how?

[John chambers]

hi.
if when buying a t how can you find it's temperament as in the books it says that the shop staff should show you.. !
And what about at the expo on 23rd how could a breeder/seller show that there t is docile with out hands on?.
also what's best a juvenile - subadult - adult if you wanted a female because they live longer..
I look forward to your replies.. it will help me ..

[scott wilson]

Id say finding its temperament isnt really important. the tarantulas i keep are varieties i wanted and how they act and behave isnt important.im not one for interfering with any of my collection and i always go on information ive read before about a certain spider i want to keep..i.e chile roses being docile cobalt blues being evil etc..you dont need to try picking them up etc to see if they are docile,they are wild animals and the less we have to do with them the better..why do people feel they need to be hands on with these creatures?..i have one " docile " spider my female Smithi and i never handle her as i dont need to and she doesnt need it either...id say the temperament isnt relevant.. as for whats best?? it depends what your after??...i get alot of satisfaction from getting small slings of the variety i want and bringing them up,watching them grow and maybe if im lucky they will be females...i always feel a little guilty with males i have that they dont get to mate before they die..females can be with you a long time and become part of the family!!!..ive recently got a very small A. geniculata sling who has just moulted 3rd instar and its nice to see it developing and the stripes appearing already, my H. Minax was the smallest ive had at 3mm when i got her and shes now a very nasty adult!!..it all depends on what you want from the hobby and your spiders??....always assume any tarantula has attitude then you wont ever get a nasty suorise..

[Larry Shone]

Thats a valid pojnt Scott. If you dont handle a it doesnt mater too much. Although when it comes to transfer them to a bigger tank you might want to be prepared!
Vut John, as I said in another post you can use a long handled brush and jus nudge the rear end. Thats not hands on but it is a method of establishing temperament.

[Colin D Wilson]

as I said in another post you can use a long handled brush and jus nudge the rear end. Thats not hands on but it is a method of establishing temperament.

Or you could have had a fairly chilled out spider thats just become a little irritated by having it's backside prodded and poked.
Smooth, steady flowing movements to transfer spiders is the key in my opinion, using long implements and suitable containers within a larger tub (or bath) to prevent "run for it"

[John chambers]

Id say finding its temperament isnt really important. the tarantulas i keep are varieties i wanted and how they act and behave isnt important..

Scot in the tarantulas keeps guide on page 188 to 191 the reader is shown and told how they should hold/pick up a t..and on page 125 (quote - will the staff handle the tarantulas? Do they pick them up properly... end quote).
What I'm asking is ( being this book is well known and it's giving advice for the reader/buyer to find his/her right t that is docile and right for him/her ).
So if there is "No hands on" how can a person tell ??

[John chambers]

Or you could have had a fairly chilled out spider thats just become a little irritated by having it's backside prodded and poked.
Smooth, steady flowing movements to transfer spiders is the key in my opinion, using long implements and suitable containers within a larger tub (or bath) to prevent "run for it"

Colin..
in the book on pages 188 - 189 the reader is told all the right and wrongs..
on youtube alot use a artist brush with long bristles to tickle ( the way it looks ) the t's backside or rear legs.
so see if it turns on the brush from what I think..I've seen one where a male B.Smithi had the brush pushed at his face and rightly he got on defence and nailed it twice..
On another it was a house hold paint brush (bigger than the t)
Youtube shows more of what not todo and your lucky if you find some with good ideas to what works.

[scott wilson]

My point was to me its irrelevant how the spider behaves because ive no intention of interfering with it...once home they are normally transfered to their permanent home in the bath so if they do run they wont run far and i coax them out with a paint brush...to me they are not pets that need handling so i dont see why you need to walk into your local pet shop and ask someone what its temperant is like when they probably havnt got a clue themselves...alot of petshops that stock tarantulas dont have the 1st idea about keeping them most cant even identify the species so id be reluctant to ask them to open the box and have some misidentified old world nasty running up my arm when they swear blind its just a chile rose...if your looking to buy your 1st tarantula go for the ones that are tried and tested docile ones,chile rose etc and when youve some experience and chosen another variety do your homework on them then you wont get a nasty suprise...theres plenty of people who can advise you on here who have years of experience behind them..just ask..i wouldnt trust alot of petshops to give me the right info...it all comes down to that great question to handle them or not??..me i dont see the point...if you want something to run around get a hamster....scott

[Larry Shone]

I just want to add if I may that if you want to keep an animal you know nothing about (we've all been there) then READ READ READ. Get as much info on a certain number of 'beginner' species as you can. And the reason you get conflicting information is that no 2 Ts are alike,even ones from the same egg sac! Just like us, spiders are individuals. One guy has 2 chile roses. One is real docile, typical chile rose. Another is aggresive (defensive). There's no way of knowing until you get the experience yourself. And people suggest a Chile rose for two reasons. 1 they're generally docile and 2 they're widely available and thereofre cheap. I'd like to add a 3 and say they're lovely little Ts too!

[Ray Hale]

Hi guys , just a quick note. Handling of tarantulas is a highly emotive topic and many people hold vastly differnt opinions. The BTS stance has always been to "recommend " that you dont handle. We neither condemn or condone handling. After all it is your spider and you may do as you wish. Of course depending on who you talk to opinions will vary.The book that you cite is an excellent one and well worth reading its just that again there is a diffence of opinion. The point is, to answer Johns original query, that at the BTS Exhibition we have a strict no handling policy for a number of reasons.
1. Formost, for the safety of the spider. There are a lot of people milling about and it could stress the animal.
2. For the safety of the public. The show attracts a lot of general public merely curious to what its all about and as we all know some have a deep seated fear of spiders. Our aim is to ally these fear by education and not to scare the hell out of them.
3. We consider ourselves a responsible society and many of us have spent 20 years + in the hobby and club so we have seen most scenarios and would like to spend many more years running the exhibition.

The descion to ban handling was taken when I took over the show (17 years) and proved to be the right one.

I take on board Johns point about how do you know they are docile though. The truth is ..you dont. I have kept most species over the years and have had friendly cobalt blues and chile roses that you couldnt open the lid. You can handle a spider one day woth complete confidence and the next it may be skittish and bite you. (I once had the most docile Boa Constrictor ever until one day I forgot to feed it. Ive still git the teeth marks.)Docility is an obvious considertion when buying but and the point, I believe that Scott was trying to get across, was that to the hobbyist it is less of a concern as they are keeping the animal for what it is and not what it does. Im sure if you attend the exhibition John , as I know you were considering you will see the reasons for our rule.

I hope this as cleared the matter up and hope that any differnces of opinion have been settled. We are after all , all in the same hobby and we all have something to offer each other. Many a friendship has been formed out of a good debate.

Hope this helps

Ray Hale
BTS Committee

[John chambers]

(I once had the most docile Boa Constrictor ever until one day I forgot to feed it. Ive still git the teeth marks.)

Yes Ray I too have been there with my wifes male adult royal python she wanted.
I got him out and he was great settled easy and when she tried to get him he went for her.
We stoped keeping snakes after having 1.corn getting out no matter what we did to stop him,
my female royal being too fussy about not eating pre-killed and a Cali king only wanting to attack no matter what.
now I keep the wifes bearded dragon who's over 12+ and two veiled chemelions kept apart because they are brother & sister.
I totally agree we all have one fear or another of some thing and t's are like us with good days and off days.
piont taken

John

[Mike_Strick]

In my experience, temperament can change dramatically with each moult. Even if a dealer were able to show you a very placid spider, they would not be able to guarantee that it would be docile after its next shed. It is safest not to buy tarantulas with the assumption that you will be able to handle them.

[chris carter]

Hi John

I do Phobia sessions at our roadshows, i use my Brachypelma vagans because she is very docile, you can stroke her legs with little reaction and she never flicks hairs.

In 8 years she has never been anything but her placid best when used at the roadshows and has contributed to many people getting over thier fears, but i still Never take her mood for granted and will test her temprement every time.

The way i test a Tarantulas mood is to simply place a pair of tongs a pencil or even a comb about 5mm from her pedipalps and gently push her, She will do one of three things

1. she will rear up in a threat pose and is best left alone.

2. she will scuttle away into her hide or hole, again she does not want to play.

3. Or she will just sit there and ignore you, when this happens i know i can gently pick her up safely.


Chris