Working with defensive t's?

[Tyler Kuykendall]

I've tested the temperament of my L. parahybana, and though reputed as being a less defensive bird-eater, I got a feisty one. I don't try to handle her, but could I chill her out if I used certain techniques or will she not EVER want to be handled if she doesn't want to now?

 

[Denny Dee]

I don't believe that any spiders want to be handled. But once they go rogue, there is no turning back. I would go after a more docile species if you want to handle one. And would avoid any species that can fling urticating hair! More folks seem to get nailed that way over actually bitten and it does not sound pleasant. If I had to handle a T, my first choice would be Euthilus sp.

 

[Tyler Kuykendall]

Well, yeah, I knew that t's don't WANT to be handled; *tolerable* of occasional handling is a better way of saying it. If I handle any of my more docile t's, I wouldn't want to more than once a month. That's just me, though.

 

[Tomoran]

It sounds like she has made it very clear that she will not tolerate handling.

Some Ts will change temperaments as they mature or after a molt, but with the urticating hairs and the potential for a painful bite (low venom toxicity or not, their fangs can get huge), why take the chance of injuring yourself or the spider? Probably best to keep a hands-off policy with her and enjoy a fast-growing spider with a large maximum size by admiring her without handling.

If you're set on handling, I would try to locate a more consistently docile species, like a B. albopilosum or, like Denny Dee said, a Euathlus sp.

 

[Tyler Kuykendall]

I wasn't bent on handling her. Handleable or not, a tarantula's still fascinating, but I've watched YouTube videos of people handling Goliath bird-eaters and Poecilotheria spiders and was curious if they were tamed over time (which I figured not, but asked about it) or happened to be docile. I have docile t's, but seldomly handle them.

 

[Tomoran]

I wasn't bent on trying to handle her; handleable or not, a tarantula is still fascinating, but I've watched YouTube videos of people handling Goliath birdeaters and Poecilotheria spiders and was curious if they were tamed over time (which I honestly figured not, but worth asking about) or just so happened to be docile specimens. I do have docile tarantulas, but seldomly handle them.

Oh, I agree that they are incredibly fascinating. And I do understand the the temptation to hold. Unfortunately, some tolerate it (tolerate being the key word) and some do not. And, even a T that allows you to handle it for a while can change its temperament down the road. If you're going to handle, be very careful with which species you try it with.

Sadly, there are all sorts of Youtube videos showing irresponsible, sometimes sub-moronic people handling many species that the vast majority of us think should be hands off only. Although I'm guilty of watching them, I secretly hate them as they give those new to the hobby bad ideas and unrealistic views of these species' behaviors.

Anyone who has experienced the sudden speed of a Pokie, or has read a bite report on a member of the Poecilotheria genus and still decides to try holding one, is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier. I've seen people on Youtube hold everything from pokies and T. stirmis to my personal favorite, OBTs. In these cases, I'm sure that these folks have particular docile specimens that tolerate handling. However, I worry that someone might see a guy handling an OBT and think that this is the norm. Hell, on another forum there was a guy hell-bent on holding one because he saw on Youtube that they could be "docile". In the cases of these species, this is NOT the norm.

Try to take those Youtube videos as entertainment only. I watch them as I might watch a daredevil try to jump the Grand Canyon. Sure, it can be entertaining for the wrong reasons, but I'm sure as heck not going to try it.

 

[Tyler Kuykendall]

Lol, given how FAST they are, I'd never think of handling even a seemingly friendly Poecilotheria or another such arboreal. As for the impressions that some people get from watching YouTube videos showing people handling them, there's more to researching the care and temperament of a Poecilotheria than just watching videos (let alone the videos showing how highly skittish/defensive the species can be), so that's more on them in my opinion than the posters of the videos.

 

[Tomoran]

Lol, given how FAST they are, I'd never think of handling even a seemingly friendly Poecilotheria or another such arboreal. As for the impressions some people get from watching YouTube videos that show people handling them, there's more to researching the care and temperament of that Poecilotheria than just watching videos (let alone the videos showing how highly skittish/defensive the species can be), so that's more on them in my opinion than the video posters.

I hear you! I watch my guys teleport around their enclosures and it blows my mind. Unfortunately, many folks just don't do their research. Or, they research, then see one video of someone holding an OBT, then they decide that they must not all be "that bad." When you work with these species for a while, those videos become even more absurd and, well, scary!