Moving on...

[E.M.DuBois]

Greetings, everyone,


So, a little over a month ago, I laid my first tarantula, Everwood, a 13-year-old female Rose-Hair, to rest after watching her die.


Since then, I keep catching myself glancing at her cage (which I’ve cleaned out, but have kept otherwise intact out of respect.) I keep longing for her to be in there. I don’t think I’m quite ready to move on, yet, but I still keep wondering to myself: if I could move on, then should I get another one?

I’ll leave that question up in the air for me to answer on my own one day, and move on to the follow-up that you guys can inform me on: Other than Rose-hairs, what other type of tarantula is a really laid-back and easy going kind? The kind that wouldn’t mind seeing a hand in their cage or being handled? (Everwood was never one for handling, which I don't mind, but she never gave a damn about my hand in her cage. Once when I was fixing her water-bowl, she just lingered on over, webbed a few strings over my fingers, then went back to her den, lol. I guess I was never anything but a decoration to her.)

 

[LuboMoravcik]

Any other Grammostola species or a Brachypelma species is likely to be docile, and not mind hands. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Enn49]

You'll never forget her so in that sense you'll not be replacing her but it does ease the pain to get another T to watch and enjoy.

 

[Tortoise Tom]

Sorry to hear about Everwood.

I just did a bunch of research into docile and outgoing species for my daughter's first tarantula. We narrowed it down to these three species:
Aphonopelma seemanni
Eupalaestrus campestratus
Grammostola pulchripes

Other honorable mentions were:
Grammostola pulchra
Brachypelma albopilosum
Brachypelma albiceps

She ended up choosing the G. pulchripes for the larger size and pretty colors.

Give us some more insight to help make suggestions with. What's most important to you: Large or small size, pretty colors, mild manners, outgoing personality, strong feeding response, other traits?

 

[Whitelightning777]

Pink zebra beauties (E campestratus) & E sp red are considered the most handlable, but having said that inverts shouldn't really be handled more then absolutely necessary, read emergencies rehousing maybe etc.

 

[bbbs53]

The Red Knees are pretty docile and live well in captivity. My first was a b.Smithi and she was very docile. On the other hand it comes down to individuals, some are and some are not allowing it. My current girl has very irritating bristles so she gets left alone which is safer for her anyway although she doesn't mind me messing about in her enclosure. She has never turned and got her back legs flicking the bristles so I am going to figure she isn't annoyed. Sorry for your loss, however the best way to recover is to get another and keep up your routine which from your success I would say works. Best of luck with your new spider.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Sorry to hear of your loss. I always replace a lost T with two more...

 

[Whitelightning777]

I think that's basically a requirement.

I generally don't even stick my hands into a cage unless they're hidden behind a cell phone taking pics.

That's one trick feeding tongs won't do. Of mine, only my C versicolor has ever walked upon me, usually while trying to escape from an enclosure that was way too small even he was way smaller.

When you drop the requirement of easily handled, there's a while new world of possible great long lived tarantulas just waiting to be found.

Still, I remember handling that pink zebra beauty many years ago. She was a confirmed female according to the pet shop being passed around to several people.

Another customer and their daughter purchased her and I agreed to let them get her instead of myself. Sometimes I still kick myself in the rear for not getting that one.

She was almost the same size as my Lasiodora klugi is now. Assuming the PZB is still alive, she'll be fully grown by now.

As far as handling my L klugi.....

Hahahahahahahaha
Bwaahh hahahaha hee hee hee !!!

Yeah right!!

That PZB was the calmest critter I've ever seen. Emperor scorps are also considered handlable by some people but if those ever did tag you, it would hurt, more so from the powerful claws not the stinger.