30 + Hobby Staple Tarantulas - Species Everyone Should Keep at Some Point 

THANK YOU. That should obviously be Pamphobeteus antinous.

No collection is complete without the steely blue leg B. hamorii

That species has it's own fanclub...I'm not kidding! haha They are truly awesome spiders and a must have. Thanks so much for watching!

A gens are definitely one of my absolute favourites. So beautiful. My sub adult female is funny, she thinks everything that moves is food, shadows, water etc xx

Same feeling on this species! Almost like she knows your around lol also it's cool how it goes from bright orange and white to black and white with the orange tips ☺️

I just got one as a tiny sling for 3€ at an expo and i already love it! It is the most active tarantula that I have seen so far and eats anything in sight!

Mine is so small yet but he rules the room!

Oh lord. haha

I think that part of the issue is that they aren't as common as some of the others. They are awesome spiders, though! Thank you!

Thank you so much, Dan! I truly appreciate it!

Great choice!

Hahaha It's so true, Robbie! Speaking of which, do you have a list of your current Phormictopus species? : ) Shoot me an email when you can.

@@TomsBigSpiders I will send you over the list on patreon buddy so it dosent get lost in your emails 😊

Hello, Skippy! Yeah, I definitely wanted to break them up for the folks who only want to keep New Worlds. And you've got quite the collection going there! I'm glad that I could spread my love for the T. ockerti! I'm really hoping that my third is a lady. Yeah, I balked at the prices the last time H. chilensis slings were available. :(

I love mine as well, although she's still a bit skittish!

Great species, Chantal! And than you!

I agree 100%! One of the reasons that I wanted to make this video is to shine some light on some of the older and often overlooked species. And the H. mac was absolutely one of the ones that I was thinking of. Thanks!

First off, Akim...my family's thoughts are with you and yours. I can't even begin to fathom what you are all going through over there, and I can't begin to express my disgust for what is happening to your country. I just shared your message with Billie, and I'm not going to lie, it really hit me. Please stay safe, and I truly hope this nightmare ends for you guys soon. If you're so inclined feel free to message when you can to let me know that you're okay. All the best, Tom

Please stay safe with your family. You all will be in my thoughts xx

@@TomsBigSpiders Thanks for your support, Tom. That's really means a lot. I'm ok, and relatively safe (as there are basically no safe places in Ukraine right now). But at the begining of March I was forced to leave my appartment and all my animals for near a month and was living in the undeground shelter with volunteers and their families. I've check animals once a week, but this was tough, lots of people lost their lives and roof at their heads at that time...

@@lauraclegg794 Thank you, Laura.

It sounds so difficult and I so admire you for keeping your family & animal family safe. I hope peaceful times are coming. Lots of love & strength xx

Even helped feed them, the curly hair

That's amazing, Jake! Man, I can't even get my mother to come up to my spider room! haha

Hi, Brian! A LOT of folks struggle with these guys. They just seem to be more finicky than most other spiders. I'm sorry to hear that. Thanks!

Hey, Rebel! I came to this hobby from keeping snakes, and I was very hands on with my snakes. With the tarantulas, there is really no benefit for them to handling, and there are some species that you don't want to handle, so I've found I don't have that feeling as much. I'm always up in my tarantula room feeding and checking on them all, so I do end up spending time with them all. Thank you so much!

The dwarf Ts are totally underrated. Thank you for watching and commenting!

Hey, Darcy! In retrospect, I could have put the T. vagans as an alternate for the GBB. Sadly, a lot of species got left off of the list that would have made great additions. Heck, I love them all! haha

I too used to love B Auratum! So beautiful! Hard to find these days.

Hello, Hikari! They really are gorgeous spiders. And the suntigers are fantastic...quite beautiful!

@@TomsBigSpiders They are! Only reason I've put them off this long is because I've heard they have a habit of "teleporting". They're so fast, that if they decide to bolt, they'll be somewhere completely different in a split second, lol

Thank you so much, Bobbi!

That's awesome, Terra Momma!

Hey, James! Thanks so much, bud!

Oh dear...can't wait to check this one out. haha Thank you so much!

Thank YOU for taking the time to comment. And those are some excellent ideas for videos...I'll put some notes together and see what I come up with. Thank you again!!!

Hahaha M. balfurry! haha That's awesome!

@@TomsBigSpiders I love them!

Thanks so much, Ross!

First one on the list, Liz!

Hey, Jeffrey! Yup, I agree completely. I had C. darlingi on earlier, and I don't know why I took it off.

@@TomsBigSpiders probably because there are so many staples to the hobby, and the staples of the hobby evolve. Thank you for responding; have a great 4th.

Yes, I REALLY wish that I had caught that before I publishes. I'm blaming it on the heat, as it was 86 degrees up here while I was editing. S. cal is another good one!

I love my two girls!

Hello! It was on the preliminary list, but they are SO difficult to find these days!

Yup, that's one that I want back. I just kept coming up with so many that could have been on the list, that I had to draw the line somewhere. God, I hate lists. haha

Hahaha Nope, you can't!

Thanks so much, Dan!

@@TomsBigSpiders Was actually doing a little maintenance on my collection just now. Went to my local pet store for crickets last week and saw a container marked " Blue Baboon" for a pretty good price . I thought maybe a H pulcripes or maybe a mislabeled P sazimai. Lucked out with a M Balfouri . Enjoy your fourth !

That's awesome, Christina! Thanks for watching and commenting!

@@TomsBigSpiders you're welcome

That's awesome, Phillip!

Thanks so much, Kaleb! And great grabs there! Yeah, if you give them respect, they are usually just fine.

Thank you so much!

Yeah, the lists are all just for fun, Mike. This is just my opinion, and others will obviously identify other species. :) Thank you!

that will end up being a walk in the park after having an LP!

My LP is a little devil too! Threat poses, slaps the ground, the lot! Gives me the absolute fear!

@@beccapenny oh yeah mine is a floor slapper too! Cute but a bit scary 😂

@@beccapenny mine never threat postured me but was a suuuuper aggressive eater and grew way fast and the hair! Lord the hair!

Thank you, Caron! Man, sounds like you have quite the hot ticket there! I've had four, and they've actually been quite laid back. My big girl is right around 9, and she just sits there when I do maintenance. Is yours smaller? She might grow out of the behavior.

Happy July 4th, Liz! And thank you for watching and commenting.

Thank you so much, Marjorie! This was a fun one to put together!

That was my second tarantula ever back in the 90s. They are awesome spiders!

@@TomsBigSpiders I'm 52 and just got my first 3 Tarantulas in mid-May. I now have 13 and an Asian Forest Scorpion. Love your content!

I'm so glad, Robin...thank you!!!

Thank you so much, Toni! I'll be doing longer ones during my summer break because I have more time. :)

Man, you have quite the collection, Jackie!!! :) Thank you!

Hello, Mateo! I'm glad that I hit the mark with you! :)

Thank you so much, Meagan!

Man, thank you so much, Dan! I truly appreciate it!

Thanks so much, Brett! Nothing wrong with keeping only New Worlds! I agree...they all seem to behave differently. :)

Hey, I can't argue with any of those...great list! As for the overhyped ones, I'll never get that. I've been asked several times over the years to make a list of the overhyped ones, and I honestly don't have any to put on it. If a lot of people talk about a certain species, it means that a lot of people enjoy keeping them. I think that the best part about keeping tarantulas is that there are SO many different species, that there is something out there for everyone.

Balfouri are amazing bro... Beautiful, lax, and communal

Oh God...another one? hahaha What the heck, I'm afraid to eaven look! hahahah I will probably never have a T. seladonia. Long story short, some got seized by USFW years ago, and it caused so much infighting in the hobby that I think that I have PTSD when I hear the name. haha It really exposed how crappy some people in the hobby are. I hope all is well! Tom

@@TomsBigSpiders yeah I remember that happening. Not a fun time for any of us!

Thanks so much, Lisa!

Hello, Dave! Thank you so very much for the very kind words. I truly appreciate it! All the best from the US!

Haha Thank you!

Wow, that's awesome, Josh!

Hey, bud! I LOVE my two H. gigas. Such massive spiders. I originally had Xenesthis on the list but took them off due to the price. That said, I might have to do a follow-up on this one. haha Thanks!

Hi, Clair! Yup, I really wanted to highlight some of the older, cheaper ones that often get overlooked. Folks tend to want the latest and greatest and, as a result, can ignore some of the true staples of the hobby. Thank you so much for watching!

Ha! Thank so much, Paul!

Awesome spiders...both of them!

Thanks so much, Sean! B. boehmei was on the list at one point. There are just so many good ones!

Hahaha That's awesome...thank you!

Thank you so much, George!

Thanks so much, Shaun!

Hey, bud! How goes it? Yeah, with this one I was focusing on the ones that are super available, hence why I didn't go with another Lasiodora species. That said, awesome point that everyone has one anyway. haha

My Lp is stunning in person. Photos never do her justice. I love her character, she is always doing something. Moving substrate, going threw cork tube. Moving water dish. And she is so calm. Although a great eater she is so docile & will calmly walk into my hands & do a leisurely stroll hand to hand. I dont generally handle but my Lp sometimes just climbs on lol xx

Thank you so much, Mandy!

Thanks so much, Yeti!

Thanks so much, RoXXXXXon! Elegans is one that I had on the longer list. Great point!

Wow, you have quite a few of them! Yeah, the originally list was over 50, so I had to cut some that I love. I hate lists! haha

Thanks so much, Ashleigh! I avoided the dwarf species for quite a while, but they have a lot to offer. And congrats on getting an H. chilensis for half off...wow!

Muchas gracias, Gustavo!

Thanks so much, Thay! I always love seeing what others think as well. And thanks for the suggestions; can't argue there!

I thought about adding Xenesthis, Dusty...it was on the original list. I ended up taking it off the list due to the cost. That said, you're right...everyone should keep one. Man, that was quite fast for a T. albo! You are getting some great growth rate there. And your N. incei sounds like quite the spitfire! haha Thank you for taking the time to watch and to comment, Dusty...we both appreciate it!

@@TomsBigSpiders Well it was a male T albo, my temps are 75 - 80 F year round. I like it warm lol. Slightly cool in the summer and a hair dryer in the winter when I enter my apartment LOL. It takes forever for me to get warm in the winter and even when it hits 100F outside I am fine. Everyone I know just calls me an alien since it takes the temp to get 120F for me to actually sweat. Sure i can sweat when it is 100F and no air movement. Tarantulas and me have a thing in common. When it is colder we are less active. When it is warmer we are more active. When it is too hot we are dormant. I keep them on how I feel. They are thriving with me just being comfortable. A humidifier helps in the winter. Indeed the heater does dry out the air. When my skin feels dry, I know they are dry. A humidifier does wonders in the winter. This is the perfect pet for me. They have the same needs as me... but I eat way more lol. 1500 calories a day where they are at 10-15 ish a week, or two weeks (depending on the abdomen). Easier than guppies, YES! Best pet ever, YES! Craziest pet ever.... well My N. incei is crazy. I did have a cat, when I was growing up, that would compete with her spunk. He hopped through a grease fire to grab a steak of the grill. Sure he was a little singed when he grabbed the steak. It was fully cooked so we let him have it. He would sleep at my feet at night. Out of everyone in my family, he enjoyed my company. He slept at my feet. He let me know if I got too close at night. I have scars around my ankles lol. I do miss my cat Patches. It seems that my eight tarantulas have finally filled that void. I see a part of him in everyone of them. Some are calm and stay out in the open. Some are crazy, N incei, and most are shy and would rather be left alone. It's strange how I can compare a cat to a tarantula. They are both furry. Murderous to bugs and other things ( Yeah, I went there lol). Calm when left undisturbed. Less food, less maintenance. Yes. Tom. The tarantula life is for me. They remind me of my favorite cat.

Thank you, Gemma!

Hello, Jack! Thank you so much. Sounds like you have several options great options there! The good news is, you have all the time in the world to build your collection. : )

I agree. It was originally on the list, and I think that it got forgotten when I was shuffling things around. Thanks, Brad!

Hey, Luc! Yeah, the B. boehmei and B. emilia were both on the list at one point. I just have so many spiders that I think that everyone should keep! haha And that's an excellent list...I'm glad that I covered most of them. Thanks again, bud!

I can't argue any of those, especially Ceratogyrus.

What country are you in Wally? I tried to pick ones that were more readily available.

What would you add, Ron? I may do a "viewer's choice" follow up, so let me know! A full grown pulchra would do well in something around 5-10 gallons or so.

Thanks so much, Fred...that's awesome!

Hey, Justin! Yeah, I get more issues with my New World species as well. haha

Hello, Loracarol! Awww...that sounds adorable. I'm not going to lie...I've had that happen with other spiders before, and I enjoyed the experience. Yup, I will always have a P. regalis...I love that species. I'm glad to hear that your OBT is behaving. If you give them enough room, they are normally fine. And I'm so glad that my info was helpful at the expo. Thanks again!

Hahaha I love all Pokies, but I had to pick one or two. haha. Thanks, bud!

That's awesome, Kipp!

Me too, Vicki!

You've got three great ones there!

Hi, Ashlei! WOW! That's a lot of curlys! haha

Thank you so much, Moon!

That's awesome, Chenin! Hopefully, you're correct about it. :) I have not, but I know a LOT of people who have. :)

Thank you, Joffy!

Thank you so much, Michael! Hopefully, you get one soon!

I hope that the rehousing went well!

@@TomsBigSpiders It was pretty smooth. The T got very close to the edge like it wanted out but it all worked out lol

I totally agree, which it's why it's a shame that some people avoid them. It's funny because I JUST had a discussion with a guy who said that the GBB was one of the most overrated spiders out there. haha I never understood how people could say that having not kept them. :) Thanks for chiming in!

Awesome spiders!

Thanks, bud!

A lot of folks can jump right in with the "advanced" ones with no issue. I think that, overall, they are VERY easy animals to keep. She sounds adorable!

Yeah, I think that we've all been there with skipping over certain species. I know that I was definitely guilty of it, and now I'm kicking myself for it.

@@TomsBigSpiders haha, lets be glad these advanced species have a home at least

Yeah, I agree...theya re stunners!

No, there's not. These aren't necessarily the most beautiful, but the ones that everyone should try out at some point. And sorry about that...I thought that I put a note with the name in there. D. diamantinensis.

@@TomsBigSpiders Thanks for the information :) If you put a note in there I couldn't find it but the T is beautiful and I want it in my collection :) You know this can become an addiction lol :)

That's a great group of spiders! My second ever back in the 90s was an A. seemani!