I felt a little meh getting a curly hair sling as a freebie but honestly that little sucker is such an entertaining and charming spood. Love it and so happy I got it.
Have 3 of these. Two are completely laid back and the third more high strung and will even occasionally threat posture. It is, however, hard to be both scary and fluffy. 😂
Just got one at an expo, small subadult. Opened up the container, the second the paintbrush bristles touched it's foot it rounded around like "who wants some?!"😆
Doug A, sounds familiar! Mine (my first T, in fact) is spunky! The lightest touch with a brush and she hops up, does a 180, and delivers a solid two-fist punch. I've only rehoused her once but she thwacked everything I tried to encourage her with. I eventually settled on limiting her route with a couple of large plastic lids and she politely crawled over into the new enclosure then kicked a little hair just at the end to let me know she was not impressed. She's never given a threat pose and always politely tucks into the mouth of her hide when I change her water, but she's a little toughie. It's honestly pretty cute. She's also an accomplished architect: she built a sloping roof to conceal the entrance to her hide using silk fern leaves for structural support. I'm astonished at how creative and strange this little alien thing is.
Awesome spiders. My T. albo (Nicaraguan) is 2 1/2" maybe 3" now and since her last molt she's turned into a Water Killer. No matter where she is in her enclosure, when I fill her water dish up, she TEARS across the enclosure and starts batting at the water, lol... she's quite the character.
Both of mine are "furniture movers". Lol! I love watching them completely destroy their enclosures, it's quite comical. Came home one day to find one wrapped around a fake leaf, trying to pull it from the stem. They're like hyperactive, destructive toddlers. They're only about 2 inches at the moment so I can't wait to see how things progress!
The T. albo was my first tarantula. Her name’s Coco. She’s an adult female now and she’s definitely a pet hole, but for the most part she’s super laid back! The one time she ever gave a threat pose was my fault, as I had made the classic beginner’s mistake of dropping prey directly into the burrow and stressing her out. She survived so many of my other beginner mistakes too, thank heaven they’re so hardy 😅 They’ll forever be one of my favorite species of all time!
Hey, Alex! Sounds like Coco is a sweetheart! And I've done that with the prey before myself. I always feel bad about it afterwards. haha Thanks for chiming in!
I got a 3/4 inch Nicaraguan sling in early October of 2020 and it's almost 3" dls now (and it's in premolt again). It's such a character and my favorite spider of my collection. It's always up to something, always out on display, loves to eat, and always chill. I'm going to cry if it's a male.
The T albopilosus was my first T I picked up last year, as a sling, and I just adore her. Sweetest little girl and so gentle. I rarely handle, but she tolerates it amazingly when I do. Never once even kicked a hair at me. She’s now about 3 inches so great size jump in just a year’s time and is now starting to relax out in the open often.
I recently picked up a Honduran albo. They are very attentive and she is my only tarantula who comes out in the open when she hears me enter the room. She is not afraid or skittish and never showed me any defensive behavior. She also rehoused herself haha
T. Albo is such a great one to have. I love how you mention temperament can vary. My T. Albo (Nicaraguan) is a totaly jerk. Just recently rehoused mine and when I used the paintbrush he immediately turned and tagged it which totally surprised me... yet I have old worlds who have never shown me defensive behavior during any rehouse,maintenance or feedings and are just scaredy cats lol. But overall, I hear from so many their T. Albo is pretty docile. Absolutely a great beginner species. Great eaters, easy care and just an overall must have, especially that of the Nicaraguan! 😊
They really are! And I had to put that in there, because some folks report ones that are quite jumpy and/or defensive. People need to be aware that although one might have a teddy bear, their might be a REAL bear. haha And they definitely do make a great beginner!
@@TomsBigSpiders most of the ones I have that everyone says are more docile, always wind up being my craziest ones haha. I don't expect any to be "nicer" at this point. Also... I don't blame you for hating being poked in the but haha🤪🤣
I would agree.....IF I EVER saw mine. It has been in it's cork log for a year now. It sneaks out once a never to drink water. Finally got it to eat a cricket a month ago. Boringest T I have.
Just got two slings of these one after housing found the hide i put in there for it same day closed the door. The other one is just digging away. Will be watching all four of my new slings grow. Always handing out the information packets keep it up Tom.
Earlier today I was considering adding a curly hair to my collection, and the fact that this popped up and was uploaded TODAY makes me think it was a sign. Great vid!
I've been kicking around the idea of getting a tarantula since I was a teen (and I'm now in my mid-30s...), and this video (plus some of your other ones) has convinced me to go ahead and do it! Been doing a lot of research, and I'm going to go check out my local exotic pet store tomorrow and see what they've got. These little guys are so fluffy!
@@TomsBigSpiders Thank you! I picked up a very fuzzy T. albo from the local pet store and I couldn't be more pleased! He or she seems to be settling in well. :)
I keep my apartment at about 76 - 80 degrees F. In 18 months I have an almost 7 inch (I am guessing 6 3/4 inch) hooked out male spider. He is much calmer now and doesn't run and hide when I walk by the enclosure. It has never kicked hair. Mine is Nicaraguan. Mine does borrow and enjoys the moist substrate when he isn't hanging around the water dish. Thanks for this update Tom!
Amazing species I really enjoyed making my care video on these, such an underrated tarantula. I recently had an egg sack from mine and now taking care of hundreds of slings. Shouldn't be hard to find them great homes 😊 fantastic video
Thanks! Love your content and I just adore two new T's and got a T Albo of my own now! Letting him settle in as there was a fresh not in his enclosure when I got him before I test temperament with handling
Hello. From Joliet ILLINOIS just South of Chicago. Love your videos. You give a lot of information about each spider. I have been terrified of any spider. I ever broke a bone in my heel leaping off my porch. That happened about 5 years or so. If any one could tell you I would never think about them as a possible pet. Early spring I found a little black jumping spider put him in a jar kept him for a little while and then let him go. He was a mature male huge pettipalps and hooks on his formers. He was very cute. When I feel ready to keep spiders as a pet I would want a large jumping spider. The tarantulas are just too big yet. Going slowly is the only way to overcome the terror. Thank you for your videos.
Hello from Connecticut, Jennifer! Jumping spiders are adorable and a great gateway into keeping the larger ones. Fun fact: I was arachnophobic for YEARS before getting into the hobby, and one of the spiders that I was most scared of was jumping spiders. haha Some folks find that tarantulas are actually less threatening than the true spiders they find around the house. The last thing to go for me was my fear of true spiders.
You could get a cute dwarf tarantula, like the C elegans. It literally has a heart on its butt. It was my 2nd T. She is at or very very close to full size, at around 2 inches diagonal leg span, meaning 2 inches from tip to tip if the legs were fully spread out. So, not a very big spider, at all. And she loves to eat and when she does come out of her hole, it's so cute to see the bright orange heart on her black butt. Look them up!
my T. albopilosus loves the moisture and burrows constantly. never see her unless i look thru the bottom since she burrowed through 7 inches of soil all the way to the bottom of the terrarium. so ill continue to keep her moist. the possible male i have hollowed out his hide but never goes any deeper. crazy how they can be so alike yet so different. but i think its one of the things that keeps us hooked in this hobby.
Thank you so much for chiming in with this, Jason! I was hoping that we'd have some people chime in with ones that liked it moist! It really is amazing how different they can be specimen to specimen.
Great video! I just got a juvenile nicaraguan curly hair at an expo for $40. Awesome T. Kinda a compromise b/c I really had my eye on a $110 avic metallica female, but am on a budget. Good compromise. :)
And my prize for the funniest looking tarantula goes for.... In a more serious tone, I love this fellas, I want to add one or two to my (small but growing) collection soon. Here in Mexico they are really cheap and fairly common to find in the tarantula trade, going for as low as 7-8 bucks (going for the conversion to usd). I can't wait to get them and taking some cool pics of them!
Hahaha They really do have quite the appearance. And although they are fairly inexpensive there, they definitely aren't that cheap. Thanks for chiming in!
Thank you for the video, I’m looking to get a curly hair female (my first ever tarantula) from a reputable captive breeder, my enclosure will be here soon so gonna take time getting it right, I’m reading the tarantula keepers guide and watching helpful videos like yours and reading peoples comments on there own Ts and a lot are very amusing so can’t wait to start my tarantula story
Great timing on the this video. I'll be re-housing mine tomorrow. Mine is 1 year old and the growth rate was surprising. This will be the third re-house in 12 months. As always, Great video. I always get a wealth of knowledge from your videos. Being new to the hobby, I couldn't imagine doing this without your helpful guidance.
Hi, Kenneth! I had NO idea people had super fast growing ones until recently. I'm glad that I asked, as mine were all medium growers. And thank you so much!!!
I absolutely love both my albipilosuseseses. I have one each of the Nicaraguan and hobby forms and they're both so different from each other! My Nicaraguan is as a slow grower and prefers to dig deep burrows and hide. That one also is very shy, whereas my hobby form is bold and never burrows or hides, she always is on top of the substrate waiting for her next meal. She doesn't even move when you pick up her enclosure! Which is great because I love looking at her! Hopefully my Nicaraguan T will be a little less shy as they get bigger; they're still a tiny sling. Great video as always, Tom! I'm always up for a refresher for care for my favorite species. It's also a little silly but I love seeing that lime(?) juice container in your rehousings. It's become a reliable friend in your videos to watch out for, haha! You inspired my partner and I to get a similar container for a catch cup, it just seems to work so well! Most of my Ts are too small to use it for them yet, though! (But they'll get there.) While I'm babbling I may as well say thank you for all the videos you do! I always point people to your channel when they need to learn about tarantulas and their care. You have reliable information and even your educated guesses for care for rarer species (whether they need moist substrate or not, for example) are pretty much always on the mark. Your Ts thrive in your care, and it's obvious how much you love doing what you do. Seeing you share your passion (which happens to line up with mine, for Ts!) is inspiring! Keep up the amazing work, you'll always have a viewer here in Quebec who loves everything you produce!
Hello, Teekachu! I was actually shocked to see how different the two versions are. They honestly look like they could be different spiders. Fingers crossed that yours gets a bit more bold as it ages. :) And thank you! It's funny, as there are a LOT of folks that mention that Limeade container! haha It's like a big part of the channel now. I DO find that shape of it to be very convenient for getting spiders out of the corners. I'm glad that it works for you! Awwwww...thank you so much! A referral is the best compliment as far as I'm concerned. :) I truly appreciate your very kind words. :) Greetings from the US!
my nicaraguan boy was definitely not a wild caught specimen and he was really spicy! 😅 i miss him! 🙈 but he is on a breeding mission abroad now! also he really did not like it when i put in a lot of water. when the substrate was moist he just sat on the walls until it was dry again so i just kept refilling the waterdish and let it overflow just a little. also he dug around like a mad man but only on the dry side of the enclosure. i guess they are somewhat like we are with our preferences! 😅 great video tho as always!
Thanks so much for chiming in! It seems that there are some bratty ones on both sides according to the comments. Hopefully, your boy is successful. And I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one with a T. albo that doesn't like it moist. Thanks!
Just got mine. High probability of female, BUT had a slightly chipped fang when I rehoused her into her new enclosure. It’ll be fixed next molt, but she’s SUPER chill and slow moving. Very friendly and docile. I love her already! I named her Toost
@@TomsBigSpiders thanks! Turns out she has TWO chipped fangs, which were clipped because she was going to be a “live feeder”. Glad they changed their minds. She’s a fantastic eater despite having stubby fangs.
Rehousing mine consisted of digging it up and giving it new substrate lol. She would spend about 9 months burrowed and not eating, come out for a month or two eat a couple times, then back under for 8 or 9 months.
I bought 3 T. albo slings. They all grew to be super fluffy 4+ inches in under a year. All females. This is an awesome species, and I'm glad they are cheap and easily available.
I’m a jumping spider ambassador but I’ve slowly been opening up to keeping tarantulas… they seem so hard compared to jumpers though! I’m going to do a lot of research…
Hello! Having raised many of both (jumpers and tarantulas), I think that many tarantula species are a bit easier to raise up from slings. The biggest difference is that tarantulas live a lot longer. Good luck with your research!
Great choice. The T. Albopilosus was my first T too. I bought her just over a year ago, she is always quite active, being out in the open most of the time. Mine loves to rearrange her enclosure like a little bulldozer too, lol! I have a small collection of 9 T's so far (all new world beginer species) and I think she is still my favourite. You will not be disappointed. I actually have 2 T. Albopilosus, one is a female adult, and the other I bought 8 or 9 months ago as a 1cm spiderling, it is now just a touch over 2 inches and was very easy to rear. Not only did it grow quite fast IMO, it was only about £3 when I bought it, so they are very cheap, very hardy, very easy to look after, great display species, and mine seem to be very docile. What else could you ask for in a first time Tarantula? They are quite a pretty spider too. I don't think you could go wrong purchasing a T. Albopilosus as a first time Tarantula species, good luck!
Fantastic! You can find them on Amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BRYQWM9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 You just have to figure out how to secure the lids. I have a bunch and have shelves designed that they slide into and that keep the lids down.
If I could Like this video more than once, I totally would ! Mine is a CB "Honduran", mostly laid back with an appetite that would make an A. geniculata blush ;) Easily the best eater of my quartet. Definitely plan of getting a Nicaraguan at some point. Hopefully, you won't have trouble finding dates for your little man ;) Stay safe and thanks for sharing :)
Ha! Thanks so much, Luc! It's definitely a popular species as evidenced by all of the folks chiming in! Yes, their appetites are amazing. My fat girl is STILL eating! I feel like I should put her on a diet! And I found a date for him...fingers crossed he makse some babies!
Hey Tom absolutely beautiful spiders, I am currently on my 2nd sling of this species and I love them! I am a little disappointed to the fact that some want to play “ mad scientist “ by cross breeding especially with the Pokies!! Keep the blood lines true guys.🧐Great video Tom love your work with these magnificent spiders!!!🕷🤘
Tom, I don’t know for sure that this is taking place but I have watched some short discussions on some of the other spider channels that this could possibly be happening and the Pokies and the Curly hair has been mentioned more than once. Hybridizing to achieve different patterning and colorations, similar to what the reptile hobby has done with certain constrictors and lizards. The spiders are not reptiles I’ve been a keeper since the mid-eighties and this never has been brought up until just the last few years, hopefully it is all just rumors, but rumors can get started sometimes with a basis of fact! Thanks Tom.🕷
@@TomsBigSpiders ty I hope to get a T. Albopilosus one day, I already have a T. Vagans and that's one hell of a badass specie for observation and husbendry lol
Ooo how pretty ❤️ I'm getting my list narrowed down. I'm looking at G. pulchripes the A. seemani, the A. chalcodes, the L. parahybana, the A. aviculara, the GBB, the C. versacolor and this species. Now I got to pick 1 of those. It's not going to be easy, LoL 😂😆
Just know that you can't just get one tarantula and be happy. You will soon need ALL of your favorite species in your collection. At least, that's how it happened with me. I started with one tarantula and now I have 16 happy Ts. And I couldn't be happier myself! Mostly because all of the tarantulas I keep have different growth rates and personalities, and I love how unique each individual spider is! (I tease, of course. You may be happy with just one tarantula and that's okay too!) Good luck with whichever species you choose! I'm sure you'll love it, tarantulas are an amazing hobby to get into!
All great species, but the species covered in this video should be on that list too. You cannot beat a T. Albopilosus IMO. (as a beginner species anyway)
You’ll end up getting ALL of them on your list, then you’ll make a new list. 😂😂 All the ones on your list are great species, beginner, or not. Good luck with whatever one you chose first.
My t.albopilosus tends to be a bit testy at times. But man, does she grab those crickets! She is my first T and think she was WC because only one month after I got her...BOOM! Egg Sac! Wasn't ready for that Easter Egg! 😆 🤣 But already cried on your shoulder about that. I should mention that Steve, from Archnoiden, assured me, that my T was indeed a pure Nicaraguan. And I'd love to pair her soon. She recently molted and is so fuzzy.
@@gutz323 I freaked when I saw the egg sac. And I watched her daily rolling it around from one corner to another. Or draping herself over it. She'd leave it to drink and then go back. After 30 days I pulled it, wondering if it was viable. I almost panicked when I saw all the ewls (eggs w/legs). So prepared an incubator for the eggs and put that into another large enclosure i made to regulate temp and humidity. About 45 days later I put them into 1 oz deli cups, freakin' took forever. Eventually sold them but kept back 7 for myself. A few friends of mine want a few of those I kept. So, now that I've experienced that...lol, I'm ready to do more. I now have 8 more T's now in various stages of growth. All, are NW dont think im ready for Old World yet. 🙃
@@lindabriggs5118 that's great! I bet it was nerve racking just getting into the hobby with little experience, and finding out your first Tarantula is pregnant, lol! It's great you done the research with no prior experience, and everything went smooth and successful. I bet you felt proud of yourself. Or did you have help from someone with more experience?
Just got my 2nd tarantula yesterday, and she was eating within a day, i mean when i was coaxing her into the new enclosure she was trying to eat my paintbrush lol, amazing feeding responses and pretty mild urticating setae UNLIKE my juvenile B. boehmei
I have a 6in female Nicaraguan that I purchased at 2in about a year ago, captive bred. I love her fluffiness and her slight metallic sheen on her carapace. She is not shy whatsoever but is very food motivated and a bite first ask questions later kind of girl.
Not long got one of these but an ometepe island form ment to have blue legs as an adult she's only 2inch atm but I look forward to seeing if she does 😊 Great vid again Tom thanks 😊
Mine is my thirstiest T, it loves a good drink, though a close second is the T.vagans who will often seem to wash down its dinner with water. Very cute tarantulas and great to show off to people who are curious but maybe a little nervous as those fluffy good looks really catch people off guard.
My T. albo has eaten 2 or 3 times since I got it a few months ago so I haven't seen the whole solid eater thing yet. But its definitely the super fluffy variety and I love it all the same.
I loved your 'Tliltocatl' pronunciation. You sounded very much a native speaker, had me fooled for a split second. Legitimately one of my favourite species, I've got a captive bred Nicaraguan and she's absolutely wonderful. Incredibly laid back but an awesome feeding response. Seems to be hiding away a hell of a lot lately, even between moults.
Hey, bud! haha No joke; I thought that it sounded pretty good, but I probably totally mispronounced it. Alex at Tarantula Haven says it beautifully. haha It's such a cool species, and so cuddly looking! haha
Hi! I have a wild caught adult female Nicaraguan. She dug a burrow, molted and won't come out. I can look in there and see her beady eyes looking out at me .Lol! I don't know what's the matter with her. One night I caught her out drinking from her water cup. She thinks she's slick. She eats crickets if they go down there. I know because I seen a 'happy dance'.
Awwww B. Albo! I wish tarantulas liked cuddles, B. Albo is the one I wish I could cuddle the most. :( (I don't cuddle them. I save my cuddles for my cat.) Also, and I'm sorry to bother you, but I replied to your email back at the end of June with a follow up a week ago, and I haven't gotten a response - if you've just been busy, that's totally fine! I just wanted to make sure you'd received them or if I needed to resend them. :) It was the one labeled "UA-cam spider identification".
Hey, Loracarol! I wish that they did, too. But I have four cuddly dogs for that! haha I thought that I responded to the second one! UGH. So sorry...I'll go back and hunt it down. I have a tendency to start to reply, lose focus, and have it in my head that I sent it!
Hi Tom, he's a beauty! I have what I suspect is female T. Albo and I find that she really isn't all that in to eating. My LP is twice the eater. She's big girl and super fuzzy like yours but I've often thought that it was odd about her eating.
Hi, Toni! There always seem to be the oddballs that don't do what they are supposed to. If she is a full grown adult, that could be the issue. I've had some of my adult spiders slow down on the eating once they mature.
One of my favorite species. I have 2 right now, the other one is about 2-1/2”. I bought a sling back in November at an expo for $5.00, and it’s about the size of a half dollar now. I SHOULD have bought more, because she had more at the expo I went to last weekend. She breeds them herself.
I bought on at my small local exotic pet store and I thought it was Honduran...now I'm REALLY leaning more towards thinking it is a Nicaraguan Curly Hair. She wasn't labeled as Honduran but when I went in at a later date they had some labeled "Honduran Curly Hair". Mine was labeled "Curly Hair". LOL! Looks exactly like your Nicaraguan AND I was asked in a T group on FB which kind she was and when I said Honduran some people disagreed and I think they are correct. BEAUTIFUL CURLY HAIRS! I love them!
Hi, Amy! Ahhhh...nothing like some good ol' pet store confusion! hahaha I bought this one at a pet store as well, and I was skeptical that it was a true Nicaraguan at first. haha In my case, they DID have labelled correctly. And they are gorgeous!
Nice video. Please do a video about highly venomous scorpions like deathstalker and indian red scorpion. If you have them please do a husbandry and care video.
@@TomsBigSpiders before the pandemic death stalker was very easy to find in my country. Due to this pandemic a lot of animal hobbyist group was disbanded, now even the most common P. transvaalicus and H. Hottentotta are very hard to find. I hope you find a death stalker.
Yeah mine does not let you mess with her. I dont know if shes wild caught or not truly t. albopilosus or just sassy. But shes beautiful and a great eater.
I opened this comment thinking he was going to say that was slow because mine was like .75 inch and is over 2 inches and I got him (idk the sex) on Sept 1st, it's not even been 5 months. But I guess mine just likes to eat and molt. Idk.
My Nicaraguan was wild caught and she’s a beast at meal time. I tried tong feeding her a few times and she just flies up the tongs, so now we drop and watch lol. She does seem to prefer some moisture and at 5 1/2” she still burrows all the way down in her 6” of substrate
I'm glad to hear your reply. Mine also is a wild caught female and is burrowing and I didn't think the adults did that. She's a good eater but is terrified of the tongs so I don't do that either. I'm just afraid of putting a cricket in there and she goes into molting.
I had my A. hentzi throw a threat pose a couple days ago. Never have seen that from an Oklahoma brown before. They are usually pretty mellow. Could easily be a wild caught since the guy I bought it from had them in the 2” range, and he doesn’t breed his own stock. I think that is why I have been holding off on an A. calchodes; I want a captive bred one.
@@TomsBigSpiders I know that A. seemani can get testy, so I guess it varies on the species. Have never had a hentzi do that before. I haven’t had that many Aphonopelmas. Pretty much only the hentzi and seemani. I have a bicoloratum sling, so I’ll just have to see how that one turns out. Lol. As for captive bred, I’ll keep an eye on the Fear Not site. If no luck with dealers, I may try my hand at breeding them myself.
Hi Tom !! I have a 5 & 1/2 inch Nicaraguan curly hair that always stays in her burrow !! I’ve not fed her for a few months hoping she will come out, but no !! Is their anything I can do to promote her to stay out ??? 😳 Thanks Candy
Hi, Candy! Some of them just like to remain burrowing as they get older. I have a female that is about 6" that burrowed before he last molt and now she doesn't come out all of that often. Could your girl be in premolt?
T. Albo was my first, call her my queen. Got her as a mature female, I since believe she must’ve been wild caught but an fantastic spider. Had I started with LP or P. Irminia I may not have wanted to get into the hobby. My queen is number two to my Avic
After watching your Top 13 video, this is T that I am looking to get as my first one. Watching this, I am a bit concerned that I will end up with a wild caught one, I’m not sure how to avoid this, I’m in the UK 🤞
That's awesome! If you start off with an adult, it will likely be wild caught. At least here in teh US, there seem to be a lot of them for sale in pet stores. If you buy smaller ones, they will hopefully be captive bred. You can always ask the vendor selling them. Good luck!
@@TomsBigSpiders yes! Thank you, I have seen some slings that are bred by the The Spider Shop, which is a good online company here in the UK, so I think I will go down that route. I’ve been watching all your videos on slings! 😆
Lol! That would be like having an ex girlfriend's name tattooed, then having to get it covered and replaced with a new girlfriend's name, and then one day maybe having to do it again lol! I think they have re-named this species 3 times (atleast) if I remember correctly. It used to be under the Brachypelma genus, then it was T. Albopilosum, and now its T. Albopilosus. I think that is correct, is that right?
Oh, I DO enjoy them! I just have to make sure that people are aware of the different forms (which may one day be different species) so they do not pollute the gene pool any further. :)
I've got a question about my T. albopilosus (though it could apply to any tarantula) that's been really bugging me and I was hoping you might be able to answer it! Basically, the my curly hair was one of my first tarantulas (I now have eight) and the very first day I got it as a tiny 1/2" sling I did something that in retrospect seems profoundly stupid. They were in their hide and I wanted to see what they were doing so I took out my rather high powered 100 lumen flashlight I keep in my pocket and shined it in their hide. They stared at it for probably 20 seconds before I left them in peace and then proceeded to wall up their hide with substrate and I didn't see them again for a month. Lesson learned there, don't harass your tarantula with a flashlight. I never shined a flashlight on any of my tarantulas again after that, and in the 4 months since then my T. albopilosus has molted a few times and is now a 2" juvenile. Where my question comes in is that out of all my tarantulas my T. albopilosus is the only one that has shiny almost silver looking eyes, and they're very skittish when it comes to taking prey items. So, what I'm wondering is if that 20 second direct exposure to the 100 lumen flashlight beam from 6" or so away when they were a little sling could have permanently blinded them? I know tarantulas don't have eyelids so they can't close their eyes, and given that my T. albopilosus is my only tarantula that has weird silver looking reflective eyes I've always wondered if that flashlight incident that I still feel bad about could have burned out the poor thing's retinas? Or is it normal for a T. albopilosus to have shiny reflective eyes? Thank you for your time and for all your excellent educational tarantula content!
Hi, Skippy! I use a flashlight to check on mine all of the time, and I've never had an issue. Unless you somehow scarred their eyes with a laser, I wouldn't think that you could blind one. And I'll have to check mine as I've never really noticed that before!
I felt a little meh getting a curly hair sling as a freebie but honestly that little sucker is such an entertaining and charming spood. Love it and so happy I got it.
Same here
He, Aemilia! I was the same way at first; I've since been converted. :)
Lots of people think they are dull coloured, personally i love the colour an shinyness and they are just plain cute !
@@gazepskotzs4 Totally they have such personalities
So petco is scamming when they sell "fancy curly hair tarantula" for $200
Have 3 of these. Two are completely laid back and the third more high strung and will even occasionally threat posture. It is, however, hard to be both scary and fluffy. 😂
Shhhh. Don't tell this to my T albo, she's convinced she's terrifying.
Thank you so much for chiming in, Pepper! The temperaments really seem to vary with this one.
Sam...bahahaha
Just got one at an expo, small subadult. Opened up the container, the second the paintbrush bristles touched it's foot it rounded around like "who wants some?!"😆
Doug A, sounds familiar! Mine (my first T, in fact) is spunky! The lightest touch with a brush and she hops up, does a 180, and delivers a solid two-fist punch. I've only rehoused her once but she thwacked everything I tried to encourage her with. I eventually settled on limiting her route with a couple of large plastic lids and she politely crawled over into the new enclosure then kicked a little hair just at the end to let me know she was not impressed. She's never given a threat pose and always politely tucks into the mouth of her hide when I change her water, but she's a little toughie. It's honestly pretty cute. She's also an accomplished architect: she built a sloping roof to conceal the entrance to her hide using silk fern leaves for structural support. I'm astonished at how creative and strange this little alien thing is.
Awesome spiders. My T. albo (Nicaraguan) is 2 1/2" maybe 3" now and since her last molt she's turned into a Water Killer. No matter where she is in her enclosure, when I fill her water dish up, she TEARS across the enclosure and starts batting at the water, lol... she's quite the character.
Hahahaha! That is hilarious! Sounds like you have quite the character there!
I never wanted one, I got one. He’s friggin hilarious! Hours of entertainment wrapped up in a fuzzy package 🤣
Hey, Meagan! hahaha That's awesome!
Both of mine are "furniture movers". Lol! I love watching them completely destroy their enclosures, it's quite comical. Came home one day to find one wrapped around a fake leaf, trying to pull it from the stem. They're like hyperactive, destructive toddlers. They're only about 2 inches at the moment so I can't wait to see how things progress!
Awwwww...that's awesome! They do love to dig and to tear stuff up!
The T. albo was my first tarantula. Her name’s Coco. She’s an adult female now and she’s definitely a pet hole, but for the most part she’s super laid back! The one time she ever gave a threat pose was my fault, as I had made the classic beginner’s mistake of dropping prey directly into the burrow and stressing her out. She survived so many of my other beginner mistakes too, thank heaven they’re so hardy 😅 They’ll forever be one of my favorite species of all time!
Hey, Alex! Sounds like Coco is a sweetheart! And I've done that with the prey before myself. I always feel bad about it afterwards. haha Thanks for chiming in!
I’ve got a pet hole too 😳
I got a 3/4 inch Nicaraguan sling in early October of 2020 and it's almost 3" dls now (and it's in premolt again). It's such a character and my favorite spider of my collection. It's always up to something, always out on display, loves to eat, and always chill. I'm going to cry if it's a male.
Hi, Stephanie! Wow, another fast growing one. That's awesome! Fingers crossed that you get a lady!
The T albopilosus was my first T I picked up last year, as a sling, and I just adore her. Sweetest little girl and so gentle. I rarely handle, but she tolerates it amazingly when I do. Never once even kicked a hair at me. She’s now about 3 inches so great size jump in just a year’s time and is now starting to relax out in the open often.
That's awesome, Sky! Sounds like you have an awesome one. And, wow...she's growing fast!
I just bought my first tarantula this week and it was a sub-adult female Curly hair and she is beautiful!
Congrats! That's a great one to start with!
I recently picked up a Honduran albo. They are very attentive and she is my only tarantula who comes out in the open when she hears me enter the room. She is not afraid or skittish and never showed me any defensive behavior. She also rehoused herself haha
Congrats on grabbing one, Kenny! Sounds like you have a winner there!
T. Albo is such a great one to have. I love how you mention temperament can vary. My T. Albo (Nicaraguan) is a totaly jerk. Just recently rehoused mine and when I used the paintbrush he immediately turned and tagged it which totally surprised me... yet I have old worlds who have never shown me defensive behavior during any rehouse,maintenance or feedings and are just scaredy cats lol.
But overall, I hear from so many their T. Albo is pretty docile.
Absolutely a great beginner species. Great eaters, easy care and just an overall must have, especially that of the Nicaraguan! 😊
Mine hates the paintbrush too. Anything else is ok but something about the paintbrush triggers the Rampage mode.
@@arasartsandjewelry7647 glad I'm not the only one haha!
They really are! And I had to put that in there, because some folks report ones that are quite jumpy and/or defensive. People need to be aware that although one might have a teddy bear, their might be a REAL bear. haha And they definitely do make a great beginner!
Truth be told, I HATE when someone pokes me in the butt with a paintbrush myself. ;) Hahaha
@@TomsBigSpiders most of the ones I have that everyone says are more docile, always wind up being my craziest ones haha. I don't expect any to be "nicer" at this point.
Also... I don't blame you for hating being poked in the but haha🤪🤣
I personally think these are some of the best looking spiders ever.
I agree I love mine
Me too
Hi, Dee! There really is nothing else like them out there.
I would agree.....IF I EVER saw mine. It has been in it's cork log for a year now. It sneaks out once a never to drink water. Finally got it to eat a cricket a month ago. Boringest T I have.
Love the curly hair. So gentle.
Sounds like you have a cute one!
Just got two slings of these one after housing found the hide i put in there for it same day closed the door. The other one is just digging away. Will be watching all four of my new slings grow. Always handing out the information packets keep it up Tom.
That's awesome...congrats! Thanks so much!
Earlier today I was considering adding a curly hair to my collection, and the fact that this popped up and was uploaded TODAY makes me think it was a sign. Great vid!
Hey, Jason...perfect timing! It's definitely a sign. haha
I've been kicking around the idea of getting a tarantula since I was a teen (and I'm now in my mid-30s...), and this video (plus some of your other ones) has convinced me to go ahead and do it! Been doing a lot of research, and I'm going to go check out my local exotic pet store tomorrow and see what they've got. These little guys are so fluffy!
Hey, Chris! That's awesome that you're finally ready to take the plunge! Good luck on getting your first!
@@TomsBigSpiders Thank you! I picked up a very fuzzy T. albo from the local pet store and I couldn't be more pleased! He or she seems to be settling in well. :)
I keep my apartment at about 76 - 80 degrees F. In 18 months I have an almost 7 inch (I am guessing 6 3/4 inch) hooked out male spider. He is much calmer now and doesn't run and hide when I walk by the enclosure. It has never kicked hair. Mine is Nicaraguan. Mine does borrow and enjoys the moist substrate when he isn't hanging around the water dish. Thanks for this update Tom!
I got mine from Fear Not btw. All of mine are captive bred.
Hey, Dusty! Yeah, those temps are going to bring some fast growth! And he sounds like quite the nice guy. :) Thanks, bud!
Hello great video rehousing Tom
Thank so much, Moon!
Amazing species I really enjoyed making my care video on these, such an underrated tarantula. I recently had an egg sack from mine and now taking care of hundreds of slings. Shouldn't be hard to find them great homes 😊 fantastic video
Hey, Robbie! It really is an awesome species. And congrats on your sac! I do NOT envy you one bit. hahaha
@@TomsBigSpiders well on top of that is 250 Phidippus regius slings too 🤣
Another awesome video! 👍😊
Thank you, sir! :)
Thank you for your videos. My 14yo daughter has been very successful with her t's thanks to your videos
Hi, Eric! Awwww...that's so awesome! Please tell her that I said hello!
Thanks! Love your content and I just adore two new T's and got a T Albo of my own now! Letting him settle in as there was a fresh not in his enclosure when I got him before I test temperament with handling
Thank you, Curtis!
Thanks Tom, I look forwards to these video so much. You must be a superb teacher!
Hey, Bobbi! Awwwww...thank you! I do take a lot of pride in my teaching. :)
My Nicaraguan form rarely ever leaves her burrow but when she does it reminds me how stunning she is! 😍 Epic post as always dude! 🤘🤘🤘
Mine is always out in the open. It just goes to show, even Tarantulas of the same species can have different personalities.
Hey, Dan! They really are amazing looking tarantulas. Thanks so much, bud!
Hey, Gutz323...just read the comments. SO many different experiences with both variants! So true!
Hello. From Joliet ILLINOIS just South of Chicago.
Love your videos. You give a lot of information about each spider. I have been terrified of any spider. I ever broke a bone in my heel leaping off my porch. That happened about 5 years or so. If any one could tell you I would never think about them as a possible pet.
Early spring I found a little black jumping spider put him in a jar kept him for a little while and then let him go. He was a mature male huge pettipalps and hooks on his formers. He was very cute. When I feel ready to keep spiders as a pet I would want a large jumping spider. The tarantulas are just too big yet. Going slowly is the only way to overcome the terror.
Thank you for your videos.
Hello from Connecticut, Jennifer! Jumping spiders are adorable and a great gateway into keeping the larger ones. Fun fact: I was arachnophobic for YEARS before getting into the hobby, and one of the spiders that I was most scared of was jumping spiders. haha Some folks find that tarantulas are actually less threatening than the true spiders they find around the house. The last thing to go for me was my fear of true spiders.
You could get a cute dwarf tarantula, like the C elegans. It literally has a heart on its butt. It was my 2nd T. She is at or very very close to full size, at around 2 inches diagonal leg span, meaning 2 inches from tip to tip if the legs were fully spread out. So, not a very big spider, at all. And she loves to eat and when she does come out of her hole, it's so cute to see the bright orange heart on her black butt. Look them up!
IT'S SO FLUFFY! I'M GONNA DIE! Love that movie & that line
HAHAHAHA Yesssss!!!!!
my T. albopilosus loves the moisture and burrows constantly. never see her unless i look thru the bottom since she burrowed through 7 inches of soil all the way to the bottom of the terrarium. so ill continue to keep her moist. the possible male i have hollowed out his hide but never goes any deeper. crazy how they can be so alike yet so different. but i think its one of the things that keeps us hooked in this hobby.
Thank you so much for chiming in with this, Jason! I was hoping that we'd have some people chime in with ones that liked it moist! It really is amazing how different they can be specimen to specimen.
@@TomsBigSpiders no doubt!!!
They are so underrated.
My juvey hobby form is very feisty lol. Hopefully she calms down as she grows.
Yours is a very handsome boy xx
They really are. And fingers crossed that you end up with a sweet ball of fluff. Thank you, Laura!
Great video! I just got a juvenile nicaraguan curly hair at an expo for $40. Awesome T. Kinda a compromise b/c I really had my eye on a $110 avic metallica female, but am on a budget. Good compromise. :)
Good compromise indeed, Jared! Congrats!
And my prize for the funniest looking tarantula goes for.... In a more serious tone, I love this fellas, I want to add one or two to my (small but growing) collection soon. Here in Mexico they are really cheap and fairly common to find in the tarantula trade, going for as low as 7-8 bucks (going for the conversion to usd). I can't wait to get them and taking some cool pics of them!
Hahaha They really do have quite the appearance. And although they are fairly inexpensive there, they definitely aren't that cheap. Thanks for chiming in!
Thank you for the video, I’m looking to get a curly hair female (my first ever tarantula) from a reputable captive breeder, my enclosure will be here soon so gonna take time getting it right, I’m reading the tarantula keepers guide and watching helpful videos like yours and reading peoples comments on there own Ts and a lot are very amusing so can’t wait to start my tarantula story
I'm so glad that it was helpful, Chris! Congrats on getting one!
Great timing on the this video. I'll be re-housing mine tomorrow. Mine is 1 year old and the growth rate was surprising. This will be the third re-house in 12 months. As always, Great video. I always get a wealth of knowledge from your videos. Being new to the hobby, I couldn't imagine doing this without your helpful guidance.
Hi, Kenneth! I had NO idea people had super fast growing ones until recently. I'm glad that I asked, as mine were all medium growers. And thank you so much!!!
Nice vid as per usual, it was week of the molt here, 2 out of my 5 went, 3rd for my T albo. In my care and 2nd for my Apphono c.
Thanks, Jeff! Congrats on all of the molts!
I absolutely love my little Curly Hair.
Such and adorable species!
Definitely a cute eating machine, haha. Great vid!
He sure is...and thank you!
Loved it, great info
Thank you so much!
I love tarantulas & spiders! I think they are the things that only makes Happy..
Me too, Liam!
I absolutely love both my albipilosuseseses. I have one each of the Nicaraguan and hobby forms and they're both so different from each other! My Nicaraguan is as a slow grower and prefers to dig deep burrows and hide. That one also is very shy, whereas my hobby form is bold and never burrows or hides, she always is on top of the substrate waiting for her next meal. She doesn't even move when you pick up her enclosure! Which is great because I love looking at her! Hopefully my Nicaraguan T will be a little less shy as they get bigger; they're still a tiny sling.
Great video as always, Tom! I'm always up for a refresher for care for my favorite species. It's also a little silly but I love seeing that lime(?) juice container in your rehousings. It's become a reliable friend in your videos to watch out for, haha! You inspired my partner and I to get a similar container for a catch cup, it just seems to work so well! Most of my Ts are too small to use it for them yet, though! (But they'll get there.)
While I'm babbling I may as well say thank you for all the videos you do! I always point people to your channel when they need to learn about tarantulas and their care. You have reliable information and even your educated guesses for care for rarer species (whether they need moist substrate or not, for example) are pretty much always on the mark. Your Ts thrive in your care, and it's obvious how much you love doing what you do. Seeing you share your passion (which happens to line up with mine, for Ts!) is inspiring! Keep up the amazing work, you'll always have a viewer here in Quebec who loves everything you produce!
Hello, Teekachu! I was actually shocked to see how different the two versions are. They honestly look like they could be different spiders. Fingers crossed that yours gets a bit more bold as it ages. :)
And thank you! It's funny, as there are a LOT of folks that mention that Limeade container! haha It's like a big part of the channel now. I DO find that shape of it to be very convenient for getting spiders out of the corners. I'm glad that it works for you!
Awwwww...thank you so much! A referral is the best compliment as far as I'm concerned. :) I truly appreciate your very kind words. :) Greetings from the US!
my nicaraguan boy was definitely not a wild caught specimen and he was really spicy! 😅
i miss him! 🙈
but he is on a breeding mission abroad now!
also he really did not like it when i put in a lot of water. when the substrate was moist he just sat on the walls until it was dry again so i just kept refilling the waterdish and let it overflow just a little. also he dug around like a mad man but only on the dry side of the enclosure.
i guess they are somewhat like we are with our preferences! 😅
great video tho as always!
Thanks so much for chiming in! It seems that there are some bratty ones on both sides according to the comments. Hopefully, your boy is successful. And I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one with a T. albo that doesn't like it moist. Thanks!
I agree very underrated!
Agreed!
this took a ton of anxiety off of me, big thanks for the info, i can't wait to get the little guy in.
That's awesome! Congrats on getting one. :)
Just got mine. High probability of female, BUT had a slightly chipped fang when I rehoused her into her new enclosure. It’ll be fixed next molt, but she’s SUPER chill and slow moving. Very friendly and docile. I love her already! I named her Toost
LOVE the name! And glad to hear that you got a tame one. Your avatar is adorable, by the way. :)
@@TomsBigSpiders thanks! Turns out she has TWO chipped fangs, which were clipped because she was going to be a “live feeder”. Glad they changed their minds. She’s a fantastic eater despite having stubby fangs.
Great video Tom, very informative and enjoyable which makes for very agreeable viewing as always plus a brilliant species .
Thank you so much, George! Gotta give love to the T. albo! :)
@@TomsBigSpiders That's so true Tom 👍.
I love these! the hair is so cool.
Hi, Kim! I love that crazy hair. haha
Rehousing mine consisted of digging it up and giving it new substrate lol. She would spend about 9 months burrowed and not eating, come out for a month or two eat a couple times, then back under for 8 or 9 months.
Wow Bill! I think yours is broken. LOL. My adult male eats once a month.
Hey, Bill! Man, yours sounds like my first one! haha
My Nicaraguan is a male as well. I’m bummed. Great video!
Man, we BOTH lost that lottery, eh Emma? UGH. haha
I have two! Absolutely love them! Thanks for the new video Tom! Hope all is well!
Hi, Gabe! They are such cool spiders. Thanks for chiming in!
I bought 3 T. albo slings. They all grew to be super fluffy 4+ inches in under a year. All females.
This is an awesome species, and I'm glad they are cheap and easily available.
Man...that's insane! Mine have all been so much slower growing! Thanks for chiming in!
Great video Tom I have a AF hobby form,has been defensive in the past,and I've got a true form sling unsexed,one every keeper should have.
Hi, James! Sounds like quite a few people have the bratty ones! :) Thanks, bud!
I’m a jumping spider ambassador but I’ve slowly been opening up to keeping tarantulas… they seem so hard compared to jumpers though! I’m going to do a lot of research…
Hello! Having raised many of both (jumpers and tarantulas), I think that many tarantula species are a bit easier to raise up from slings. The biggest difference is that tarantulas live a lot longer. Good luck with your research!
I should be getting a t. albopilosus as my first tarantula soon, good timing! :D
Great choice. The T. Albopilosus was my first T too. I bought her just over a year ago, she is always quite active, being out in the open most of the time. Mine loves to rearrange her enclosure like a little bulldozer too, lol! I have a small collection of 9 T's so far (all new world beginer species) and I think she is still my favourite. You will not be disappointed.
I actually have 2 T. Albopilosus, one is a female adult, and the other I bought 8 or 9 months ago as a 1cm spiderling, it is now just a touch over 2 inches and was very easy to rear. Not only did it grow quite fast IMO, it was only about £3 when I bought it, so they are very cheap, very hardy, very easy to look after, great display species, and mine seem to be very docile. What else could you ask for in a first time Tarantula? They are quite a pretty spider too. I don't think you could go wrong purchasing a T. Albopilosus as a first time Tarantula species, good luck!
Awesome! Thanks
Great choice! You definitely won't be disappointed!
Love your video's btw
Thank you so much, Sharon!
Perfect timing for me. Mine is ready for a rehouse and I wasn't sure what size. I'll be looking into those big shoe boxes.
Fantastic! You can find them on Amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BRYQWM9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 You just have to figure out how to secure the lids. I have a bunch and have shelves designed that they slide into and that keep the lids down.
If I could Like this video more than once, I totally would ! Mine is a CB "Honduran", mostly laid back with an appetite that would make an A. geniculata blush ;) Easily the best eater of my quartet.
Definitely plan of getting a Nicaraguan at some point.
Hopefully, you won't have trouble finding dates for your little man ;)
Stay safe and thanks for sharing :)
Ha! Thanks so much, Luc! It's definitely a popular species as evidenced by all of the folks chiming in! Yes, their appetites are amazing. My fat girl is STILL eating! I feel like I should put her on a diet! And I found a date for him...fingers crossed he makse some babies!
Hey Tom absolutely beautiful spiders, I am currently on my 2nd sling of this species and I love them! I am a little disappointed to the fact that some want to play “ mad scientist “ by cross breeding especially with the Pokies!! Keep the blood lines true guys.🧐Great video Tom love your work with these magnificent spiders!!!🕷🤘
What? That won't even work. Who is doing that?
Tom, I don’t know for sure that this is taking place but I have watched some short discussions on some of the other spider channels that this could possibly be happening and the Pokies and the Curly hair has been mentioned more than once. Hybridizing to achieve different patterning and colorations, similar to what the reptile hobby has done with certain constrictors and lizards. The spiders are not reptiles I’ve been a keeper since the mid-eighties and this never has been brought up until just the last few years, hopefully it is all just rumors, but rumors can get started sometimes with a basis of fact! Thanks Tom.🕷
Very appealing specie lovely video man this helps me when I get one!!! 🙃
Hey, Malachi! I'm glad that this was helpful!
@@TomsBigSpiders ty I hope to get a T. Albopilosus one day, I already have a T. Vagans and that's one hell of a badass specie for observation and husbendry lol
so adorable n so fluffy
I know, right? Thanks, Ellie!
Ooo how pretty ❤️ I'm getting my list narrowed down. I'm looking at G. pulchripes the A. seemani, the A. chalcodes, the L. parahybana, the A. aviculara, the GBB, the C. versacolor and this species. Now I got to pick 1 of those. It's not going to be easy, LoL 😂😆
Just know that you can't just get one tarantula and be happy. You will soon need ALL of your favorite species in your collection. At least, that's how it happened with me. I started with one tarantula and now I have 16 happy Ts. And I couldn't be happier myself! Mostly because all of the tarantulas I keep have different growth rates and personalities, and I love how unique each individual spider is!
(I tease, of course. You may be happy with just one tarantula and that's okay too!)
Good luck with whichever species you choose! I'm sure you'll love it, tarantulas are an amazing hobby to get into!
@@teekachu yes, I'm trying to pick my very first T, and it's been very hard for me just to have gotten my list this short. LoL 😂😆
All great species, but the species covered in this video should be on that list too. You cannot beat a T. Albopilosus IMO. (as a beginner species anyway)
You’ll end up getting ALL of them on your list, then you’ll make a new list. 😂😂 All the ones on your list are great species, beginner, or not. Good luck with whatever one you chose first.
@@chesterswingjr9796 I live in a small apartment, so I'll have to settle for one, maybe two, but my apartment is very cramped.
Im new to the hobby. I have a little T albo who is growing very quickly. They are so cute.
Welcome to the hobby! I'm amazed that so many have fast growing ones. And they are adorable!
My t.albopilosus tends to be a bit testy at times. But man, does she grab those crickets! She is my first T and think she was WC because only one month after I got her...BOOM! Egg Sac! Wasn't ready for that Easter Egg! 😆 🤣 But already cried on your shoulder about that.
I should mention that Steve, from Archnoiden, assured me, that my T was indeed a pure Nicaraguan. And I'd love to pair her soon. She recently molted and is so fuzzy.
Was the egg sac successful? Did you have any spiderlings?
@@gutz323 yes the egg sac was viable. I still have 7 slings left. I had 127 eggs, sold most them last month.
@@lindabriggs5118 cool! Must have been an interesting experience being your first Tarantula too.
@@gutz323 I freaked when I saw the egg sac. And I watched her daily rolling it around from one corner to another. Or draping herself over it. She'd leave it to drink and then go back. After 30 days I pulled it, wondering if it was viable. I almost panicked when I saw all the ewls (eggs w/legs). So prepared an incubator for the eggs and put that into another large enclosure i made to regulate temp and humidity.
About 45 days later I put them into 1 oz deli cups, freakin' took forever. Eventually sold them but kept back 7 for myself. A few friends of mine want a few of those I kept.
So, now that I've experienced that...lol, I'm ready to do more. I now have 8 more T's now in various stages of growth. All, are NW dont think im ready for Old World yet. 🙃
@@lindabriggs5118 that's great! I bet it was nerve racking just getting into the hobby with little experience, and finding out your first Tarantula is pregnant, lol! It's great you done the research with no prior experience, and everything went smooth and successful. I bet you felt proud of yourself. Or did you have help from someone with more experience?
Just got my 2nd tarantula yesterday, and she was eating within a day, i mean when i was coaxing her into the new enclosure she was trying to eat my paintbrush lol, amazing feeding responses and pretty mild urticating setae UNLIKE my juvenile B. boehmei
Hahaha Hungry girl! My B. boehmei has some of the nastiest hairs of anything I keep. Fun fact: that was the first species I was ever haired by. :)
I have a 6in female Nicaraguan that I purchased at 2in about a year ago, captive bred. I love her fluffiness and her slight metallic sheen on her carapace. She is not shy whatsoever but is very food motivated and a bite first ask questions later kind of girl.
Hey, Tommie! She sounds like a sweetheart!
Not long got one of these but an ometepe island form ment to have blue legs as an adult she's only 2inch atm but I look forward to seeing if she does 😊 Great vid again Tom thanks 😊
I want one, too! You're so lucky!
I'm going to admit it, Charlene...I just had to Google that one. haha Man, I'm so jealous! haha
My first T! My female just molted a few days ago and is creeping up on her adult size
That's awesome, Lilly! Congrats on the molt.
I love this species. I have one of those, most likely WC, T albos with a bit of an attitude. She is not one to mess around with. But i love her.
Hi, Sam! They are such cute spiders...even if they are a little bratty. haha
Mine is my thirstiest T, it loves a good drink, though a close second is the T.vagans who will often seem to wash down its dinner with water.
Very cute tarantulas and great to show off to people who are curious but maybe a little nervous as those fluffy good looks really catch people off guard.
I love catching them drinking and I will never understand why everyone doesn't give theirs water dishes. Thanks!
My T. albo has eaten 2 or 3 times since I got it a few months ago so I haven't seen the whole solid eater thing yet. But its definitely the super fluffy variety and I love it all the same.
Hey, Alisa! Well, hopefully she starts eating more for you soon!
Great information
Thank you so much, Channy!
My juvi just molted ! Been pleased with growth rate especially compared to my A chalcodes
Congrats on the molt, Allen!
Awesome species I love mine
Thanks, Jeremy!
I loved your 'Tliltocatl' pronunciation. You sounded very much a native speaker, had me fooled for a split second.
Legitimately one of my favourite species, I've got a captive bred Nicaraguan and she's absolutely wonderful. Incredibly laid back but an awesome feeding response. Seems to be hiding away a hell of a lot lately, even between moults.
Hey, bud! haha No joke; I thought that it sounded pretty good, but I probably totally mispronounced it. Alex at Tarantula Haven says it beautifully. haha
It's such a cool species, and so cuddly looking! haha
Hi! I have a wild caught adult female Nicaraguan. She dug a burrow, molted and won't come out. I can look in there and see her beady eyes looking out at me .Lol! I don't know what's the matter with her. One night I caught her out drinking from her water cup. She thinks she's slick. She eats crickets if they go down there. I know because I seen a 'happy dance'.
Thank you.
Thank YOU for watching and commenting, Bonnie!
Awwww B. Albo! I wish tarantulas liked cuddles, B. Albo is the one I wish I could cuddle the most. :( (I don't cuddle them. I save my cuddles for my cat.)
Also, and I'm sorry to bother you, but I replied to your email back at the end of June with a follow up a week ago, and I haven't gotten a response - if you've just been busy, that's totally fine! I just wanted to make sure you'd received them or if I needed to resend them. :) It was the one labeled "UA-cam spider identification".
Hey, Loracarol! I wish that they did, too. But I have four cuddly dogs for that! haha
I thought that I responded to the second one! UGH. So sorry...I'll go back and hunt it down. I have a tendency to start to reply, lose focus, and have it in my head that I sent it!
@@TomsBigSpidersNo worries, thank you! I just wanted to make sure you'd gotten it; I can wait for the answer! :D
Thank you Tom I got a slang had him r her over a month this video big help
Hi, Angie! I'm so glad to hear that it is doing well!
Hi Tom, he's a beauty! I have what I suspect is female T. Albo and I find that she really isn't all that in to eating. My LP is twice the eater. She's big girl and super fuzzy like yours but I've often thought that it was odd about her eating.
Hi, Toni! There always seem to be the oddballs that don't do what they are supposed to. If she is a full grown adult, that could be the issue. I've had some of my adult spiders slow down on the eating once they mature.
I love my T albos!
They're awesome little spiders, Bobbi!
I think mine is male as well, judging by the molt. It's super slow growing. I don't even remember when it last molted. Looks stunning after the molt
Glad to know that I'm not the only one with a slow growing one! hahaha I was starting to feel left out.
One of my favorite species. I have 2 right now, the other one is about 2-1/2”. I bought a sling back in November at an expo for $5.00, and it’s about the size of a half dollar now. I SHOULD have bought more, because she had more at the expo I went to last weekend. She breeds them herself.
Hello, Chester! $5? Wow! That's awesome!
lol i literally just got one of these from a pet store to rescue it! i noticed when i got home the hooks but hopefully can get or two out of it!
Awwwwww...at least the poor guy will have a good life from now on.
I bought on at my small local exotic pet store and I thought it was Honduran...now I'm REALLY leaning more towards thinking it is a Nicaraguan Curly Hair. She wasn't labeled as Honduran but when I went in at a later date they had some labeled "Honduran Curly Hair". Mine was labeled "Curly Hair". LOL! Looks exactly like your Nicaraguan AND I was asked in a T group on FB which kind she was and when I said Honduran some people disagreed and I think they are correct. BEAUTIFUL CURLY HAIRS! I love them!
Hi, Amy! Ahhhh...nothing like some good ol' pet store confusion! hahaha I bought this one at a pet store as well, and I was skeptical that it was a true Nicaraguan at first. haha In my case, they DID have labelled correctly. And they are gorgeous!
@@TomsBigSpiders I changed the label on her enclosure. 😂 I’m sure after seeing this vid it’s a Nicaraguan for sure. I love this hobby. Lol
I haven’t seen mine for a while, but I still see it’s little cave
Sounds like you have a shy one, Ann!
Nice video. Please do a video about highly venomous scorpions like deathstalker and indian red scorpion. If you have them please do a husbandry and care video.
Hey, Gold Piece! Thanks, bud! Unfortunately, I don't have the deathstalker yet, although I'm on the lookout for one!
@@TomsBigSpiders before the pandemic death stalker was very easy to find in my country. Due to this pandemic a lot of animal hobbyist group was disbanded, now even the most common P. transvaalicus and H. Hottentotta are very hard to find. I hope you find a death stalker.
I love this species!
They are awesome, Hazey!
My curly hair just molted today! What a nice coincidence!
Congrats on the molt!
Yeah mine does not let you mess with her. I dont know if shes wild caught or not truly t. albopilosus or just sassy. But shes beautiful and a great eater.
Thanks for chiming in, Mike! Seems a lot of folks have more bratty ones. : )
I have one of these little guys. So far with a weekly feeding schedule, he has gone from 1/2" to 2" in 8 months.
Hi, Deborah! Man, you have fast growing ones, too!
I opened this comment thinking he was going to say that was slow because mine was like .75 inch and is over 2 inches and I got him (idk the sex) on Sept 1st, it's not even been 5 months. But I guess mine just likes to eat and molt. Idk.
My Nicaraguan was wild caught and she’s a beast at meal time. I tried tong feeding her a few times and she just flies up the tongs, so now we drop and watch lol. She does seem to prefer some moisture and at 5 1/2” she still burrows all the way down in her 6” of substrate
I'm glad to hear your reply. Mine also is a wild caught female and is burrowing and I didn't think the adults did that. She's a good eater but is terrified of the tongs so I don't do that either. I'm just afraid of putting a cricket in there and she goes into molting.
@@rkhnd51 she will close off the burrow if in pre molt so you’ll know not to feed 😊
Hey, Darcy! Thanks for chiming in! It seems that the wild caught ones prefer an environment closer to the one that they left.
@@TomsBigSpiders it’s my pleasure, I always try to be helpful
I had my A. hentzi throw a threat pose a couple days ago. Never have seen that from an Oklahoma brown before. They are usually pretty mellow. Could easily be a wild caught since the guy I bought it from had them in the 2” range, and he doesn’t breed his own stock. I think that is why I have been holding off on an A. calchodes; I want a captive bred one.
Have you told that A. hentzi that it's not supposed to be doing that? haha Yeah, finding captive bred A. chalcodes can be difficult. :( Good luck!
@@TomsBigSpiders I know that A. seemani can get testy, so I guess it varies on the species. Have never had a hentzi do that before. I haven’t had that many Aphonopelmas. Pretty much only the hentzi and seemani. I have a bicoloratum sling, so I’ll just have to see how that one turns out. Lol. As for captive bred, I’ll keep an eye on the Fear Not site. If no luck with dealers, I may try my hand at breeding them myself.
Hi Tom !! I have a 5 & 1/2 inch Nicaraguan curly hair that always stays in her burrow !! I’ve not fed her for a few months hoping she will come out, but no !! Is their anything I can do to promote her to stay out ??? 😳
Thanks
Candy
Hi, Candy! Some of them just like to remain burrowing as they get older. I have a female that is about 6" that burrowed before he last molt and now she doesn't come out all of that often. Could your girl be in premolt?
Great spiders , i have 3 of them sub adult , all 3 defensive . But gorgeous. Always in sight , never hide.
That's great info to have, as much is made about how calm they are. Thank you!
T. Albo was my first, call her my queen. Got her as a mature female, I since believe she must’ve been wild caught but an fantastic spider. Had I started with LP or P. Irminia I may not have wanted to get into the hobby. My queen is number two to my Avic
Awwww...love the name! Love that you have Queen number two. We always do Queen for the oldest and Princess for the next oldest. haha
Def in my top favs but yes they are jumpy overall in my experience.
Hey, Daniel! I love that folks are reporting that theirs are a bit more high strung. Temperament may vary! :) Thanks bud!
Missing my first t, Hercules. Got 2 new ones, both the Honduran variant. Haha. But I'll be getting the Nicaraguan variant by next month. 😂
Hi, Isaiah! Awwwww...sorry about that. :( Congrats on getting a Nicaraguan!
After watching your Top 13 video, this is T that I am looking to get as my first one. Watching this, I am a bit concerned that I will end up with a wild caught one, I’m not sure how to avoid this, I’m in the UK 🤞
That's awesome! If you start off with an adult, it will likely be wild caught. At least here in teh US, there seem to be a lot of them for sale in pet stores. If you buy smaller ones, they will hopefully be captive bred. You can always ask the vendor selling them. Good luck!
@@TomsBigSpiders yes! Thank you, I have seen some slings that are bred by the The Spider Shop, which is a good online company here in the UK, so I think I will go down that route. I’ve been watching all your videos on slings! 😆
@@rachelburnell9532 Those should be great then. Good luck! :)
I love my Curlies soooo much
Hi, Tina! They are do darned cute!
You have no terrible videos Tom!
Ha! Thank you! I do think some of my old ones were pretty bad. I still wonder at the fact that I ever found an audience. haha
With my luck 🤪 my T. albopilosum is going to be crazy 🤣
Hahaha There are always the oddballs, Mia!
I have a T. albopilosus tattoo, when I got it I considered getting a script under it with its genus/species. Glad I didn't.
Lol! That would be like having an ex girlfriend's name tattooed, then having to get it covered and replaced with a new girlfriend's name, and then one day maybe having to do it again lol! I think they have re-named this species 3 times (atleast) if I remember correctly. It used to be under the Brachypelma genus, then it was T. Albopilosum, and now its T. Albopilosus. I think that is correct, is that right?
@@gutz323 yup, got the ink when it was Brachypelma albopilosum. Dodged a taxonomical bullet there
@@colinwinkelmann299 lol!
Man, good call on that one, Colin! hahaha That would have been a crappy one to cover up! hahaha
They have so many Latin names, common names, and mix ups. Just enjoy the T's.
I agree, but it should always be avoided to cross bread Tarantulas if you can help it.
Oh, I DO enjoy them! I just have to make sure that people are aware of the different forms (which may one day be different species) so they do not pollute the gene pool any further. :)
I've got a question about my T. albopilosus (though it could apply to any tarantula) that's been really bugging me and I was hoping you might be able to answer it!
Basically, the my curly hair was one of my first tarantulas (I now have eight) and the very first day I got it as a tiny 1/2" sling I did something that in retrospect seems profoundly stupid. They were in their hide and I wanted to see what they were doing so I took out my rather high powered 100 lumen flashlight I keep in my pocket and shined it in their hide. They stared at it for probably 20 seconds before I left them in peace and then proceeded to wall up their hide with substrate and I didn't see them again for a month. Lesson learned there, don't harass your tarantula with a flashlight.
I never shined a flashlight on any of my tarantulas again after that, and in the 4 months since then my T. albopilosus has molted a few times and is now a 2" juvenile. Where my question comes in is that out of all my tarantulas my T. albopilosus is the only one that has shiny almost silver looking eyes, and they're very skittish when it comes to taking prey items. So, what I'm wondering is if that 20 second direct exposure to the 100 lumen flashlight beam from 6" or so away when they were a little sling could have permanently blinded them? I know tarantulas don't have eyelids so they can't close their eyes, and given that my T. albopilosus is my only tarantula that has weird silver looking reflective eyes I've always wondered if that flashlight incident that I still feel bad about could have burned out the poor thing's retinas? Or is it normal for a T. albopilosus to have shiny reflective eyes?
Thank you for your time and for all your excellent educational tarantula content!
Hi, Skippy! I use a flashlight to check on mine all of the time, and I've never had an issue. Unless you somehow scarred their eyes with a laser, I wouldn't think that you could blind one. And I'll have to check mine as I've never really noticed that before!
All of mine have Eyeshine, like every species. I have 10 and they all have shiny eyes at the right angle and light.