mistake maybe?

[jason lea]

hi everyone,i am new here and only a novice tarantula keeper but after keeping some new world species for a while(and they can make me nervous)i decided to branch out to asia but i find my latest buys positivley terryfying should i give up on t's and give them to someone who's not such a wimp!

[Craig Mackay]

Welcome to the forum Jason.
Not sure what advice I can give you other than that would have to be a personal decision. It would be a shame for you to have to give up completely but if they're terrifying you then maybe it would be something to consider. Have you had the new ones long? What are they? If you haven't had them long maybe you'll get used to them. I haven't kept any asian or african species yet so I'm maybe not the best person to advise. If you can say what aspects of keeping them your finding difficult due to their aggression (feeding, watering, housing etc) then maybe some experienced people will be able to give you some tips on how to keep the critters at bay.

[jason lea]

hi craig,thanks for responding!not really sure what advice i was expecting anyway but regarding your questions i bought a cyriopagapus pagnus(lots of dispute about this)about 6 weeks ago and they gave me tub it was in with it but she seems to be getting more aggressive and runs towards the opening as soon as i try to feed her this is bad enough but soon i will need to rehome her and also i am wondering how i can give her water? thanks jase

[Ray Hale]

Hi Jason, hang in there. One of the first T's I bought way back in the Dark Ages ( From Ian Wallace....how long ago is that????) was Selenocosmia lyra (alledgedy). It was in Stork Margarine tub and the most evil thing I had ever seen. It took me two day to pluck up the courage to try and move it with a wooden spoon and welding gloves.. We did it and we loved it.
That was over twenty years ago and we have never rgretted a single day in the hobby so keep at it.
Never give up, just take your time and relax. You have chosen a spider that even experienced keepers respect.


Ray Hale
BTS Committee

[Craig Mackay]

What kind of tub is she in? If the lid allows then you could try just opening it a tiny bit for feeding so that you can get the cricket in but she can't get out. You caould probably pour your water in that way aswell. Might be a bt trickier if you need to remove the water bowl but you could probably just pour some water onto the substrate/into the bowl by sliding the lid along a little. As for rehousing you might have your work cut out, lol! Make sure you do it somewhere you have plenty room to manouvre incase she escapes and plenty smaller tupperware tubs or similar to hand to catch her in. Some people do it in the bath I've heard as T's struggle to climb out. I dunno how true that is. Maybe someone will confirm. If all goes to plan hopefully you'll just be able to put a box over her, slide the lid underneath and then pop that tub into her new home. More often than not life isn't that simple though.

There are plenty keepers on here with experience of Asian arboreals so hopefully someone else will give you more specific advice.
Good luck whatever you do

[jason lea]

thanks ray maybe my confidence will build with time.
thanks craig i tryed just opening the lid slightly but she's fast to try and exploit even this tiny gap,will have to keep experimenting(carefully lol)another point though you say asian aboreal?from what i can find out most seem to think this is a haplopelma longipes(not sure on spelling)is this also aboreal?thanks again

[Craig Mackay]

H. longipes is a burrowing species. If you have a photo of her someone on here may be able to tell you which it is. More than likely at the least be able to confirm the genus if not the species. Your spellings spot on mate.

[Ray Gabriel]

Where are you Jason?

maybe one of the more experienced members in your area can nip round and help you re house her? if you are near Swindon I can help.

Hang in there though Asians are great to keep once you get to grips with them.

Ray

[jason lea]

don't have a photo at the moment will try and get one when i move her! she is in a opaque tupperware box thats why i want to move her to a glass tank so i can see her properly. might give it a go tomorrow!!!
hope you don't mind but i have another question (don't know any keepers personally to ask)are bites amongst keepers common? i have not been bitten myself just wondered if this was luck!

[jason lea]

hi ray, i live near walsall in the west midlands but thanks for the generous offer.
have to say my fears aside i still find these creatures fascinating so i will try and "hang in there"and thanks for words of encouragement

[Ray Gabriel]

Hi Jason,

I have kept thousands of spiders since the mid - late 1970's and had 13?14? bites (no the venom does not effect your memory) , the worst bite I have had is from the British spider Steatoda grossa. All my bites have been my fault mostly through complacency.

Walsall, there are a few people round that area who might be able to help.

Ray

[jason lea]

funny that ray the guy in the shop i get my t's from gave me one of those steatodas(not sure which one our flat is really dark and i cant see much colouring on her)perhaps i should worry more about her eh lol

[Craig Mackay]

Good to hear your gonna stick at it. It's a very rewarding hobby! It's like a rollercoaster. You'll crap your pants but be exhilarated at the same time
I've never been bitten yet. Had a close one with my chile rose of all spiders once but she missed, phew! As long as you don't let your guard down and take all the neccessary precautions I think bites are pretty rare. It would be interesting to hear some other members thought/experiences. You'll probably find her easier to deal with once she's in a glass tank as you'll be able to see where she is before opening the lid. Good luck tomorrow, a pair of gloves may be handy (excuse the pun ) and don't forget to let us know how you get on.

[Anita Pile]

Hi Jason,

My Chile Rose has me sweating sometimes, so I admire you massively! I can't give you the advice that everyone else on here has as I'm fairly new to it myself, but was just having a think on your water problem. Knowing you can only open your tub a small amount have you thought of using a syringe to get the water in? You can get quite large ones (50/60ml) that will still have quite a small nozzle, about 2mm in diameter (don't get a dosing syringe as these have larger, feeding tips) and you might just be able to squeeze that in? I'm sure if you went down to your local vets they'd be happy to supply you with one.

Obviously you may not need to do this once you move her, but just a thought!

Good luck! Anita.

[jason lea]

thanks anita,i like the idea about the syringe something i could use for all my t's.
does anyone have any tips for removing and replacing the water dish for cleaning purposes?