holding your tarantula

[Dee Pluck]

i've seen video on the ATS about how 'Stan Schultz' taught people
how to hold a tarantula.
I'm sure some of you have seen it
i was just wondering how many of you do hold your T's like that.

i am not starting a ' handling versus not handling thread'
like the origional thread says, i am just wondering...

i would love to hold my tarantulas but from what i've learned
it causes stress to the T, so i dont do it.
(the real reason is i'm too much of a scaredy cat to hold
even my rosie's)

I find the US forums more open to handling and its
not a major issue where as on uk forums it doesnt
really come up, if thats because no one holds their
tarantulas or because they dont show it, i dont know!!!
lol

anyway just looking for your thoughts.

[Peter Lacey]

The issue of handling recently came up again with the report of a G. rosea bite and Ray kindly illustrated the BTS policy concerning handling:

http://thebts.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=23640&postcount=19

[Oli Dodds]

i am not starting a ' handling versus not handling thread'
like the origional thread says, i am just wondering...

I am fully aware of the BTS policy on handling, and I am fully aware on your ideas on handling Peter. Dee was asking who handles their Ts, read the question.
I do, and others do to. Anything else to add?
Oli

[Peter Lacey]

Oli, I think this is another example of what I mentioned before.
I'm not judging the rights or wrongs, nor implying that anyone is wrong in handling, I'm merely responding to this part of the original post "where as on uk forums it doesnt really come up".

Who am I to judge, I can only go by the information presented before me, the BTS policy and the books I've read by Schultz, Breene and Marshall.

Perhaps in your view Oli I shouldn't have added anything but I decided to expand on the question, afterall this is a forum.

[Oli Dodds]

Oli, I think this is another example of what I mentioned before.
I'm not judging the rights or wrongs, nor implying that anyone is wrong in handling, I'm merely responding to this part of the original post "where as on uk forums it doesnt really come up".

Who am I to judge, I can only go by the information presented before me, the BTS policy and the books I've read by Schultz, Breene and Marshall.

Perhaps in your view Oli I shouldn't have added anything but I decided to expand on the question, afterall this is a forum.

Ok, a fair comment No no, I'm more then happy for you to add Peter, I just misinterpreted *as usual LOL* and thought you were having a go thats all
I guess im just too defensive, too fast, kinda like a maculata i guess hehee
Oli

[wesley flower]

i used to handle spiders in front of the public to illustrate different species in wildlife shows. i consider myself to know what i am doing when it comes to spider taking into consideration mine and their safety. i have handled Grammostola rosea, Brachypelma smithi, Lasiodora parahybana and Poecilotheria regalis.

as a general rule i dont handle spiders for pleasure, i will if needed pick up a spider to examine. but there are ways for doing this that is both safe for the spider and the handler.

yes i have been biten before but never from picking up or handling a spider (except Steatoda nobilis) , the only times i have been biten by a Theraphosid is when i have used my finger instead of a pen or something to encourage it to move. ooouch!

just cos i said i handled these species does not mean by any standards it is safe at all, L. parahybana and P. regalis are big fats and potentially aggressive species and are likely to bite, as for G. rosea and B. smithi, these are considered the more handleable species but bites can and do occur.

the moral of the story is dont handle your spider for pleasure and only ever pick it up if you are 100% confidant and it is a must.

[Rebecca Norris]

I think my spiddies are happier in their vivs, they don't need to be pulled about by a person

[Tom Forman]

I wouldn't ever be tempted to do something just because they do it in america.

You should see some of the crazy things I've seen some people do on youtube.
They could easily have had a big stamp on their forehead saying: "made in america and prone to do somthing wreckless and stupid next"

Let them handle their spiders, let them stick fireworks up their butts and let them be proud of it.


I wouldn't ever be tempted to push some of my spiders with my finger like u wesley. I am pretty sure I would get away with in on some spiders but others, no way. The last time I tried to move Speedy, he spun around, pounced for the pen and started biting it.
Pamela on the other hand just placed her bottom on the floor and could practically be pushed along lol.

[James Box]

it's definitely down to the individual keeper and their spider. even the most placid spider can have a go at you, or worse flip out, jump and get injured or worse killed.

[Dee Pluck]

I wouldn't ever be tempted to do something just because they do it in america.

i'M NOT.

it's definitely down to the individual keeper and their spider. even the most placid spider can have a go at you, or worse flip out, jump and get injured or worse killed.

TOTALLY agree, its just not worth the risk to the spider.


what i wanted to talk about really, that i may not have made clear
in my first post was the method in with the tarantulas are handled

NOT THE QUESTION IF ITS RIGHT OR WRONG...
so calm down its just a conversation.!!!!!!!

.

[James Box]

well despite what i said, i do handle on occasion...probably down to when i was a child, sat by a bush full of bees. they came and walked on me and i was never stung.
now i doubt the T's get much out of a stroll on my hand, and it's probably down to my own "enjoyment"...but it does happen, and i try to ensure that i don't hurt them or cause them to be hurt.

i suppose the method i would use is to nudge the T onto my hand in a very gentle way. if the T is fast, i've learned that i need to keep my arms deep inside a very large plastic box to limit the chance of escape. the idea is for the T to have a wander. with some of the very docile ones, i may slowly cup my fingers round them and let them get their own grip on my fingers in order to pick them up. they tend to respond well to this, and the only danger is that they'll slip through and continue on their merry way, ie to my back, which isn't so good!
i've found i've had fewer close calls holding the spider itself than i have holding enclosures. but that's just me.
again, i wouldn't encourage...and there are some i won't hold (as much as i'd like to).

the use of the deep plastic box was proved last night when feeding. a cambridgei sling decided to step out, and instead of reaching the floor or running up my arm, it merely went round the base of the box. it even caught the cricket i had attempted to feed to it, which also made a break for freedom. in the end, i was able to slowly ease the tub over the spider and with a tap or two on the plastic encourage it back inside its tub and into a burrow.

i think in summary, for feeding, cleaning, and the occasional handle, the safest thing is to have everything down inside a deep container from which you can block the exit routes, and also to keep the T in such a position that if it falls, it won't be very far.

[Simon Norfolk]

My Rosie is a little too unpredictable for me to feel comfortable handling her. The other day I put a couple of crickets in her tank and went to nudge one toward her (It's a pretty big tank) and she went about being investigative and attempted to crawl slowly up the pen I was using (which I imagine if it was my finger would be nice). On the other hand, several days before I had attempted to get near her with my hand and she just picked up her pedipalps and two front legs and looked at me as if to say: Really...make my day.

What puzzles me however is that if a Tarantula really si 100% instinct then what would compel my molly to be exploratory when I'm waving a pen in her face at all! I would have thought her base sense would be: 'uh oh get out of here'. I guess this kind of illustrates how frustrating it is that so little is known about the creatures. I have actually gone to the trouble of appropriating a grammastola rosea exuvium (not my molly's) just to have a closer look. I was planning on extracting the fangs to get a closer look- although before I start pulling it apart I want to be able to sex it first (which I'm trying to do using all those diagrams to do with book lungs and little triangles- but im just not getting it!)

I'm also assuming- given that so many people have access to their spider's old skins that spiders dont consume their own skin once moulted- which is unusual in the insect kingdom (and yes before I get corrected a trillion times I know that they're not insects- theyre arthropods, but its close enough for me. And I dont need a billion people telling me theyre not close at all and pointing out all the differences!)

A moot point I suppose and I'm going to get hijacked by moderators and senior members but...despite the fact that the BTS does not encourage handling of tarantulas for the safety and well being of the spider and the owner, the subject is becoming so taboo on these forums that it'll eventually end up nobody sharing these kind of experiences with eachother. I get the BTS rules and guidelines...I really do...but it would be so sad to see the end of these kind of threads.

[Colin D Wilson]

Some spiders, and i seem to find it's mainly arboreals, do tend to chew on the old moult.
Lots of explanations are offered, gaining extra moisture?, breaking it apart to add to the web? etc etc.

As far as sexing, if you look inside the abdominal "skin" you will see spermathecae in between the upper book lungs if its female.


Have just taken this to show you what to look for

[Peter Lacey]

Simon, I don't think its taboo, I think its a matter of not promoting handling which has probably been dealt with innumerable times on this and other forums. The subject can become quite emotive which only serves to create a series of negative comments within the forum. Creating a policy is to promote an educated position which you hope people will understand and follow but it doesn't make it the law. There's a responsibility from any body to provide advice which protects both the reader and the subject, in this case the tarantula. As illustrated by Mark Pennell the BTS has a no handling policy and this is supported by many hobbyist that have dealt with tarantula for a number of years. In contrast the ATC takes a different approach and handling is well documented elsewhere, most notably (from my reading) in Stan Schultz's book "The Tarantula Keeper's Guide".
The easiest way to handle a T is by encouraging it to walk onto your hand, however it's likely that this method is for the enjoyment of the hobbyist and not to examine the T. There are other methods of picking up the T by grasping overhead and clasping the T, however there is the danger of pressure on the body which could quite easily fatally injure the T whilst also putting your fingers within the reaches of the fangs!
I've read in Schultz's book how to correctly pick up Ts and I'm not convinced its for me or the T. I'd certainly want to see this first hand before even considering doing it myself, and then only for required examination.
That's my viewpoint, others have different opinions, I certainly wouldn't be bold enough to suggest they're wrong but its quite obvious that handling your Ts is a decision not to be taken without proper consideration.

[Simon Norfolk]

Colin thankyou so much for that! I think I have it sussed now- the spermathecae is really tiny! I was going wrong looking for it on the underside of the T as opposed to actually inside the abdomen. Although...thats just completely thrown me as I had presumed that the tarantula who's exuvium it was was an immature male. i'd made this assumption after obviously seeing the tarantula and it looked kinda leggy and had a bright pink carapace. My thoughts were that males tend to be more leggy and brightly coloured- whereas my molly is dull brown and less leggy. My molly is also quite a bit larger though so I assume that these differences are more to do with maturity. Unless my molly is a he.....?