MM OBT LOOSE IN MY BEDROOM. BEHAVIOR???

[Dovey]

Damn and blast. OBT being shipped off for breeding did a runner today. I'm interested in getting some pointers from people who know this species well as to what his behavior may be. I know what my behavior is. I'm tossing the room, and using words I have not used in many many years, blistering words that haven't seen the light of day since Shakespeare.

Where the hell is this spider?! He bolted toward the closet, so I'm literally having to toss the whole room, and it is chuck full of stuff! Books, shoes in the closet, hanging clothes, boxes on shelves, boxes against floor boards--I just moved in recently, and I haven't finished unpacking. Think of 10 pounds of stuff in a 5-pound room.

Would he climb? Would he cower on the ground in a dark corner? Would he be more comfortable inside a shoe or the sleeve of a blouse, or is he more likely to get down low behind hard stuff like furniture? Dear God, I hope he's not up under my bed in the box spring! I chased him away from that direction but I lost him. I don't suppose there's any chance he'll just wait for the lights to go out and climb up on the ceiling? Possibly try to climb up the screen on the French door? The weather is gorgeous here, so those doors are open with the screen closed. That would be so easy!

Now I do know how to toss a room for a spider, so no basic "have you done this or that" help is needed at this point. My question is does this spider have a tendency? What is its wild behavior if its habitat "in the wild" is the wild of a modern domestic bedroom? Happily, he can't easily get out of this room. Unhappily, I'm pretty much stuck with it, myself.

Ironically, this is not the scariest dude I've ever faced spending the night with (ice storm of '86 in West Texas, don't even ask)! All the same, I'd just as soon find him as dream about him all night and think every little thing I feel on my cheek is he.

 

[Dovey]

Okay, reality is setting in as midnight approaches. I'm going to bed soon, spider or no spider. Otherwise, I'll be cranky and horrible to people I care about for the next three days and rubbish at my morning meeting.

So your Mission, should you choose to accept it arachnoboards members in Asia and the Pacific as you begin your day, is to reassure me in no uncertain terms that this spider is going to stay hidden away in my closet until I resume the search tomorrow because he's scared and doesn't know where he is. Europe and Africa early risers, feel free to chime in! That's what I need to hear. So that's what you're going to tell me. If you can do it with one iota of truth, I'll be especially grateful.

I know this sounds kind of silly, but just in case, I'm going to put his cage open down by where I believe he probably is or might come out from. Who knows? It works for my snakes. Maybe it'll smell like safety to him and he'll come home. Wouldn't that be lovely? See, I'm already starting to lose my grip on reality and the logical consequences of life as we actually experience it. Clearly sleep deprivation is having its way with me.

 

[PetrZ]

I understand, no problem if you live alone and are responsible only for yourself. I would do one more thing - prepare some more small enclosures suitable for OBT and let them opened at varius places. If he will feel comfortable there, you will find him there one day... Give him a chance to burrow, he will prefer it to empty and hard floor. Also, maybe, I would lower the temp a bit and keep warmer only the places with cages/enclosures.

 

[boina]

First of all: I absolutely love your writing style! If you aren't a novelist you should be .

Well, on to your problem: Since it is a MM he may not be as likely to go looking for a nice homey spot to burrow than a female. I'd probably sit in the dark room with only a red lamp on and wait for him to come out and go looking for a female. To increase my chances of him coming out I'd take a female (can you borrow one if you don't have one?), place it in a strategic spot (inside her enclosure, of course) and wait for him to show up. But maybe I'm just being fancyful here.

(I'd also have a book or my phone with me sitting in a red lighted room and waiting for my spider, because without something to read I'd die of boredom.)

P.S.: I once had an escaped G. pulchripes living free behind my book shelves for a couple of months. She never came out, so I had to dismantle the whole wall to wall book case .

 

[vwcorrado16v]

Maybe he might be so stressed from the ordeal he will hunker down and not go searching for ladies straight away?

Any chance you can sleep elsewhere for the night as I guarantee you won't be able to sleep know he's around, I know I'd struggle.

But hopefully he'll turn up when he starts to wander.

 

[Dovey]

You know, this is not braggadocio--I know if I got bitten it would be a horrible miserable experience, and I certainly hope that doesn't happen--but I grew up in Texas with lots of creepy crawlies as a fact of life. One just assumes there will be a tarantula or scorpion buried in your sweaters when you pull them down from the closet for the first time in the fall. You shake your shoes, and you shake your blankets. That's normal for me here in Arizona, too. I wonder how many people in Africa right now have obt's climbing around the vicinity, and they're okay. Heck, they often have black mambas and God knows what all slithering around in the rafters, and they don't lose sleep . One little spider versus me in this huge, busy room just doesn't seem very scary compared to losing a night's sleep. Maybe that's just the priorities of menopause talking. But no, there's not even a couch unoccupied elsewhere in the house. I hoard sleep like a miser hordes gold.

As it happens, I do have a mature female. She's a brand new edition. I shall put her habitat down on the floor near his. I think it is a lovely idea to put some more hidey-holes, little boxes and so forth, in corners and along the baseboards. It is a carpeted floor, if that makes any difference.

Would he be attracted to, or repelled by, moist soil? I just mixed up a big bin of eco earth, and I'm wondering if he might crawl in there.

This is just so frustrating! I really wanted to get my boys shipped off today. Now I'm not even sure if this guy's going to turn up in a manner that I can get him in the group. I don't suppose there's anything that special about a male OBT, but I promised him to someone, and I hate to fail to deliver.

One thing has surprised me. This new girl is my first mature female OBT, and she is surprisingly calm. She's a big girl, and he is a rather small newly matured boy. Does that explain the difference in their speed and boltiness? He is like a bat out of hell, and she is more like dealing with a Grammostola. This has certainly been a teachable moment for me.

And no, I'm not presently a novelist. But I am trying to finish a dissertation. I teach college-level communication theory and theatre and direct plays. So yes, words are indeed my gig. Right now I could think of a few more good ones that I haven't aired in a while. Do you know General Patton's favorite curse of the many he let fly in his career? I can't possibly repeat it in a family-friendly venue, but is initials are: You G-D, S-O-B, F-A B******! Seems appropriate at the moment and oh-so-fulfilling.

 

[vwcorrado16v]

Would he be attracted to, or repelled by, moist soil? I just mixed up a big bin of eco earth, and I'm wondering if he might crawl in there.

I believe he would be attracted, as moist sub would hopefully mean a burrow with a female.

 

[PetrZ]

You know, this is not braggadocio--I know if I got bitten it would be a horrible miserable experience, and I certainly hope that doesn't happen--but I grew up in Texas with lots of creepy crawlies as a fact of life. One just assumes there will be a tarantula or scorpion buried in your sweaters when you pull them down from the closet for the first time in the fall. You shake your shoes, and you shake your blankets. That's normal for me here in Arizona, too. I wonder how many people in Africa right now have obt's climbing around the vicinity, and they're okay. Heck, they often have black mambas and God knows what all slithering around in the rafters, and they don't lose sleep . One little spider versus me in this huge, busy room just doesn't seem very scary compared to losing a night's sleep. Maybe that's just the priorities of menopause talking. But no, there's not even a couch unoccupied elsewhere in the house. I hoard sleep like a miser hordes gold.

As it happens, I do have a mature female. She's a brand new edition. I shall put her habitat down on the floor near his. I think it is a lovely idea to put some more hidey-holes, little boxes and so forth, in corners and along the baseboards. It is a carpeted floor, if that makes any difference.

Would he be attracted to, or repelled by, moist soil? I just mixed up a big bin of eco earth, and I'm wondering if he might crawl in there.

This is just so frustrating! I really wanted to get my boys shipped off today. Now I'm not even sure if this guy's going to turn up in a manner that I can get him in the group. I don't suppose there's anything that special about a male OBT, but I promised him to someone, and I hate to fail to deliver.

One thing has surprised me. This new girl is my first mature female OBT, and she is surprisingly calm. She's a big girl, and he is a rather small newly matured boy. Does that explain the difference in their speed and boltiness? He is like a bat out of hell, and she is more like dealing with a Grammostola. This has certainly been a teachable moment for me.

And no, I'm not presently a novelist. But I am trying to finish a dissertation. I teach college-level communication theory and theatre and direct plays. So yes, words are indeed my gig. Right now I could think of a few more good ones that I haven't aired in a while. Do you know General Patton's favorite curse of the many he let fly in his career? I can't possibly repeat it in a family-friendly venue, but is initials are: You G-D, S-O-B, F-A B******! Seems appropriate at the moment and oh-so-fulfilling.

Also, you can try to creete very thin "dust" film on the floor, table... where she will leave a path. At least you will now where she is moving

 

[Dovey]

Sadly, this room has wall-to-wall carpet, even in the closet. What I wouldn't give for my beloved hardwoods of old. On the other hand, this modern home has air vents high on the wall rather than in the floor, which is helpful, and there are no old house gaps and crevices for this wicked boy to hide in...aside from my clothes and shoes, of course.

Whatever. He'd better surrender to me in the morning. The alternative could be a fox terrier or bearded dragon, both of which occasionally free range into this room, and both of which are adept at assaulting venomous creatures without getting their little noses and tongues zapped.

 

[PetrZ]

Sadly, this room has wall-to-wall carpet, even in the closet. What I wouldn't give for my beloved hardwoods of old. On the other hand, this modern home has air vents high on the wall rather than in the floor, which is helpful, and there are no old house gaps and crevices for this wicked boy to hide in...aside from my clothes and shoes, of course.

Whatever. He'd better surrender to me in the morning. The alternative could be a fox terrier or bearded dragon, both of which occasionally free range into this room, and both of which are adept at assaulting venomous creatures without getting their little noses and tongues zapped.

You mean you would use dog or lizard to kill the T? If you do not care whether you get it live or dead, use doublesided adhesive tape... You can buy direcly something like Scorpion Master Barrier Tape and use it around yout bed.

 

[Dovey]

No way! I just mean there are predators in the house. I'm worried about getting him back safe and sound before he has an encounter with a less benevolent fellow predator. Poor guy--it's totally my fault his known boltiness led to a successful escape.

 

[Dovey]

Survived night without getting face ripped off and bodily juices sucked dry. So there's that.

 

[Hellblazer]

I always seal myself in the bathroom when I rehouse OWs. I had an OBT loose in that room for about 20 mins until I found it in a stack of towels once. That was bad enough, I hope you find it soon.

 

[BC1579]

Have you tried smearing yourself with cricket guts, crouching on all fours and rubbing your legs together?

 

[Lithobius]

I tore apart my room looking for my Avicularia when its cage fell, turned out that it just crawled up into a plastic compartment in the vacuum cleaner right next to where it fell. So it might not have gotten very far, if it was really scared. I found her well over 24 hours after the fact.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Survived night without getting face ripped off and bodily juices sucked dry. So there's that.

Actually chances of a bite are really low (I'm serious).

 

[athlete96]

I wish you luck. I would have pooped myself.

 

[Dovey]

Have you tried smearing yourself with cricket guts, crouching on all fours and rubbing your legs together?

I tore apart my room looking for my Avicularia when its cage fell, turned out that it just crawled up into a plastic compartment in the vacuum cleaner right next to where it fell. So it might not have gotten very far, if it was really scared. I found her well over 24 hours after the fact.

Great Scott! The nearest thing for it to climb up and hide under was the desk I'm sitting at right now....

[The next sound you hear will be me bolting upright, swiping down my jeans in a frantic manner, ripping this t-shirt right off of my body, grabbing a flashlight, and climbing under this desk, accompanied by lots of "Don't Panic" squeaky noises and an Anglo-Saxon phrase or two (see above). Please stand by.]

 

[D Sherlod]

Great Scott! The nearest thing for it to climb up and hide under was the desk I'm sitting at right now....

[The next sound you hear will be me bolting upright, swiping down my jeans in a frantic manner, ripping this t-shirt right off of my body, grabbing a flashlight, and climbing under this desk, accompanied by lots of "Don't Panic" squeaky noises and an Anglo-Saxon phrase or two (see above). Please stand by.]

OMG
you have a gift for painting a picture

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

We look forward to a video of that on YouTube.