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- Thread starter Ross Mac
- Start date
- Messages
- 588
Go ahead and ask away.
And welcome to you and your son.
And welcome to you and your son.
Hi, thank you. We bought him a young red kneed tarantula and we followed all instructions from the man at the shop who apparently has twenty himself so thought we were in good hands (and probably were). It was eating a cricket every two days, has had water gel and water added. It has been picked up each day and handled gently by us all and seemed to be enjoying walking up our arms. Then it stopped eating. I was told it may be ready for shedding and to watch out for it going on its back and to remove crickets when this happened so we have been watching. I noticed yesterday it was curled up but on its front so picked it up and it was quieter than usual so put it back thinking it would shed soon. But this morning it was dead. We feel that we have let this little spider down and have no idea where we went wrong. I'm not sure yet weather we will get him another but want to make sure we get it right next time if we do.
Thank you
Thank you
- Messages
- 124
- Location
- WI
Tarantulas don't need the water gel. They can't drink from it. They need a water dish or for very tiny slings mist one corner of the enclosure to supply water. I'm not an expert and someone can correct me if I'm wrong but handling everyday would probably be pretty stressful on a young T. I am very sorry for your loss though. 
- Messages
- 755
- Location
- Lower Hudson River Valley NY
Was it ever dropped or did it ever fall? A drop of as little as 10" can be fatal. Also, the gel is useless to tarantulas. It could be that it was dehydrated. It also could be something unknown. Sorry you lost your tarantula. If you try again you might want to think about a grammastola pulchripes (Chaco Gold Knee). They are less expensive, fairly docile, and hardy.
- Messages
- 600
- Location
- Madina't Isa, Bahrain
Hi julie welcome aboard and sorry for your son's loss
Hi, thanks for your replies. No it was never dropped, we were told about that from the start. But I didn't know about the gel :O((. We were told to handle it a lot so it was used to us. It never bit so I just assumed it was okay with that. I own/love/show, etc my dogs so spiders were a new concept to me, we just thought we were doing it right. I am inclined to think it would be the gel then as it did sit on it quite a lot. I feel terrible now. Also we were told as it lived in a house we didn't need a heated pad for under it's tank, is this right?
Julie
Julie
- Messages
- 6
That is correct no heat pad needed, might I suggest you purchase the tarantula keepers guide it truly has the most information and a read through would benefit both you and future T's
Welcome, Ross Mac, and so sorry for your son's loss. Everybody gave you some excellent tips. The Tarantula Keeper's Guide is literally the best resource out there. Please don't hesitate to post any other questions you might have in the future.
I wouldn't advise it. Tarantulas do not have ears but their bristles pick up on just about movement and vibration. While not being directly harmful, constant loud music would likely be extremely annoying. I freqently play music near my Ts but it is mostly classical and I keep it at moderate to low volume.
- Messages
- 147
- Location
- Ellensburg, WA
Sorry about your loss... I also want to add that although some people claim that daily handling will allow the tarantula to become accustomed to handling, science shows that tarantulas do not have the brain capacity to remember any of those times you've handled it. It suggests that tarantulas cannot be trained to be handled, and that each time you do, it is the first time being held for that tarantula (which must be terribly stressful). I personally haven't made up my mind as to which I believe to be true (in fact I love handling my Ts) but I thought I should throw that out there for some added info
Hi Leah, thanks for the info. It's strange because my son saw his first tarantula at a local Xscape centre when man who runs an animal charity takes different reptiles and birds of prey for people to hold. The tarantula was held a lot by different people and didn't seem bothered at all. I held it and asked if it had ever bitten anyone and he said no. I knew Ross would want to hold his so we made sure it was docile before buying it.
We have given it much thought and we are not going to have another one. Even with my Ecology degree I clearly don't remember enough about spiders. While I would never intentionally hurt any creature, I think I should definitely stick to mammals where my knowledge better lies. Julie
We have given it much thought and we are not going to have another one. Even with my Ecology degree I clearly don't remember enough about spiders. While I would never intentionally hurt any creature, I think I should definitely stick to mammals where my knowledge better lies. Julie
- Messages
- 2,461
Hello
First off,sorry for the loss. Secondly,handling a T is always a risk yo owner or T. The T could fall,or bite the owner. To them I think we are like just another surface to explore, so in my opinion its like the first handling over and over. Some T's will handle it better than others, for example a curly would be better than say an OBT. It depends on the T's nature skittish aggressive or defensive, all variables need to be considered. I won't say handle a T,also I won't say don't just remember to take responsibility for any outcomes foreseen or unforeseen. As for not having another T,this is very sad to read but a personal choice. If you have them for a while,you will start to realize their wonders. Hope to see a change of mind,if not hope all goes well in your futures.
- Messages
- 755
- Location
- Lower Hudson River Valley NY
Julie-
Your post has reminded me of something that I have been wondering about for a while. I own dogs too and I use a topical flea and tick killer/repellent (Frontline) on them. I've been concerned about handling my T's for fear of having any Frontline residue on my hands that may effect my T's. Do you use a product like this or flea collars on your dogs?
Frank
Your post has reminded me of something that I have been wondering about for a while. I own dogs too and I use a topical flea and tick killer/repellent (Frontline) on them. I've been concerned about handling my T's for fear of having any Frontline residue on my hands that may effect my T's. Do you use a product like this or flea collars on your dogs?
Frank
- Messages
- 2,461
Well said,since any substance could hold lethal implications. Even handling prey items,and then feeding the T could be detrimental since it could transfer from owner to T. Also,we do not know which substances could affect T's except from normal ones like say pesticides and so on. Any element could be fatal,or harm the T in a very bad way. So what he has brought up,would be another negative in handling a T.
