[utterbeastage]

been thinking about getting a Tarantula for a while now ever since mantids helped me overcome my fear of insects.
my question is , If I were to buy a sling and handle it frequently would I eventually end up with a very docile calm tempered spider or is there anything against frequent handling ?
cheers:2thumb:
also - what are the best spider dealers , and species for a beginner ?

 

[PRS]

To be honest, they get nothing from handling its only if the keeper likes doing it tbh that it occurs..

I guess over time they would get more accustomed to it like used to it but they wouldn't be "tamed" tarantulas can be quite unpredictable..

Also when handling remember to do so near the floor incase it falls to stop/minimalize any injuries..

I handle some sp to be honest, the best spider dealer is Lee @ The Spider Shop www.thespidershop.co.uk

Also for more information and if you have any questions I'd recommend joining these forums..

Arachnophiles Forum - Powered by vBulletin

Arachnid Addicts

 

[JustJordan]

im no expert and to be honest as much as i love them i wont touch one!
our T really belongs to the OH but he doesnt hand him much at all either

id say a good one to start would be a pink toe

 

[Mutley.100]

Regular handling is usually advised against , but I'll leave that for someone else to expound (that's got to be worth 5pts for word usage) upon . The best place I've found for spiders is
TheSpiderShop:- - Suppliers of Arachnids and other quality Invertebrates

On the site he's got a list of suggestions for starter species too .

 

[PRS]

im no expert and to be honest as much as i love them i wont touch one!
our T really belongs to the OH but he doesnt hand him much at all either

id say a good one to start would be a pink toe

Totally agree, pink toes (Avicularia) make an exellent starter..

All you need tbh is good ventilation and humidity

Heres some pics of my MM Avicularia Minatrix being handled

 

[dinan]

Totally agree, pink toes (Avicularia) make an exellent starter..

All you need tbh is good ventilation and humidity

Heres some pics of my MM Avicularia Minatrix being handled

pink toes are a brilliant starter tarantula but when it comes to handling ive heard tyre a bit flighty and can jump off u the best tarantula to handle in my opinion are chilean roses i handle mine regularly but not as often as i used to as he had a bad fall

 

[PRS]

pink toes are a brilliant starter tarantula but when it comes to handling ive heard tyre a bit flighty and can jump off u the best tarantula to handle in my opinion are chilean roses i handle mine regularly but not as often as i used to as he had a bad fall

They can sometimes be a little quick aye, I've seen some jump lol when I was handling a sling a few weeks back it jumped back in its tub

Chileans Roses(Grammostola Rosea) from my experiences, one day they are nice and the next nasty..

So very unpredictable imo, I tried handling one of my AF's and she was fine, the next time I tried I nearly got bitten.

 

[garlicpickle]

I only handle one, my B. smithi (redknee) AF and even then only once in a blue moon. I have handled my avic but not on purpose, it ran up my arm when I was replacing its water bowl. Avics on the whole seem to be fairly chilled out, but they are a bit flighty, and can jump.

Slings of any species are more likely to be skittish, not really surprising when you consider that at that size they would be prey to almost everything in the wild.

I see my spiders as a look but don't touch pet - like fish in an aquarium. Nobody expects to be able to get their fish out and handle it I would just urge caution if you are going to do it, as handling doesn't benefit the spider. They don't enjoy it and there are potential risks, such as you being bitten and injuring the T as you throw it across the room in shock :lol2:

 

[dinan]

my chilean is the only 1 of my tarantulas ill handle the mexican redknee flicks hairs a lot of the time when i pick up hes tank so i never handle him while my curly hair is 2 small and quick to handle

 

[Climperoonie]

What size can you start handling Slings? I know it's too small at the moment (1cm, and that's only just!) so what size can you?

 

[C_Strike]

same as snakes n lizards tho, they get nothing from it, its always only for the benefit of the keeper to hold an animal. there is ways around keeping nearly all exotics without ever a need for touching, yet many of us choose to.
As long as safety of the hold'ee' is paramount, and reasonable precations are taken then i cant see an issue.
Iv held most of my spiders iv owned at somepoint, only once i a blue moon do i, but in the time iv kept them, iv often held a tarantula just for the sake of holding it. including Theraphosa sp.
just respect, and no tomfoolery and you can minimise the risks, tho never remove

 

[Ozgi]

I've also been thinking about getting a T recently. Although I would never handle it, it's the thought that I would have to try and get it into a tub when it came to re-homing that is putting me off at the moment. If they could just stay in the same home forever no doubt I'd have one by now!

 

[Climperoonie]

I've also been thinking about getting a T recently. Although I would never handle it, it's the thought that I would have to try and get it into a tub when it came to re-homing that is putting me off at the moment. If they could just stay in the same home forever no doubt I'd have one by now!

All you need is a paintbrush to poke it's legs, it's easy :2thumb:.

 

[s_f_o_s]

I'm quite happy to handle mine but then again I haven;t had them long, the GBB has flicked hairs at me before, but only on the day I got her, I tend to leave her well alone though, she's quite a seclusive one. I had an Avic jump on me once, the guy in the shop had him out and he lempt straight at my face, ended up on my t-shirt. I was like .... "Thats the coolest animal in the world" h aha.

 

[Cockys Royals]

I have 5 tarantulas 1 is an adult whom ive handled about 3 times in the months ive had her, the rest are either slings or juvi's, and theyre way too fast can they leg it (get it leg it) ah well. But one of mine is the tiger rump ive heard so much bad things about them, im very cagy to handle it :gasp:

Used to handle my red knee that I had about 20 years ago, but havnt got the guts to handle them again. Be nice but I suppose im braver with bd's & snakes rofl

 

[garlicpickle]

I've also been thinking about getting a T recently. Although I would never handle it, it's the thought that I would have to try and get it into a tub when it came to re-homing that is putting me off at the moment. If they could just stay in the same home forever no doubt I'd have one by now!

rehousing isn't too bad. If it's fast or an arboreal, do it in the bathtub (put the plug in!). You need a pair of long tongs/tweezers, a cricket tub and a paintbrush. While it's walking or running round the bath, nudge it towards the tub with the tongs, put tub over it, slide a piece of card underneath, and transfer it to its new house. Some of them can climb the bath, so you need to be quite quick, but the bath gives you more working space and it does slow them down a bit.

For slower terrestrials, hold the tub in front of it and tickle its back legs with a paintbrush and it will usually go into the tub. Pop the lid on, or slide a piece of card under, and just transfer that way.

When I rehoused my lividum, I did it outside in the garden in a big RUB as I figured I'd have more space to a) leg it out of the way if it turned violent or b) catch it if it did a runner, but actually it was very well behaved and even posed for a photo.

 

[Jamie]

The old handling debate rises again...

What about juggling with tarantulas, now there's a real debate.

 

[Ozgi]

rehousing isn't too bad. If it's fast or an arboreal, do it in the bathtub (put the plug in!). You need a pair of long tongs/tweezers, a cricket tub and a paintbrush. While it's walking or running round the bath, nudge it towards the tub with the tongs, put tub over it, slide a piece of card underneath, and transfer it to its new house. Some of them can climb the bath, so you need to be quite quick, but the bath gives you more working space and it does slow them down a bit.

For slower terrestrials, hold the tub in front of it and tickle its back legs with a paintbrush and it will usually go into the tub. Pop the lid on, or slide a piece of card under, and just transfer that way.

When I rehoused my lividum, I did it outside in the garden in a big RUB as I figured I'd have more space to a) leg it out of the way if it turned violent or b) catch it if it did a runner, but actually it was very well behaved and even posed for a photo.

That's kind of made me want one less, lol. I find it hard enough putting a glass over house spiders, let alone trying to get a massive T into a small cricket tub!

How do you get it out of the original tub into the bath?

I think the thing that creeps me out the most is when they start running, I'd be fine if they just plodded about.
Even my mantids still make me jump when they decide to leg it!

 

[garlicpickle]

How do you get it out of the original tub into the bath?

that's where the long tongs or tweezers come in :lol2: you poke or tickle them out.

 

[Ozgi]

that's where the long tongs or tweezers come in :lol2: you poke or tickle them out.

Lol. Well if I make it to the BTS on Sunday it will be hard not to walk away without one!