Handling T's

[Martin Oosthuysen]

HI guys
Thanks for all your replies; very appreciated, really useful information
I feel like the best thing to do is to just leave my T in her enclosure, there is no risk to her or me

Hello
Remember all have their views,so no matter how strict we sound or like some handle their specimens don't judge haha. I will now be open and honest,and explain why I stand by what I say. I have been bitten,and out of all my specimens a Brachypelma. I do not like handling tarantulas,not even my docile ones.

This specific day I was doing my usual feeding round,I got to my Brachypelma Emilia sweet girl never an issue her hair doesn't even bother me when flicked (so far no tarantula hair luck I guess). I threw in a feeder she didn't seem to want it(assuming huge mistake),so I tried removing it my faithful tongs and brush.

This failed abysmally,so I got irritated and made the huge mistake not even one a newbie should make I stuck my hand in to take it out. I think what happened was,she didn't pick up on movement but my hand broke that soon. She swung around obviously going for the food not my hand,and wham tagged me.

In the end,not the Tarantulas fault,she was instinctively going for the food ally own doing. I slacked,since I haven't been bitten by any of my way more defensive/aggressive specimens ever. If I stuck to what I always do,not lose sight or concentration that would not have happened. My opinion, I came between her and her meal.

So I can't give a splashy cool bite report,but I never want to this was just me getting a reality check which I actually appreciated. I actually laughed at her,feisty little Tarantula. If an accident like that can happen,purposefully handling a tarantula ups the stakes even more.

I am not scared of their venom,nor their bite but the reaction to the bite which could see me hurt the T I will hate myself for it. I have worked with snakes reptiles and many other animals,since I was in school I worked at the Pretoria zoo helping out many years ago. I have caught tarantulas locally a lot of times,obviously I was young and stupid but I have never not even then hurt myself or the Tarantula.

The closest I was able to get to a tarantula then,was by catching it observing it and leaving it again. We were poor,so I would do this see where they were and observe them daily while they were in the wild. This is why I am so passionate about them,I could only start keeping them when I was older till had my own Job etc. If there was anyone ecstatic about these creatures it was me I waited since I was 12-13,till I could support my own hobby and keep my creatures I had so much love for.

 

[Payden King]

To clarify a few points:
- Handling tarantulas doesn't help understand them, it's an artificial situation that doesn't occur in the wild: what holds them there also tends to eat them. Handling causes stress whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. Just because they don't bite doesn't mean they're happy that Godzilla picked them up. Observing them act naturally in their cages is how to understand them.

- In 'scary situations' you do not want to be using your fingers, as that's what gets bit. Experienced owners use a catch cup. Even docile species will bite in scary situations. In fact, docile species are responsible for more bites than defensive ones, because people handle docile ones.

- Tarantulas are invertebrates driven by instinct. It doesn't matter where they were hatched or are living, they're going to do what thousands of years of evolution has taught them to do. That means their cage is their territory, and at times they will defend it from intruders, no what how benevolent your intentions. I've owned thousands of tarantulas over the last 40 years, both wild caught and CBB. I've seen no difference in behavior between the two groups.

- It took thousands of years to domesticate dogs, and they're intelligent, social animals. Tarantulas are solitary, cannibalistic, and far less intelligent. It will take significantly longer to domesticate and alter the behavior of captive tarantulas. The wolf/dog analogy is totally inapplicable to spiders.

- Using your reasoning, CBB OBT's should be as tame as a Brachypelma. Likewise, CBB venomous snakes are not 'wild animals' either, and should be easy to handle. You would have no problem picking up a CBB black mamba then?

Okay.. I'm mad now. I was extremely nice in my post. I said it was my opinion. If you believe otherwise than so be it.

But maybe YOU need to realize that tarantulas are exotic and we know nothing about them other than what we observe. And people will observe and interpret differently whether you like that or not.

Also, tarantulas are smarter than people give them credit for.

And I dont appreciate your comment about "experienced keepers." You don't know me personally and have no idea my "experience" with tarantulas. Also, experience isn't always the key to knowing what your doing. And tarantulas can not kill you, so I am not scared of them and would not "jerk away" if they bit me and would not cause any harm to them.

The point here being.. You can get an educated point across without being rude.

If you still have something to say to me you can do it in a private message instead of bombing this poor persons post. They asked for advice.. Not a war with people bashing people for an opinion. We all have opinions and need to learn to respect others instead of being rude all the time.

 

[Poec54]

Okay.. I'm mad now
I am not scared of them and would not "jerk away" if they bit me and would not cause any harm to them.

You can get an educated point across without being rude.

Jerking away from a tarantula bite is a reflex action. Maybe a person will shake their hand and fling the spider, maybe they won't. Not something you can plan in advance. It's like when you touch a hot iron, do you keep your finger there and say: "Hmm. What's that burning smell? I think I'll move my hand."

I wasn't rude. When people post opinions on an international forum, others will comment on them, & you have no control over the responses you triggered. Saying that CBB tarantulas no longer behave like wild animals is bound to bring a dissenting view. That's actually pretty controversial. I wouldn't expect a statement like that to go unquestioned.

 

[Tyronne]

Hello
Remember all have their views,so no matter how strict we sound or like some handle their specimens don't judge haha. I will now be open and honest,and explain why I stand by what I say. I have been bitten,and out of all my specimens a Brachypelma. I do not like handling tarantulas,not even my docile ones.

This specific day I was doing my usual feeding round,I got to my Brachypelma Emilia sweet girl never an issue her hair doesn't even bother me when flicked (so far no tarantula hair luck I guess). I threw in a feeder she didn't seem to want it(assuming huge mistake),so I tried removing it my faithful tongs and brush.

This failed abysmally,so I got irritated and made the huge mistake not even one a newbie should make I stuck my hand in to take it out. I think what happened was,she didn't pick up on movement but my hand broke that soon. She swung around obviously going for the food not my hand,and wham tagged me.

In the end,not the Tarantulas fault,she was instinctively going for the food ally own doing. I slacked,since I haven't been bitten by any of my way more defensive/aggressive specimens ever. If I stuck to what I always do,not lose sight or concentration that would not have happened. My opinion, I came between her and her meal.

So I can't give a splashy cool bite report,but I never want to this was just me getting a reality check which I actually appreciated. I actually laughed at her,feisty little Tarantula. If an accident like that can happen,purposefully handling a tarantula ups the stakes even more.

I am not scared of their venom,nor their bite but the reaction to the bite which could see me hurt the T I will hate myself for it. I have worked with snakes reptiles and many other animals,since I was in school I worked at the Pretoria zoo helping out many years ago. I have caught tarantulas locally a lot of times,obviously I was young and stupid but I have never not even then hurt myself or the Tarantula.

The closest I was able to get to a tarantula then,was by catching it observing it and leaving it again. We were poor,so I would do this see where they were and observe them daily while they were in the wild. This is why I am so passionate about them,I could only start keeping them when I was older till had my own Job etc. If there was anyone ecstatic about these creatures it was me I waited since I was 12-13,till I could support my own hobby and keep my creatures I had so much love for.

I will never handle my T's either However i'm curious, how sore was the bite? I mean their fangs are huge :O

 

[Martin Oosthuysen]

I will never handle my T's either However i'm curious, how sore was the bite? I mean their fangs are huge :O

Let me put it this way,it happened damn fast,just felt like a double needle prick. I am just glad it wasn't my LP,measured the fangs 1inch pre molt obviously larger but I can't extend them they are curved and she would have extended them if used.

 

[Poec54]

I will never handle my T's either However i'm curious, how sore was the bite? I mean their fangs are huge :O

Have you checked out bite reports? Whew. There are some that are not pleasant experiences. I have no problem giving a square foot of space to call their own. I keep disruptions to a minimum and use forceps for maintenance. I'm very attached to my fingers.

 

[Martin Oosthuysen]

May I just add,something no one seems to realise. Even if the specimens venom isn't strong, if that fang is large it will cause mechanical damage.

 

[Poec54]

May I just add,something no one seems to realise. Even if the specimens venom isn't strong, if that fang is large it will cause mechanical damage.

As someone whose job is dependent on his fingers (accountant), and who is also a musician, I cringe at the thought of fangs going thru my fingers.

 

[BossRoss]

...But maybe YOU need to realize...

Poec54 has been in this game a looooong time. With many years experience and many species under his belt(more than most trust me-just Google his handle and you will see). He is also one of the guys that occasionally clinks a glass with Stan Schultz and rubs shoulders with him...

You asked for peoples opinions and Poec54 is a straight shooter and is to the point. Some people might take him as being rude but I think he is just responding like everyone else. Since it is difficult to interpret the manner in which things are being said over text, do not take it personally... Rather read the advice and use it or don't.

Experience means a lot. I cant theoretically teach you how to do something(fly a aeroplane for example but without practical experience it is a different story-especially landing said aircraft)

May I just add,something no one seems to realise. Even if the specimens venom isn't strong, if that fang is large it will cause mechanical damage.

A fang at 2.5cm would not only penetrate my hand but would go straight through my hand by the pinky metacarpals and as a software developer and avid hobbiest of all sorts I would be sad to lose full motor function of either of my hands(even though I am ambidextrous)

 

[MatthewM1]

As someone whose job is dependent on his fingers (accountant), and who is also a musician, I cringe at the thought of fangs going thru my fingers.

Same here I have to pass medications at work as well as doing tube feeding and a variety of similar medical things at times. Not easy tasks with a hand injury. My LP is only so far 5" and I want no part of those fangs already lol.

 

[Martin Oosthuysen]

Poec54 has been in this game a looooong time. With many years experience and many species under his belt(more than most trust me-just Google his handle and you will see). He is also one of the guys that occasionally clinks a glass with Stan Schultz and rubs shoulders with him...

You asked for peoples opinions and Poec54 is a straight shooter and is to the point. Some people might take him as being rude but I think he is just responding like everyone else. Since it is difficult to interpret the manner in which things are being said over text, do not take it personally... Rather read the advice and use it or don't.

Experience means a lot. I cant theoretically teach you how to do something(fly a aeroplane for example but without practical experience it is a different story-especially landing said aircraft)



A fang at 2.5cm would not only penetrate my hand but would go straight through my hand by the pinky metacarpals and as a software developer and avid hobbiest of all sorts I would be sad to lose full motor function of either of my hands(even though I am ambidextrous)

At the moment,my LP's fang length is 2.5cm,doesn't sound like much. We then took the molt apart, just using the fang itself compared it next to our fingers hands etc. You can clearly see it will Pierce and penetrate,let's say for one second it doesn't go through what about muscle damage for starters.

Now here comes the even scarier part,tarantulas posses natural epidermic needles fangs. Does anyone for one second believe they sterilise before they bite ? Hundreds maybe thousands of bacteria on those fangs. When people get bitten they attribute symptoms to the poor tarantulas venom,who says it isn't an outside influence since many complain of normal things the body goes through when the defensive mechanisms kick in.

Let's look at it like this, when the human body is attacked poisoned you will feel nauseated vomit have headaches. These are some symptoms mentioned in bite reports,I'm not saying the venom isn't part of it but bacteria may also play a part in worsening the effects. So when looking at a bite,there are in MY OPINION many facets not just the venom.

 

[Fuzzball79]

Anyone who has ever pierced themselves on rose thorns will know the pain is quite a b@@@rd, lol, so I would imagine, even disregarding the venom and bacteria, being bit by my medium sized G. Rosea and A. Genic would not be pleasant and my automatic reaction would very likely NOT be to keep my hand still. Not worth it for me personally!

 

[Poec54]

Anyone who has ever pierced themselves on rose thorns will know the pain is quite a b@@@rd, lol, so I would imagine, even disregarding the venom and bacteria, being bit by my medium sized G. Rosea and A. Genic would not be pleasant and my automatic reaction would very likely NOT be to keep my hand still. Not worth it for me personally!

Even more exciting, some hang on!

 

[MatthewM1]

Ive seen one of my P. muticus hold down its prey and bite 5-6 times. Im sure my finger would get the same treatment if it got the chance

 

[DVirginiana]

None of mine are big enough atm to do any serious mechanical damage, but like Martin said, I'd be worried about bacteria and infection more than the actual bite.

 

[Poec54]

None of mine are big enough atm to do any serious mechanical damage, but like Martin said, I'd be worried about bacteria and infection more than the actual bite.

No serious mechanical damage at this point, but that will change. These animals have huge fangs for their size.