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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Stan Schultz" data-source="post: 202450" data-attributes="member: 28438">Several years ago on another forum, this behavior was suggested as being a misplaced or mal-placed maternal instinct, much as a brooding, mother hen incubating golf balls or ceramic eggs. Did 'Spidey Girl' ever try to push the ping pong ball towards you? Do anything else that couldn't be explained by the "brooding hen" hypothesis?Do not do the following with any Old World tarantula, or with any tarantula that is suspected of, or known to have a "medically significant" venom. All of the really common, docile kinds of pet tarantulas are probably safe. With these, if you are ever actually bitten (very, very small chance), at the very most you'll have something interesting to tell your grand-kids!If you are ever bitten, treat the bite wound as you would any other cut or puncture (wash well, use an antiseptic, apply a small bandage). If after a few days it looks as though it's infected, go to a doctor. If there is significant or alarming pain and swelling go to an emergency clinic.Be sure to always go back, offer your tarantula another cricket, and apologize for being such a boorish dunce.Tarantulas' pedipalps and first and second pair of legs are carpeted by a layer of bristles, many or most of which are chemo-sensitive. Think of them as being combined noses and taste-buds. The hypothesis is that tarantulas can learn to recognize you, and differentiate you from rubber gloves or forceps by your odor. This might be (note the qualifier!) the dominant mechanism that they use for deciding that being picked up by you is okay, but not so much by the family cat!1) Ah-ha! The British spelling (behaviour)! What country are you in/from?I'm currently in western Canada, a small farming community called Rockyford in Alberta. Population 377 counting the dogs, and my two tarantulas. In about two weeks I'll be leaving for the Sunbelt of the USA (probably New Mexico this year) to overwinter with the tarantulas. I'm retired, an RVer (live full-time in a motorhome), and am a snowbird (see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowbird_(person)" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowbird_(person)</a>).2) Re:"work cut out..." Yah. I have a reputation for doing unwise or difficult things. The good news is that I'm actually successful every now and again!Everybody...We need to hear more from the rest of you, too!Stan</blockquote>

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