What is the scariest spider you currently own and why?

Ungoliant

Malleus Aranearum
Staff member
Joined
Mar 7, 2012
Messages
4,096
At least I think its a brown recluse. Cant get the camera close enough for a good picture.
That is a species of Kukulcania. They are commonly mistaken for recluses (especially the mature males, which are brown and often have a fiddle-like marking on the back).

These spiders are harmless and are remarkably long-lived for true spiders. (I have some that I caught as mature females 4+ years ago that are still going strong.)
 

dangerforceidle

Arachnoangel
Joined
Aug 4, 2017
Messages
780
At least I think its a brown recluse. Cant get the camera close enough for a good picture.
That is a southern house spider, Kukulcania sp.. The males can look a lot like a brown recluse and they are often confused for one, but the very long pedipalps are a good identifying feature. Loxosceles also don't really establish a home web like this.

Also, in AZ you won't find the "brown recluse," Loxosceles reclusa, but you may find some of the other species like L. deserta or L. arizonica if you are away from civilization.

**edit** seems I missed page 6 and @Ungoliant has already answered.
 

NickW

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 8, 2016
Messages
40
Whoops! Sorry for the mis-ID! I guess I need to brush up on my local spiders. Thanks for all the info guys!
 

Juniorispissed

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 9, 2017
Messages
3
So to the question the OP asked, my scariest T? I'm still a noob, I know. But I did dive head first into the hobby. I have a handful of OW, including OBT, and H. Mac. Always cautious when doing anything with my critters, but the that gets me... the smaller of my 2 LP's. She's a hair kicker on a whole new level. She kicks when I open an enclosure two feet away. Just to feed her I crack the led and toss the roach in her vicinity. Any real maintenance is done with gloves and a dust mask. It's sad really, a month and change after a molt and she's bald again.
 

Mychajlo

Arachnosquire
Joined
Dec 11, 2017
Messages
57
I just had to rehouse my C. Vonwirthi today and boy oh boy “knees weak, arms are heavy, palms are sweaty”, she was not a happy camper when I had to fish her out of her burrow which was SO much deeper then I was thinking it was gonna be, got the whole set up in the tub and got her into the catch cup but once I set her cup into the new enclosure. BAM, sprinted right out of the enclosure and out of the tub right onto the toilet lid, she’s a fast and mean booger and not to mention that venom, granted not as bad as some other but still. She is definitely the one I’m reluctant to mess with in my collection
 

Ztesch

Arachnoknight
Joined
Aug 20, 2017
Messages
196
So the Tarantula that gives me the most problems is my Brachypelma vagans. Now granted the majority of my collection are slings or getting into juvenile stage, but this feisty little guy makes feeding/ maintenance sessions pretty interesting. This clip is me trying to feed this guy a meal worm and then trying to fish it out of the dirt. Ya he didnt like it verry much. Keep in mind this was me 2 months in and I definitely learned from this situation.. Oh and I added music to the video because there were was waaaay to many expletives in there.
 

Shaithisferenczy

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 5, 2016
Messages
17
I just had to rehouse my C. Vonwirthi today and boy oh boy “knees weak, arms are heavy, palms are sweaty”, she was not a happy camper when I had to fish her out of her burrow which was SO much deeper then I was thinking it was gonna be, got the whole set up in the tub and got her into the catch cup but once I set her cup into the new enclosure. BAM, sprinted right out of the enclosure and out of the tub right onto the toilet lid, she’s a fast and mean booger and not to mention that venom, granted not as bad as some other but still. She is definitely the one I’m reluctant to mess with in my collection
oh god, i had a von wirthi, it was completely insane. ended up trading it for a singapore blue and she's a total sweetheart. never owning a von wirthi again,they're my spider kryptonite.
 

NateSqueeler

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jan 31, 2018
Messages
1
My E. murinus is particularly mean with a really deep burrow. She's my favorite but I really do not enjoy rehousing her.
 

mconnachan

Arachnoprince
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Messages
1,240
None as yet, although the OW's I have are still at that sling-juvenile stage, so there have been no threat postures YET - my O. schioedtei did manage to escape whilst doing a routine water change, s/he's so bloody fast - I blinked and it was on the floor - I (without any forethought) quickly scooped her up in my hand and returned her to the enclosure. I respect/prepare for every eventuality now, as I did then - but with much more caution.
 

zoogirl

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 23, 2018
Messages
12
So far our scariest T between me and my husband has got to be his Cobalt blue! She's incredibly fast, has managed to escape once! Oh, boy was that a scary night! She is very aggressive and I don't go near her! My husband tends to her, and he has learned that you can tend to her during the day and she'll stay under her hide and not come out but if you go in there at night, she flies at you trying to attack or escape. We think she's about 5 or 6 inches but have yet to manage to measure her. You can see her pic on my husband's profile @jerermy
 

WebBrowser

Arachno-aficionado
Joined
Mar 19, 2015
Messages
8
My H. mac definitely gives me adreneline when I have to maintain her enclosure. Just so quick and unpredictable. She just knows. Had a few quick pull outs, when she charges she always comes exactly to where my hand was in her enclosure a second before.. On the other hand my P. ornata will just sit there (MENACINGLY!) and that gives me the heebie jeebies sometimes. Too calm, almost as if to throw off the expectation of defensiveness. Clever girl.
 

JeremyRay75

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 20, 2018
Messages
6
So far our scariest T between me and my husband has got to be his Cobalt blue! She's incredibly fast, has managed to escape once! Oh, boy was that a scary night! She is very aggressive and I don't go near her! My husband tends to her, and he has learned that you can tend to her during the day and she'll stay under her hide and not come out but if you go in there at night, she flies at you trying to attack or escape. We think she's about 5 or 6 inches but have yet to manage to measure her. You can see her pic on my husband's profile @jerermy
20180220_201827.jpg 20180220_201643.jpg
 

Mychajlo

Arachnosquire
Joined
Dec 11, 2017
Messages
57
So far our scariest T between me and my husband has got to be his Cobalt blue! She's incredibly fast, has managed to escape once! Oh, boy was that a scary night! She is very aggressive and I don't go near her! My husband tends to her, and he has learned that you can tend to her during the day and she'll stay under her hide and not come out but if you go in there at night, she flies at you trying to attack or escape. We think she's about 5 or 6 inches but have yet to manage to measure her. You can see her pic on my husband's profile @jerermy
Yeah I would definitely agree that the Cyriopagopus genus are very thrilling to work with, they will definitely get your heart racing, my girl sassy, a Cyriopagopus Vonwirthi, does, and she is STRONG
 

Tim Benzedrine

Prankster Possum
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 4, 2004
Messages
1,496
I'm not really afraid of any of my spiders, but I guess the one that I treat with the most respect is my L.P. Simply because it has a great prey response, will throw a threat pose if pushed a little too far and is relatively quick and large enough now that getting tagged would be kind of unpleasant. The same would apply to my A. genic, I guess, but since he matured into a male, he lacks the bulk of my female LP and is somehow less intimidating. I still won't put my fingers near him though.

Tge only ones I have that I will lower my caution a little for is my G. pulchripes, who after an initial mood test with tongs, I'll sometimes nudge with a finger if he gets I the way during maintenance, and my B. smithi whose mood swings can vary a little but is not psychotic
Oh, and I also have a mature male E.campestratus who still clobbers prey (albeit slightly clumsily) even after hooking out a couple years ago that I exercise due caution with. In fact, in its younger days, it was the only tarantula I've had that managed to make me flinch.
 

0311usmc

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
Messages
332
So far our scariest T between me and my husband has got to be his Cobalt blue! She's incredibly fast, has managed to escape once! Oh, boy was that a scary night! She is very aggressive and I don't go near her! My husband tends to her, and he has learned that you can tend to her during the day and she'll stay under her hide and not come out but if you go in there at night, she flies at you trying to attack or escape. We think she's about 5 or 6 inches but have yet to manage to measure her. You can see her pic on my husband's profile @jerermy
I am curious as to how you keep your c.lividum. I own both the c.lividum and minax and they are both kittens. Never seen a threat pose or anything. Both go deep in burrows when disturbed. Maybe yours does not have enough substrate to feel safe or comfortable. Both of mine have 14" Of substrate and they went straight to the bottom and made nice living quarters for themselves. I only ask because a fossorial tarantula given enough substrate to burrow and feel safe should be relatively drama free when feeding and doing maintenance.
 

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zoogirl

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 23, 2018
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12
I am curious as to how you keep your c.lividum. I own both the c.lividum and minax and they are both kittens. Never seen a threat pose or anything. Both go deep in burrows when disturbed. Maybe yours does not have enough substrate to feel safe or comfortable. Both of mine have 14" Of substrate and they went straight to the bottom and made nice living quarters for themselves. I only ask because a fossorial tarantula given enough substrate to burrow and feel safe should be relatively drama free when feeding and doing maintenance.
She' got 10 or 11 inches of substrate and a hide. At first she just sat outside the hide, now she's at least going in the hide and it does look like she's dug down a little and she webs up the hide so you can barely see in. I' m wondering if it's too moist for her and maybe that is why she won't burrow.
 
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0311usmc

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
Messages
332
She' got 10 or 11 inches of substrate and a hide. At first she just sat outside the hide, now she's at least going in the hide and it does look like she's dug down a little and she webs up the hide so you can barely see in. I' m wondering if it's too moist for her and maybe that is why she won't burrow.
Give it time. One morning I woke up and she burrowed all the way to the bottom a couple weeks later I woke up to a ton of new brought up dirt and noticed she made a huge living room for herself. She still will bring up dirt. Took her a minute to get started. Just be patient and thanks for keeping a pet hole. Most people bash the pet holes because they never see theres, they would all rather have g.roseas and then gripe about why their tarantula do sent eat or move. Stand proud because you own an awesome tarantula from a bad ass genus. Happy keeping.
 
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JeremyRay75

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 20, 2018
Messages
6
Give it time. One morning I woke up and she burrowed all the way to the bottom a couple weeks later I woke up to a ton of new brought up dirt and noticed she made a huge living room for herself. She still will bring up dirt. Took her a minute to get started. Just be patient and thanks for keeping a pet hole. Most people bash the pet holes because they never see theres, they would all rather have g.roseas and then gripe about why their tarantula do sent eat or move. Stand proud because you own an awesome tarantula from a bad ass genus. Happy keeping.
Well it was when I first got her I had a different hide in her enclosuser. She had only been in there a couple of days. Well after watching a bunch of YouTube videos at 2:30 In the morning I decide to change her hide. And she was out next to the cork bark. I open a small part of the enclosuer and using tongs I start to move the corkbark and her leg was touching it. I slowly move it away no problem. I took a second to make sure everything was ok and as I way bringing the cork ark out she freaked and in under a second it seems she had managed to fly out the small hole and (at the time I was doing this with the only light being from the t.v) so I didn't see where she landed so I freaked( cause i had a cat and dog not far from me). So i got the animals out flipped on the light and finally found her hanging upside down from my computer desk. With the help of a bamboo skewer and a catch cup I was about to get her back in and everything is ok. I have learned to clean or remove things in the daytime not while they are out and awake lmao. I sure was surprised how fast she was. But since she has dug out under her hidie haven't had a problem with her.but every night when the lights go out she does come out and then in the morning she webs herself inside the hide.
 
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0311usmc

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
Messages
332
Well it was when I first got her I had a different hide in her enclosuser. She had only been in there a couple of days. Well after watching a bunch of YouTube videos at 2:30 In the morning I decide to change her hide. And she was out next to the cork bark. I open a small part of the enclosuer and using tongs I start to move the corkbark and her leg was touching it. I slowly move it away no problem. I took a second to make sure everything was ok and as I way bringing the cork ark out she freaked and in under a second it seems she had managed to fly out the small hole and (at the time I was doing this with the only light being from the t.v) so I didn't see where she landed so I freaked( cause i had a cat and dog not far from me). So i got the animals out flipped on the light and finally found her hanging upside down from my computer desk. With the help of a bamboo skewer and a catch cup I was about to get her back in and everything is ok. I have learned to clean or remove things in the daytime not while they are out and awake lmao. I sure was surprised how fast she was. But since she has dug out under her hidie haven't had a problem with her.but every night when the lights go out she does come out and then in the morning she webs herself inside the hide.
Sounds exhilarating, lol. Glad you managed to catch it with no harm to the cobalt or yourself. 60% of my tarantulas are fossorial and something I have always done that has worked 100% of the time is a starter burrow. I don't make this very deep just enough that the tarantula will find it and be able to climb down far enough just to get all of the legs inside of it so it's all the way in, no more than that is needed they will take it from there. Been my personal experience from years of keep old world fossorials, my personal favorite.
 
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