Interested

[Mujician]

Hi,
I'm deadly scared of spider, to the extent I have to get my girlfriend to get rid of any house spiders and I'd probably cry if one was ever on me (and I'm 27!) LOL I find tarantulas very interesting, but stil somewhat scarey! For now I just want to generalise about T's. If I was to get one - would there EVER be a need to handle it? I f I ever got a T that webbed a lot in the tank, is it okay to go in and get rid of the web (or part of it?) or would this make MR or Mrs T unhappy? What is the best method of removing the T for cleaning purposes? Stick a clear tub over it and slide the lid underneath?

Species:
I don't like the chile rose type spiders - they look boring - I just saw someones thread with a GBB (and I like its scientific name! LOL), would this be okay to get as a first T, or are they not placid. I really like the colour of Cobalt blues, but I know they can be a handfull. Ideally I'd like something predominantly terrestrial. Anything with that many legs that likes climbing is going to be a bit too quick for my liking! I do like the colour of Avics but I'd be nervous of something that hairy flicking its hairs at me. Do they only do this when extremely threatened, or do they do it readily? Finally, is there anywhere i can look for pics of adult spiders so i can see the colours? Thanks, Ben

[Mason]

Neither myself or sami have ever touched our (well her) adult T.Ever.Can't see us ever needing to either.

[macro junkie]

always wondered what the point is of having a pet u cant touch?i just dont understand it..its like these people that keep venomous snakes?what is the point?

[Mujician]

Originally Posted by macro junkie

always wondered what the point is of having a pet u cant touch?i just dont understand it..its like these people that keep venomous snakes?what is the point?

Do you have a fish tank?

[Mujician]

What do people keep? Are there just people who have an interest in certain types of spider?, Like just keeping terrestrial spiders? etc? Or do you just keep what you like the look of?

[macro junkie]

Originally Posted by Mujician

Do you have a fish tank?

nah..i would love one tho.ok i see your point

[Emily N]

If you got an adult tarantula, there would probably be no need to ever move it, except for once a year or whatever, when you might want to change the substrate. You would have to do maintenance (removing dead crickets, food bolus', and poo), but that wouldn't require you to move the spider. And yep, sticking a tub over it and sliding a lid under is the best way.

I don't think the spider would be too happy if you removed its web, as that's its home, it makes it feel secure and stuff. Better not get the GBB then, loads of webbing, and they are fast and can be skittish!

The cobalt blue probably isn't the best choice either. For starters you probably will never see it as it will stay in a burrow, the blue colour only shows up in bright light (eg camera flash), and you have to be very careful when doing maintenance, I've had problems with mine because it tries to attack me when I take the lid off!

Any terrestrial tarantula will flick hairs (with the exception of burrowing species like the cobalt blue, but those that dont flick hairs tend to be much more aggressive, and use fangs for defense instead!). It's not normally something you need to worry about, they only really do it when you annoy them a lot.

Have you looked at Brachypelma species? There are some nice colourful ones there, they are terrestrial, and generaly slow and docile.

Just google the names to see some nice pictures! Some lovely Brachypelma species include:
B. klaasi: http://www.freewebs.com/chid/B.klaasi.jpg
B. auratum : http://www.freewebs.com/chid/newmoul...pychidsweb.jpg
B. albiceps http://www.jinpra.cz/media/photoalbums_thumbs/2/37.jpg

[iiisecondcreep]

Why do you like the scientific name for GBB? Is it because it has 'pube' in it?
I bought my bf a GBB for xmas and that is his first T.

T's hardly ever need cleaned out so you won't really need to worry about removing web. If you do need to move the T for whatever reason just usher it into a tub and leave it in that while you do any cleaning/maintenance. This will obviously be much easier with a terrestrial T than an arboreal or burrower

I can't comment much on Brachypelma as I only have one adult, I've had her 10yrs since she was a little sling and she is not slow or docile and she flicks VERY readily. She is also very active and is always wandering around upturning everything in her tank and rolling it about. So I can say that they're not all slow docile things!

I think all hairy tarantulas (new world) have the potential to flick and are generally more docile, but non hairy spiders (old world) are generally regarded as very aggressive/defensive.

[garlicpickle]

I'm a lifelong arachnophobe too, yet was fascinated by T's and I now have 3, with 2 more on their way. To me they just don't seem the same as "normal" spiders.
There shouldn't be any need to handle your T if you got one which is already fairly big. I don't pick them up though. The only one of mine I have handled is my baby one. They don't like constant moving around and changes in their environment anyway. If you got a smaller one it would need to be upgraded to bigger containers as it grows.

I have a Brachypelma which are prettier to look at than the chile rose types. She is not full grown yet but seems quite placid and if I need to do anything in her tank I just gently nudge her out of the way with a soft paint brush, and she shuffles off into her hide. The New World T's first defence is to flick hairs rather than bite anyway. They are more likely to run away than make a run at you (unlike some of the Old World T's who bite first and ask questions later from what I've heard)

I am getting a GBB soon as a step up from terrestrial T's. The only think I'm a little concerned about is their speed, but as I don't intend handling it, I'm hoping it won't be a problem.

Get a pair of long tweezers for removing uneaten food or left-overs, and you shouldn't have to put your hand in. They do not make much mess and should rarely if ever need a thorough cleaning out. Should you need to remove the T though, you can just pop the top half of a coke bottle or a plastic tub over it, gently slide a piece of card underneath and lift it out.

If you go to www.spidershop.co.uk Lee has a selection of pictures on his site or this site Brachypelma has some nice pictures of the different Brachypelma.

[enlightenment]

Originally Posted by Mujician

Hi,
I'm deadly scared of spider, to the extent I have to get my girlfriend to get rid of any house spiders and I'd probably cry if one was ever on me (and I'm 27!)

Thanks, Ben

Ben. If ever war should break out, please don' be in my platoon.

Thanks