Considering a T

[desipooh.12]

Originally Posted by DragonsEye

Desi, the reason many hobbyists will keep a tiny sling in a vial is mainly for their convenience. It is simply easier to keep track of the sling, make sure if its prey has been eat or not, and to better note when it may be going to molt.

Yes, A. versicolor is beautiful. HOWEVER, just so you're aware, the individual you linked to is a young juvenile. It WILL NOT have that same coloration upon maturity. As a late juvenile/adult it will look like this:




It is pretty much the norm that sling coloration looks nothing like that of the adult. As another example, the sling Kel posted above will look completely different as an adult. (Is that A. minatrix, Kel?)

So when looking at Ts, make sure you find photos of the adult stage. Particularly if you should get lucky and get a female, you'll be looking at the adult colors for a looong time.

Also, you should note that there are a few species that display a marked color dimorphism between ADULT males and females (slings on the other hand will look the same). For your edification I present the link to the following picture (not mine).

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/6858/mvc014sef5.jpg

Which of the two would you like? Both are the exact same species (Pamphobeteus nigricolor ). The colorful one is the male and now that he has his colorful "big boy" fancy pants on, he will be dead of old age in a year or less. The boring brown one is the female. She'd be around for a long time.

The Male is BEAUTIFUL! and so big compared to the female.. I'd prefer the male, why is it the males dont last long, compared to females, is it because females are internally stronger then males because of giving birth? Or is that just how it is..
also I didn't know that T's can basically take off they're own leg if its injured, and when they molt another one appears? Thats the smartest & most clever thing, I didn't know they were that intelligent.. Not saying they're dumb

[desipooh.12]

Originally Posted by kelzerman

That is definitely a juvenile. Yes slings are tiny. This one is about the size of a dime.



This one could go in a small deli cup, but when they are a sling sling about the size of a pinkie nail I would recommend a small vial.

see now thats cute! I've seen them as slings & they look so harmless! I'd want a sling at first to adjust & let it grow with me..

[desipooh.12]

Originally Posted by kelzerman

No that is just an A. avicularia. Those are cool also. Mine would jump from one hand to the other. There a good starter T, but you have to remember they are an arboreal tarantula and need height rather then floor space. Also they tend to appreciate higher humidity which can be an issue because of mold and fungus. But I never had an issue with mine. As long as you have some sort of cross ventilation you will be fine. Ill get pictures when I get home of my juvi P. platyomma compared to how he/she looks now. I have not sexed it yet, because he/she loves to destroy his/her molt after.

yeah I've seen the setups for the arboreal Ts & its cool, the humidity I can handle.. Hopefully for my first T I can get a docile one lol key word HOPEFULLY bahaha

[DragonsEye]

Originally Posted by kelzerman

No that is just an A. avicularia.

Ah. I didn't realize the Avic avic slings were so colorful. Looks a lot like a baby minatrix. Too bad they don't keep that look.

Originally Posted by kelzerman

Also they tend to appreciate higher humidity which can be an issue because of mold and fungus. But I never had an issue with mine.

I never had an issue either. I suspect in my case it was because I kept its enclosure drier than most folks would. I just made sure it had plenty of water available to drink. The pic I posted was of mine. I'll "have" to get a new one someday. Mine "hooked out" so I gave him to a breeder I know.

Originally Posted by Skits

The temperament is really based on the individual T. Some will enjoy being handled, some won't.

Sorry to break it to you, Skits, but there is no such thing as a T that "enjoys" being held. They are far too primitive to have such emotions. The best that can be said is that there are Ts that will "tolerate" being handled.

Originally Posted by desipooh.12

The Male is BEAUTIFUL! and so big compared to the female.. I'd prefer the male, why is it the males dont last long, compared to females, ...

Males once they are sexually mature get wanderlust bad. Whether they "wear themselves out" looking for a mate, or whether they have that strong searching drive programmed into them because their life clock is "ticking down" is anybody's guess. Simplest to say, that's just the way they are.

Originally Posted by desipooh.12

I didn't know that T's can basically take off they're own leg if its injured, and when they molt another one appears?

The damage has to be pretty extreme for them to autotomize a limb. When the limb is regrown it is done gradually with each successive molt resulting in a replacement limb that is a bit bigger and a bit closer to normal size.

Originally Posted by desipooh.12

Thats the smartest & most clever thing, I didn't know they were that intelligent.. Not saying they're dumb

They ARE dumb/not very intelligent. The ability to regrow a limb has nothing to do with their brain power, nor is it under conscious control. It is simply the way they are designed.

[kelzerman]

lmao Dragon I am laughing my "butt" off at your comment, "They ARE dumb" haha.

That's a little harsh. I would just say they have a very primitive brain.

[desipooh.12]

Originally Posted by DragonsEye

Ah. I didn't realize the Avic avic slings were so colorful. Looks a lot like a baby minatrix. Too bad they don't keep that look.



I never had an issue either. I suspect in my case it was because I kept its enclosure drier than most folks would. I just made sure it had plenty of water available to drink. The pic I posted was of mine. I'll "have" to get a new one someday. Mine "hooked out" so I gave him to a breeder I know.




Sorry to break it to you, Skits, but there is no such thing as a T that "enjoys" being held. They are far too primitive to have such emotions. The best that can be said is that there are Ts that will "tolerate" being handled.



Males once they are sexually mature get wanderlust bad. Whether they "wear themselves out" looking for a mate, or whether they have that strong searching drive programmed into them because their life clock is "ticking down" is anybody's guess. Simplest to say, that's just the way they are.



The damage has to be pretty extreme for them to autotomize a limb. When the limb is regrown it is done gradually with each successive molt resulting in a replacement limb that is a bit bigger and a bit closer to normal size.



They ARE dumb/not very intelligent. The ability to regrow a limb has nothing to do with their brain power, nor is it under conscious control. It is simply the way they are designed.

lol I know that growing back they're leg has nothing to do with intelligence,
I ment the fact that they amputee they're own leg when its injured,
Some guy was talking about how his T did that on a group on Facebook.