Would this work? (Please don't scold me if this is actually a bad idea, just tell me why it would't work please.)

[Lemon]

So you know how in reptile expos some people will try to sell tarantulas off as calm, but they're only lethargic because of being kept in cool temperatures? Now I would never practice or even attempt this if I know any part is bad, but wouldn't doing that make it easier to rehouse say a...skittish species? I'm not saying to put them in freezing temps but perhaps just a cooler area? And of course remove them once rehoused, like I said this may be a super bad idea and a threat to the tarantulas health, but I am curious.

 

[m0lsx]

I find being calm, gentle & smooth in my movements stops my more skittish T's from being an issue & personally, I would say if T's are calmer at expo's it is more likely due to them being over stimulated & thus stressed at expo's due to all the people & them being transported etc.

I always give my more skittish T's lots of cover. So for example I drill & hot glue plastic plants onto bark & wrap the plastic vine around tubes & I glue the ends of vine into the bark too. So it's all firm & predictable for them.

Even my wifes P metallica, which is the most skittish T we have, runs for cover rather than run high speed circles around the enclosure, as it did when we first got it. So often I find that I can transfer T's simply by picking up the bark & transferring that complete with T.

 

[Lemon]

I find being calm, gentle & smooth in my movements stops my more skittish T's from being an issue & personally, I would say if T's are calmer at expo's it is more likely due to them being over stimulated & thus stressed at expo's due to all the people & them being transported etc.

I always give my more skittish T's lots of cover. So for example I drill & hot glue plastic plants onto bark & wrap the plastic vine around tubes & I glue the ends of vine into the bark too. So it's all firm & predictable for them.

Even my wifes P metallica, which is the most skittish T we have, runs for cover rather than run high speed circles around the enclosure, as it did when we first got it. So often I find that I can transfer T's simply by picking up the bark & transferring that complete with T.

Ah I see! Thank you, I'll be sure to pay higher attention to my future deco and hides, right now I have a juvie B. Smithi that refuses to ever be in her hide, but as I've learned with tarantulas...patience is one of the most needed virtues .

 

[x_raphael_xx]

When rehousing, even non-skittish species, I always assume the worst and try to prepare.
I will slowly take out any decoration that may get in the way of my catch cup, and I will cover as much of the enclosure opening as I can with the lid.
Go as slowly as possible.
I rehoused my female gbb this weekend, and used a bigger catch cup than needed, just so I could go over all her legs and not startle her.

 

[m0lsx]

Three things we ALWAYS do is..
1. We make sure we are working in a clear area, so if a T does make a run for it there is a clear area with nothing to run under, behind etc. This gives you a few extra seconds to capture any runner.
2. We always have a catch cup or two ready.
3, We try to always do any transfer within a container of some sort. So something that both the old & the new enclosure fits into. With very large enclosures that is not always possible. But we have brought a tub that will hold two Exo Terra Faunariums (PT-2300's.) It is used to hold some bits in a cupboard normally. But was brought as a extra large safety net.

 

[m0lsx]

Just to add. An old radio amateur friend always said it's all about the 6 P's
1. Prior
2. Planning
3. Prevents
4. Urine
5. Poor
6. Performance.

 

[Blackdog]

I even built myself a table like Dave's Little Beasties to do transfers on for JUST IN CASE

 

[Heretic]

So in getting to your OP, decreasing the temp to sedate a T is risky, but can work. The problem is the timing / temp would need to be experimented to failure, meaning you would need to kill several specimen to find the optimum temp and time of exposure to find useful data to use in normal "safe" practical use.

Its 100% do-able and if there was an extremely dangerous T to work with, professional biologist would do this as a safety tool.

I've heard several viper-keepers do a form of this when needed for extremely high-strung and deadly specimens. This works well because they are cold blooded. T's are not, but the cold will effect all creates in this way just the same just not as effectively and as quickly.