[Death Will Come]

cool i was actually thinking of getting a tarantula

[smackem]

Do you actually hold and show affection to them, As one would a house cat, for example? I have no idea!

[hckr_wolf]

Originally Posted by shady11 ↗

In the 80s I was in the Marines. I brought out a little black tarantula from South America. He made the trip in a little Styrofoam cup. He adapted to the climate in the States very well. I would let him out with supervision at the office in my hut. He would sit on my shoulder while I was doing paperwork. Perfect little gentlemen. I had much traffic through my office just to hold Vlad the Impaler and keep him company. He was quite the hit. Everyone was always looking out for him catching the biggest and juiciest insects for him. He lived for two years and then one day he was gone. He was just a damn spider but everyone was bummed when he departed for better hunting grounds. Stay thirsty my friend!

Dude... that has to be the best fucking tarantula story I've ever heard. Sad you lost him, but I say rock on, little guy

Originally Posted by smackem ↗

Do you actually hold and show affection to them, As one would a house cat, for example?

Depends. Just like dogs, not all tarantulas have the same temperament. Ironically, the more beautiful the tarantula is, the more dangerous it is. Bright colors/designs = pissed off and hungry all. the. time. The pretty-looking ones are more exotic and originate in jungle-like environments... therefore it's in their blood to be more hostile. They're also extremely expensive.
Some tarantulas attack anything that enters their tank, others are called "pet rocks" because they sit around and don't eat for months at a time. The difference is usually that the dangerous, bigger ones are from the jungle while the smaller ones are from the desert (which is why they can fast for so long).
See the blue tarantula in the pictures? Absolutely beautiful... It'll also try to kill you if you move your hand in a way it doesn't like... though most of them resort to "kicking hairs" (like a porcupine) before biting...

I have a rosie, basically the cheap, relatively small, low-maintenance (ie. eats very little), "buy it at petco" tarantula. She's probably only 3-4 years old right now. I bought her online from a guy who'd had her for a year, and I've had her for a year, too... She's decent size, but she'll get much larger. Female rosies tend to live 30+ years

[güttsfükk]

Originally Posted by hckr_wolf ↗

others are called "pet rocks" because they sit around and don't eat for months at a time.

that sounds like a boring pet

[RedneckR0nin]

Originally Posted by güttsfükk ↗

that sounds like a boring pet

They are boring as piss unless you get the balls to hold them....I never did it often. Cause once you tried to get him back into the cage he would start to panic and start jumping and scurrying along everywhere.....not fun chasing a big fucking hairy spider around!

[ZAPPO]

Very nice VB...

[chefbob09]

only good spider is a dead one

[bloodgasm]

Originally Posted by hckr_wolf ↗

Depends. Just like dogs, not all tarantulas have the same temperament. Ironically, the more beautiful the tarantula is, the more dangerous it is. Bright colors/designs = pissed off and hungry all. the. time. The pretty-looking ones are more exotic and originate in jungle-like environments... therefore it's in their blood to be more hostile. They're also extremely expensive.
Some tarantulas attack anything that enters their tank, others are called "pet rocks" because they sit around and don't eat for months at a time. The difference is usually that the dangerous, bigger ones are from the jungle while the smaller ones are from the desert (which is why they can fast for so long).
See the blue tarantula in the pictures? Absolutely beautiful... It'll also try to kill you if you move your hand in a way it doesn't like... though most of them resort to "kicking hairs" (like a porcupine) before biting...

I have a rosie, basically the cheap, relatively small, low-maintenance (ie. eats very little), "buy it at petco" tarantula. She's probably only 3-4 years old right now. I bought her online from a guy who'd had her for a year, and I've had her for a year, too... She's decent size, but she'll get much larger. Female rosies tend to live 30+ years

You obviously know a little bit about tarantulas, but I thought I'd add my two cents a bit. :)

While many of the brightly colored tarantulas are highly venomous/tempermental, the aggression/color correlation is not necessarily true. A few of the tarantulas that I posted are actually New World species, meaning that they come from the North and South American hemispheres.. species from these regions are really not known for their aggression, gorgeous color and all. This spider for instance, Avicularia versicolor, is absolutely stunning with its vivid coloration but it is generally one of the most docile tarantulas out there:



The blue tarantula you are referring to, is it this one?



While they do have very potent venom to us humans, they are actually known to be one of the more mellow species of their genus, Poecilotheria. I have one and she's actually one of my friendlier tarantulas, but yes, they are very expensive. Due to that pop of color, their rarity, and their difficulty to breed.

The only species able to flick utricating "hairs" would be New World, terrestrial (ground dwelling species), so that fancy blue one doesn't actually have the capability. That gorgeous blue, green, and orange one (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens) at the bottom does, however.

And as far as aging tarantulas goes, it really can't be done.. Grammastola roseas (Chilean Rose) are extremely slow growers, some of the slowest out there, and so if yours is a "good size" then she's probably much older than you think. :) Growth of a tarantula is very dependent on variable, i.e rate of feeding, molting, etc, so that is why when you see tarantulas sold by experienced dealers, they always go off of size.

Anyway, more pics!

[bloodgasm]

Originally Posted by smackem ↗

Do you actually hold and show affection to them, As one would a house cat, for example? I have no idea!

You can hold them if you want to and if the spider will allow it.. there are are techniques in picking them up, though, so I wouldn't recommend just scooping one up.. but yeah, you can let them walk on you and on the more docile ones, you might even be able to pet them. (I don't recommend doing this over terrestrial tarantulas' abdomens, however, as they tend to have extremely irritating, fiberglass-like "hairs" that can get in your skin or eyes if rubbed off.) They don't really show affection and you can't really play with them but if you say, bury stones in their homes, they'll sometimes dig them and carry them around. They'll move dirt and plants around, too.. kinda neat watching them arrange their homes and groom themselves.

[Fred Rubble]

Cute and colourful.