I have finally given away my H.minax!

[TownesVanZandt]

For a long time I have not been comfortable dealing with an aggressive and highly unpredictable Haplopelma minax that I acquired a year and a half ago. It has been several incidents of the spider attacking my tongs when I have been doing cage maintenance. Usually I block the entrance of its burrow before doing anything inside the enclosure, but yesterday morning I returned from working in another city for a month and I was a bit stressed and overwhelmed with having fallen behind with maintenance of the 16 Ts I currently own. I was a bit tired and didn´t pay enough attention when the H. minax out of the blue decided to bolt onto my arm. Luckily for me it stopped when it had reached the end of my forearm. Even though I am by no means a newbie in this hobby, I felt panic rising inside of me and I had to use all my willpower to keep my nerve in order not to do something stupid that would have gotten me bitten. After freezing for what seemed like an eternity, but probably wasn´t all that long, I managed to carefully move and place my arm next to a table and the spider luckily decided to walk off my hand without biting. I then managed to catch it in a cup and placing her back into the enclosure.

After this incident I did what I should have done a long time ago, and contacted a guy that I previously have been exchanging slings with. He was happy to take her and came today to collect the spider. I even got a couple of bottles of wine in return, so this ended quite happily for everyone involved. Looking back at it however it is clear that I was really lucky that the spider stopped at my forearm and didn´t run further. Had it been situated on my back, I probably would have panicked and most likely getting bitten.

 

[Radium]

Good on you for not letting your ego get in the way of doing the right thing for everybody. Having her run up your arm like that is definitely a crucible of tarantula husbandry you came out of admirably, though.

 

[natebugman]

There's nothing quite like a "hot" T with a bad attitude unexpectedly running up your arm to tighten up your sphincter, lol. As I was packing up my spiders to move them from Florida to Texas, I had my adult female H. maculata run up my tongs, up my arm, across my shoulder, and onto the back of the chair I was sitting in...it didn't take more than a couple of seconds, but it was enough time for me to break out in a cold sweat, my heart to start racing, and me to begin praying...I didn't start breathing again until I had her in a cup. She didn't give any indication of being defensive, she just wanted to go for a little jog, I guess...but all I could think about while she was on my arm were the bite reports I'd read on here.

 

[donniedark0]

wow this certainly made the hair rise up on my arms lol. Good thing it all went smooth.

 

[TheHonestPirate]

That's a terrifying incident and exactly why I don't plan on keeping anything of that nature for a very long time.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Glad you are ok my friend and that everything went fine, but you are protected by one of our greatest hymns after all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJtzrwcdoks

 

[jigalojey]

Quite lucky that everything went ok! It's good to hear you passed the Minax on though, it sounds like it was beyond your keeping level. Any tarantula that physically makes me scared I would not keep, thankfully that problem hasn't arose since I was a beginner.

 

[JustSomeDude]

Hey man hats off to you a lot of people would have let it die. That's some responsible husbandry job well done!

 

[Stranger]

One of the differences between bad tarantula keepers and good keepers is the way one reacts in a situation like that. Don't panic, move slow, and get the spider secure. Way to go! Bet your friend was stoked to get a free H. minax

 

[JustSomeDude]

Yea not gonna lie after reading this post I ordered one lol I love a spunky spider!

 

[KcFerry]

I have a beautiful AF H. minax. I rescued her from someone who was terrified of it and had neglected it (housed as an arboreal with an inch of sub) for a year before I found her. Other than rehousing her, she's been pretty chill she prefers to hide and will lay at the burrow entrance at night. This girl demands respect and proved to be quick to strike when I first had to get her into her new home...Other than that, she's no different in temperament than most of my reclusive OW's.
Wonderful species, but not for everyone.
This is her when I got her.
.

BTW...I recently read that the name "Haplopema" has been changed to "Cyriopagopus"

 

[Angel Minkov]

Quite lucky that everything went ok! It's good to hear you passed the Minax on though, it sounds like it was beyond your keeping level. Any tarantula that physically makes me scared I would not keep, thankfully that problem hasn't arose since I was a beginner.

He kept it for more than a year, it looks like he had the needed experience. It was just a matter of him deciding he doesn't want the unnecessary stress.

 

[Bugmom]

You made the right choice and I commend you for it. I can relate. I'm considering rehoming my OBT and pokies for the same reasons. I can handle them just fine, but my reflexes aren't as good as they use to be, and I have chronic joint pain and I'm concerned that a bite could be a lot worse for me than for someone healthier (and potentially have long-term effects).

I rehomed my H. mac after less than a year. It wasn't easy - I'd raised him from a sling - but he was just so, so fast and defensive and anything I had to do with him was stressful for me, and even for my husband who could see that I was stressed (and witnessed the craziness that was "Pogo the Togo"). He went to a good home with my friends though and made lots of adorably fuzzy H. mac babies for them, IIRC. I did not take any of my "grandchildren" lol.