Spiders

[MammaMangorin]

Im interested in buying one.. But i don't know so much about them and don't know what kind of breed(?!) that is best..
I think spiders (tarantella and other big ones) is cool pets, and i could have one in my room on boarding school.

A guy in my class who destry my room should never go in to my room again if i get a spider of any kind. He is scared to death of even small ones

[Tescos]

Ok first off what you need to do is ask yourself why you want a tarantula, because they like any animal are not just a 2 minute deal. In many species of tarantula the females can live for up to and beyond 25 years but once mature, male tarantulas live for only a year or two depending on the species sometimes only a few months!
They are not pets in the such that they will show you any emotion and will not love you back. They should never be used as a scare tactic and if this is a main reason to buy one, then just buy a plastic toy one.
Before you purchase one read as much information that you can about them. Even though on the whole they are really easy to keep, they can have their own little surprises.
Be aware that even though no species tarantula spider have ever been responceible for the death of someone though its bite, there are some species where the venom is considerd to be stronger than others, and all tarantulas bites are going to be quite painful and trantulas can not be devenomated.
Also be awear of the fact that many species of tarantula from the Americas have hairs that they can flick off as a defence, and these hairs can be very itchy you would also not like to get them in your eyes or lungs as real problems can occur through this!

As a first tarantula it really depends on what you want the tarantula for, be it a good `display´ tarantula to make a kind of talking point with your friends or something that really holds an intrest for you and you are prepared for the fact that you will hardly ever see it.

I don't want to put you off buying a tarantula but rather help you think about all this before you get one. For me tarantulas are a wonder of nature and by far the demons that they are portrade as in the films etc.
I have been keeping them for almost 9 years now and have bred a number of different species, but I still consider myself as someone new to this hobby and I still find myself learning new things about them everyday.
Good luck in your search and please feel free to pm me if you have further questions and I will be happy to try and answer them if I can.
For your injoyment then here is a photo of a female Phamphobeteus sp. `platyomma´

[tikeyas_mom]

my brother had a rose haired tranch.. it was very rude.
it always stood on its back legs and showed its HUGE fangs when anyone went near its cage...
I really dont much care for them.

they dont live long either. and they are very expensive...
my brothers only lives about 6 months before it croaked.

one time it escaped.. it was creeping across the kitchen floor, my dad almost stepped on it... EW.. that would have made a big squish!.... *barf*...

anyways... good luck with your researching.. i hope you have a better experience then i did... gulp.

[CathyBogart]

Your brother must either have had a male, or done something very wrong, as female tarantulas can live for more than twenty years.

What do you want in a spider? Do you want an impressive display animal? Something handleable? Colorful?

I have what is referred to in the hobby as a "pet rock" tarantula, a Grammostola rosea. She is extremely mellow, out in her enclosure much of the time, and fascinating to watch. However, she is rather drably colored compared to a lot of species. She is also a species that is known for being docile, though I do not handle her as I believe it causes unnecessary stress.

If you want a more colorful animal, Brachypelma species are often brightly colored, and make great display animals.

Caring for tarantulas is pretty easy unless you pick a delicate species, so research whatever species you pick carefully. For my spider, Morrigan, I have a 20 gallon tank with several inches of densely packed soil. She has two hides and a shallow water dish available to her, and a 25 watt heat bulb during the day. I feed her a vareity of food: Crickets, silkworms, waxworms, and the occasional anole lizard to name a few things. She eats about every two weeks, and the amount depends on what I'm feeding her.

If you do decide to get a tarantula, come back here and ask about moulting. It's a very delicate time for a tarantula, and hundreds of pet tarantulas die every year because a well-meaning owner flips over a tarantula after seeing it on its back.

If you have any other questions, ask! It sounds like Tescos has lots of good info to share too.

[Tescos]

Grammostola rosea drably colored? After a fresh moult even the normal colour form lookd great , but the red colour form looks even better.
Grammostola rosea (Normal colour form)

Grammostola rosea (Red colour form)

Sorry these pics are a little old and I will try and sort out new ones once they have moulted.

It does indeed sound as if your brother had a male. This is a shame not only for your brother but also for the male as it died before it had even the chance to mate, which is their main and only goal in life. This is a sad fact that I believe happens to many a male trarntula that is brought in a pet shop, as more often than not the shop owners are unawear of this and can't often tell the difference's between male and female tarantulas mature or otherwise.

WolfChan, its sounds as if you have a nice little set up going on there but you know if you wanted to you could proberly remove the light bulb and save electricity.
This species of spider comes from Chile and is found often quite high in the mountains.The temperature there max's out at around 20°C in the year, so room temperature should be warm enough without any additional heating.
The Light bulb may even stress you spider a little bit as in general spiders try to shun light as much as possible.
That said however if yours is feeding and moulting well then carry on the way you are doing things as its quite obviously happy with its home.

[CathyBogart]

I keep the bulb on her because my room gets quite cold, but that may change at my new apartment. her tank is pretty tall so it doesn't appear to cause her any stress. Thanks for the tip though.

My little one is in pre-moult right now, so I've stopped feeding and am waiting nervously and excitedly. Unfortunately, I may have to leave her at my parents' house a few extra days after I move, because I don't want to move her right after a molt.

The rad phase is beautiful! I happen to find G. rosea to be a gorgeous spider, but I know many people don't tagree because they're not as vividly colored as B. smithi or some of the other popular pet T's.