defence against the bite

[matthew spooner]

as much as it hurt my head and disrupted my working day, i was thinking earlier, one problem alot of people have is the fear of moving/rehousing aggressive species and getting bitten. for work i have both a kevlar vest and kevlar gloves, for people who dont know, kevlar is a strong substance used in bullet/stab proof vests. although my vest would protect me against all blades and most gun blasts, the gloves are only woven kevlar and are only slash proof. do you think this level of protection from the kevlar would be man enough to stop a tarantulas fangs penetrating. i think it would be a good idea to use them if they would as you can get them relatively cheaply, the only thing is i am too much of a wimp to put them on and put them to the test against the bite. what do others think?? if the general concensus is that they would hold back the bite, i might try as although if the correct precautions are taken, you are not likely to be bitten, i think if proven to be effective, wearing them would put peoples minds at rest and make them more confident when seeing to their taranntulas.

[James Box]

how are the gloves for impeding movement? they might reduce dexterity to a point where the T could be in danger.

i find a plastic tub and a bathtub are the best ways to avoid trouble...the plastic tub is rarely going to accidentally grab too hard, or flinch...and the bathtub stops them from getting very far...

[matthew spooner]

well they are basically just leather gloves to look at and wear so no movement restrictions at all

[James Box]

could work then, for the extra nervous.
confidence is, afterall, important in avoiding bites...weird jerky flinchy movements are just tempting the spider to strike, i think

[Emily Nicholls]

To test against the bite can't you put blutack/plasticine/something in the gloves, and get the spider to bite the glove, then pull it out to see if there is a puncture in it?

[matthew spooner]

not a bad idea, why didnt i think of that. will post with results later

[Rich.Harrington]

To be honest im not that fussed about my fingers with spiders, if i know its a frisky species i dont let my fingers come close anyway, my main concern is more about if the thing makes an exit stage left up my arm and so forth, and getting gloves thin enough to allow you to still move and feel what your doing would probably cost a fortune.

One thing i have found recently to work with all aboreals and quite alot of the quicker terrestrials (P.murinus, H.lividum etc) has been bamboo. Most garden centers sell the really big stuff around 2-3 inch diameter, cut yourself a length of that around 6-12 inches, then seal onto one end a piece of perspex. then simply stick the open end over the spider, once they fly upwards you just slide something under the bottom and transfer to the new viv etc. Myself i just throw it all in the viv and let them come out on their own pace for sake of ease, then remove the tube later.

[Andrew Ferguson]

There is logic into your thinking Matthew, but I know of a flaw. We too get given kevlar gloves for work that have a rubber coated palms and fingers. A colleague of mine was removing some packaging on a fridge freezer and caught his finger on the metal at the back of the fridge. It cut through the kevlar and sliced his finger. The metal was not at all sharp by any means. But I would still use them as you have mentioned in rehousing an aggressive* tarantula.
We also get given kevlar gauntlets that cover your arm upto your elbow, combined with the gloves, they would offer very good protection.


*I really hate referring to tarantulas as aggressive, surely they are just very defensive? Football yobs are aggressive.

[matthew spooner]

there are different types and grades of kevlar glove. they are used for many different purposes, you can even buy oven gloves made of kevlar. the ones i have are made for searching persons who may be carrying sharp objects, so this specific pair is made to defend against slices, for which they are very effective as i found when i stuck my hand in someones pocket and they had a kitchen knife in there.
anyway, i have done the test and i now need a new pair of gloves as mine have a hole in the end, sure am glad i didnt put my hand in em to try it now lol

[Søren Rafn]

I think woven fabrics are a bad choice for T's as their fangs can easily stab though the mesh. If you want to be sure about not to get bitten a pair of welders gloves in raw-hide are worth a try. I have a pair for when stuff has to go fast or to deal with bitey things that packs a punch and they are good for the job. When having time to do things in the spiders pace I usually freehandle them for packaging.

Regards
Søren

[matthew spooner]

thanks for the advice soren. i have some welders gloves somewhere. i myself am not fussed about getting bitten as i am used to dealing with the Ts but my concern was mainly for new comers to the hobby or people who are nervous about being bitten through re/housing, tank cleaning etc as i think that the lack of confidence is what is going to get you bitten. as for the gloves, phoned my boss this morning to ask for another pair and ended up getting a lecture for inproper use of company issued uniform, oops lol

[Andrew Ferguson]

there are different types and grades of kevlar glove. they are used for many different purposes, you can even buy oven gloves made of kevlar. the ones i have are made for searching persons who may be carrying sharp objects, so this specific pair is made to defend against slices, for which they are very effective as i found when i stuck my hand in someones pocket and they had a kitchen knife in there.
anyway, i have done the test and i now need a new pair of gloves as mine have a hole in the end, sure am glad i didnt put my hand in em to try it now lol

I stand corrected Matthew. Yes of course you are right. I just presumed () that you were referring to the same type that I use for work.

[Mrs Linda Street]

Personally we've never really found a problem, our moto is the element of surprise, that is 'pot em and swap em' quick, and we've found that works everytime whether it's a OBT, or a Blondi, we've always found them easier to do earlier in the day.

[matthew spooner]

Personally we've never really found a problem, our moto is the element of surprise, that is 'pot em and swap em' quick, and we've found that works everytime whether it's a OBT, or a Blondi, we've always found them easier to do earlier in the day.

i think most of us are without problem when it comes to this, i was in particular thinking about newbies etc who would perhaps gain more confidence from having something like that