Best method for handling a tarantula?

[prairiepanda]

How do people not end up with a palm full of urticating hairs with the palming method???

 

[NGLepine]

Dunno..... I just dont. Mind you i crush rocks for a living and my hands are pretty rough.

 

[Stan Schultz]

How do people not end up with a palm full of urticating hairs with the palming method???

You do a little bit. But, if you're going to keep tarantulas you're going to have to get used to itchy palms a little. It's a part of the hobby.

Parallel situations:

It you're going to go fishing, you're going to smell a little fishy.

If you're going to rebuild a hot rod's engine, you're going to get a little greasy.

If you're going to speed on the highway, you're going to get a little tickey! :biggrin:

This isn't personal opinion. It's a fact of life.

If you're violently allergic to the bristles, maybe you want to keep Avicularias and old world species. Or, learn to wear latex, examination gloves.

If you're only a little allergic, maybe you'd want to buy a giant economy size tube of some corticosteroid creme.

Or, you do like I did: Accept it as part of the game and get on with your life!


Enjoy your little 8-legged speed demon!

 

[Stan Schultz]

re: Pinch grabbing

Have any of you ever taken a good look at a tarantula that's being held this way?

All 8 legs are splayed out, stiff. The tarantula is as rigid as a board.

The caption to this cartoon is, "Aaaarrgh! Aaaarrgh! Aaaarrgh! It's got me! It's got me! Aaaarrgh!"

That's no way to make a friend of your little 8-legged buddy!


re: artists' brushes and chop sticks

A number of people report their tarantulas turning and attacking brushes and chop sticks. If you did the same with me, I'd turn and take a swing at you too! Again, attacking the tarantula with a stick or brush is no way to make a friend of it. At best it's an irritation, at worst it's an act of aggression. It's no way to make a friend of your little 8-legged buddy!

re: Palming

Disadvantages:
1) You may end up with an itchy palm. See a previous post of mine.
2) You have to make close physical contact with it. GET OVER IT! STOP BEING SUCH WUZZES! :wall:

Advantages:
1) The tarantula is securely held and in your control. Yes, I'm sure that somewhere, someplace, sometime, somebody has had some tarantula get free and fall to its death. But, this method is far more secure than with any of the other methods.

2) The tarantula's fangs are on the other side of the tarantula from your hand. Even if it does try to bite, all it can get hold of is open air.

3) Tarantulas like tight places. They feel more secure in tight places. They preferentially life in a burrow just barely large enough for them to slide up and down. They're in contact with the burrow walls on all sides. They WANT to be secure. Nestled in the palm of your hand is second only to heaven to them.

4) Once a tarantula becomes accustomed to being picked up properly, they actually, almost enjoy it! They soon learn to hunker down and automagically fold in their legs and wait for you to pick them up. And the overwhelming majority of them will learn what being palmed is all about within about 6 tries.

[NOTE: BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION! LEARNING! MEMORY!]​

The tough part isn't teaching the tarantula to get used to it. THE TOUGH PART IS GETTING YOU TO GET OVER YOUR SILLY, APPREHENSIONS AND TRIVIAL FEARS. THE TOUGH PART IS TEACHING YOU TO DO IT!

Stop shaking like a leaf! It's only a spider! Stop with the sweaty palms! It's no worse than picking up a tennis ball! Why are you squealing and dancing around like little school girls?

C'MON PEOPLE!

GROW UP!

DEAL WITH IT!

GET OVER IT!

STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS!

GET ON WITH THE FUN OF KEEPING PET SPIDERS!

 

[grayzone]

A goat could use the palm method on my G.Rosea. She simply DOES NOT CARE.

HAS NOT CARED YET..
while i am one of the believers that ts can get used to being handled (note i did not say they LIKE to be handled) they do pick and choose when they will tolerate it.

do not be suprised when one day your rosea decides it aint havin it anymore! Rosea (along with any other t under the sun) are known for mood swings for various reasons ..whatever they may be

 

[NGLepine]

Oh i know!! And i will cuss and curse and call her names..... And i will have earned said bite, no tarantula ever said " take me from my Home and touch me.

 

[ucsteve667]

re: Pinch grabbing

Have any of you ever taken a good look at a tarantula that's being held this way?

All 8 legs are splayed out, stiff. The tarantula is as rigid as a board.

The caption to this cartoon is, "Aaaarrgh! Aaaarrgh! Aaaarrgh! It's got me! It's got me! Aaaarrgh!"

That's no way to make a friend of your little 8-legged buddy!

to the best of my knowledge they arent cognitive for the most part, im not sure we ever become friends. But if I need to look around the body of one of mine this seems to give me a pretty good all around view. Some dont mind being held, some do i figure. either way it cant bite me from that position. But then again I really dont have much desire to hold them at this point, so its on a more need to do basis. Put my rose hair in a new tank a few weeks ago, picked it up, and moved it no problem as always.

 

[Stan Schultz]

... do not be suprised when one day your rosea decides it aint havin it anymore! Rosea (along with any other t under the sun) are known for mood swings for various reasons ..whatever they may be

Ah! Learning. Memory. Decision making!​