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General Tarantula Discussion
How to get your tarantula used to being handled
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<blockquote data-quote="Tomoran" data-source="post: 35068" data-attributes="member: 1152"><p>First off, this is obviously a topic that is oft debated, and I<strong> fully respect your statements and experiences</strong>. However, as I know that some new keepers may come on here and read this thread, I will offer my perspective on the above.</p><p></p><p>I truly think that it comes down to both <strong>necessity and predictability</strong>. First, <strong>necessity</strong>. I've have done dozens of transfers, and I've never had a situation where I felt that I needed to handle the animal. I, too, am calm and deliberate when transferring, and my goal is always to move the animal with minimal stress and as little risk to me and the T as possible. So, I agree completely that the key is <strong>NOT to rush it </strong>and to back off and try again later if the animal starts to show signs of stress or agitation. However, I disagree that you need to put your hand in harm's way. One bite is all it can take to end up with you and/or your tarantula injured. You have to ask yourself, if one of those Old Worlds decides that it is not in the mood, are you really going to be able to keep from flinching and flicking it into the air? Is it worth the risk? All it would take is one time.</p><p></p><p>Payden King, I'm not sure I understand how holding a tarantula once could help you to to be prepared for an escape. If you hold the animal, all that means is that on that particular day, in that particular moment, the T was calm enough to tolerate being handled. That certainly doesn't mean that the same animal, when agitated and stressed enough to bolt, will be handleable again. It will likely be terrified and very willing to protect itself. In fact, this idea might lead an inexperienced keeper to underestimate an animal that was "friendly" when last he/she held it and get bit. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the concept?</p><p></p><p>As for the "kill or be killed" attitude, I honestly don't think my Ts are trying to kill me when they get aggressive (well, perhaps my OBT is. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" />). Instinct tells them that if something big is reaching for them, it's likely a predator or danger. They will then bite or hair flick to inflict pain and, hopefully, to escape. That's the natural defense response they've developed over millions of years. It doesn't take much, whether it be a breeze or an imperceptible vibration, to kick a calm animal back into instinctual survival mode. I also have plenty of captive born tarantulas, and I have plenty that I still wouldn't put my hand in front of. I'm not sure that by being captive born it makes them more "domesticated"... I would agree that some wild caught specimens can be more defensive after being plucked from the wild and enduring the poor conditions they are often subjected to through importations, but I don't think that CB Ts are necessarily born more docile. The period that they've been kept my humans is a dust speck on a long timeline of their evolutionary history.</p><p></p><p>Can Ts become conditioned to "tolerate" handling? I believe that probably can. Do they "like" the handling? I doubt it. Are they still stressed? Some might tolerate it more than others, but it only takes breathing on them to set them off, so I would say any perceived "calmness" can be lost in a second. And here's where we get to <strong>predictability</strong>. They are not domesticated animals; they are essentially wild animals (and not ones recognized for higher-order thinking). This makes them VERY unpredictable. The boards are rife with stories of once docile Ts molting into nasty little monsters (and sometimes molting back to docile again). Their temperaments are NOT always predictable, and many will change as they age. That means that the cuddly little G. pulchripes that you handled at 3" could be a nippy, hair-flicking demon at 4".</p><p></p><p>Again, I only offer this response as I worry about a novice keeper coming on, reading these statements, and putting his/herself in harms way because he/she thinks that you have to have physical contact with the animal when transferring. I also worry about the wrong person picking up on the talk about handling Old World Ts and thinking this is normal or a safe practice. No way. It sounds like this method works for both of you, and I suspect that you both have the experience to make this decision. However, for one just getting into the hobby, I would really argue against trying to handle any or all of your animals until you get to see them at their best...and their worst.</p><p></p><p>Again, <strong>much respect</strong>!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tomoran, post: 35068, member: 1152"] First off, this is obviously a topic that is oft debated, and I[B] fully respect your statements and experiences[/B]. However, as I know that some new keepers may come on here and read this thread, I will offer my perspective on the above. I truly think that it comes down to both [B]necessity and predictability[/B]. First, [B]necessity[/B]. I've have done dozens of transfers, and I've never had a situation where I felt that I needed to handle the animal. I, too, am calm and deliberate when transferring, and my goal is always to move the animal with minimal stress and as little risk to me and the T as possible. So, I agree completely that the key is [B]NOT to rush it [/B]and to back off and try again later if the animal starts to show signs of stress or agitation. However, I disagree that you need to put your hand in harm's way. One bite is all it can take to end up with you and/or your tarantula injured. You have to ask yourself, if one of those Old Worlds decides that it is not in the mood, are you really going to be able to keep from flinching and flicking it into the air? Is it worth the risk? All it would take is one time. Payden King, I'm not sure I understand how holding a tarantula once could help you to to be prepared for an escape. If you hold the animal, all that means is that on that particular day, in that particular moment, the T was calm enough to tolerate being handled. That certainly doesn't mean that the same animal, when agitated and stressed enough to bolt, will be handleable again. It will likely be terrified and very willing to protect itself. In fact, this idea might lead an inexperienced keeper to underestimate an animal that was "friendly" when last he/she held it and get bit. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the concept? As for the "kill or be killed" attitude, I honestly don't think my Ts are trying to kill me when they get aggressive (well, perhaps my OBT is. ;)). Instinct tells them that if something big is reaching for them, it's likely a predator or danger. They will then bite or hair flick to inflict pain and, hopefully, to escape. That's the natural defense response they've developed over millions of years. It doesn't take much, whether it be a breeze or an imperceptible vibration, to kick a calm animal back into instinctual survival mode. I also have plenty of captive born tarantulas, and I have plenty that I still wouldn't put my hand in front of. I'm not sure that by being captive born it makes them more "domesticated"... I would agree that some wild caught specimens can be more defensive after being plucked from the wild and enduring the poor conditions they are often subjected to through importations, but I don't think that CB Ts are necessarily born more docile. The period that they've been kept my humans is a dust speck on a long timeline of their evolutionary history. Can Ts become conditioned to "tolerate" handling? I believe that probably can. Do they "like" the handling? I doubt it. Are they still stressed? Some might tolerate it more than others, but it only takes breathing on them to set them off, so I would say any perceived "calmness" can be lost in a second. And here's where we get to [B]predictability[/B]. They are not domesticated animals; they are essentially wild animals (and not ones recognized for higher-order thinking). This makes them VERY unpredictable. The boards are rife with stories of once docile Ts molting into nasty little monsters (and sometimes molting back to docile again). Their temperaments are NOT always predictable, and many will change as they age. That means that the cuddly little G. pulchripes that you handled at 3" could be a nippy, hair-flicking demon at 4". Again, I only offer this response as I worry about a novice keeper coming on, reading these statements, and putting his/herself in harms way because he/she thinks that you have to have physical contact with the animal when transferring. I also worry about the wrong person picking up on the talk about handling Old World Ts and thinking this is normal or a safe practice. No way. It sounds like this method works for both of you, and I suspect that you both have the experience to make this decision. However, for one just getting into the hobby, I would really argue against trying to handle any or all of your animals until you get to see them at their best...and their worst. Again, [B]much respect[/B]! [/QUOTE]
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