blue tarantulas? (and handling)

[jayefbe]

i did mean thick gloves, but only to gauge the Ts temperment when i first get it. im not worried about my hands being clumsy in gloves because im pretty good at knowing exactly how to use them nomatter whats covering them... i can scrape the dirt off an ant without hurting it.. comes from years of drawing tiny detailed patterns on fashion illustrations.. lol
after a few tries with the gloves, if it seems calm enough to satisfy me, i can ditch them. if not, i'll only handle that T when i absolutely need to.. no "bonding" sessions

I thought you were referring to the metallica. A GBB is a great second (or even first T) and I'm sure it would be fine to hold.

However, I'd still recommend against the gloves. If you're thinking about using typical illustration gloves, it will offer no resistance to a tarantula's fangs. The only thing that might actually work would be thick leather gloves, and even then, a 1/2" long set of fangs could work their way through. Thick leather gloves are also very unwieldy.

If you want to gauge a tarantula's temperament without the risk of being bitten, I'd recommend cupping the spider and then placing them in something like a large rubber bin. That way, you can manipulate them a bit with your trusty paintbrushes to judge the way they react. If they're throwing threat poses and attacking the brush, perhaps handling should be suspended. In most cases, the tarantula will try to run, calmly walk away, or ignore the paintbrush and will likely not attack your hands.

 

[trivallica]

I have a female p.metallica, she is as calm as a brachy, ive handled her once, she was pretty quick but calm as anything.

But saying that best blue tarantula, a.versi or GBB

Jason
x

 

[DamoK21]

gautimalan blue tarantula same temperment as a G.Rosea easy to live with cheap and BLUE

Do ya liv in uk i can forwad yu onto a breeder who sells these guys

 

[Pociemon]

hmm.. im almost thinking of just diving right into level 2 and stop being such a >>kitty cat<< about it. im never gunna learn if i basically just keep getting different colored rosies.. even she can bit me after all, and if i need to step it up with gloves for my "level 2" T, i can deal with that.
..besides, all YOU guys can live with them, even handle them, what makes ME so delicate? lol

also because its hard enough to find sexed FEMALE adults or juvies of anything for affordable prices, i dont need to make it more complicated for myself by looking for fazes and morfs. if i want a blue T, i'll have better luck with a species thats ALWAYS blue.

P metallica are usually pretty calm and can be handled;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32hJQncnXqE

But remove them from the enclosure first, and almost any T can be handled. But i think more that they are veery fast, so that could be your main concern if you have never really handled T´s before. Metallica i think is the most unlikely pokie to bite, but they can be defensive if cornered.

Maybe a Avicularia is a better starter T, they are fast, but not as a pokie, and not as potent venom. And besides they are generally blue and docile.

 

[burmish101]

If handling a pokie is worth the risk of a possible bite, even if slim kudos to whoever, I tend not to handle amongst the most venomous of all tarantulas. Seems like theres allot of vids on youtube of ppl showing off them handling pokies, and wouldnt be great for a person new to spiders to get ideas lol.

As for pokies, my 2nd T after G. rosea was a P. pederseni. Worlds apart but easy enough to work with if your careful.

Arboreals can be pretty speedy so be careful if you get a pokie. A few weeks ago I had a juvie P. irminia launch itself out of its cage while feeding, I barely had time to move out of the way lol but it ran into a shirt and stopped so I could catch it again. At least I didnt lose it.

If you want you can start with the cheaper end of pokies and get a P. regalis if you dont want to spend hundreds of dollars on one T.

 

[Stitch_geevi]

jay, actually i was reffering to thick snow gloves (i see you live in california, which sorta has no winter, so you may not know what i'm talking about) but snow gloves are WAY thicker than any Ts fangs (except maybe t.blondi). they do greatly limit your dexterity, but are very light and gentle.. made of down and polyester.. in order to hurt a T with it, you'd have to actually try.

(ofcourse, needles to say the "pinching" method would be out of the question.. you'd have to "be the substrate" and "cup"...OR possibly the "cage" method, which i seem to have invented myself, as i've seen no one else even talking about it.)

damok, i dont live in the UK, but someone told me it was totally safe to ship overseas if you do it right.. that sounded a little bad to me.. is this true? or should that person be slapped with a fish?

EDIT:

oh and PS, thanks for all the info and advice on pokies, but i think i've officially decided to save them for later on. im sure some have been great as "level 2"s, but i see alot have not.. and i'd rather not risk it untill i'm more experienced.

 

[efmp1987]

You probably shouldnt get a T if your sole goal is to ultimately handle them, as even the most docile specie can just snap and chew your finger.

Thats why Tarantulas are villified because people expect them to behave how they want them to be, and when they don't, they go tell the world how bad of a pet they are.

But just because you cant handle it that it means it cant be a pet. No one exactly puts a leash around his goldfish gills and walk it around the park.

Edit: Last post 2009. Im sure OP has moved to goldfish forum by now.

 

[nicodimus22]