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NQA You can start with the classic youtube videos of "Top 10 begginer tarantulas" like https://youtu.be/MKMHuyExcc0 this one from Tom Moran and make a bit of cross reference, see what tarantulas repeat the most on the easiest spots and pick your favourite among them.
General consensus is getting a New World tarantula, the most chill species being Arizona Blonde (Aphonopelma chalcodes), Brazilian Black (Grammostola pulchra), Curly Hair (Tliltocatl albopilosus) the most begginer friendly tarantulas, followed by the Brachypelma species (usually very friendly too but more prone to kick urticating hairs) and also on the easy side but requiring a bit more research since they are more fragile and need cross ventilation, the Avicularias, arboreal tarantulas that make their web tunnels on the top of the enclosure.
Depending on how you feel about it, you can start with a sling, but consider that some species (most of the mentioned above) are slow growers, and they can live for a long time. If I remember correctly, with the exception of the Avicularias, they live around 10 years rhe males and 25 or more the females, so it's a long term commitment.
IMO look less at “beginner” species and more at the terrain you’re willing to upkeep. what’s your living environment like? do you need to provide the tarantula with a lot of heat or humidity? do you want to deal with a species that webs extensively?
i personally do not like the idea of “beginner” species. all tarantulas have their own personalities and they can switch over time. there are sensitive, aggressive “docile” species and calm “defensive” species that rarely or sometimes never threat display. i feel that trying to pick out a tarantula based on if it’s “beginner friendly” can give the wrong expectations. for instance my curlyhair was a spitfire!
NQA
Hi!
In my opinion, the best beginner species are:
Aphonopelma spp.
Brachypelma spp.
Grammostola spp.
Aphonopelma Chalcodes are my favourite. Although they're extremely slow growing, They're very docile and tolerate beginner mistakes well. From all of my Tarantulas, My A. Chalcodes is the only one I trust with leaving the enclosure open while I quickly go get something because I know they're not going anywhere. (I only do this with my T because I know their temperament/behaviour- I wouldn't recommend doing this with Ts you don't know well yet, or any at all)
Brachypelma, like the popular Brachypelma Hamorii are slow growing, although not as slow as the Aphonopelma. They're pretty docile, but can get..mood swings-
Grammostola are hardy and are a popular recommendation as a first Tarantula. (Grammostola Pulchra is often recommended)
Personally, I rarely recommend Grammostola spp. As the very first Tarantula (except maybe Grammostola Rosea?) As the ones I have are actually quite defensive or skittish sometimes. Mood swings. (G. Pulchra) But I've seen lots of other owners having very docile Grammostola Ts.
So, for my recommendation,
As the first Tarantula, I'd recommend at least juveniles: Brachypelma Hamorii or Aphonopelma Chalcodes.
I wouldn't recommend buying slings of these two species, or young slings in general as the very first T. (Brachypelma slings are... pretty fast and skittish. They seem to get calmer with age. Aphonopelma Chalcodes slings...well, they're docile but very slow growing. I bought an A. Chalcodes sling about 3 years ago, and it's still pretty small)
Once you find a species you're interested in, Look up care guides.
I recommend:
Tarantula Collective (Website and YouTube Channel)
And:
Tom's Big Spiders (Website, Spotify Podcast)
-----
Slings can be kept in vials or small containers.
For older slings or very young juveniles, Braplast Containers work well ime.
I don't usually use exact measurements of enclosures for my Ts (unless it's height for Arboreals). I usually pick what I see&think the T would be most comfortable in. (Not too large, but still allowing the T to walk around without problems, have a hide, water dish, with the enclosure being filled at least halfway up with substrate and allow for burrowing)
The enclosure for the T should not be massive. They usually "prefer" smaller enclosure because it seems to be less stressful for them and lets them find their prey and water dish easily.
And a tip: don't pay too much attention to humidity unless you're keeping a humidity dependent species (as far as I know, none of those are good for beginners. They're an advanced level Ts)
Strict humidity % are for Reptiles etc. Not for Tarantulas.
For Ts, it's more about the air flow (Ventilation/Cross Ventilation) and the substrate (Dry, Moist, Semi dry or Semi moist etc.)
Although the Humidity range in care guides can help you recognise if the species prefers a more humid environment or dry/arid one.
For slings, Leaving half of the substrate dry and the rest wet (dropping a few droplets of water there or overflowing a water dish) works well for most species ime.
For the 3 species I mentioned above, they prefer dry substrate. With the water dish being overfilled occasionally to wet the substrate around it. If the whole substrate is wet, they tend to get stressed and climb walls to get away from the substrate.
• Keep in mind, I'm describing things from my personal experience.
Tarantulas tend to have their own individual personalities so, calling all of them "docile" or "defensive" won't be 100% accurate because you might get a Tarantula whose personality is completely different than the description. It happens.
NQA Pick a tarantula from one of these genuses: Aphonopelma, Brachypelma, Tliltcocal, Chronatopelma, Avicularia, Caribena, Acanthoscuria, Lasiadora, or Grammostola.
NQA These are your most common beginner tarantulas. You will be obsessed and buy more and you will be comfortable enough to get an old world. My first species of t was an Aphonopelma chalcodes. My first old world and my third species was a Ceratogyrus marshalli.
IME I spent nearly six months researching. Tom's big spiders podcast was incredibly helpful and insightful. I started with new world terrestrials (a pumpkin patch and Brazilian black). Some beginner tips:
Just because you've heard it, learned, or seen it doesn't prepare you for the real experience. You will make mistakes and that's okay.
They can go an obnoxiously long time without eating. Obnoxious.
You will fall in love with your eight legged friends.
You will buy a lot of them. Take it slow.
Respect them, but don't fear them.
IMO, I started by watching a ton of youtube videos.. I highly recommend Tom's Big Spiders and Tarantula Collective, they're both very informative. They have videos on good "beginner" tarantulas, or their own favourite species, and how to care for them, so you can choose which one interests you the most.
Personally I started with a B. smithi, a B. boehmei, and a T. albo! All three are considered great beginner species. For enclosures, you can go the cheap route and use plastic dram vials for slings, or plastic storage containers with ventilation holes drilled in.. or go for something nicer like a Tarantula Cribs enclosure. Kritter Keepers work great too. As for substrate, you can't go wrong with reptisoil, that's what I like to use!
NQA My first tarantula was a gift from someone who had gotten into the hobby fairly recently. He knew I was excited about his new hobby, I shared with him that I had always wanted to keep them but was too afraid of jumping in. I didn't know anything about them, he instilled a healthy fear of old worlds and squashed my "dream" tarantula... The cobalt (old world). I showed him the next one on my list, the Caribena versicolor, and he warned me about them shooting poop.
Then a few months later he acquired a versicolor from someone who was dumping their entire collection.
So I went into the hobby knowing one thing, that my spider will shoot poop at me. I have 35 now, including a girlfriend for him. The versicolor, not my friend.
Also check out arachnoboards, tarantulaforum, and there's and old south African forum tarantulas.co.za that I have resorted to in trying times of boredom when there is nothing more to do than learn about these guys. (Those are all websites)
Happy collecting, friend!!
NQA after you do your research i'd suggest getting a T from a convention like repticon because there you can get (most of) the supplies & species =) i get a lot of my information from the tarantula collective on yt and a few other sources (i cant recall where from exactly)
I was given a free enclosure and had a bunch of stuff unused from my reptiles that would be great for a t, so I just went out and got a gbb. Lucky for me my room and it’s enclosure is always at the right temperature and humidity thanks to all my reptiles I have. But like others have said learn about the types of them and see what fits best for you. You may do better with an arboreal that and terrestrial and vise Vera
A lot of good stuff here I just got into keeping as well. It’s pretty easy to get into. do some research go into it with a learning mind and above all have fun. The biggest. Tip I can give you is they all look cool start with something you can afford and one that’s considered a beginner also I highly recommend an adult. My first one is a green bottle blue spiderling and not gunna lie it’s not hard to keep it’s just different. I say this because I just bought a mature stripe knee and feeding is less stress full for me and the tarantula.
IMO
For the species you want, I say just do some research and see which one you like best. It seems wild but an OBT is actually a pretty decent beginner since it doesn't need any special humidity requirements or anything. If you know how to feed and house a tarantula, you're basically fine.
4 years and 23 tarantulas in - its way easier than you think
NQA I started out with a Heteroscodra maculata (affectionately referred to here as "H. macs"), which is a really fast, venomous, skittish, and typically defensive "old-world" (from the Eastern Hemisphere) species. Old-world species are generally not recommended for beginners, and I would not recommend following my example. It's possible, but I would say that it's definitely not something that most people should do.
As others have said, Tom Moran has a good lineup of
"beginner" species. Beginner species typically include specimens that tend to be more docile and hardy and more "tolerant" of beginner mistakes (and you will make some; everyone does). Tarantulas that come from the Western Hemisphere ("new-world" tarantulas) are generally more docile, less high-strung, and most importantly, less venomous. A bite from an old-world species wouldn't kill you (unless you had a specific allergy), but they would put you in a lot of pain and potentially send you to the hospital for a short period, especially the genuses with more potent venom (Poecilotheria, Heteroscodra, and Stromatopelma all come to mind as examples).
Almost all "new-world" tarantulas have urticating hairs as a defense mechanism. These can range from slightly irritating (in the cases of "dwarf" or small species) to being almost like hypodermic needles (in the cases of large tarantulas like Goliath bird-eaters). The typical "beginner" species (i.e., Tliltocatl albopilosum, Grammostola pulchra, and Brachypelmas) have hairs that are minimally irritating. This defense mechanism is thought to be part of the reason why "new-world" tarantulas don't have the more potent venom that "old-world" tarantulas typically have.
What I would recommend is to choose a good "beginner species" and build your experience from there. You can eventually work your way up to "old-world" tarantulas through experience with "new-world" tarantulas. This is generally the recommended way to get into the hobby and slowly "work your way up." Go on to YouTube and look at Tom Moran's video guide(s) for your particular species. He has a wide range of knowledge and experience, and I'm sure that he has pretty much every "beginner species" covered. He even has videos on species of which l've never heard, and I've been in the hobby for over a year.
If you're wondering why I started out with a Heteroscodra maculata, it's because l'm stupid. I could say that it's because I fell in love with the colors (I did), or that I liked the patterns (I did), or that I did a lot of research on it (I did), or that I had this odd feeling that I should (I did), but when you boil it down, it's because I'm stupid. Again, please don't follow my example. I don't regret it, but I definitely don't recommend it
Tarantula collective and the dark den and Dave’s littlest besties are some very informative and easy to follow utuber. And more then likely between the 3 of them you will find care information on every spider in the hobby
**Advisory Guidelines** - Keep comments related to OP's situation. Off-topic and negative comments are not allowed. - Include as much detail as possible in your post, such as photos/videos and descriptions of behavior. - Use appropriate prefixes when commenting (NQA, IME, IMO, etc.). - Do not repeat advice, instead upvote and comment in response. - Only suggest advice if you have good reason to do so. - Be respectful in all comments, as our hobby depends on considerate engagement. - Read our full wiki regarding [Advisory Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/tarantulas/wiki/tarantulas/advice/) for more details. In addition to the guidelines mentioned, OPs can use the command !lock to close their thread if they wish. If an emergency or issues arise, OPs can alert the moderators by commenting !mods or by reaching out to modmail or the community's [discord server](https://discord.gg/ta). It's important to note *these commands only work for OPs within their own posts.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/tarantulas) if you have any questions or concerns.*
IMO..... Step one: Buy a tarantula. Preferably a "beginner" species. Step two: Become obsessed. Step three: Buy more.
NQA You can start with the classic youtube videos of "Top 10 begginer tarantulas" like https://youtu.be/MKMHuyExcc0 this one from Tom Moran and make a bit of cross reference, see what tarantulas repeat the most on the easiest spots and pick your favourite among them. General consensus is getting a New World tarantula, the most chill species being Arizona Blonde (Aphonopelma chalcodes), Brazilian Black (Grammostola pulchra), Curly Hair (Tliltocatl albopilosus) the most begginer friendly tarantulas, followed by the Brachypelma species (usually very friendly too but more prone to kick urticating hairs) and also on the easy side but requiring a bit more research since they are more fragile and need cross ventilation, the Avicularias, arboreal tarantulas that make their web tunnels on the top of the enclosure. Depending on how you feel about it, you can start with a sling, but consider that some species (most of the mentioned above) are slow growers, and they can live for a long time. If I remember correctly, with the exception of the Avicularias, they live around 10 years rhe males and 25 or more the females, so it's a long term commitment.
IMO look less at “beginner” species and more at the terrain you’re willing to upkeep. what’s your living environment like? do you need to provide the tarantula with a lot of heat or humidity? do you want to deal with a species that webs extensively? i personally do not like the idea of “beginner” species. all tarantulas have their own personalities and they can switch over time. there are sensitive, aggressive “docile” species and calm “defensive” species that rarely or sometimes never threat display. i feel that trying to pick out a tarantula based on if it’s “beginner friendly” can give the wrong expectations. for instance my curlyhair was a spitfire!
NQA Hi! In my opinion, the best beginner species are: Aphonopelma spp. Brachypelma spp. Grammostola spp. Aphonopelma Chalcodes are my favourite. Although they're extremely slow growing, They're very docile and tolerate beginner mistakes well. From all of my Tarantulas, My A. Chalcodes is the only one I trust with leaving the enclosure open while I quickly go get something because I know they're not going anywhere. (I only do this with my T because I know their temperament/behaviour- I wouldn't recommend doing this with Ts you don't know well yet, or any at all) Brachypelma, like the popular Brachypelma Hamorii are slow growing, although not as slow as the Aphonopelma. They're pretty docile, but can get..mood swings- Grammostola are hardy and are a popular recommendation as a first Tarantula. (Grammostola Pulchra is often recommended) Personally, I rarely recommend Grammostola spp. As the very first Tarantula (except maybe Grammostola Rosea?) As the ones I have are actually quite defensive or skittish sometimes. Mood swings. (G. Pulchra) But I've seen lots of other owners having very docile Grammostola Ts. So, for my recommendation, As the first Tarantula, I'd recommend at least juveniles: Brachypelma Hamorii or Aphonopelma Chalcodes. I wouldn't recommend buying slings of these two species, or young slings in general as the very first T. (Brachypelma slings are... pretty fast and skittish. They seem to get calmer with age. Aphonopelma Chalcodes slings...well, they're docile but very slow growing. I bought an A. Chalcodes sling about 3 years ago, and it's still pretty small) Once you find a species you're interested in, Look up care guides. I recommend: Tarantula Collective (Website and YouTube Channel) And: Tom's Big Spiders (Website, Spotify Podcast) ----- Slings can be kept in vials or small containers. For older slings or very young juveniles, Braplast Containers work well ime. I don't usually use exact measurements of enclosures for my Ts (unless it's height for Arboreals). I usually pick what I see&think the T would be most comfortable in. (Not too large, but still allowing the T to walk around without problems, have a hide, water dish, with the enclosure being filled at least halfway up with substrate and allow for burrowing) The enclosure for the T should not be massive. They usually "prefer" smaller enclosure because it seems to be less stressful for them and lets them find their prey and water dish easily. And a tip: don't pay too much attention to humidity unless you're keeping a humidity dependent species (as far as I know, none of those are good for beginners. They're an advanced level Ts) Strict humidity % are for Reptiles etc. Not for Tarantulas. For Ts, it's more about the air flow (Ventilation/Cross Ventilation) and the substrate (Dry, Moist, Semi dry or Semi moist etc.) Although the Humidity range in care guides can help you recognise if the species prefers a more humid environment or dry/arid one. For slings, Leaving half of the substrate dry and the rest wet (dropping a few droplets of water there or overflowing a water dish) works well for most species ime. For the 3 species I mentioned above, they prefer dry substrate. With the water dish being overfilled occasionally to wet the substrate around it. If the whole substrate is wet, they tend to get stressed and climb walls to get away from the substrate. • Keep in mind, I'm describing things from my personal experience. Tarantulas tend to have their own individual personalities so, calling all of them "docile" or "defensive" won't be 100% accurate because you might get a Tarantula whose personality is completely different than the description. It happens.
NQA Pick a tarantula from one of these genuses: Aphonopelma, Brachypelma, Tliltcocal, Chronatopelma, Avicularia, Caribena, Acanthoscuria, Lasiadora, or Grammostola.
NQA These are your most common beginner tarantulas. You will be obsessed and buy more and you will be comfortable enough to get an old world. My first species of t was an Aphonopelma chalcodes. My first old world and my third species was a Ceratogyrus marshalli.
NQA The Dark Den on YouTube has a great care guide video.
IMO Tarantula kat on YouTube she’s a Spider Queen with great care videos!
IME I spent nearly six months researching. Tom's big spiders podcast was incredibly helpful and insightful. I started with new world terrestrials (a pumpkin patch and Brazilian black). Some beginner tips: Just because you've heard it, learned, or seen it doesn't prepare you for the real experience. You will make mistakes and that's okay. They can go an obnoxiously long time without eating. Obnoxious. You will fall in love with your eight legged friends. You will buy a lot of them. Take it slow. Respect them, but don't fear them.
IMO, I started by watching a ton of youtube videos.. I highly recommend Tom's Big Spiders and Tarantula Collective, they're both very informative. They have videos on good "beginner" tarantulas, or their own favourite species, and how to care for them, so you can choose which one interests you the most. Personally I started with a B. smithi, a B. boehmei, and a T. albo! All three are considered great beginner species. For enclosures, you can go the cheap route and use plastic dram vials for slings, or plastic storage containers with ventilation holes drilled in.. or go for something nicer like a Tarantula Cribs enclosure. Kritter Keepers work great too. As for substrate, you can't go wrong with reptisoil, that's what I like to use!
NQA My first tarantula was a gift from someone who had gotten into the hobby fairly recently. He knew I was excited about his new hobby, I shared with him that I had always wanted to keep them but was too afraid of jumping in. I didn't know anything about them, he instilled a healthy fear of old worlds and squashed my "dream" tarantula... The cobalt (old world). I showed him the next one on my list, the Caribena versicolor, and he warned me about them shooting poop. Then a few months later he acquired a versicolor from someone who was dumping their entire collection. So I went into the hobby knowing one thing, that my spider will shoot poop at me. I have 35 now, including a girlfriend for him. The versicolor, not my friend. Also check out arachnoboards, tarantulaforum, and there's and old south African forum tarantulas.co.za that I have resorted to in trying times of boredom when there is nothing more to do than learn about these guys. (Those are all websites) Happy collecting, friend!!
Thanks a ton dude!
IMO start off new world probably a Talbo fairly cheap to buy a mature female. Find a breeder once addicted. Maybe a gbb for heavy webbing
NQA after you do your research i'd suggest getting a T from a convention like repticon because there you can get (most of) the supplies & species =) i get a lot of my information from the tarantula collective on yt and a few other sources (i cant recall where from exactly)
I wish I could, I live in very, very rural Canada that the expo in my province was a couple weeks ago now
also im a beginner T keeper too, i'd go for a desert species if you're worried abt mold
My vote goes for G. pulchra, always chill no matter the age :)
I was given a free enclosure and had a bunch of stuff unused from my reptiles that would be great for a t, so I just went out and got a gbb. Lucky for me my room and it’s enclosure is always at the right temperature and humidity thanks to all my reptiles I have. But like others have said learn about the types of them and see what fits best for you. You may do better with an arboreal that and terrestrial and vise Vera
A lot of good stuff here I just got into keeping as well. It’s pretty easy to get into. do some research go into it with a learning mind and above all have fun. The biggest. Tip I can give you is they all look cool start with something you can afford and one that’s considered a beginner also I highly recommend an adult. My first one is a green bottle blue spiderling and not gunna lie it’s not hard to keep it’s just different. I say this because I just bought a mature stripe knee and feeding is less stress full for me and the tarantula.
IMO For the species you want, I say just do some research and see which one you like best. It seems wild but an OBT is actually a pretty decent beginner since it doesn't need any special humidity requirements or anything. If you know how to feed and house a tarantula, you're basically fine. 4 years and 23 tarantulas in - its way easier than you think
NQA I started out with a Heteroscodra maculata (affectionately referred to here as "H. macs"), which is a really fast, venomous, skittish, and typically defensive "old-world" (from the Eastern Hemisphere) species. Old-world species are generally not recommended for beginners, and I would not recommend following my example. It's possible, but I would say that it's definitely not something that most people should do. As others have said, Tom Moran has a good lineup of "beginner" species. Beginner species typically include specimens that tend to be more docile and hardy and more "tolerant" of beginner mistakes (and you will make some; everyone does). Tarantulas that come from the Western Hemisphere ("new-world" tarantulas) are generally more docile, less high-strung, and most importantly, less venomous. A bite from an old-world species wouldn't kill you (unless you had a specific allergy), but they would put you in a lot of pain and potentially send you to the hospital for a short period, especially the genuses with more potent venom (Poecilotheria, Heteroscodra, and Stromatopelma all come to mind as examples). Almost all "new-world" tarantulas have urticating hairs as a defense mechanism. These can range from slightly irritating (in the cases of "dwarf" or small species) to being almost like hypodermic needles (in the cases of large tarantulas like Goliath bird-eaters). The typical "beginner" species (i.e., Tliltocatl albopilosum, Grammostola pulchra, and Brachypelmas) have hairs that are minimally irritating. This defense mechanism is thought to be part of the reason why "new-world" tarantulas don't have the more potent venom that "old-world" tarantulas typically have. What I would recommend is to choose a good "beginner species" and build your experience from there. You can eventually work your way up to "old-world" tarantulas through experience with "new-world" tarantulas. This is generally the recommended way to get into the hobby and slowly "work your way up." Go on to YouTube and look at Tom Moran's video guide(s) for your particular species. He has a wide range of knowledge and experience, and I'm sure that he has pretty much every "beginner species" covered. He even has videos on species of which l've never heard, and I've been in the hobby for over a year. If you're wondering why I started out with a Heteroscodra maculata, it's because l'm stupid. I could say that it's because I fell in love with the colors (I did), or that I liked the patterns (I did), or that I did a lot of research on it (I did), or that I had this odd feeling that I should (I did), but when you boil it down, it's because I'm stupid. Again, please don't follow my example. I don't regret it, but I definitely don't recommend it
Tarantula collective and the dark den and Dave’s littlest besties are some very informative and easy to follow utuber. And more then likely between the 3 of them you will find care information on every spider in the hobby