Ok, we have a new baby/ teenager tarantula. they said it is a Zebra tarantula. ?

Question

but I am not sure if it is, I am trying to find pic of a baby or teenager Zebra tarantula but I can not find one.

it's description is as fallows:

his colouring

orange/brown with some gray on its bum

the hairs are orange, but on his bum they start black then turn orange.

the web tails are very deep orange, I can see a little whiteish strips down its legs.

aggressive, it sits on its water 24-7 though it is hot.

it's 1 1/2" to 2" big.

hardly eats.

the pet store that we got it knows nothing about spiders!

we kind of feel like we have saved the two tarantulas we have.

if an one can inlighten me that would be great.

a fue of your own pics or a web site that would put me in the right

direction. thank you al very much.

(they are my partners pets)

Answer 1

Yup, it sounds like the Costa Rican Zebra, /Aphonopelma seemanni/.  They can come in black, tan, or grey and have two white stripes on each patella, or "knee".  This is why they are also called the Striped Knee tarantula, or just simply the Zebra tarantula.  I have a baby one as a pet too.  The tell-tale sign of an A. seemanni is having orange spinnerets.

They are good for beginners, but can be nervous and feisty, so handling is not recommended.  They also are known to not do much of anything.  They grow slowly, don't eat often, don't molt often, spend months in premolt, and like to burrow and hide for days.

Here is a picture of my juvie A. seemanni;

http://flickr.com/photos/27070905@N07/26...

For further reading on tarantula care, I suggest getting "Tarantulas and Other Arachnids" by Samuel D. Marshall.  Excellent read on general tarantula care with individual info on different species, yours included.  If you want more indepth info, get "The Tarantula Keeper's Guide" by Stan and Marguerite Schultz.  I have both books and they are priceless to the tarantula keeper.

Answer 2

Sounds like a juvenile Aphonopelma seemani

Here's a pic: http://www.drdee.dsc.rmit.edu.au/other/s...

The sitting on the water concerns me - whats the humidity reading in the enclosure? Being a tropical species they need a MINIMUM of 75% humididty and temperature between 70 and 85 degrees F. I prefer to keep mine on a humidity around 80 and the temp also right around 80.

How's the abdomen looking? I've gotten a few of these guys as "pet store rescues" idiotic pet stores have them set up in a scrubland habitat instead of a tropical - the spiders begin to dehydrate. They get sick. They stop eating. They get sicker. I've had to hand feed a few of them with a syringe.

Answer 3

sounds like it is a zebra

Answer 4

i just looked at pics and oh my gosh that is the scariest thing!!

http://images.google.com/images?q=zebra%...

This site below is how to identify them:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2064349_identify...