A note about my previous question on handling

[basin79]

I gotta admit I have been underestimating it a bit coz it's so tiny but today I've been a bit more cautious

Yes. Better to get into good habits from the start than having to break bad habits later.

 

[mcmitch92]

Yes. Better to get into good habits from the start than having to break bad habits later.

I'm probably gonna get told off for this but I've been changing his water daily by hand and offering him food with tongs but when I've changed water by hand he's been pretty much next to my hand on the ceiling like I said Ive been thinking it's only little what harm could it do however after my previous convos on handling and the risks of fang being hurt if he bit me and I flinched in reaction it's made me want to do it all by tongs

 

[vicareux]

If you feel like getting over arachnophobia with handling - next time you find an unwanted true spider in your house,instead of using a cup to get it outside,try letting it crawl on your hand.(Ofcourse try to identify the spider first to make sure its not anything dangerous. If uncertain-use cup)
You'll find its incredibly hard to do because all spiders HATE the feeling of our skin. They move the other direction as soon as they touch a bit of your skin.
But when you finally manage to let it crawl on your hand,you should be able to admire it on yourself before gently releasing it back to the wild.
Thats what i did with orb weavers and wolf spiders that get into my room. Fun to play around with the random room spider visitors but i'll never do it with a tarantula.

 

[Matt Man]

But kudos to you for rescuing it

I learned in a hurry. In this case, stupidity would have been painful

 

[mcmitch92]

If you feel like getting over arachnophobia with handling - next time you find an unwanted true spider in your house,instead of using a cup to get it outside,try letting it crawl on your hand.(Ofcourse try to identify the spider first to make sure its not anything dangerous. If uncertain-use cup)
You'll find its incredibly hard to do because all spiders HATE the feeling of our skin. They move the other direction as soon as they touch a bit of your skin.
But when you finally manage to let it crawl on your hand,you should be able to admire it on yourself before gently releasing it back to the wild.
Thats what i did with orb weavers and wolf spiders that get into my room. Fun to play around with the random room spider visitors but i'll never do it with a tarantula.

Good idea actually wolf spiders get very big don't they? The only spider in UK I'd be worried about picking up is the false widow although not usually deadly and the wasp spider which I hear has a nasty bite

 

[vicareux]

Good idea actually wolf spiders get very big don't they? The only spider in UK I'd be worried about picking up is the false widow although not usually deadly and the wasp spider which I hear has a nasty bite

Most wolfies i've seen dont get bigger than inch or two,but their speed can be intimidating.

 

[mcmitch92]

Most wolfies i've seen dont get bigger than inch or two,but their speed can be intimidating.

Maybe I'm mixing it up with another spider maybe it was the huntsman I heard about that gets bigger than a dinner plate

 

[Polenth]

Good idea actually wolf spiders get very big don't they? The only spider in UK I'd be worried about picking up is the false widow although not usually deadly and the wasp spider which I hear has a nasty bite

False widow bites are highly exaggerated in the media, so downgrade from "not usually deadly" to "ouch that hurt". I've picked up a number of the ones in the house when they've gotten into pickles and they've never bitten. But they're small and somewhat fragile, so I wouldn't recommend it for anyone nervous.

If you really want to handle a wild spider, go for pholcids (those ones with the thin legs). They move slowly, don't bite, and they fall well. You're not going to drop and kill one.

(The really big ones we get in the UK are house spiders. I've never tried to pick up a big one... but they're great catch cup practise.)

 

[mcmitch92]

False widow bites are highly exaggerated in the media, so downgrade from "not usually deadly" to "ouch that hurt". I've picked up a number of the ones in the house when they've gotten into pickles and they've never bitten. But they're small and somewhat fragile, so I wouldn't recommend it for anyone nervous.

If you really want to handle a wild spider, go for pholcids (those ones with the thin legs). They move slowly, don't bite, and they fall well. You're not going to drop and kill one.

(The really big ones we get in the UK are house spiders. I've never tried to pick up a big one... but they're great catch cup practise.)

Yea love catching them in a glass.....until I have to put my hand underneath it

 

[TheInv4sion]

I used to handle daily because I was excited about overcoming my fear. My brother screamed and it startled me and my G. porteri fell on the tile floor. I have not handled my Ts since then. Yes the porteri died.

 

[mcmitch92]

I used to handle daily because I was excited about overcoming my fear. My brother screamed and it startled me and my G. porteri fell on the tile floor. I have not handled my Ts since then. Yes the porteri died.

Sorry to hear about your loss

 

[TheInv4sion]

Sorry to hear about your loss

Unbelievably unlucky but completely avoidable so it was a lesson learned I suppose :\