Phormictopus cancerides

[Jimmy Burridge]

I was talking to a dealer of T's
and he said that Phormictopus cancerides has dangerous venom
i took this wid a pinch of salt.
i no there realy defensive
i never handle mine
and iv looked on so many sites and none come to the same conclusion .... there all different.
but for peace of mined is this true
or was he just talkin rubbish??

P.S. im not allergic to anything

cheers jim

[Michelle Howarth]

I own a Phormictopus cancerides and she is pretty aggressive, and will strike at the slightest provocation. I've never been bitten by her, mind you I big time respect her and wouldn't get close enough to give her the opportunity.

Regarding the venom I can't say if it's rubbish or not. I've spoken to lots of people, and trawled the web and everything it says is different. I've seen sources that say the venom is mild, and have read sources that indicate the venom is deadly.

I personally do not believe the venom is deadly. To my knowledge a healthy adult has never died from a Phormictopus cancerides bite.

My advice: respect the spider, don't put yourself in a position where it is likely to deliver a bite.

On another note, this tarantula is a absolutely stunning species. My personal favourite.

[Mark Harrison]

To be honest Jimmy i agree with Michelle and would give the spider respect, its not just whether the T has potent or not venom..im pretty sure the size of its fangs (2cm apparently) would give a nasty wound alone. An example would be the size of a relative sized spider i.e Lasiodora parahybana which can give a medically significant bite (in terms of mechanical wounds). But its one of the adrenaline rushes you get with a more defensive spider, after you deal with a defensive Large T, your docile G.Rosea is a breath of fresh air

[Mark Harrison]

Plus some dealers can be just out for the money and tell you anything to sell a spider, thankfully though i think they are in the minority.

[Craig Moore]

I have a P.cancerides as well, she's only a juvie but is my biggest spider. Funny thing is, I actually get more grief from my 3 inch B.vagans. As stated below, I would say that the sheer size of that type of spider's fangs is enough of a worry without even bringing the venom into the equation.

[Jimmy Burridge]

cheers all for the replies
one more thing
she/he has well and truly bocked up her/his hide with the substraight
only molted a month ago
i dont want to distroy all her/his hard work to she if its alright.
is this normal?
it is a juvinile
and the molt befor last as four months ago


any ideas??
cheers all for your help
jim

[Craig Moore]

Yeah that's normal - mine spends all her time in her hide, only coming out for food. Don't worry she'll be able to dig herself back out if she needs anything

[Jimmy Burridge]

how long will this take or is it months??
i miss my prity lill T

[Craig Moore]

You'll probably find that she'll sneak out when you least expect it. Often I won't see mine for a couple of weeks then suddenly *BOOM* - there she is all sprawled out. It's one of the reasons why she's probably my favourite because it's such a treat to see her when she does fully venture out. Often she's just a pair of front legs waiting for a meal, or a wiggling butt when she's caught her prey and is laying down her webs. One of them things you can't put a timescale on, as long as all her food/water/temp needs are being met she'll be fine.