A T for the Legally Blind

[Roski]

Oh right, and if in fact the final decision results in the acquision of a T... PLEASE make sure she buys CB. The last thing her mom needs is a WC rosea from the pet store dropping a sac out of the blue :}

 

[DDaake]

I thought about A. avic, but then I thought about how nervous and jumpy they are. But then again it probably is the best handling spider. It rarely bites, and if you were to move wrong, it would probably not even put up a threat display. A. avic would also survive a fall a lot better than a B.smithi.

Great info thanks. I'm not too firmiliar with A. Avic so this is new to me. Thx D

 

[DDaake]

Oh right, and if in fact the final decision results in the acquision of a T... PLEASE make sure she buys CB. The last thing her mom needs is a WC rosea from the pet store dropping a sac out of the blue :}

Absolutely. I would reccomend a sliing to Juv. Thx D

 

[WelshTan]

Also I would like to add the T's the OP mentioned are quite harmless. If a bite were to occur it would be little more than a pin prick. If her mom is there the entire time supervising she would be able to tell if the T is getting a bit rowdy or defensive and can remove it. Again she would just need to be on top of the whole supervision thing just in case. Most of society cant understand why we keep t's as pets in the first place, and she wants a big spider so kudos to her.

.....BUT.... a bite might be harmless to the girl but the girl could end up non-intentionally flinging her hand when (if) bitten and harm or hurt or even kill the T..

T's can suddenly change attitude in the blink of an eye ... the bite report section is a testimony to that

For the girls sake and the T's sake I would say no to owning but maybe yes to holding one every now an then or once to know what it feels like

Also T's seems to be able to sense when someone is either nervous of them or anxious.... and that seems to be a contributing factor in a T's attitude when being handled....

My daughter a few months ago when 13 handled my first G. rosea with my consent and supervision, she has full sight, she was nervous but wanted to "be brave like mummy" and asked me to help her get over her fear.... I obliged to help my daughter... but she was nervous and my rosea could sense it and darted all over her hands when with me he was calm and slow .. I had to take him off her within 4 minutes

And how is the girl going to appreciate the marvel of watching a T molt or feed or the "happy food dance" .....

I can understand her wanting to know what one walking on her feels like but as for owning one.... I dont think owning one is going to be beneficial to her or the t TBH

 

[DDaake]

.....BUT.... a bite might be harmless to the girl but the girl could end up non-intentionally flinging her hand when (if) bitten and harm or hurt or even kill the T..

T's can suddenly change attitude in the blink of an eye ... the bite report section is a testimony to that

For the girls sake and the T's sake I would say no to owning but maybe yes to holding one every now an then or once to know what it feels like

Also T's seems to be able to sense when someone is either nervous of them or anxious.... and that seems to be a contributing factor in a T's attitude when being handled....

My daughter a few months ago when 13 handled my first G. rosea with my consent and supervision, she has full sight, she was nervous but wanted to "be brave like mummy" and asked me to help her get over her fear.... I obliged to help my daughter... but she was nervous and my rosea could sense it and darted all over her hands when with me he was calm and slow .. I had to take him off her within 4 minutes

And how is the girl going to appreciate the marvel of watching a T molt or feed or the "happy food dance" .....

I can understand her wanting to know what one walking on her feels like but as for owning one.... I dont think owning one is going to be beneficial to her or the t TBH

Thanks these are the things I'm looking to bring up.

I don't think she'd be nervous or even overly anxious. I think she'd understand that T's are very delicate and would handle it as such. I also don't think this T would be held everyday but serve as entertainment for the family with the occaisional handling. Like i said these are the things I want brought up for the mother to consider. I trust she would do what she thinks is within the safety of the T and the interests of her daughter. These are things she needs to weigh out.

I do think the family would appreciate the T being a great conversation peice as well as an interest for her daughter. I think a T would be great but would take much involvment from her mother, father, and maybe even her brother could assist in the care. Again thx for the replys D

Thx WelshTan for your concerns. This will be very helpful for her. D

 

[JC]

T's can suddenly change attitude in the blink of an eye ... the bite report section is a testimony to that

Yeah, having supervision helps, but if the T gets decides to get aggressive, you have less than half a second to react. This is exactly why I won't recommend tarantulas for this owner. Most 'experts' lose their cool when their T starts throwing its legs around and showing fangs, consequently urging the T to bite even more quickly. Unless this girl's mother is related to any caped heroes, stopping a bite by the time the spider has decided it has had enough is close to impossible, as the OP has mentioned that mom has no experience at all. In this case, being able to read the spider's warning signs and learning their behavior is extremely important. I think mom should be joining these forums anytime soon...

 

[xhexdx]

I think it should be fine if the mom learns how to properly take care of it, and my suggestion would be A. avicularia. Unfortunately, it's going to be tough to get one from a pet shop that isn't WC.

They rarely kick hairs (especially when compared to brachys) and are easier to handle than brachys, too (in my opinion).

My thoughts.

--Joe

 

[DDaake]

Yeah, having supervision helps, but if the T gets decides to get aggressive, you have less than half a second to react. This is exactly why I won't recommend tarantulas for this owner. Most 'experts' lose their cool when their T starts throwing its legs around and showing fangs, consequently urging the T to bite even more quickly. Unless this girl's mother is related to any caped heroes, stopping a bite by the time the spider has decided it has had enough is close to impossible, as the OP has mentioned that mom has no experience at all. In this case, being able to read the spider's warning signs and learning their behavior is extremely important. I think mom should be joining these forums anytime soon...

I hope she'll join as well. I linked her to the thread so she could see what people think of the idea. Maybe she'll show

 

[WelshTan]

Thanks these are the things I'm looking to bring up.


Thx WelshTan for your concerns. This will be very helpful for her. D

you are very welcome... ultimately at the end of the day the decision's made are not mine but I hope that I and "we" here on arachnoboards can help and be of assistance ... the welfare of the T's AND the owners are both in our interests

Am glad we can help

 

[DDaake]

I think it should be fine if the mom learns how to properly take care of it, and my suggestion would be A. avicularia. Unfortunately, it's going to be tough to get one from a pet shop that isn't WC.

They rarely kick hairs (especially when compared to brachys) and are easier to handle than brachys, too (in my opinion).

My thoughts.

--Joe

This is great, your the 3rd to say A. Avic. I didn't think anything was sweeter than a smithi. But take away the hair flickin' and i guess it only makes sense. Thx xhexdx, D

 

[WelshTan]

I had 1 A. avic ... she was extremely skittish and jumped all the time.... she was 4" LS .... I ended up selling her ... but have ordered 2 slings (A. sp. amazonica) to arrive on thursday

My first avic as i said was very fast, extremely skittish and jumped a lot .... and no... I was NOT nervous with her and used very slow movements when handling her

Every T has its own personality regardless of what the "care sheets" say ... I have 1 "ok" rosie and 3 "pycho rosies"... even tho rosies were generally considered to be the ultimate "beginner species" ... I have a LP which cannot be handled even when taken out of his home enviroment.... every T is different

 

[ksac3]

Hello all .
My friend's father was legally blind (meaning he couldn't see the top letter on a vision test chart) but that never stopped him from doing things .
I say do alot of research and be cautious.
My friends father drove a car to the corner store occasionally too (not recommended).

 

[satanslilhelper]

After reading all of this I can't help but wonder if a blind person would like having fish. When I look at it that way I don't see any reason for a blind teenager to get a T. If she still wants one when she's older I say go for it, but we're talking about a teenager here. It would be best if the parents were the ones wanting the T. I wanted a motorcycle as a teen and my parents said no and I bought a car instead. Which I think is what the parents should do in this situation. Tell her to pick a more "blind friendly" animal. Chances are the girl will get over it relatively quickly. If not then maybe they should give it a try if they're still interested in the idea.

 

[jayefbe]

I'd recommend against a T period. Maybe let her borrow one of yours for a month. Or let her pick up a cheap adult T, and offer to take it once she gets bored of it. Cuz let's face it, she will probably get bored of it. There's only so much you can do with a tarantula if your sole interaction with it is through handling. I also really wouldn't recommend getting a sling or juvie. You can't even feel an Avic sling running around your arms. It would basically be her mom's responsibility just so she could hold it over a year later.

I know it's probably not what the girl wants to hear, but a T would not be the best pet for her. Now, a boa or a ball python. They're cheaply available, usually very docile, and are a joy to handle. Those you can pull out 5 days a week for an hour at a time without any risk to the animal.

 

[JC]

I know it's probably not what the girl wants to hear, but a T would not be the best pet for her. Now, a boa or a ball python. They're cheaply available, usually very docile, and are a joy to handle. Those you can pull out 5 days a week for an hour at a time without any risk to the animal.

If I were her, I'd get a red-tailed boa or a ball python, best handling exotic animal IMO .

 

[Spyder 1.0]

 

[DDaake]

Every T has its own personality regardless of what the "care sheets" say ... I have 1 "ok" rosie and 3 "pycho rosies"... even tho rosies were generally considered to be the ultimate "beginner species" ... I have a LP which cannot be handled even when taken out of his home enviroment.... every T is different

I agree. This is important. If they decide to go with a T I may have to buy a few with her and pick out the nice guy. Might set me back a bit but you know...I'll do what i can to help even if it means having to add more T's to my collection......Besides I need more excuses. The wife is trying to put the hold on.

 

[WelshTan]

I think the recommendation is against having a T for a pet

 

[bdprice1968]

It seems everyone is ignoring the fact that "mom" is willing to take care of the T, if I understood correctly, so why would the recommendation be no T? I say get her one if she wants one.
Sounds like if she couldnt speak youd say no because if she gets bit she wouldnt be able to scream for help.

 

[kaydyn1512]

What??

I know I shouldn't be surprised by some reactions to this question but I really am. A blind person shouldn't have a T because someone decided that T's "don't want to be held?" Who decided this?? I know my A versi MM loves to come out of his enclosure and will walk around my arm or is content sitting my my hand while I'm reading posts here.. Then I have others that it's obvious they want nothing to do with me.. I think ANYTHING that enriches peoples lives whether they are blind, deaf or just ignorant :wall: should find those things that make them happy.. I feel my tarantulas when their on me. But a blind person sensory perception is more developed in many cases because they compensate. So if we lived like some here want us to then we wouldn't have Beethoven's music after he become deaf.. Or Zohar Sharon, a blind pro golfer who has come in 1st place against sighted golf players in a pairs competition... Marla Runyan, an Olympic long distance runner, or wait, how about Hellen Keller-I don't think I have to explain what she accomplished. They may not compair to having a tarantula but that is exactly my point.. If people take the opportunities in life to do wondrous things and find joy in the smallest things then you never know what they may accomplish later..

Her Mom is a supportive woman who wants to make her daughter happy so why the hell not get her a T that she can handle. YES I SAID IT!!! HANDLE!! Really?? This is really even a debate?? I'm not saying she should hold the T while no one else is around because of the obvious problems but if her mom is willing why not.. So what if she looses interest in 2 months.. How many of us got a kitten when we were kids and swore you would take care of it, feed it, play with it etc and became "bored" after having the responsibility.. Yeah, its hard on the parents sometimes but I'm glad my Mom didn't say no and I don't say no to my kids.. This girl is blind for g-d sakes, she's not comatose..

OK, I'm done with my rant. I'm sorry if I offended anyone. I'm not sure why this thread bothered me so much but you have my personal VERY strong opinion.. Take it or leave it..