Newbie pair

[Bubbles]

Hi all,
My son and i treated ourselves to a Mexican red knee for crimbo, called him/ her Bubbles!. since we've had him he's shed twice grown from 1" to nearly 2. however recently I've been finding it hard to hold bubbles, just because as I've been trying to tempt him towards my hand gently with a cotton bud he's been lashing out at it. Till last night. He scaled the side of his enclosure and with minimal encouragement onto my hand.

 

[Enn49]

Hi, welcome to the hobby . Ts don't really enjoy being handled so maybe it just wasn't in the mood.

 

[MassExodus]

As Enn said, they don't like being handled, but some are very tolerant of it. Until they're not Just be aware they can have severe mood swings. I handle mine occasionally as well, but always while sitting on my bed, to minimize risk to the spider. They're delicate and tough in equal measure, I guess. I've heard of 1' falls that have killed them. Gives new meaning to the phrase "I landed wrong". So, when I handle mine I do it safely, and mentally prepare myself to take a bite and not fling my beloved pet against a wall. Sorry, I don't mean to preach, just giving you fair warning. They can't "get used" to us handling them, because their simple brains don't work that way. According to the people who have studied invert brains.

 

[Whitelightning777]

Handling just isn't a good idea. Their neurochemistry is to primitive to handle complex interactions with humans. It only stresses or confuses them and taming or training is not possible.

 

[Greenbay1]

Welcome!

 

[Bubbles]

Dear all, we always sit on the bed so bubbles can't go far! How bad does the bite hurt? As bad as a bee?? Maybe i shouldn't ask

 

[crystalfreakkk]

Dear all, we always sit on the bed so bubbles can't go far! How bad does the bite hurt? As bad as a bee?? Maybe I shouldn't ask

New world tarantulas would rather flick their urticating hairs on you or flee than bite. If you are bitten by your B. Smithi (I assume it's a B. Smithi, I'm not great with common names) it would be similar to a bee sting. Apparently if you are allergic to bee stings then it is more likely that you will be allergic to a tarantula's venom. The worst part is the bite itself, depending on your tarantula's size they can cause mechanical damage with their fangs. I have never been bitten but from what I hear in more mild cases it can be a little itchy and red. Some people do get "dry" bites which is when they don't inject venom with the bite. If you wish to handle your T then you should make sure they're open to being handled that day by gently pushing them with your feeding tongs or a paintbrush, whatever works. Also they should not be handled post molt, they are very fragile and can be easily harmed.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Welcome to the group. B. Hammori is my favorite species. Congratulations.

 

[Bubbles]

Oh no...
Can't believed i posted that. So sorry for The foul language i can only blame predictive text Obviously i meant sit, yeah ive spotted sometimes he'll tell the cotton bud to go away, as i try to move him. but the other day he came to the edge off the enclosure i put my hand near and he hoped on.
Just to confirm he is a b hammori.

 

[Whitelightning777]

My S8 note does that too. Even after you change it you have to wait.

 

[Enn49]

Oh no...
Can't believed i posted that. So sorry for The foul language i can only blame predictive text Obviously i meant sit, yeah ive spotted sometimes he'll tell the cotton bud to go away, as i try to move him. but the other day he came to the edge off the enclosure i put my hand near and he hoped on.
Just to confirm he is a b hammori.

Never fear, I have amended it for you.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Dear all, we always sit on the bed so bubbles can't go far! How bad does the bite hurt? As bad as a bee?? Maybe i shouldn't ask

The bed is the last place you want a new world T with urticating hairs...you may start itching in places you don't want to itch.

 

[Whitelightning777]

Sure, blame the spider, not the ex!!

 

[Bubbles]

The bed is the last place you want a new world T with urticating hairs...you may start itching in places you don't want to itch.

Thanks for that maybe ill keep the douvet on

 

[MassExodus]

Just as a side note, someone mentioned allergic reactions to tarantula venom. There has never been a documented allergic reaction to T venom in a human being. The big brains say there aren't enough peptides in it to cause anaphylaxis. Also, bee venom has nothing at all to do with tarantula venom. I'll refer you to thereapersride on youtube, check out the video where his friend, who's badly allergic to bees, gets tagged by a G pulchripes. I don't mean to shoot anyone down, I just don't want newer hobbyists to be misinformed.

 

[Whitelightning777]

Some of the venom can really ruin your month sans any allergies at all!! It's interesting to watch an OW bite a mealworm versus a NW. When a baboon tarantula bites one, it shakes for maybe 3 seconds. When my Versicolor or even my Klugi bites one, it takes them almost 30 to 60 seconds to die.

 

[crystalfreakkk]

Just as a side note, someone mentioned allergic reactions to tarantula venom. There has never been a documented allergic reaction to T venom in a human being. The big brains say there aren't enough peptides in it to cause anaphylaxis. Also, bee venom has nothing at all to do with tarantula venom. I'll refer you to thereapersride on youtube, check out the video where his friend, who's badly allergic to bees, gets tagged by a G pulchripes. I don't mean to shoot anyone down, I just don't want newer hobbyists to be misinformed.

I read an inaccurate article, one of those “so you got a tarantula” kinda things. Upon further research I see that you’re correct. If you think about it it doesn’t really make sense, since nobody has ever died from a tarantula and there isn’t an antivenom for tarantulas. Shoulda thought about that, my bad.

 

[Enn49]

Just as a side note, someone mentioned allergic reactions to tarantula venom. There has never been a documented allergic reaction to T venom in a human being. The big brains say there aren't enough peptides in it to cause anaphylaxis. Also, bee venom has nothing at all to do with tarantula venom. I'll refer you to thereapersride on youtube, check out the video where his friend, who's badly allergic to bees, gets tagged by a G pulchripes. I don't mean to shoot anyone down, I just don't want newer hobbyists to be misinformed.

I read an inaccurate article, one of those “so you got a tarantula” kinda things. Upon further research I see that you’re correct. If you think about it it doesn’t really make sense, since nobody has ever died from a tarantula and there isn’t an antivenom for tarantulas. Shoulda thought about that, my bad.

The comparison to a bee sting is purely to give an idea of the symptoms (pain, swelling etc.) that you would suffer if bitten. It was also used to describe bites by rear fanged snakes and misunderstood in the same way. It does not mean that if you are allergic to bee sings you will also be allergic to T venom or snake venom.

 

[crystalfreakkk]

This is what I read online.. in retrospect it isn’t believable at all. It’s unfortunate that these websites are misinforming people that are considering getting tarantulas as pets.

 

[Enn49]

View attachment 28523 This is what I read online.. in retrospect it isn’t believable at all. It’s unfortunate that these websites are misinforming people that are considering getting tarantulas as pets.

Sadly there is a lot of misinformation about Ts on the web but I'm sure if you could suffer anaphylactic shock from one we would have heard about deaths from them by now.