Gone in 6 seconds...

[Chris_Skeleton]

So I was checking up on my G. pulchripes yesterday and I gently tried to persuade it out of it's burrow. Well, it ran out, tried climbing one side of it's enclosure, falling down, landing on it's back, and flipping back over, all before running back into it's burrow kicking hairs at me. All of this happened within like 6 seconds. I love mine, it's normally really docile and calm, but not yesterday. So anybody have some stories about fast T's?

 

[shanebp]

Yea, my deceased Avic Avic decided to be fast one day, flying circles around its enclosure and up my arm to my shoulder before it decided to slow down again lol. It was pretty funny ;D

 

[mschemmy]

I have often been suprised at the speed of tarantulas that are considered "slow" species such as my Grammostola Rosea or Lasiodora Parahybana. I can't even imagine a pokie or other "fast" species!!!

 

[Kathy]

I remember the day I unpacked my versicolor - he looked up and boom, sailed across the living room floor full blast speed. Must have felt really good to get out of that straw he was packed in!

 

[Spidercrazy]

My A. metallica T decided one day when i went to feed it, it wanted to be held. now i usually dont hold the arboreals, because of there speed, but she flew out i didnt even notice and she zipped up my arm and layed half-way on my neck and shoulder and sat there for a good 2 1/2 hours untill she wanted to go back into her tank. I love her so!!!

 

[SDiego]

I have often been suprised at the speed of tarantulas that are considered "slow" species such as my Grammostola Rosea or Lasiodora Parahybana. I can't even imagine a pokie or other "fast" species!!!

Occasionally I feel the same way about the GBB, it can be quick.

But the New Worlders are slowpokes compared to many of the OW species. When you see them up close, the OW species are orders of magnitude faster -- and they can accurately jump surprising distances. It surprised the hell out of me the first time I saw an OW tarantula make a leap and land like a cat. They are unbelievably lightning fast to the point where you can easily see how people get bit and humans simply aren't fast enough to avoid it if you are careless for even a second.

It's why I don't own any OW. Don't want the stress of it getting away during cleaning, or a hospital visit. But I'm happy to admire other's OW pets, some of them are really amazing animals.

 

[Scoolman]

Here is a recent event I encountered with an new A metallica.
Did You See That!!!

 

[CAK]

I got nailed with a "Holy Canole" moment last night while trying to pair my Pederseni's. All was going well until the female just had enough and decided to try lash out at the boy. The boy P.pederseni rocketed across the counter and at the end jumped at me by about a foot or foot and a half and gripped my shirt, ran up and over my shoulder onto my back and jumped from there off onto a stool I had sitting there in the bathroom.

This sucker was so fast, I thing my ears popped from the Sonic Boom!


Joe -CAK

 

[CDo]

Two days ago I was rehousing a Haplopelma sp. (Thai Tiger) that my brother bought for me from a local pet store, and I remembered why I'm glad they are a fossorial species. So I open the enclosure the store had it in, and it just sits there calmly while I'm pulling it's web apart and pulling the logs and leaves out of the enclosure. All that was left was the water dish and the substrate (and the spider of course,) so I'm thinking, "Oh hey this should be easy." My girlfriend is standing next to me with the lid to it's new home, and I'm standing there with a catch cup and tongs. I tried to usher it into the cup and it moved a little bit, showing no attitude (totally fooled me.) As soon as the tongs got close the second time, this thing does a full 180 and starts tagging the air repeatedly. After it calmed down a little bit, or what I felt like it would take to calm down, I tipped the cup over onto the T and it darts from under the cup onto my hand. My girlfriend starts laughing, and the T goes into a threat display. Perfect. I took the lid of the catch cup and put it between the T and my hand, then cupped the T and put the lid on from the bottom. Lets just say I'm not looking forward to doing any tank maintenance on that one.

 

[mmfh]

I went to mist my H. mac 'sling, got one squirt in and stopped because there was this small black shape on the Outside of the enclosure. I'm thinking holy heck where did that come from?! I picked up a cup to get it back in the cage and *poof* it was gone! I know it went back in the cage because it ate the small cricket that was in there. Really freaked me out!

 

[synyster]

But the New Worlders are slowpokes compared to many of the OW species.

What do say about Psalmopoeus sp.? And I'm pretty sure you've never seen a MM Holothele incei bolt out of the females enclosure...

Which makes me think about a recent event involving Psalmopoeus irminia. When watering, the 2" specimen proceeded to bolt out on my left hand, make it all the way around my back to my right hand, jump on the Theraphosa blondi tank, jump back on to my leg and then on the ground, and bolt to an unknown location. Only then I realized a spider had escaped lol

 

[Shell]

Agreed, not all NW's are slow. Psalmos are fast, Holothele, GBB's, and my Hapalopus sp. Colombia has almost escaped on me many times. The last time she was just a blur as she did laps around her enclosure, I could hear her feet as she ran....

Which makes me think about a recent event involving Psalmopoeus irminia. When watering, the 2" specimen proceeded to bolt out on my left hand, make it all the way around my back to my right hand, jump on the Theraphosa blondi tank, jump back on to my leg and then on the ground, and bolt to an unknown location. Only then I realized a spider had escaped lol

I'm sorry again, for making you lose that spider.... . At least you found it somewhat easily though.

Edit* I also just realized that this is a thread brought back from the dead....

 

[0siris]

So far my A.avic has been the only one to bolt on me. It was a real eye opener but I should have seen it coming. It usually does a split second 180 and strikes multiple times when I stroke it's abdomen with a paintbrush. It's not necessarily the cute, docile fuzzy Avic that it is supposed to be. It is only about 3 inches so I'm guessing it's just a phase it will molt out of

The other greased lightning that worries me in my collection is my P.cambridgei. It's manageable for now since it's only about 1.5 inches, but I hear they quickly learn to teleport as that leg span gets larger...