handling Lasiodora Parahybana?

[squeaky10199]

Hey i have a 4 inch l.p and he is very intimidating. I have held him before but he has grown some attitude since he was little. But today i decided to change his tank and i had him in a cup and when i was done rearranging i let him crawl around his new tank with the top off. I was touching his legs with my tweasers and he dindnt show any signs of aggression , he just slowly moved away. Then he decided hey i want to come out, and he started his way out of his 5 gallon, but i touched his legs and kindly pushed him backwards to his original home... What imgetting at is can i try holding him without the fear of him biting me? I know they are not animals your supposed to hold but some people do, so should i give it a shot? I just dont know the temperment of these guys and when they are on me im not nervous at all unless i dont trust them... Can i trust my little guy? Whats your thoughts?

 

[cjm1991]

Id cup him and then let him come out onto your hand. They can be pretty quick and have some nice sized fangs though that wouldnt feel very good. My little girl is about 3" and still fine to handle, but all creatures have something of a personality. IMO I think you should be fine if you can poke his legs and move him a little by force. Usually if my T's dont wanna be handled they kick hair or throw a defensive stance out.

 

[Endagr8]

parahybanas are bold spiders. they seem complacent with their size and often just stay in the open. I would at least make a handling attempt......the worst you have to worry about are the hairs if you gently nudge it onto your hands

 

[tmanjim]

I have a 7 1/2 in female I am dying to try to hold. I don't think she will bite but she is very fast and those urticating hairs are extremely nasty. The next time I change the substrate, I am giong to give it a shot and have my wife snap some pics. So I'd say go for it.

 

[squeaky10199]

well i think once out and on to the hand it may be better. I will give it a shot since my guy doesnt really show aggression... He is just super fast. So that part scares me. Also My l.p's claws get stuck on everything! So i cant hold him with gloves on because he gets stuck and then im afraid he will get irratated and bite. When this happens, he struggles to get unstuck and im afraid he will rip his leg off one of these times. Is there any thing i can do for this?

 

[Bill S]

Back a few years ago before I got into tarantulas a friend of mine loaned my wife a couple animals to photograph. One was a local Aphonopelma, the other was a L. parahybana. Up to that point the only kinds I was familiar with were Aphonopelmas, which are easy to handle. I assumed other tarantulas were too. So... when my wife was ready to take pictures she asked me to take out one of the tarantulas. I started with the Aphonopelma - just scooped it out of hs cage, put it on the ground so she could photograph it, then scooped it up and put it away. Then it was the parahybana's turn. Other than being quite a bit bigger, I didn't anticipate any difference. And there wasn't any. It was as easy-going as the first one. But looking back, I'm glad my friend didn't loan my wife a Poecilotheria.

 

[tarantulaholic]

I play with my 5"+ female L. Parabyhana like its a Rosie. Shes very mellow, Ive only seen mine once flick a little hair at store, but stupid sales lady shake the container to make her move or flip her upside down.
Now shes with me, no aggression, no hair flicking. Just a very mellow L. Parabyhana, shes becoming to be one of my favorite T's.

 

[dragonblade71]

I guess each individual spider is unique in it's temperament. Here's a seemingly docile L. parahybana being handled.

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7i0IpU-1WEc&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7i0IpU-1WEc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

 

[IrishPolishman]

I can't wait for my LP to be that big! I only have a couple years wait!

 

[Pociemon]

Hey i have a 4 inch l.p and he is very intimidating. I have held him before but he has grown some attitude since he was little. But today i decided to change his tank and i had him in a cup and when i was done rearranging i let him crawl around his new tank with the top off. I was touching his legs with my tweasers and he dindnt show any signs of aggression , he just slowly moved away. Then he decided hey i want to come out, and he started his way out of his 5 gallon, but i touched his legs and kindly pushed him backwards to his original home... What imgetting at is can i try holding him without the fear of him biting me? I know they are not animals your supposed to hold but some people do, so should i give it a shot? I just dont know the temperment of these guys and when they are on me im not nervous at all unless i dont trust them... Can i trust my little guy? Whats your thoughts?

Just cup her and nudge to your hand, it is the hairs that you need to worry about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_qyAjoMEDA

 

[jnfenrir]

I'll add my experience to the pile. My LP is also of the docile variety. She's a little skittish, but warms up to being handled after a little gentle touching/stroking (helping her ascertain that I'm not a threat). She's haired me once or twice, but they're not bad (especially not compared to my B. smithi -- yikes). The only thing that prevents me from handling her is that she doesn't seem to like standing on my skin. But I've even cupped her on her back and pinch-grabbed her without issue.

It seems to me that LPs are generally pretty docile, if a bit skittish. The fact that yours isn't running away, kicking hairs or going into threat posture suggests to me that you should be okay handling it.

 

[DreadLobster]

I have 3 and they're all pretty mellow. This is my female:



My males are definitely a bit more jumpy/defensive, but ALL of them chill out considerably if you cup and remove them from their cage first. If you weren't getting any threat poses or strikes out of your male prodding it while it was in its cage, I'd venture to say that it'd probably be pretty nice if you got it out first.

You can never really TRUST a tarantula though, because they have no reasoning or logic. It could sense something wrong that you could never predict or even figure out what set it off and before you know it you're tagged. Its always a risk. Just give it a shot, at least LP's aren't known for their venom.

 

[squeaky10199]

Good thoughts everyone. And thank you because now im definately gunna do it! I just have to be careful. And dragonblade71, if thats your female L.P all i have to say is BEAUTIFUL!

 

[dragonblade71]

Oh that L.P is definitely not mine! Though I think she's a beauty too. I'm in Australia so I have no access to such 'exotic' Ts...!

 

[testdasi]

Get her out of the enclosure first. Use whatever method you want, I prefer using a plastic deli cup to cup her then slot a piece of cardboard underneath and move her out of the enclosure and wait a short while for her to calm down. Once outside, they tend to be calmer and easier to handle. Even my notorious hair kicking GBB didn't kick any hair once outside.

 

[Rochelle]

While all the advice you've been given is absolutely true and correct - it doesn't sound like you're feeling relaxed about this endeavor - and therefore maybe you shouldn't do it, just yet. You are under no obligation to be a handler to keep your T's successfully. If you are determined to go forward; just be sure to be sitting on a soft floor and without distractions (and away from complicated and/or heavy furniture). Have your deli ready in case of quick escape maneuvers from your T. and try to do it when you're feeling very un pressured. I find that T's will pick up on your nervousness and project it right back at you.
~Good Luck, either way!

 

[MelGibson]

Oh that L.P is definitely not mine! Though I think she's a beauty too. I'm in Australia so I have no access to such 'exotic' Ts...!

id consider aussie Ts pretty exotic

 

[jesters22]

id consider aussie Ts pretty exotic

well when u cant regularly get them.. their exotic to us. but when their regularly available were that person is. then its not exotic.. pretty simple rele

 

[deathcrew]

Heres my MM LP !!

 

[WelshTan]

My MM LP is pretty puny. And as for handling. . .a definite no-no. He is the most defensive T that I own. Cant even lift the lid without threat pose and him strinking at everything. Even the cup and remove method doesnt work with him. Tis a shame