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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Greg" data-source="post: 137554" data-attributes="member: 27757">It must have been quite a shock...  glad to hear you're doing better.  It was a rather stealthy toxic reaction, seeming mild at first but then pulsing in waves.  Good for the rest of us to hear that New World bites can be more than just "no worse than a bee sting" My Acanthoscurria geniculata gave me its first threat post since it came home as a juvenile six months ago (don't know gender yet). Normally when I put food in or change water, it first goes in its burrow at the first sign of vibration on its enclosure before coming out to pounce.  This time it stayed still with its front third of its body in the borrow, and the rest hanging outside . There was no reaction when I reached in with tongs to take out the water cap. When I opened up again to put the cap in, it quickly backed out of the burrow, did a 180 and reared up with all front legs in the air. I slowly pulled out the tongs and closed the enclosure; It remained in that position for about ten seconds before lowering its legs. Fully outstretched, it now looked 4'' instead of the 3'' it had appeared to be!   I had to remind myself "Its not personal".  It's simply a reaction to stimuli.  I now have second thoughts about considering handling, though...</blockquote>