# spiderling vs. adult for the beginner



## plaguebird (Mar 22, 2014)

So I’m not a tarantula owner yet but I’d like to be in the future. I’d prefer to raise a spiderling to maturity than purchase an adult spider, though I understand that slings are considered less suitable for the beginner.

I’d be grateful to hear from anyone who started with a sling, anyone with experience raising slings, about what you consider to be the most significant difficulties in comparison to caring for a juvenile or an adult; is it really that much harder to start with the young? 

All input welcome, particularly about raising G. Pulchripes or G. Pulchra. 

Patience is not an issue, I understand the growth process takes years.

Thanks!


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## esmi000 (Oct 29, 2013)

Personally id get an adult to start of with like a Chilean rose hair due to slings need more attention. Do some research on slings before buying one.


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## PeterUK (Jun 21, 2008)

If you prefer to raise a T for yourself but are not sure if you can raise a sling, why not get a juvenile instead ? 
Most terrestrial species over 1 inch legspan will have passed the delicate stage.


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## plaguebird (Mar 22, 2014)

Thanks both for the responses! Gah, sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was going to buy a sling, or any tarantula, without doing any research-- I’m definitely still in the information gathering stage.

Also I apologize because I've since found a number of threads on here similar to mine, didn't mean to add to the pile unnecessarily.

Yes, I will look into juveniles: lots of growth but less fragile makes good sense.


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

plaguebird said:


> Thanks both for the responses! Gah, sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was going to buy a sling, or any tarantula, without doing any research-- I’m definitely still in the information gathering stage.
> 
> Also I apologize because I've since found a number of threads on here similar to mine, didn't mean to add to the pile unnecessarily.
> 
> Yes, I will look into juveniles: lots of growth but less fragile makes good sense.


plus, if you go for a large juve, you can get a sexed female.


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## Pogonaviti (Jan 21, 2014)

If you do enough research and set things up well then there's no reason not to start with a sling. It will be more difficult than a juvi or an adult but if it's what you're wanting to do it'll also be more rewarding. 
The differences are slings are less forgiving to husbandry errors and are delicate at first and could die from simple things. 
I'd say, research, then go for it. It's not impossible.


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## Spideypidey (Jan 23, 2014)

It's a big attraction isn't it to get a baby and then rear it to adult. That's what we do with a lot of pets. But the problem with Tarantulas is depending on which you get is that they can be slow growing. It could be two years or more before it even starts to look like a _proper_ Tarantula. So as part of your research look into how fast the Tarantula you're attracted to grows and realise that in getting a Spiderling there could be a big investment of time.

The benefit of a juvenile or adult, as previously stated, is that you can request a female which is preferable because they live longer. For example if you get an adult male Chilean Rose you'll be lucky if it lasts 6 months.

Welcome to the hobby, good luck and handle with care knowing that they can bite and sometimes flick hairs if you get one that can do that. But they don't go for your throat - not a lot anyway 

Lastly, the upcoming BTS Exhibition will be useful in viewing different Tarantulas, getting advice and possibly buying one.
British Tarantula Society Exhibition Sunday 18th May 2014 | "The best Tarantula Exhibition in the world just got better"


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## Gratenkutzombie (Dec 28, 2012)

I'm completely new to tarantulas. My first spiderling (B. Emilia 0.75cm when i got it) is doing fantastically and my new spiderling acquisition (B. Vagans 0.50cm leg span and is tiny) is doing very well. Of course, research is the key. As long as you stick to the basics you shouldent go far wrong.


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## markaveli (Feb 19, 2011)

PeterUK said:


> If you prefer to raise a T for yourself but are not sure if you can raise a sling, why not get a juvenile instead ?
> Most terrestrial species over 1 inch legspan will have passed the delicate stage.


I agree with peter here. You get a bit of both then. I usually only buy sub adult or adult but over the last few months have bought a few slings to see how they mature over time too.


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## hacman1889 (Jul 18, 2011)

it also depends what you want. a T that can be very expensive when adult can be cheaper when a sling. i have raised a Metallica from sling and a greenbottleblue and they were alot cheaper as sling. like the others say, as long as you research and know what you are getting into then it should not be too difficul ............ just don't start with something aggressive like an OBT. i would personally reccomend the grenn bottle blue, beautiful T that is not shy and does come out.


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Or... You could just get both  A sling for 5quid (depending on species), and a sub adult/adult of something like cheaper species of Grammostola or Euathlus for around £25... Also makes it more worthwhile with postage costs if you are ordering from the internet...

That way, you have a sling to rear, and a nice slow moving adult species to get used to, which will be more impressive to look at...

And by the time the sling becomes a juvie, you'll probably have about 30 species of all different shapes and sizes anyway!!

<i>Acanthoscurria geniculata</i><br>Giant White Knee (1cm) Suppliers of Arachnids and other quality Invertebrates

Mexican Red Knee (Brachypelma smithi) Suppliers of Arachnids and other quality Invertebrates

<i>Lasiodora parahybana</i><br>Salmon Pink (10 cm) Suppliers of Arachnids and other quality Invertebrates

<i>Avicularia avicularia</i><br>Pink Toe (9 cm) Suppliers of Arachnids and other quality Invertebrates

Chile Beautiful (Euathlus truculentus) Suppliers of Arachnids and other quality Invertebrates

Red Chile Rose (Grammostola rosea) Suppliers of Arachnids and other quality Invertebrates



Just a small selection of ideas for the many possibilities


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## morg (Jul 20, 2007)

And by the time the sling becomes a juvie, you'll probably have about 30 species of all different shapes and sizes anyway


Thats exactly how it happened with me Adam:whistling2:, bought a B smithi sling, and by the time it had grown a bit I had over 20 spiders , some adult some slings:blush: lol


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## Gratenkutzombie (Dec 28, 2012)

I must admit, i have a real soft spot for the Brachy family. I was considering an old world T and went looking at OBT slings and H. Schmidti slings. The guy showed me what they were like a adults and within 2 seconds of opening the tank the adult H. Schmidti had reared up in a threat posture. Surprising how fast T's can be. Needless to say, i won't be getting anything aggressive..ever.


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## plaguebird (Mar 22, 2014)

@Adam B. Jones, morg: haha, yeah, I’ve heard that ‘just one’ tends to rapidly become ‘very many’. Maybe! 

@hacman1889: no worries on the OBT front, no old world T’s on my list of potentials, and I agree that the green bottle blue is beautiful.

As it is I’m leaning towards a juvenile G. pulchripes, chaco golden knee, but I've got a lot more research to do before making a decision. I’ve heard the Grammostola T’s can be particularly slow to reach their adult sizes but that’s alright, I understand it is a long-term commitment.

Thanks to all for your responses!


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## Pogonaviti (Jan 21, 2014)

Gratenkutzombie said:


> Needless to say, i won't be getting anything aggressive..ever.


Ive always been intrigued by the "aggressive" T's. They show more character than most with the threat postures and such. And a lot of the "aggressive" species are stunning! Make for good watching when they're eating and things too. 

Tarantulas are a display "pet" really so I get confused when people are put off by the "aggressive" T's as they're no more likely to bite you than a docile T if you treat them both with caution and respect.


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## Gratenkutzombie (Dec 28, 2012)

I wouldn't want it running up the tweezers when feeding and mistaking my actions as aggressive. I don't handle them either.


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## jaybott (Mar 12, 2014)

Get what you want no need to ask really as you'll make your own opinion about what to do


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## Spideypidey (Jan 23, 2014)

jaybott said:


> Get what you want no need to ask really as you'll make your own opinion about what to do


To some extent I agree with this. We give advice on what to keep and how to keep it but some beginners just get what they are attracted to and notwithstanding the advice just learn from their own mistakes.

We tend to advise on those Tarantulas which are regarded as being docile and low maintenance such as the Chilean Rose and that tends to unduly limit the Tarantulas that a beginner should keep. But there is no reason why a beginner cannot maintain a more specific habitat with regard to temperature, humidity and enclosure. But there are those Tarantulas which are more recommended for more experienced keepers. One such is Orange Baboon Tarantula otherwise known as the Orange Bitey Thing: The major objection is not that it's a particularly aggressive feeder but that it's very fast and by the time we realise that it's going for our finger it's already on our finger. But there is no real reason why a beginner should not get even an OBT provided they know the limitations in handling.


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## morg (Jul 20, 2007)

We tend to advise on those Tarantulas which are regarded as being docile and low maintenance such as the Chilean Rose 



I think I got the exception to the rule with my chili rose.
It rears up whenever I open the viv, and has even wrestled with long tweezers I used to remove waste from the substrate:whistling2:
Its one angry spider:bash:


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## plaguebird (Mar 22, 2014)

Weird, I thought I responded to this thread last night but the post isn't showing up. Well, hopefully this doesn't double post:

@Adam B. Jones, morg: haha, yeah, I’ve heard that ‘just one’ tends to rapidly become ‘very many’. Maybe! 

@hacman1889: no worries on the OBT front, no old world T’s on my list of potentials, and I agree that the green bottle blue is beautiful.

As it is I’m leaning towards a juvenile G. pulchripes, chaco golden knee, but I’ve got a lot more research to do before making a decision. I’ve heard the Grammostola T’s are slow to reach their adult size but that’s alright, I understand it is a long-term commitment.

Thanks to all for your responses!


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