metaldad904
Sideshow Freak
- Messages
- 216
- Location
- Alpharetta, GA
This is a little mini article I wrote awhile back on another forum to answer someone's questions about T's, thought i'd share. Everything is just based on my own experience so nothing is written in stone. Hope ya'll enjoy.
Keep in mind, i take aggression into account more than others might.
Cornsnake-------Rose Hair (G. Rosea). Easy to care for, typically docile. Can go a long time w/out food or water, tolerant of a wide tempreature range. Very slow grower, long lived.
Ball Python-----Mexican Red Knee (B.Smithi). Easy care, usually calm but if startled will kick uriticating hairs.
Jungle Carpet---Guyana Pinktoe (Avic Avic.) or Antilles pinktoe (A. Versicolor), both are pretty similar. Higher humidity requirements, need an arboreal setup. Usually docile, but when startled can jump & are very quick.
Scrub-----Sunburst Baboon (P. Murinus). While their care is easy, their attitude & venom make up for it. They are oppurtunistic, using hides on the ground or in the air. They will web heavily and usually make tubes throughout the cage to hide out in. While small, are easily startled & when cornered will hiss & bite at just about anything within range. They are unbelievably fast & can climb just about any surface with ease. Venom is reportedly quite strong. While they sound intimidating, as long as you are careful & watch what you're doing they are a joy to have. Very pretty species.
Reticulated python or another large boid species----Goliath Birdeater (T.Blondi). Other species that could be considered, any Ornamental (Strong venom & arboreal), pretty much all Asian tarantulas. T.Blondi's get huge (10-12 inches), requiring higher humidity, especially during a molt. Can be a very nervous species and will kick clouds of uriticating hairs (considered the worst) at a perceived attacker. Venom isn't strong, but fangs are enormous (just look at my avatar). As juveniles, will eat a lot & sometimes even as an adult.
Venomous Snakes (Hots)-----Any species of spider or scorpion with venom considered fatal. These include black widows, deathstalker scorpions and so on. Like hot snakes, should never be kept unless you have a lot of experience.
Tarantulas can live for quite awhile, up to 25 years for some species. It all depends on the species, but i guess an average would be around 5-10 years. They primarily eat insects, some are large enough to eat mice & reptiles but its not really recommended to feed them to a captive one. Crickets are the most widely available feeder. They can be a pain though, if too large of a cricket is given, they will sometimes eat baby tarantulas or take bites out of even adults that aren't hungry. If a tarantula is molting, crickets could kill it. If not eaten within a few hours, remove from cage. Most recommended feeder is roaches, millions of different species & can't hurt your tarantulas. Enclosure requirements all depend on the species. screen top cages are never advised b/c they can't hold humidty. As for size, i believe its something like 2-2 1/2 times the legspan of the T. I could be wrong though, it is best to look at a care sheet. There are multiple books out there, some good some bad.
Keep in mind, i take aggression into account more than others might.
Cornsnake-------Rose Hair (G. Rosea). Easy to care for, typically docile. Can go a long time w/out food or water, tolerant of a wide tempreature range. Very slow grower, long lived.
Ball Python-----Mexican Red Knee (B.Smithi). Easy care, usually calm but if startled will kick uriticating hairs.
Jungle Carpet---Guyana Pinktoe (Avic Avic.) or Antilles pinktoe (A. Versicolor), both are pretty similar. Higher humidity requirements, need an arboreal setup. Usually docile, but when startled can jump & are very quick.
Scrub-----Sunburst Baboon (P. Murinus). While their care is easy, their attitude & venom make up for it. They are oppurtunistic, using hides on the ground or in the air. They will web heavily and usually make tubes throughout the cage to hide out in. While small, are easily startled & when cornered will hiss & bite at just about anything within range. They are unbelievably fast & can climb just about any surface with ease. Venom is reportedly quite strong. While they sound intimidating, as long as you are careful & watch what you're doing they are a joy to have. Very pretty species.
Reticulated python or another large boid species----Goliath Birdeater (T.Blondi). Other species that could be considered, any Ornamental (Strong venom & arboreal), pretty much all Asian tarantulas. T.Blondi's get huge (10-12 inches), requiring higher humidity, especially during a molt. Can be a very nervous species and will kick clouds of uriticating hairs (considered the worst) at a perceived attacker. Venom isn't strong, but fangs are enormous (just look at my avatar). As juveniles, will eat a lot & sometimes even as an adult.
Venomous Snakes (Hots)-----Any species of spider or scorpion with venom considered fatal. These include black widows, deathstalker scorpions and so on. Like hot snakes, should never be kept unless you have a lot of experience.
Tarantulas can live for quite awhile, up to 25 years for some species. It all depends on the species, but i guess an average would be around 5-10 years. They primarily eat insects, some are large enough to eat mice & reptiles but its not really recommended to feed them to a captive one. Crickets are the most widely available feeder. They can be a pain though, if too large of a cricket is given, they will sometimes eat baby tarantulas or take bites out of even adults that aren't hungry. If a tarantula is molting, crickets could kill it. If not eaten within a few hours, remove from cage. Most recommended feeder is roaches, millions of different species & can't hurt your tarantulas. Enclosure requirements all depend on the species. screen top cages are never advised b/c they can't hold humidty. As for size, i believe its something like 2-2 1/2 times the legspan of the T. I could be wrong though, it is best to look at a care sheet. There are multiple books out there, some good some bad.
