Free OBT. Should I take it?

[mass]

A 20 gallon will work fine. You can go with something bigger if you like, but it'll mostly be just for display. They tend to stick to the safety of their burrow.
Tarantulas are also nocturnal. So they really only wander out at night.
If your T is wandering the tank endlessly during the daytime, then something is wrong. Usually has to do with an inadequate hide.

You can feed it a pinkie once a month. Not too many too quickly though. Vertebrates are high in calcium, which can actually harm a tarantula. Too much calcium can cause things like fang deformities and dangerous molting issues.
L. parahybana does have a juicy appetite though. So feed it about 6 crickets every Friday, with a pinkie substitute every 3-4 weeks.

I did find a pic of my female L. parahybana when she was just a juvenile.
Her eggsac held over 500 slings.

I am not at all a spider fan but that is very impressive mass!

Actually.. tarantulas aren't spiders.
Yes they have 8 legs, but so do fleas, ticks, and scorpions.
Tarantulas are theraphosids, spiders are theraphosidae.
So one is a "tarantula", the others are called "true spiders".
I don't do true spiders either. I like the large ones so I know where they are at all times!

p.S.. There's no such thing as a deadly tarantula.
As far as I know, there are no recorded human deaths from a tarantula bite.
Only spider bite fatalities have been documented.
But I've been out of the loop for awhile, so that may have changed.

mass, have you ever fed a mouse or rat to a larger spider like that??

Me!?!?! What? pssh.. never!

 

[amphirion]

could someone correct me on this?

i thought organisms belonging to a family ending in "-idae" could be called an "-id", or "ids"

for example, with fish, any organism that is found in the family "Cichlidae" may be called a "cichlid"
another using insects, any organism that is found in the family "Papilionidae" may be called a "papilionid"

following this logic (because systematics are, well, systematic) it would stand to reason that any organism found in the family "Theraphosidae" may be called a "theraphosid".
all tarantulas are theraphosphids because they belong to the family theraphosidae. (redundant i know)

hope that clears the air.
then again, what the derp does a guy with a degree in marine ecology and biodiversity know about spiders....

beautiful Tarantula, love the iridescent green on the toes.

 

[Wire Man]

That goliath is impressive! I've read all about calcium issues, so I'm very aware of the problems that can occur. 20 gallons sounds very reasonable.

 

[mass]

hope that clears the air.
then again, what the derp does a guy with a degree in marine ecology and biodiversity know about spiders....

beautiful Tarantula, love the iridescent green on the toes.

What the hell is a derp?
Can't find that in any of my books.

Guess you're more "qualified" to answer all of these questions then.
Wouldn't want to fog the air with my experience.

 

[richjam1986]

Awesome stuff Mass!

 

[amphirion]

Not trying to step on anyone's toes, mass. Systematic phylogenetics I know, but I don't know derp about tarantula captivity or breeding. I'll leave that to more experienced people.

 

[chibae]

"All tarantulas belong to the Theraphosidae family, which resides in the Mygalomorphae infraorder. Like the mygalomorphs, araneomorphs (true spiders) are also included in the spider suborder Opisthothelae. They are however easily differentiated from the araneomorphs (true spiders) by the articulation of their chelicerae or jaws. In mygalomorphs the jaws are positioned in such a way that they strike downwards towards the ground whereas araneomorph jaws close together in a sideways pincer movement. The second suborder of spiders (Mesothelae) has mygalomorph type jaws, but uniquely possess an abdomen covered dorsally with ‘armour’ plates. "

 

[amphirion]

@chibae: thanks for the clarification. so all spiders are Araneae, but the true spiders are found in the subfamily Araneomorphae and so are called something completely different all together.

 

[Wire Man]

The joys of taxonomy....

I was scouting out terrariums today. Would a regular 20 gal with screen top be best or should I go with an Exo Terra? The Exo Terra low terrariums would allow for better side air circulation, but they're much more expensive.

 

[mass]

You don't want to encourage the T to climb, as she could hurt herself with a fall.
She's a New World terrestrial.
So just a regular ol' 20 gallon with a screen (clamped) lid.
More ground space the better.

 

[nepenthes99]

I have my chilean rose hair in an exoterra cube tank with about a square foot of ground space. It acts more like a scorpion. It makes huge extensive burrows in the coco peat substrate I gave it and has made pretty much the entire ground his web. I drop 10 crickets in the tank every week. I would love to give it more give it a bigger tank but with all my CPs and a reef aquarium I cant. I have found tarantulas extremely easy to take care of. Good luck with your specimen, I hope everything goes well for it.

 

[Wire Man]

You don't want to encourage the T to climb, as she could hurt herself with a fall.
She's a New World terrestrial.
So just a regular ol' 20 gallon with a screen (clamped) lid.
More ground space the better.

They actually just came out with a new Low series. They're only 12" tall. It looks like I won't need to get it for a while since the little guy is only 1.5" wide right now.

 

[mass]

ah. Still critter carrier size then..
Don't expect her to stay small for long though. Depending on your feeding habits she can hit 10" in a year or so.

 

[Wire Man]

Awesome! I like fast growth rates.

 

[mass]

Good. Because they like getting fed every week.

 

[Wire Man]

Just picked it up today! She's adorably small. I'll be feeding her tomorrow after work, and recording it.

 

[mass]

remember to feed her food items that are half her body length or less.

 

[Wire Man]

I will, small crickets will suffice for a while.

 

[bluemax]

A very interesting thread! When the time seems right how about a photo, Wireman?

 

[Wire Man]

Just fed her and got a video. For such a small spider it has a big appetite.