinochilus murinus 2"
0.0.5 Babycurus jacksoni 4x1" 1x2"
0.0.1 Lasiodora parahybana 1.5"
0.0.1 Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens 1.5"
0.0.1 Phlogius sp. Stents 1.5"
0.0.1 Psalmopoeus cambridgei 0.5"
0.0.1 Citharischius crawshayi 0.5"
0.0.8 Pterinochilus murinus 0.5"

I also keep some non Tarantula pets.
0.2.0 Centruoides sculpuratus 2"+

Contact me

2001-01-01T01:01:00.030-05:00

You can reach me by commenting on my Youtube channel. I check it quite frequently.
If you need emergency information (e.g. your Tarantula is injured), you can get much faster help at the following forums:
Arachnophiles Annonymous
Arachnoboard
I do not endorse either forum in anyway. I just found them very helpful in my experience.
Thank you!

Tarantula review

2001-01-01T01:01:00.024-05:00

I quite often come across people asking "What specie should I get?" The answers vary quite significantly due to people's personal preferences. So I wondered "why not a review for Tarantula?" I think that will help both newbies and experienced owners. I am by no mean an expert so I bet some Tarantula experts will find my reviews laughable. However, my conviction is that new and some old enthusiasts will find some uses for this.

I will try to be as objective as possible but sometimes, things just can't be 100% objective. Due to space constraint, I will break my review into 4 parts, reviewing the same species. And to help newbies, I also include common names. Please understand that there are many common names for the same specie so it's still best to look at scientific names. There is also a disclaimer, just as you don't want to write a dog review and receive a complain from someone getting bitten by the dog.

This will grow as time goes on. So check back frequently.
Updated: 12/26/2008

1. General characteristics
Types: Where the Tarantula usually hang out. Spiderlings are usually burrower regardless of specie.

T: Terrestrial (need more floor space)
OB: Opportunistic Burrower (will burrow if given enough substrate but has no problem adopting an artificial hide)
B: Obligate Burrower (need deep substrate to burrow, without which can lead to stress and even death)
A: Arboreal (need more climbing space)
/:Hybrids (some species exhibit different behaviors based on the husbandry conditions. E.g. a Pterinochilus murinus is supposed to be an obligate burrower but has no problem climbing, webbing and ending up above ground)

Insane (you'd better mist the enclosure daily to keep the substrate moist or face problems e.g. Theraphosa blondi NEEDS high humidity to molt properly)
High (maybe mist twice a week misting will suffice - letting the substrate partially dry out between misting is ok)
Medium (mist once a week - substrate can completley dry out between misting)
Low (maybe once a month or none at all)

Slow (difficult to differentiate walking and darting)
Medium (darting obviously faster than walking but slower than a normal person reaction)
Fast (darting obviously faster than walking but require some good reaction speed)
Teleport (you pretty much can't tell whether it is running or teleporting)

Appetite: How well the specie reacts to prey items.

Voracious (usually chase after and crush or tear the prey apart)
Good (catch the prey quickly and never says no to food unless molting)
Ok (sometimes act afraid of food but generally eat well once a week)
Chicken (has serious eating problem - haven't found any specie fitting this label yet)

Name		Characteristics
Scientific name	Common name	Type	Humidity	Speed	Appetite	MS
Acanthoscurria geniculata	Giant White Knee	T	High	Slow	Voracious	9
Aphonopelma sp.flagstaff	Flagstaff Orange	OB	Medium	Slow	Ok	6
Avicularia avicularia	Common Pinktoe	A	High	Fast	Good	6
Avicularia versicolor	Antilles Pinktoe	A	High	Fast	Good	6
Ceratogyrus darlingi	African Horned Baboon	OB	Medium	Fast	Voracious	5
Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens	Greenbottle Blue	T/A	Low	Medium	Voracious	6
Grammostola rosea	Chilean Rose	T	Low	Slow	Ok	6
Holothele incei	Peruvian Olive	B/A	Medium	Fast	Good	4
Hysterocrates gigas	Cameroon Red Baboon	B	High	Fast	Voracious	7
Lasiodora difficilis	Brazilian Fire Red	T	Medium	Slow	Voracious	10
Lasiodora parahybana	Brazilian Salmon Pink	T	Medium	Medium	Voracious	11
Nhandu chromatus	White Striped Bird Eater	OB	Medium	Fast	Voracious	7
Poecilotheria regalis	Indian Ornamental	A	High	Teleport	Good	7
Pterinochilus murinus	Orange Baboon	T/A/B	Normal	Fast	Good	5

2. "Red" factor
Attitude: How the specie reacts to disturbance. Note that each Tarantula has a different personality ("Tarantuality") so a generally docile specie can produce some very aggressive specimens. Tarantulas usually do not show defensive behaviors unless cornered and cannot run away.

Docile (will take a lot of disturbance to induce a defensive behavior)
Skitish (prefer to run away from disturbance and is not quick to show defensive behaviors)
Defensive (Hair) (usually flick urticating hairs at disturbance - with or without showing a threat pose; Old World species have no urticating hair so this is not applicable)
Defensive (Bite) (prefers biting to defend itself - usually but not always throw a threat pose prior to biting)
Aggressive (actively go after the disturbance even as the disturbance is running away)

NA (the specie does not possess urticating hair)
Low (no noticeable effect)
Medium (itchy but nothing unbearable)
High (very itchy and cause immediate rashes and may need intervention)

Normal (pretty much just like any other Tarantula)
Strong (a lot of pain and may last up to a month)
Dangerous (strong possibility of a long term negative effect)

Name		"Red" factors
Scientific name	Common name	Attitude	Itchiness	Venom
Acanthoscurria geniculata	Giant White Knee	Defensive (Hair)	High	Normal
Aphonopelma sp.flagstaff	Flagstaff Orange	Skittish	Low	Normal
Avicularia avicularia	Common Pinktoe	Skittish	NA	Normal
Avicularia versicolor	Antilles Pinktoe	Skittish	Low	Normal
Ceratogyrus darlingi	African Horned Baboon	Defensive (Bite)	NA	Strong
Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens	Greenbottle Blue	Skittish	High	Normal
Grammostola rosea	Chilean Rose	Docile	Medium	Normal
Holothele incei	Peruvian Olive	Skittish	NA	Normal
Hysterocrates gigas	Cameroon Red Baboon	Defensive (Bite)	NA	Strong
Lasiodora difficilis	Brazilian Fire Red	Defensive (Hair)	Medium	Normal
Lasiodora parahybana	Brazilian Salmon Pink	Docile	Medium	Normal
Nhandu chromatus	White Striped Bird Eater	Defensive (Bite)	High	Normal
Poecilotheria regalis	Indian Ornamental	Defensive (Bite)	NA	Dangerous
Pterinochilus murinus	Orange Baboon	Defensive (Bite)	NA	Dangerous

S: Size (Max size minus 2). Add 25% for bulky body.

SC: Special characteristic factor (normally 1; add 0.5 for every additional special characteristic e.g. has a horn, can swim or communal)

EC: Ease of care factor (normally 1; <1>1 means very hardy and adaptable with high tolerant for an owner's mistake)

Score: (V*2+B+S)*SC*EC

Name		Review scores
Scientific name	Common name	V	B	S	SC	EC	Score
Acanthoscurria geniculata	Giant White Knee	10	7	8.75	1	1	35.75
Aphonopelma sp.flagstaff	Flagstaff Orange	7	7	4	1	1	25
Avicularia avicularia	Common Pinktoe	6	1	4	1	0.5	8.5
Avicularia versicolor	Antilles Pinktoe	5	5	4	1	0.5	9.5
Ceratogyrus darlingi	African Horned Baboon	1	8	3	1.5	1	19.5
Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens	Greenbottle Blue	8	10	4	1	1	30
Grammostola rosea	Chilean Rose	8	6	4	1	1	26
Holothele incei	Peruvian Olive	2	6	2	1.5	0.9	16.2
Hysterocrates gigas	Cameroon Red Baboon	3	3	5	2	0.8	22.4
Lasiodora difficilis	Brazilian Fire Red	8	5	8	1	1	29
Lasiodora parahybana	Brazilian Salmon Pink	10	5	9	1	1	34
Nhandu chromatus	White Striped Bird Eater	3	8	5	1	1	19
Poecilotheria regalis	Indian Ornamental	9	9	5	1	0.9	28.8
Pterinochilus murinus	Orange Baboon	3	8	3	1	1.5	25.5

4. Note
Some extra notes for owners.

Name		Note
Scientific name	Common name	Note
Acanthoscurria geniculata	Giant White Knee
Aphonopelma sp.flagstaff	Flagstaff Orange
Avicularia avicularia	Common Pinktoe	Need good cross ventilation
Avicularia versicolor	Antilles Pinktoe	Need good cross ventilation
Ceratogyrus darlingi	African Horned Baboon
Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens	Greenbottle Blue
Grammostola rosea	Chilean Rose
Holothele incei	Peruvian Olive	Communal
Hysterocrates gigas	Cameroon Red Baboon	Communal and can swim
Lasiodora difficilis	Brazilian Fire Red	Throw threat poses at any disturbance
Lasiodora parahybana	Brazilian Salmon Pink
Nhandu chromatus	White Striped Bird Eater
Poecilotheria regalis	Indian Ornamental
Pterinochilus murinus	Orange Baboon	Very hardy and adaptable

Disclaimer: All information is based on my personal experience and there is no guarantee yours will be the same. Exercise caution! I shall not be held responsible for any harm and/or negative consequences (to anyone and/or anything) resulting directly and/or indirectly from my article. Tarantulas are venomous and keeping them involve some risks. Tarantulas also have personalities ("tarantualities") so a generally docile specie can have some aggressive specimens.

Beginner's section

2001-01-01T01:01:00.022-05:00

We are all a beginner at one point. In fact, I still think I am a beginner. ^_^ Hope this will help you! More to come!
Top 10 beginner's species