Welcome and enjoy all the learning!!! :thumbsup:

I also just wanted one to "scratch the itch!", just to find myself buying my second T (Haplopelma Lividum) very soon after the first one. Not even a year later and I am sitting with enough to soon be forced to dedicate one room just for T's :happy:

Please do keep us updated with your next purchase, and when you are more comfortable with the hobby, do go and have a look at all the wonderful Poecilotheria species out there (pokies would be my favourite by far, you will see why)

Gerrard wrote: ... Yesterday I bought my first T, a Lasiodora parahybana of about 2cm. I love the little guy already. ...

For Gerrard and all the rest of you who have joined recently, I present my soon-to-be-world-notorious NEWBIE INTRODUCTION to make sure that you're starting out on the right foot and have been introduced to all the basic issues. Even if you aren’t a newbie I suggest that you read through it for review. (I just LUVS doing this!) Please stand by while I load the canned message.


Cue the mariachis, the confetti, and the clowns. :happy: Let's start the party!

Gerrard, please don't be offended! I've been messing with tarantulas longer than most people on this forum have been alive, and I still consider myself a newbie. I'm just having a little fun with you.



Okay, let's get down to business. First, the pleasantries:

[SIZE=+1]"Welcome to the hobby!"

"Welcome to these forums!"[/size]


Now, to get you started on the right foot I urge you to read the following webpages.

Stan's Rant - A little initial boost in the right direction.
BE SURE TO READ AND HEED THE WARNINGS! They'll save you a bundle of cash and maybe a few dead tarantulas!
BE SURE TO READ THE BOOKS! The books will not only answer all your questions, but will also answer all the questions you hadn't thought to ask!

Myths, Misconceptions, and Mistakes Perpetuated by Tarantula Enthusiasts - A growing list of bad information in the hobby. Be sure to explore all the links.

And since you will almost certainly be getting a Chilean rose tarantula (Grammostola rosea) sometime on the future, you definitely should also read Care and Husbandry of the Chilean Rose Tarantula - How NOT to let your Chilean rose tarantula drive you to the funny farm!

Lastly, you should read Substrate to get to the bottom of the situation. :laugh:

Additional Thoughts:

The Search Function:
Don't take this as a criticism, but if you don't already know about it, please learn to use the Search function at the top of the page. It'll save us all a lot of time and effort. Most novices and even many seasoned enthusiasts fail to appreciate that 95+% of all tarantula issues have already been addressed, sometimes ad nauseam, on these forums. All you need do is look for the discussions.

A Basic Operating Principle:
If you can't find an answer to your concern using the Search function (after all, search engines are far from perfect), by all means ask us. Remember,

"The only dumb questions are the ones you don't ask."
"And, dumb questions are always easier to deal with than dumb mistakes!"

Fire away! "We aims to please."


And, as others have already told you,

Visit the webpages. Read the warnings. Read the books. Monitor these forums. Do the searches. IGNORE THE !@#$%! CARE SHEETS!

Then get back to us with any concerns you may have. We're here to help.

Again, you need to read, READ, READ!

Lastly, it would help a lot if you would post several photos of your tarantula and several photos of its cage, all from several different angles. A few cell phones work okay, but most can't focus close enough, and proper focus is very important. If at all possible use a better camera. Maybe borrow one from a family member or friend? A picture is worth 1000 words! Besides, "We LUVS pichers!"


End Canned Message

FYI: L. parahybana is one of the world's largest tarantulas. Adults in captivity can reach a diagonal leg span (DLS) of 25 cm or more. A very few, very rare wild individuals have been recorded in the 30 cm range! As young 'uns they require immense amounts of food so they can grow fast and furiously. If at all possible, keep yours at a very slightly elevated temperature (a warmer part of your home, NOT with an artificial heater!), and feed it as much as it will eat.

I am appending here a schedule to follow in caring for your tarantulas as they grow. This will soon be turned into another webpage on my website , and will eventually be incorporated into TKG4 . So, you're getting advance information here.

CAVEATS: Note that the following rules of thumb apply to nearly all tarantulas except a few obligate swamp dwellers, and to the arboreal species, and those are addressed towards the bottom.

BABY TARANTULAS: Those younger tarantulas with a diagonal leg span (DLS) of about 1.5" (3.8 cm) or less should be kept in a relatively closed container that heavily restricts ventilation. The substrate should be kept slightly damp. All this maintains a constant, elevated (but not excessive) humidity. Do not mist; instead, reread the last few sentences carefully. Do not spend a lot of time, energy, effort, or money on fancy containers. Like humanoid babies, these will outgrow their containers soon, thereby wasting all your finest efforts over and over again.

SPIDERLINGS TO ADULTS: Those younger tarantulas with a DLS of about 2" (5 cm) and larger should be kept in cages with dry substrate and supplied a water dish with clean water. Keep almost all of these as arid species. (See the exceptions below.)

TWEENS: Those tarantulas between the aforementioned two sizes should be gradually acclimatized to a dry cage over a period of 2 or 3 molts. Gradually allow the container/cage to dry out, but be very sure to supply a water dish with clean water. You're gradually removing the higher humidity and substituting a water dish as the primary water source. In response, the tarantula develops a thicker, more impervious waxy layer to prevent excessive water loss from its body. All it needs is a little time to adjust.

Note that many tarantulas from semi-arid and arid places like the American Great Plains and the Kalahari Desert can make this transition much earlier in life than these recommended times. But, it does them no harm to wait a little longer either.

SWAMP DWELLERS: These are tarantulas like the species of Theraphosa, Ephebopus, Hysterocrates, Megaphobema, and a few others. These do not have the impervious, water retentive exoskeletons of the other tarantulas and require a constant, high humidity. Keep these in "baby" style cages for their entire lives, adjusting for increased size of course.

Enthusiasts are discovering that wild caught "swampers" will gradually develop a somewhat greater resistance to slightly drier conditions if the transition is done slowly and over an extended period of time. And, those swampers that are bred in captivity fare much better and can tolerate drier cages much better than their wild caught brethren.

ARBOREALS: Wild caught arboreals (assumed to be adults), particularly members of the genus Avicularia fare poorly when first brought into captivity, partly because of "shipping shock" and partly because of the sudden change in environmental conditions. To combat this, they should be initially set up and cared for as babies for the first few weeks (initial recovery period), then quickly switched to a "Tweens" care regimen (secondary acclimatization period) for the first one or two molts. Thereafter keep them as adult, arid tarantulas but maintain a slightly elevated humidity by slightly restricting ventilation. Always supply them a water dish. (In the middle of the night as they hunt for food they'll pussyfoot down to the water dish and take a sip. And being sound asleep, you'll never, EVER know it happened!)

Captive bred arboreals (assumed to be babies or very young spiderlings) usually do not suffer the acclimatization problems that the wild caught ones do, but sometimes suffer shipping shock from bad treatment during transportation. When first received they should be kept as babies (see above) for two or three weeks, then they can be quickly changed over to whatever care regimen is appropriate according to the schedule given here, depending on their size and age.

Adult L. parahybana can be kept as an arid species. Detailed descriptions and instructions for keeping arid species can be found in the books listed in Stan's Rant .

Lastly, if you intend to handle your L. parahybana (as opposed to merely manipulating it with a drinking glass and piece of cardboard) you need to start practicing with the tarantula before its DLS exceeds the diameter of a normal coffee cup. That way both you and the spider will be accustomed to the procedure and know what to expect as it approaches dinner plate size, and it's a lot less likely to arm wrestle you to the floor! :woohoo:

A detailed discussion of handling and manipulating can be found in TKG3 . Most other books either don't mention it at all, just superficially gloss over the subject, or even give you way, WAY, WAY wrong advice. (Sorry for the unabashed, self-serving plug here, people. But, I couldn't think of a more tactful way to approach the issue. :blush: )

There! I've done enough damage. I'll leave you now to do your homework. :laugh:

Wow! Wish I received such valuable advice when I did my introduction

Thanks for all the replies guys, Stan in particular, that was a great post.

Well I have decided that I want as many T's as I can afford and my wife will allow so my collection will be rapidly expanding shortly. First however I am going to make a trip to my local library and read a few books from respected authors on the subject. I have done nothing but hunt for information in the interweb since obtaining my first T and the amount of contradictory information is astonishing. To date I have ignored the extremes of advice and taken an average of the rest regarding care of my little L.Para.
She (unsexed but I will refer to it as a her in the hopes it is female) has not eaten yet since I got her on tuesday, I offered her a tiny cricket but it ran around in the enclosure for 2 days and a night so I removed it. I don't think its a molt as there is no signs of darker coloration so I will try again tonight and see what happens.

Again, thanks for the informative posts.

As for books, get Stan's book, The tarantula keepers guide.
Dimitri might still have a few copies, or know where to get if kalahari.com fails.

Stanley put the link to book in our shop. I have some available if you want.