My tarantula Lady Delilah is amazingly intelligent and believe we have much to learn

[joseoro11]

She was a rescue. She was terrified of me when i first got her. I kept her enclosure covered for awhile but would speak to her through top tank. Now she will climb the tank when i come in her bedroom i will open tank she will crawl unto my hand simply sitting there. I will tell her she is terribly cute. She will sit with me for hours while i read. When i pet her hand she will extend or stretch it out toward me so i will gently stroke it. She has no fear of me or runs from me like she did when i first got her. I placed a small jersey fabric on one side of her tank she loves it maybe because it is soft. If i clean it i have to replace it with another or she runs around and climbs tank like she wants it back. Her room is kept no lights but natural light and it gets warm due to summer and a bit cooler in winter. I did an experiment placing her in a plastic tub my friends and i put our hands in there. She refused after touching each hand to crawl onto the hand except MINE! I believe because I spend so much time with her and had her over ten years I can say she has marked intelligence and knows her keeper and displays trust in me. Her gentleness and personality is so unlike other domesticated pets. I believe we have so much to learn and knowledge to glean from these unique sweethearts. Any thoughts or things you love about your T unique to them?

Could you send a picture of her enclosure?

 

[volcanopele]

In all seriousness, the best you can hope for from a T is tolerance. They are incapable of forming attachments with each other let alone with humans. I would even include communal spiders, which basically just tolerate a higher population density and try not to eat each other.

That's not to say that HUMANS can't form emotional attachments to their tarantulas. I know I have with a few in my collection (like my little "family" of LKs). One just needs to be careful about seriously believing that the feeling is reciprocated. Tarantulas are very simple creatures with simple needs and simple thought processes, if you can even call what goes on in their ganglions "thoughts". Some Ts are more reactive to "unusual" stimuli than others. Your T obviously isn't that flighty. If I tried to be that friendly with my klugis or most of the Ts in my collection, I would likely end up with some fresh holes in my body.

 

[Stinkwadbethann]

@Stinkwadbethann (can I call you Bethann, or Beth Ann?): I don't mean to cause offence, and I'm sorry that you were greeted with a lot of hooting and jeering; but, well, there are a lot of people here with a lot of knowledge and experience of tarantulas, and with that in mind your initial post does seem extreme enough to straddle the line between seriousness and trolling, without further information.
I have to admit that I'm personally as skeptical of attitudes of tarantulas as happy, affectionate children as I am of attitudes of tarantulas as deadly, human-stalking monsters. Jokes about OBTs aside. Some kind of learned response or habituation to certain stimuli is apparent, as well as the probability that you have a particularly docile tarantula, but I'm afraid much else would largely be due to projected anthropomorphism.

Affection isn't something that's going to be reciprocated, through no fault of the tarantula - she's just not intellectually or behaviourally equipped for it. Living in a hole in the jungle and occasionally eating bugs that trundle past doesn't call for much social sophistication. Though that's not to say you should regard your tarantula more coldly. We all have emotional attachments to our little spidery pets, even if it's a one-way street.

I appreciate this. I found some helpful info here when she was fasting.

 

[Stinkwadbethann]

My girl had a large hide but took it out after 9 years because she wouldn't use it at all. i placed a piece of fabric in one side of her tank and she seems comfortable spending all her time on that side. She does have substrate that is dry. The room is warm and no artificial light. She has a water dish too. She shares a bedroom with a hissing roach named Peanut who is housed in another tank. The room is warm in summer but gets a bit colder in winter. Coolest room in house. So she has a heat pad as do roach and crickets with control so doesn't get overly hot. There is a thermostat small electronic heater to keep room 70-75 during really cold nights.

 

[Stinkwadbethann]

Could you send a picture of her enclosure?

My girl had a large hide but took it out after 9 years because she wouldn't use it at all. i placed a piece of fabric in one side of her tank and she seems comfortable spending all her time on that side. She does have substrate that is dry. The room is warm and no artificial light. She has a water dish too. She shares a bedroom with a hissing roach named Peanut who is housed in another tank. The room is warm in summer but gets a bit colder in winter. Coolest room in house. So she has a heat pad as do roach and crickets with control so doesn't get overly hot. There is a thermostat small electronic heater to keep room 70-75 during really cold nights. She eats a cricket once or twice weekly but will go on seasonal fast which made me nervous but learned Rose hairs have those.

 

[Leila]

@Stinkwadbethann, I love your adoration toward your T. I know I was joking around earlier, but no harm was intended toward you, love. We get a lot of newcomers here who post things such as what you posted- but they do so with the intention of trolling. Grr.

I am absolutely enamored with my tarantulas. Every one of them. I know that they are incapable of reciprocating my love, but it matters not. I will continue to regard them as my darlings all the same.

Please do stick around. You seem like a kind soul.

 

[Ghost56]

My girl had a large hide but took it out after 9 years because she wouldn't use it at all. i placed a piece of fabric in one side of her tank and she seems comfortable spending all her time on that side. She does have substrate that is dry. The room is warm and no artificial light. She has a water dish too. She shares a bedroom with a hissing roach named Peanut who is housed in another tank. The room is warm in summer but gets a bit colder in winter. Coolest room in house. So she has a heat pad as do roach and crickets with control so doesn't get overly hot. There is a thermostat small electronic heater to keep room 70-75 during really cold nights.

Does the heat mat happen to be under that fabric?

 

[johnny quango]

I've laughed a great deal at this thread for quite a few reasons and I don't think a little bit of craziness hurts (unless it's your ribs from laughing).

I think we all know deep down that they aren't capable of feats of human behavior like reasoning, problem solving etc. I do however think they sense something when we are around due to the disturbance such a large (comparatively speaking) creature like ourselves cause I like to think of me and my tarantulas as jedi that simply use the force.

I do use the instinct to feed with my Avicularia metallica to mine and it's advantage as when it was badly injured after a moult I started to tong feed it waxworms now it takes them gently still to today

 

[Stinkwadbethann]

Does the heat mat happen to be under that fabric?

There is a two inch layer of substrate where the the fabric rest on top. The heating pad in under tank and isn't on due to warm humid weather right now.

 

[Ghost56]

There is a two inch layer of substrate where the the fabric rest on top. The heating pad in under tank and isn't on due to warm humid weather right now.

Ahh alright, just making sure. I'm not going to go into the whole heating pad thing (they're usually frowned upon in the hobby), but I would recommend that you move the heating pad to one of the sides of the enclosure when it's back in use. It's safer for you, and your T.

 

[Stinkwadbethann]

@Stinkwadbethann, I love your adoration toward your T. I know I was joking around earlier, but no harm was intended toward you, love. We get a lot of newcomers here who post things such as what you posted- but they do so with the intention of trolling. Grr.

I am absolutely enamored with my tarantulas. Every one of them. I know that they are incapable of reciprocating my love, but it matters not. I will continue to regard them as my darlings all the same.

Please do stick around. You seem like a kind soul.

Thank you. I appreciate it. I wrote a poem about her. She reminds me of a dainty beautiful victorian era lady. Very graceful in form.

 

[Stinkwadbethann]

Ahh alright, just making sure. I'm not going to go into the whole heating pad thing (they're usually frowned upon in the hobby), but I would recommend that you move the heating pad to one of the sides of the enclosure when it's back in use. It's safer for you, and your T.

Yes those things are dangerous like heat rocks can be for lizards. I have temp control on hers and its on one side. Thanks for your concern of my Lady

 

[Ghost56]

Yes those things are dangerous like heat rocks can be for lizards. I have temp control on hers and its on one side. Thanks for your concern of my Lady

Sorry, I just realized my post wasn't very clear at all lol. I meant one of the walls of the enclosure instead of under the tank.

 

[Leila]

@Stinkwadbethann, do you know what species Lady Delilah is? If I missed that info somewhere in this thread, I apologize

 

[sasker]

do you know what species Lady Delilah is?

The avatar of @Stinkwadbethann shows a G. porteri, if my eyes do not deceive me. I assume this is a picture of the actual spider. By the way, It looks like the tarantula is balancing dangerously high on someone's knee. @Stinkwadbethann: many people handle their tarantulas regularly without any problem, but all tarantulas are capable of moving at great speed (perhaps you have seen this when your tarantula was hungry and it pounced on an insect). The fact of the matter is that they can do so at any time and quite unexpectedly. For example, they can be spooked if you accidentally blow on them while talking. As your spider is a terrestrial species, it is not a great climber, so if it runs off your hand, knee or any other body part it happens to be on, it will fall down. Terrestrial species are not built for falling gracefully and they are quite fragile. A fall will likely burst open the abdomen of your spider, resulting in death. This happened to many tarantulas, so please, if you decide to handle your spider, keep it close to the ground (say, less than 8") and above a soft carpet or something.

 

[Stinkwadbethann]

@Stinkwadbethann, do you know what species Lady Delilah is? If I missed that info somewhere in this thread, I apologize

She is a Rose hair...extremely docile and gentle although i heard some say they can have different personalities and be aggressive she isn't at all.

 

[Stinkwadbethann]

The avatar of @Stinkwadbethann shows a G. porteri, if my eyes do not deceive me. I assume this is a picture of the actual spider. By the way, It looks like the tarantula is balancing dangerously high on someone's knee. @Stinkwadbethann: many people handle their tarantulas regularly without any problem, but all tarantulas are capable of moving at great speed (perhaps you have seen this when your tarantula was hungry and it pounced on an insect). The fact of the matter is that they can do so at any time and quite unexpectedly. For example, they can be spooked if you accidentally blow on them while talking. As your spider is a terrestrial species, it is not a great climber, so if it runs off your hand, knee or any other body part it happens to be on, it will fall down. Terrestrial species are not built for falling gracefully and they are quite fragile. A fall will likely burst open the abdomen of your spider, resulting in death. This happened to many tarantulas, so please, if you decide to handle your spider, keep it close to the ground (say, less than 8") and above a soft carpet or something.

I agree with you we shouldn't take risks. In all the years i have had her she is so easy to read and never had a spook espisode although another tarantula i saw did. You are right i need to be mindful of my precious girl

 

[Leila]

I agree with you we shouldn't take risks. In all the years i have had her she is so easy to read and never had a spook espisode although another tarantula i saw did. You are right i need to be mindful of my precious girl

My MM (mature male) G. porteri is one of those moody Rose Hairs. Lol. He can either be the sweetest of gentlemen or the most ornery little butthead. Lol. He has actually given me threat postures and has planted his barred fangs into the substrate in his enclosure...quite a few times. My offense? Replacing his old water dish with a fresh one. (It was quite shocking, tbh. Lol.)

 

[Stinkwadbethann]

In all seriousness, the best you can hope for from a T is tolerance. They are incapable of forming attachments with each other let alone with humans. I would even include communal spiders, which basically just tolerate a higher population density and try not to eat each other.

That's not to say that HUMANS can't form emotional attachments to their tarantulas. I know I have with a few in my collection (like my little "family" of LKs). One just needs to be careful about seriously believing that the feeling is reciprocated. Tarantulas are very simple creatures with simple needs and simple thought processes, if you can even call what goes on in their ganglions "thoughts". Some Ts are more reactive to "unusual" stimuli than others. Your T obviously isn't that flighty. If I tried to be that friendly with my klugis or most of the Ts in my collection, I would likely end up with some fresh holes in my body.

Wow.....i guess some don't like to be bothered. I never force her to come out or handle often. If she comes on my hand then i will. I enjoy reading with her stretched out on my chest and stroke her with a cotton q-tip.

 

[Stinkwadbethann]

My MM (mature male) G. porteri is one of those moody Rose Hairs. Lol. He can either be the sweetest of gentlemen or the most ornery little butthead. Lol. He has actually given me threat postures and has planted his barred fangs into the substrate in his enclosure...quite a few times. My offense? Replacing his old water dish with a fresh one. (It was quite shocking, tbh. Lol.)

Really...hahaha...but i bet you love moody fellow to pieces. I get easily attached because they are so vibrant and interesting