I'm slightly terrified

[Bethy Faith]

So I've always been interested in tarantulas and I have been researching them and watching videos learning more about how to care for them. I recently graduated and for my present my mom bought me an enclosure and said she would pay for everything I need and a tarantula. After three trips to the pet store and many weeks, I got everything and I got the tarantula yesterday. While transferring her to her new enclosure, she started escaping and I slightly freaked out, but she got in there safely. All day yesterday, I was fascinated with watching her. Today I decided to try to feed her and I lost track of her while the enclosure was open and I freaked out. I closed the enclosure and put the crickets back in to their cricket keeper. After a few seconds, she reappeared in her enclosure. I had my mom and my sister help me to get the crickets into the enclosure and once the enclosure was closed, I enjoyed watching her catch and eat the crickets. I really think she's cool and I feel like with some help, I can get over this. I have never had a fear of spiders, but the thought of her getting out really freaks me out. Any advice?

 

[Mpmackenna]

So I've always been interested in tarantulas and I have been researching them and watching videos learning more about how to care for them. I recently graduated and for my present my mom bought me an enclosure and said she would pay for everything I need and a tarantula. After three trips to the pet store and many weeks, I got everything and I got the tarantula yesterday. While transferring her to her new enclosure, she started escaping and I slightly freaked out, but she got in there safely. All day yesterday, I was fascinated with watching her. Today I decided to try to feed her and I lost track of her while the enclosure was open and I freaked out. I closed the enclosure and put the crickets back in to their cricket keeper. After a few seconds, she reappeared in her enclosure. I had my mom and my sister help me to get the crickets into the enclosure and once the enclosure was closed, I enjoyed watching her catch and eat the crickets. I really think she's cool and I feel like with some help, I can get over this. I have never had a fear of spiders, but the thought of her getting out really freaks me out. Any advice?

Welcome to the forum. What kind of spider did you get? Got a picture?

 

[cold blood]

Any advic

We need relevant info to help.

What species?

How big?

Post pics of the enclosure.


Invest in long tweezers and keep catch cups nearby.

 

[Bethy Faith]

It's a juvenile avicularia avicularia. I'm pretty sure it's a female.

 

[Mpmackenna]

@cold blood is the Avic aficionado, you are in good hands. What makes you think its a female? Good looking spider, could use some more foliage up top. Lots of posts on Avic enclosures on the forum. @viper69 posted a guide around here somewhere I think. I would try searching the forums as there is a lot of great info on every aspect of keeping Avics. Pretty spider you got there. They are a fairly quick genus so I would be mindful of that. Nothing to be scared of though. If it gets out, look up. They like ceilings and high places with cover.

 

[cold blood]

Needs elevated cover....plants around the top of the wood would help. Add a water dish if you dont already have one.

Enjoy the hobby and welcome to the boards.

 

[Nicolelee74]

It's a juvenile avicularia avicularia. I'm pretty sure it's a female.

Ok few things on a avic you have a nice size one actually you don’t know it’s a female yet they have to be sexed after a molt so it could be but then could be a male I have one of each in this species now the enclosure you have should have been the taller on the nano tall but at this size it will be ok just know your next rehouse you want to go taller but good job you have the cork bark in there you did pretty good!! I didn’t see but you probably do have a water dish available at all time my two avics always are drinking from the dish now pink toes are the common name of your Tarantula are very very fast they also can jump so keep that in mind they are nice T’S you should never own anything your afraid of so try and get over the fear know this I have over 30 Tarantulas and I don’t handle any of them
And a lot of us don’t do you do t have to feel you need to hold
Actually that’s the worse you can do at this point you need to get a pair of long tweezers and drop your crickets or super worm in the t will find the food I recommend crickets as worms can dig and really other then feeding and adding water you don’t need to open the enclosure try not to panic and get to see how your t lives and you will hopefully get over your fear best of luck and when you have to do your maintenance just take the enclosure into the bathroom sit it in the tub shut all doors and make sure you have a catch cup but really you should after a few times get the hang of it and may not have to even do the bathroom tub thing it’s just In case of a escape!! Any questions just ask best of luck beautiful pink toe you have !

 

[Bethy Faith]

Needs elevated cover....plants around the top of the wood would help. Add a water dish if you dont already have one.

Enjoy the hobby and welcome to the boards.

I have been trying to find more plants and I do have a water bowl it's just in a corner and you can't really see it in those pics

 

[PidderPeets]

Once you get those fake plants in there, it will likely establish a proper home for itself and will be must less likely to run out when you open the enclosure. It will run (or casually stroll if it's anything like my Avic) to its hide and you can do what you need to in the enclosure. Much less scary

Don't go overboard with the feedings. You said "crickets" (plural) which makes me want to address this just in case. One medium/large cricket a week would be more than plenty for a T of this size. With larger meals, you can reduce the frequency of feedings even more. For example, you could feed 3 crickets or one good sized roach at one time, but then you would only need to feed every few weeks.

Other than that, the best advice I can offer is to just give it time. As your new pet settles in and you get used to its behavior, you won't be so nervous and those new keeper jitters will just melt away

Welcome to the hobby!

 

[Vanessa]

They are such alien little creatures and nothing really prepares you for sharing your life with them. Be deliberate in your interactions with them and don't interact with them (feeding/watering/maintenance) when you aren't at your most alert. Observe them and understand their behaviour and mannerisms. Always have your tools within reach - catch cup, tongs.
Avicularia avicularia, while fast and a bit skittish at the smaller sizes, are a really darling species who rarely shows any type of defensive behaviour. They are often found in, and around, human dwellings in their natural habitat and they are fairly laid back about it. While I wouldn't call them shy, not compared to a lot of species, they are reclusive on a whole. Avicularia hold a very special place in my heart and they can often win over even the most arachnophobic person.
Once you get their home set up properly, they will be less flighty and you will get a better understanding of their true personality.

 

[viper69]

Today I decided to try to feed her and I lost track of her while the enclosure was open

How did you lost track of your T?

Any advice?

Remember you are able to hurt your T far more than your T can hurt you generally speaking. If you are afraid of your animal after a while, you need to give it away.



You have an ExoTerra... Remove the backging- takes up space, crickets eat it, and hide behind it.

I would get a taller ExoTerra, I find that size inferior for Avics because they are arboreal, and that container is NOT arboreal for larger sized animals.

Your Avic is bascially consigned to living on the ground (bad), or living up top, but with hardly any room to move up/down.

Definitely get a taller Exo, and replace the lid w/plexiglass drilled holes because the screen can cause them to lose legs or worse.

Check out my link https://arachnoboards.com/threads/avicularia-husbandry.282549/#post-2461396

 

[velvetundergrowth]

Truth be told, I'm very nervous around spiders despite having kept a couple over the years and deeply admiring them. I can be around them and care for them fine, I even "pet" my G. porteri from time to time. But sudden movements still make me jump and handling is not on the cards for me. I received an adult female Goliath Birdeater (T. stirmi) last week and transferring the huge, aggravated spider to her new enclosure had my heart pounding like a samba drum...

I think it's just ingrained in some of our minds to be nervous around spiders. I am far from being afraid of them, really the contrary, but I still prefer to keep my distance.

The prospect of escapes doesn't frighten me in the traditional sense but for the reason that if any of my family were to come across an escapee I would be chucked out on the street quicker than you could say "essentially harmless"

 

[krbshappy71]

It helps me to have a second pair of eyes when I'm working with their cages open. One person to keep an eye on the T and the other person to do what you need to do. I understand not everyone has this option but if your mom or sister can just come in and keep an eye on it while you work it does help. Someone else here mentioned lightly tapping the enclosure before opening it, so they scurry away and hide while you open the door and that has helped me as well. Congrats on new addition!

 

[Andrea82]

You can find everything you need to know about keeping Avicularia species here:
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/avicularia-husbandry.282549/#post-2461396

Since you're new, valuable general information can be found here:
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/tarantula-information-for-beginners-and-more.318718/

The enclosure you have, plus the decoration is not the best choice I'm afraid. That half log thing is actually more for terrestrial spiders. You can find pictures on how the enclosure for an Avicularia species needs to look in the thread I posted.

Welcome to the hobby and the boards! Don't forget to breathe

 

[NukaMedia Exotics]

Needs elevated cover....plants around the top of the wood would help. Add a water dish if you dont already have one.

Enjoy the hobby and welcome to the boards.

Agreed.

And an A. avic is good for someone scared of spiders, usually pretty calm and if you ever for some reason got bit (which you shouldn't) the bite is verrrrry mild so nothing to be anxious about.

 

[Wyoguy069]

An Avic was my first T. I have trained Toni to take Dubias right from the tongs. I rub his/her leg with the Dubia and very slowly Toni takes the Dubia. Toni can be very fast and is occasionally held, but is very calm in its enclosure. I don’t hold often, but I do it so I’m not paranoid when working in are around their cages.

 

[Surfing Tigress]

So I've always been interested in tarantulas and I have been researching them and watching videos learning more about how to care for them. I recently graduated and for my present my mom bought me an enclosure and said she would pay for everything I need and a tarantula. After three trips to the pet store and many weeks, I got everything and I got the tarantula yesterday. While transferring her to her new enclosure, she started escaping and I slightly freaked out, but she got in there safely. All day yesterday, I was fascinated with watching her. Today I decided to try to feed her and I lost track of her while the enclosure was open and I freaked out. I closed the enclosure and put the crickets back in to their cricket keeper. After a few seconds, she reappeared in her enclosure. I had my mom and my sister help me to get the crickets into the enclosure and once the enclosure was closed, I enjoyed watching her catch and eat the crickets. I really think she's cool and I feel like with some help, I can get over this. I have never had a fear of spiders, but the thought of her getting out really freaks me out. Any advice?

Congrats on your new T
I know its hard when you're new... but you really need to focus on being calm with Ts. Freaking out, especially if they are trying to escape can often lead to a person reacting in a frightened way that results in injured or unfortunately dead Ts. If you got it from a standard chain pet store it is most likely a new world species and relatively harmless. What kind of T is it and how big?

 

[Andrea82]

Congrats on your new T
I know its hard when you're new... but you really need to focus on being calm with Ts. Freaking out, especially if they are trying to escape can often lead to a person reacting in a frightened way that results in injured or unfortunately dead Ts. If you got it from a standard chain pet store it is most likely a new world species and relatively harmless. What kind of T is it and how big?

It's a juvenile avicularia avicularia. I'm pretty sure it's a female.