# Chilean Rose Hair "Warnings"



## Tcollector (Dec 20, 2007)

I was looking through the posts and I could not find what I was looking for.

On a Rose hair tarantula when holding it in your hands how can you tell when they are ready to bite you if you frighten them? I have seen old worlds "rear up" first then enject their fangs. Is that the same for the Chilean Rose?


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## Mushroom Spore (Dec 20, 2007)

All tarantulas are capable of the classic threat pose. Not all individuals will bother warning you first.


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## Stan Schultz (Dec 20, 2007)

deadly17 said:


> ... On a Rose hair tarantula when holding it in your hands how can you tell when they are ready to bite you if you frighten them? ...


Marguerite and I have been bitten more than 50 times (combined).  I can tell you with some small authority that if you can pick it up in the first place without it trying to bite there's a 99% that it just plain isn't going to bite. Either they let you know up front, or they're very complicit.

The next question you should be asking is "Over 50 times! Why on Earth for?" And the answer is that Marguerite and I are a little braver than most arachnophiles. We often pick up tarantulas that are guaranteed to be vicious little demons from Hell, just to see if they really are. There're just too many unsubstantiated rumors about how vicious they are for us to believe just about anybody without seeing for ourselves. We didn't gain the nickname "*Tarantula Whisperers*" for nothing!


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## Tcollector (Dec 20, 2007)

Pikaia said:


> Marguerite and I have been bitten more than 50 times (combined).  I can tell you with some small authority that if you can pick it up in the first place without it trying to bite there's a 99% that it just plain isn't going to bite. Either they let you know up front, or they're very complicit.
> 
> The next question you should be asking is "Over 50 times! Why on Earth for?" And the answer is that Marguerite and I are a little braver than most arachnophiles. We often pick up tarantulas that are guaranteed to be vicious little demons from Hell, just to see if they really are. There're just too many unsubstantiated rumors about how vicious they are for us to believe just about anybody without seeing for ourselves. We didn't gain the nickname "*Tarantula Whisperers*" for nothing!


A guy named Botar told me of the "Hearding Method" He said you give the tarantula the choice if it wants to go on your hand or not. I have handled my chilean rose 6 or 7 times now with gloves. I really want to try it without the gloves. So if it decides to go on my hand I guess that it should not bite right?


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## syndicate (Dec 20, 2007)

Pikaia said:


> The next question you should be asking is "Over 50 times! Why on Earth for?" And the answer is that Marguerite and I are a little braver than most arachnophiles.


i wouldnt say braver.it makes no sense to me how u could put yourself in the position to get bit 50 times plus.i would imagine after the first couple bites u might have learned your lesson!


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## GOMER113 (Dec 20, 2007)

One time that I was handling my rosea, she stopped walking and I watched her as she sunk her body closer to my hand, moved her abdomen back without moving her legs like she was loading up for a huge pounce...   then proceeded to drop the biggest T turd I've ever seen.  It even made it cartoonish squishy noise as she let it out.

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Stan Schultz (Dec 20, 2007)

syndicate said:


> i wouldnt say braver.it makes no sense to me how u could put yourself in the position to get bit 50 times plus.i would imagine after the first couple bites u might have learned your lesson!


But each species is different. Knowing that roses seldom bite and that the bites for the most part are dry and/or nearly inconsequential does me no good when I encounter a _Pamphobeteus antinous_, for instance. (Which, contrary to some reports, are also just big pussy cats!)

What I failed to mention was that those bites are the result of handling literally thousands and thousands of tarantulas over a period of well over thirty years for the both of us, a total accumulation of well over 70 years.

Another way of looking at it is that we all go out on the highways and quite literally risk our lives daily for years and years, knowing that the odds are almost 100% that someday we're going to have an accident. Usually the accidents are just minor fender benders that only jack our insurance rates through the roof. But sometimes... 

Does that prevent you from going on a Sunday drive? Probably not in this lifetime. Maybe not in the next either! The point is that there are risks with any endeavor. And we constantly make value judgments balancing them against the gains.

So Marguerite and I handle tarantulas just to see what their personalities are. What are the gains? We've developed a very well founded, broad base of personal experience with them. What are the risks? Maybe we'll be bitten by one out of 500. And, the bite is almost surely irrelevant except that it adds another data point to our accumulated data base. Risk vs gain!

You (In a generic sense, not specifically "syndicate." I'm not picking on anyone especially) think a bite is a big deal. We've found that for the most part they're really pretty inconsequential, ranking somewhere between a prick from a rose thorn and a minor bee sting. If you want to fret over something, do something significant. Fret about the drunks on the highway. (Parenthetical note: I just had a flu shot this afternoon. I had to sit down or I'd have dropped like a rock! I'm really a big sissy, trust me!)

Just to set your mind at ease, we no longer try to handle _P. murinus_ (aka OBT) or any of the other Pterinochilids, any of the genus _Poecilotheria_ (the Indian ornamentals) and a few others that are well known to have very potent bites. Why? We may be curious; we may be brave; but we're not crazy!

Enjoy your fearsome tarantulas!


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## Stan Schultz (Dec 20, 2007)

GOMER113 said:


> One time that I was handling my rosea, she stopped walking and I watched her as she sunk her body closer to my hand, moved her abdomen back without moving her legs like she was loading up for a huge pounce...   then proceeded to drop the biggest T turd I've ever seen.  It even made it cartoonish squishy noise as she let it out.


Ahhhh. Risks and gains. She was vastly relieved, trust me!

Reactions: Funny 2


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## nspeissegger (Dec 20, 2007)

syndicate said:


> i wouldnt say braver.it makes no sense to me how u could put yourself in the position to get bit 50 times plus.i would imagine after the first couple bites u might have learned your lesson!


that makes no sense...


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## PhilK (Dec 20, 2007)

Pikaia said:


> The next question you should be asking is "Over 50 times! Why on Earth for?" And the answer is that Marguerite and I are a little braver than most arachnophiles. We often pick up tarantulas that are guaranteed to be vicious little demons from Hell, just to see if they really are. There're just too many unsubstantiated rumors about how vicious they are for us to believe just about anybody without seeing for ourselves. We didn't gain the nickname "*Tarantula Whisperers*" for nothing!


Sounds like you enjoy harrassing T's to see if they'll bite, when they clearly want nothing to do with you... But that's just what it sounds like to me.


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## DMTWI (Dec 20, 2007)

Pikaia, you and Marguerite rock! I can't believe any T would bite you guys, don't them silly spiders know who you are!      Serious though, great advice as always, IMO anyway.


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## unclechewy (Dec 20, 2007)

I am glad to see that someone other than me likes to handle their T's.  I know the debate will go on forever and there will be arguements on both sides.  I personally really enjoy interacting with all my pets, but like you, there will be some that I will choose not to handle out of fear of being laid up in bed for a week with severe muscle cramps.  We all have T's because they give us some sort of enjoyment of satisfaction, for some this comes from having a collection that contains rare species, for others it comes from successfully breeding, and others gain enjoyment from close interaction.


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## Stan Schultz (Dec 20, 2007)

PhilK said:


> Sounds like you enjoy harrassing T's to see if they'll bite, ...


You're very close to being correct. But, we're not really "harassing" them. We *ARE* interacting with them in a very personal way. The term "harassing" is loaded with a lot of connotations that may not be true in all circumstances or with all species.



> ... when they clearly want nothing to do with you...


Not "clearly" either. We've handled a lot of tarantulas that apparently were, at the very least, neutral on the matter. And there are a very few that almost enjoyed the attention, to the point of actually coming to the front of their cages when we entered the room. Very little is really clear where tarantulas are concerned.

And, similarly, there are species and individuals that "clearly" wanted nothing to do with us, like virtually every _P. murinus_ (OBT) that we've ever encountered. But the vast majority of New World tarantulas seemed not to care once they learned that the big, warm, dark hand wasn't going to harm them. I will agree, however, that the Old World species (including those from Australia) have a conflicting opinion.

Enjoy your cuddly tarantula.


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## Truff135 (Dec 20, 2007)

I personally see nothing wrong with what Pikaia does or has done.  I think I'd rather be bitten by a tarantula than get a shot at the doctor.  I handle my tarantulas just to learn their body signals.  I'll never know what a threat pose is unless I see it for myself.  I'll never know what getting haired is like unless I get haired.  The only way any information about anything ever gets around is from experience.  So, how can we judge an animal's behavior without actually having personal encounters?  Just by assumption?  I think I'd rather see and learn for myself just what my tarantulas are trying to tell me.  For instance, initially I was afraid of changing out my a.seemani's water dish because she is a defiant, bold little freak.  However, as time progresses, I too become bolder and will test the waters until I actually receive a bite.  Instead of trying to coax her away from her dish and then jumping when she runs back, I'll just stick my hand in there and get it.  If I get bitten, I know what she's capable of.  If she ends up being all bark and no bite, then I know there was really nothing to be afraid of.  IMO, you can only learn by experience.  It's not harming the spider in any way, unless the Mr. and Mrs. are tossing them into walls (which I highly doubt), so I don't see any reason of getting upset about it.  Of course that is just my opinion, and you have your opinion as well (speaking in a general sense) and as such are entitled to it.  But to me, the only way to learn is to just experience things for yourself.  I suppose that all depends on how much you are willing to experience a bite or hair in order to gain said knowledge.


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## Pestilence (Dec 20, 2007)

i got haired last night.. it was pretty awful.. soaps and alcohol does nothing but hot water ... ahh refreshing  and hydrocortisone did the trick. so i learned something new last night. next time ill wear gloves.  i'd like to experience it first hand not from some stories that ive read that sometimes exaggerate. i'd let fear come by me first if ever i'd believe all that ive read and miss out all the fun.  sometimes its not that bad as it sounds..


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## PhilK (Dec 20, 2007)

Pikaia said:


> I will agree, however, that the Old World species (including those from Australia) have a conflicting opinion.
> 
> Enjoy your cuddly tarantula.


Hahahaha you couldn't be more right!


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## syndicate (Dec 20, 2007)

Pikaia said:


> But each species is different. Knowing that roses seldom bite and that the bites for the most part are dry and/or nearly inconsequential does me no good when I encounter a _Pamphobeteus antinous_, for instance. (Which, contrary to some reports, are also just big pussy cats!)
> 
> What I failed to mention was that those bites are the result of handling literally thousands and thousands of tarantulas over a period of well over thirty years for the both of us, a total accumulation of well over 70 years.
> 
> ...


hello again.
personly i have no urge to really handle thousands of spiders.i dont think people should be encouraged to eithor.especially if your keeping more venomous species such as Poecilotheria,Haplopelma or Cyriogapopus ect..
bites from these spiders are far worse than a bee sting as u should know and can be a big deal!id rather not get into the whole debate of handling tho its been done way to many times.i just think its important that people know what there doing and that not all spiders should be played with.
-chris


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## Nich (Dec 20, 2007)

deadly17 said:


> I was looking through the posts and I could not find what I was looking for.
> 
> On a Rose hair tarantula when holding it in your hands how can you tell when they are ready to bite you if you frighten them? I have seen old worlds "rear up" first then enject their fangs. Is that the same for the Chilean Rose?


 Theres no established method for predicting a bite, best bet is to keep handleing down to a minimum. Gloves, they will do no good in the event of a real bite attempt, a 6" T can prees its fangs into the skull of a mouse, leather is not much of a barrier for anything but urticating hairs and Rose's dont give off an itch (to me at least).


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## Andrew273 (Dec 20, 2007)

My rose hair is generally very very sweet however there are times she will not be held. Only once though did she flare up in the threat posture and that was right after a move into a new tank. Other than that when she doesn't want to be held she has nice ways to let me know. Usually I just scoot her into my hand so when she's cranky she takes her peldipalps, slaps my hand and runs for her hide. Basically if it doesn't want to be held it will generally flee or refuse to move. If it will let you hold it it will just waltz right onto your hand.


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## kaptinhormone (Dec 21, 2007)

Andrew273 said:


> My rose hair is generally very very sweet however there are times she will not be held. Only once though did she flare up in the threat posture and that was right after a move into a new tank. Other than that when she doesn't want to be held she has nice ways to let me know. Usually I just scoot her into my hand so when she's cranky she takes her peldipalps, slaps my hand and runs for her hide. Basically if it doesn't want to be held it will generally flee or refuse to move. If it will let you hold it it will just waltz right onto your hand.




definitely.  i have 10 T's and have handled them all (though the p. regalis wasn't my choice, he bolted out of his cage, down the side, and right up my arm steadying the base... scary as hell is all i can say ).  anyway point being is you just have to read their body language, if they seem particularly reclusive when you first open the cage that's probably a bad sign, and then if they continue acting agitated if you try to go further then just back off and let them calm down a bit.  i haven't been bitten or haired yet (and i have a b. smithi and 2 m. robustums which are fairly notorious for hair attacks).  and most importantly if you're not comfortable they won't be comfortable.  

a personal preference note, i feel more comfortable holding the T on the back of my hand not the palm, and i try to keep them away from the underside of my wrists just in case.  doesn't seem like a fun place to be bitten...


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## Unsafe (Apr 9, 2009)

Tcollector said:


> A guy named Botar told me of the "Hearding Method" He said you give the tarantula the choice if it wants to go on your hand or not. I have handled my chilean rose 6 or 7 times now with gloves. I really want to try it without the gloves. So if it decides to go on my hand I guess that it should not bite right?



hey what kind of gloves do you use? haha I use leather gloves  So i think if she tries to bite, it will not work.... sorry my english is not perfect..


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## Unsafe (Apr 9, 2009)

ehhe I remember the last time she wanted to be hold, its the time she was in danger, she was on the top of the tank and she had just one leg that touched the tank, the others not .. dont know if you understand me  ... I took her with my hand and let her go inside her hide, she did'nt want to bite me, she was happy to be safe  I hope she remembers what I did for her ahahahaha! :worship:


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## wedge07 (Apr 9, 2009)

I too am an advocate for holding Ts.  I believe it is the best way for man (and women  ) to overcome their irrational fear of spiders.  I have an evil rosie.  She will let me handle her occasionally but I did not know this until I actually took her out and let her walk around outside of her enclosure.  For the most part she just does not like it.  But the point is I thought I couldn't handle her at all, until I tried.  I believe everyone should handle their Ts there might be a time when you actually need to.


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## Flower (Apr 9, 2009)

syndicate said:


> hello again.
> personly i have no urge to really handle thousands of spiders.i dont think people should be encouraged to eithor.especially if your keeping more venomous species such as Poecilotheria,Haplopelma or Cyriogapopus ect..
> bites from these spiders are far worse than a bee sting as u should know and can be a big deal!id rather not get into the whole debate of handling tho its been done way to many times.i just think its important that people know what there doing and that not all spiders should be played with.
> -chris


I don't feel like the post in question specifically encouraged holding of more "hot" species. The following post even discussed not messing with Old World's much. I don't think either post encouraged irresponsible holding.

You realize your replies are to the author of the Tarantula Keeper's guide, eh? You probably have a copy of that lying around. I think the point of him holding so many tarantulas other than to get a hold of their personalities was for research purposes. You don't learn things unless you experiment.


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## lmramsey89 (Apr 9, 2009)

^^^Seconded^^^  

But I understand your worries bout the "hot" species. Benefit of the doubt, probably just didn't see the bit about not handling them. no worries


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## Neophyte (Apr 9, 2009)

I don't know how you guys do it. When I started off in this hobby I was curious about handling. Now I find myself more interested in watching them do their thing _inside_ their enclosures and get somewhat nervous when they're anywhere else.

I even have a hard time with Roseas.

I wonder if there's a way to be less nervous about handling/rehousing/testing temperament. For me it just seems to be getting worse :wall:


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## LeilaNami (Apr 9, 2009)

My rosie would have constant mood swings.  I would first test the PMS level (  ) by gently touching a back leg with a paint brush.  If no threat pose was given, it was pretty much a good to go thing with her.  Now on the other side, I was rehousing a seemingly tolerant rosie who luckily decided to bite through a deli cup instead of my finger


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## wedge07 (Apr 10, 2009)

Neophyte said:


> I don't know how you guys do it. When I started off in this hobby I was curious about handling. Now I find myself more interested in watching them do their thing _inside_ their enclosures and get somewhat nervous when they're anywhere else.
> 
> I even have a hard time with Roseas.
> 
> I wonder if there's a way to be less nervous about handling/rehousing/testing temperament. For me it just seems to be getting worse :wall:


Really the only way to get used to it is to do it.  It might help to watch others do it.  Maybe watching others would inspire confidence.  I am always actually more worried about the T than myself.


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## burmish101 (Apr 10, 2009)

I can understand why some hold their t's. I used to also when I first got into the hobby strictly out of fascination, my first T from a pet shop and it was G. rosea. Over the years keeping mostly old world t's the novelty has worn out for me but I still can say I appreciate them just as much behind the plastic now as I used to when I first started keeping them. Also a few painful bites from old worlders lets just call those a learning curve.;P  Now I respect them even more lol.

I kind of held a 6in. Cryiopagopus sp. blue when I bought it from Josh though just cause he did! Sheesh what a rush, always thinking of Heteroscodra maculata whenever I get close to ANY T these days. But lets call that a little slip! Its been at least 4-5 years since i've had a spider on my hand, if I thought the risk was high at the time I wouldnt of done it, but she was so calm  Also had a calm P. cancerides until after her ultimate molt, she became EVIL, lets see what happens with the sing blue lol.


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## MrRogers (Apr 10, 2009)

I enjoyed handling my G. Rosea when I had it... then it got really annoyed with me and flicked hairs on me, not aggresively but in an "F-off" sorta way. I found them to be quite itchy  

I let her be for the remainder of our time together.


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## Tarantulysis (Apr 10, 2009)

Ya know,Im no expert but the more I read the more confused I get.Ive kept spiders since I was 16,Im 40 now and (dont get insulted people) Ive always had the impression we hold them for ourselves-they are unaware .They dont see us ,they dont come when theyre called,they dont remember we rescued them when they almost fell.All they really know is up and down, light and dark,and when something is making vibrations in their enclosure.Thats what I think is happening when she makes a sudden movement when my hand is near,not "hey there's my pal!".I kinda agree with the 'lets just watch them and see what they do' crowd.Theyre fascinating-ecspecially to an arachnophibic(me) and holding them is very theraputic.But, I have to respect her rights too!She didnt ask to come live with people,but since shes here Ill volunteer to take care of her,and she really just wants to be left alone to do her spider thing!My biggest problem is how to tell my three year old daughter no she cant hold "Ginger"(See we even name them!)Im not saying holding is right or wrong good or bad Im just being honest on why I would or wouldnt. All that said,to all the experts,which I already said I wasn't,am I close to correct thinking here?


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## Unsafe (Apr 10, 2009)

you're right! :worship:


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## UrbanJungles (Apr 10, 2009)

Anytime you put yourself in a position where you can be bitten, it's basically an irresponsible act.  You are not only putting yourself at risk, but the safety of the spider and the overall hobby rights for everyone else as well.

These days, with restrictive legislature popping up all over the country...being sent to the hospital with a bad bite from a Pokie or Baboon T with only serve to make things worse, especially for the responsible hobbyists and serious breeders.  They don't see that you were trying to "whisper" to the tarantula...just that you are keeping a potentially dangerous species of venomous spider.

Trying to hold a species that's known to be defensive or agressive is not "brave", the term is "stupid".


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## Shrike (Apr 10, 2009)

UrbanJungles said:


> Trying to hold a species that's known to be defensive or agressive is not "brave", the term is "stupid".


I find comments like this somewhat inflammatory.



> Marguerite and I are a little braver than most arachnophiles. We often pick up tarantulas that are guaranteed to be vicious little demons from Hell, just to see if they really are. There're just too many unsubstantiated rumors about how vicious they are for us to believe just about anybody without seeing for ourselves.





> So Marguerite and I handle tarantulas just to see what their personalities are. What are the gains? We've developed a very well founded, broad base of personal experience with them. What are the risks? Maybe we'll be bitten by one out of 500. And, the bite is almost surely irrelevant except that it adds another data point to our accumulated data base. Risk vs gain!


There are certainly people that hold aggressive Ts just to flaunt a sort of cowboy attitude.  But the individual in this thread that referred to himself as brave went to great lengths to explain the intellectual motivation behind handling particular species.  Is it really necessary to call someone (that has made _significant_ contributions to the hobby) stupid just for holding a different opinion than you?


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## UrbanJungles (Apr 10, 2009)

I'm sorry you are so thin-skinned.

The fact that they dismiss  the bite as irrelevant is all the information I needed to make my assumption. Using a bite as an indicator of whether or not a tarantula is agressive (aside from the fact that each spider behaves individually) is not what I would call an "intellectual reason".

Show me someone keeping spiders for 30 years who hasn't been bitten and I can appreciate a careful and responsible keeper.

I'm sure the media would love the fact that the authors of a tarantula book was put in the hospital by one of their charges.

"think".


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## Shrike (Apr 10, 2009)

> I'm sorry you are so thin-skinned.


You didn't call _me_ stupid.  I take no offense.



> "think"


Thank you for this pearl of wisdom.  I'll have to start doing this right away.  I "think" that other members of this board are entitled to share their opinions on different aspects of tarantula keeping without being insulted.  This is a large community.  Your school of thought is not the only one that matters.


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## lddrmk (Apr 10, 2009)

I dont normally get involved in these threads as 'to handle or not' ...but reading it ..and i must say people like Stan deserve alot more respect and less criticism.
If it wasnt for these people then us hobbyists wouldnt know half of what we do today.


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## wedge07 (Apr 10, 2009)

How do you expect anyone to write a comprehensive book on tarantulas without getting bit?  I mean even the defensive species will need a comprehensive look also.  This includes their behavoirs.  No two species are going to react the same way to the same stimuli, no two tarantulas of the same species for that matter as well.


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## lddrmk (Apr 10, 2009)

wedge07 said:


> How do you expect anyone to write a comprehensive book on tarantulas without getting bit?  I mean even the defensive species will need a comprehensive look also.  This includes their behavoirs.  No two species are going to react the same way to the same stimuli, no two tarantulas of the same species for that matter as well.


Well said dude


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## Drachenjager (Apr 10, 2009)

Tcollector said:


> A guy named Botar told me of the "Hearding Method" He said you give the tarantula the choice if it wants to go on your hand or not. I have handled my chilean rose 6 or 7 times now with gloves. I really want to try it without the gloves. So if it decides to go on my hand I guess that it should not bite right?


you think gloves will help if it wants to bite you? thats really funny. haha.
Really if the gloves are thick enough to help in case of a bite you prob cant move a finger in them so its dangerous to pick up the bug.


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## Drachenjager (Apr 10, 2009)

UrbanJungles said:


> I'm sorry you are so thin-skinned.
> 
> The fact that they dismiss  the bite as irrelevant is all the information I needed to make my assumption. Using a bite as an indicator of whether or not a tarantula is agressive (aside from the fact that each spider behaves individually) is not what I would call an "intellectual reason".
> 
> ...


lets see 30 years ya say? how bout 40?  lol I have never been bitten by a T. I have been stung by scorps and i think bitten by an S. heros castaniceps maybe looked like a bite  but felt like a slight pinch lol 
anyway, I have been picking up and handling Ts since i was 4 at least maybe earlier than that. I also have eaten guinea wasps AKA yellow jackets. 
But then again i do not make a habit of pokin my pokies or pterrors either. 
My first memory is of picking up a tarantula. I even swatted a tarantula wasp away and picked up a T in full threat pose . it immediately calmed down and sat on my hand. its all in your attitude, and exercising a bit of common sense. dont try to pick up things that try to kill you thru the container lol


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## UrbanJungles (Apr 10, 2009)

wedge07 said:


> How do you expect anyone to write a comprehensive book on tarantulas without getting bit?


The same way the authors of countless other books have done it. Anyone can get bit, try teaching people how to safely transfer spiders instead.


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## wedge07 (Apr 10, 2009)

How do you know whether or not they have been bit or not?  Its not like you open the front cover and it simply states I have never been bit!


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## UrbanJungles (Apr 10, 2009)

wedge07 said:


> How do you know whether or not they have been bit or not?  Its not like you open the front cover and it simply states I have never been bit!


I personally know/work/communicate with the authors of many of the books/articles/journals I read.  It's my job.  But this has nothing to do with the conversation now does it.

I regret using the word "stupid" in that I did not mean it as harsh as it sounded.  I still think it's "not smart" though.


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## wedge07 (Apr 10, 2009)

I didn't mean to come across as angry or anything.  It just doesn't make any sense to claim to be an expert without the knowing both the good and the bad.  That's just my opinion.  I have not been bitten yet nor do I plan on it.  I just recognize that it is probably going to happen eventually and don't worry too much about.  "Fear profits man nothing".


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## UrbanJungles (Apr 10, 2009)

wedge07 said:


> I didn't mean to come across as angry or anything.  It just doesn't make any sense to claim to be an expert without the knowing both the good and the bad.  That's just my opinion.


:?  Who was claiming to be an expert?


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## Miss Bianca (Apr 10, 2009)

so this thread went way off topic huh???


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## Shrike (Apr 10, 2009)

Yes indeed.  I'll take the blame for that. 

And now, back to the original topic.  My G. rosea throws out threat postures with great regularity.  She's a meanie.


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## Miss Bianca (Apr 10, 2009)

Out of all my Ts the one that does the threat posture the most just happens to be ((_drum rolls_)), a G. Rosea... an RCF... 

he's out on a 50/50 at the moment, he is all threat and no bite though... 
but still... ha... he's the best... I guess it's fairly common..


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## wedge07 (Apr 11, 2009)

UrbanJungles said:


> :?  Who was claiming to be an expert?


I wasn't saying you were claiming to be an expert.  It was meant to be more of a general statement.


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## Moultmaster (Apr 11, 2009)

Pikaia said:


> Marguerite and I have been bitten more than 50 times (combined).  I can tell you with some small authority that if you can pick it up in the first place without it trying to bite there's a 99% that it just plain isn't going to bite. Either they let you know up front, or they're very complicit.
> 
> The next question you should be asking is "Over 50 times! Why on Earth for?" And the answer is that Marguerite and I are a little braver than most arachnophiles. We often pick up tarantulas that are guaranteed to be vicious little demons from Hell, just to see if they really are. There're just too many unsubstantiated rumors about how vicious they are for us to believe just about anybody without seeing for ourselves. We didn't gain the nickname "*Tarantula Whisperers*" for nothing!



I'm sorry but your first paragraph illustrates a complete lack of understanding.  Many t's will gladly bite with no overt warning, it's subtle signs not visible to the inexperienced that will let you know. And frankly I don't know how you gained the nickname Tarantula whisperers as a true whisperer wouldn't have got bitten half a hundred times.  You say you often pick up reputed vicious tarantulas just to see if they really are?  Sounds like you're doing it more for shock value than a genuine quest for knowledge.

I'll throw my two cents in on the handling.  I've been handling T's since I was 14 (about 22 years now) and have never been bit.  I've handled everything from pokies, to H. Gigas, to L. parahybana, etc. etc. etc.   I am proud of the fact that I have never been bitten, it is a testament to the respect and understanding I have for these animals.  I cringe everytime I read about people who continually get bitten yet continue to try and handle T's.  Once your bites start reaching double digits it's usually a good indication it's time to stop handling, no matter what intrinsic delights you may recieve.  It's bad for the hobby, and it's definitely bad for the T.  I think it's high time we start distinguishing between responsible handling  and irresponsible handling.  Handling just to see what the spider will do or how it will react is not a good enough reason to handle, whether it's done to gather information or to demonstrate pseudo-bravery.


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