Gentle handling

[Scott1976]

Got my Mexican red knee out and started gently stroking her abdomen and she didn't move and her legs were out a bit to me she loved it. Can anyone confirm that this is the case please ???

 

[x_raphael_xx]

Tarantulas have very primative brains. They work on stimulus and instinct. They don't get used to handling or learn to like it.
A docile T one day can be grumpy and defensive the next.
I think you were just lucky she wasn't hungry, or was too stressed and scared to move. Plus the abdomen is were the urticating hairs are flicked from, so personally I'd avoid stroking anywhere

 

[MBullock]

if the abdomen is straight up she's extremely annoyed.

 

[MBullock]

the only spiders that actually can seem to enjoy being handled are jumping spiders, really.

 

[Memo7]

Odds are it wasn’t moving due to being stressed.
Like stated above tarantulas don’t seek us out. They are not like humans or so larger animals. You unfortunately have I’ll never get them to u detest and you are not trying to kill them.

 

[MBullock]

I will say tarantulas can be curious. I had a few mature male aphonos that actually seemed to like my hand. Or maybe they just remember that being on my hand means it's the shuttle to the next female in line lol

 

[tarantulas118]

I have a Theraphosa Stirmi that I’ve held twice and the second time it just crawled into my hand and sat there it was so docile it let me adjust its legs and even pinch grab I would even compare this docilenes to a G.pulchra and it’s only about 6 inches and they get calmer the more they grow but the thing is I think you have a very docile spider on your hands (literally) although I would avoid handling I think one of the reasons my spider was so calm was because it was stressed, once I even thought it was comforted by my hand although I know that’s not the case( but you never know )

 

[m0lsx]

Wasn't it Steve Irwin who used to say about snakes, act like a tree & it will calm down? Hands are warm & if we act like natural terrain. That is remain still & don't breathe on them, then T's will often calm down & enjoy the pleasantly sun-warmed environment. And from this perspective T's will enjoy being on a hand. But it's not because they are being handled.

 

[adc]

I handle my Blonde but very carefully. Never a chance of dropping her. Once she is on my hand she will just sit there for an hour if you let her. When I put her back in her enclosure she really does not want to crawl off my hand.

I suspect the warmth of my hand has something to do with it. Really makes no sense holding her-I know. But I enjoy it and am very careful.

 

[Frogdaddy]

Wasn't it Steve Irwin who used to say about snakes, act like a tree & it will calm down? Hands are warm & if we act like natural terrain. That is remain still & don't breathe on them, then T's will often calm down & enjoy the pleasantly sun-warmed environment. And from this perspective T's will enjoy being on a hand. But it's not because they are being handled.

Steve also famously said "this snake won't bite me" on live TV. Guess what happened next? Yep, right on his face.

The point is these are wild animals, and we cannot predict their behavior 100% of the time. Things can and will happen.

 

[Frogdaddy]

Ok his neck then.