"Intermediate Level" Tarantulas

A couple of years ago, I sat down to make a list of what I thought were the top beginner species. Part fun, put informational, the article was meant to help those getting into tarantulas choose an appropriate pet to enter the hobby with. A few years later, I created a video version in which I revised my original list to include a couple more species and video footage of all of these guys in my collection. In both cases, these features helped to spur a running dialog between keepers about what truly makes for a good beginner (or even is there such thing as a “beginner” species). It also begged another interesting question; namely, once you become experienced with an entry level tarantula, what's next? This is a discussion of some of the species that could make for smoother transitions to keeping Old Worlds.