Disturbing your Tarantulas

Ondottr

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 16, 2017
Messages
17
It's hard for me not to watch it all day when I'm home, because my apartment has only one room and it's just right there all the time, on the same table I keep my hairbrushes, tissues, wallet, keys, etc. Which is great for me! I don't move or touch the enclosure except maybe once a week when I gently lift the enclosure to clean the table under it. My daily life doesn't seem to disturb the tarantula at all.
I top up the water dish when it gets low. I toss in a cricket every week or so, and shortly after I go in and pick up bits if there are any. I only handled it once, on the day I brought it home, in order to fix up the KK it came with. I let it walk around on my hands a bit while moving it from the enclo, to a tupperware, and back again. Just had to get it out of my system, I guess >< I'll probably handle it a bit the next time I rehouse it, if it seems calm enough to walk out onto my hand, but otherwise I just let it be. It's safe and comfy in there. And it's a pretty active little guy, so I get plenty of enjoyment just watching.
 

Ellenantula

Arachnoking
Joined
Sep 14, 2014
Messages
2,009
I let it walk around on my hands a bit while moving it from the enclo, to a tupperware, and back again. Just had to get it out of my system, I guess >< I'll probably handle it a bit the next time I rehouse it, if it seems calm enough to walk out onto my hand, but otherwise I just let it be.
I am very anti-handling.
But, yeah, I let my G rosea walk onto my hand when I first got her (hey, I was a newbie!). I sort of prodded her butt to get her to walk onto my hand (didn't pinch grab her or anything!). But I had arachnophobia so I wanted to prove I could do it and also, perhaps, to get it out of my system too.
I have a deep respect for tarantulas and realize they are not domesticated -- these are wild creatures that may not act as I expect -- they may zig when I thought they would zag. And simply put, they just don't bond with us as we do them.

So... yeah, I did the same thing as a newbie.
 

Ondottr

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 16, 2017
Messages
17
I am very anti-handling.
But, yeah, I let my G rosea walk onto my hand when I first got her (hey, I was a newbie!). I sort of prodded her butt to get her to walk onto my hand (didn't pinch grab her or anything!). But I had arachnophobia so I wanted to prove I could do it and also, perhaps, to get it out of my system too.
I have a deep respect for tarantulas and realize they are not domesticated -- these are wild creatures that may not act as I expect -- they may zig when I thought they would zag. And simply put, they just don't bond with us as we do them.

So... yeah, I did the same thing as a newbie.
Yeah, I think handling is purely selfish; the Ts get nothing out of it and they can be hurt if (when?) they act unpredictably. And I definitely had a moment of selfishness that first time. :embarrassed: Not something I wanna do unless I absolutely have to for some reason. I totally get the desire to do it though, especially if (like for me) having a pet spider is new and exciting. But I respect my T and understand that they're best enjoyed with the eyes only. :)
 

Deb60

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jan 7, 2017
Messages
125
I do it pretty much the same. The only one i move unless im feeding is the A. geniculata because its enclosure is so small (shes only half an inch) and its hard to look without moving it. Doesnt seem too bothered once everything is stationary again. My dream is to have a large-ish shed with electricity to keep all of my tarantulas in. This will be more practical when i have more than three, though. Itd just be nice having a building where nothing else can bother me or them. Itd be less risky if there was an escape, too.
The shed sounds agood idea , got me thinking now , at the moment I have a shed with birds in , maybe if I get rid of them in the furture I could use it for my Ts . I have a lot of friends who are scared of my Ts . Even my little Euathlus sp red ! Some how I can't see him going in a shed , I'd miss him to much
 

mconnachan

Arachnoprince
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Messages
1,240
I feel I'm right I the middle as I have a 1 year old P. Metallica and an O. Schioedtei sling, ATM. I check on them 1st thing and last thing at night, but at the minute my O. Schioedtei is in pre - moult so I tend to check more often than usual, the only time I bother my P.Met is to give her a big roach weekly, so I only bother them when feeding usually, or if something is going on in the enclosure, such as mould or an infestation of sorts, other than these situations I leave them in peace to get on with being spiders.
 

Ungoliant

Malleus Aranearum
Staff member
Joined
Mar 7, 2012
Messages
4,096
So, I've noticed there tend to be two kinds of people.

Those who can never leave their T alone to the point of driving it nuts, and those who can leave their T alone for months at a time.

My question is, do you believe there is an ideal middle ground?
I hate to be glib, but knowing when to intervene -- and having the confidence not to intervene when it's unnecessary -- come with experience.

My tarantulas are in my computer room, so I get to look at them a lot. However, the only times I mess with them are to feed and do cage maintenance (watering and spot cleaning). Sometimes I will photograph them while feeding or doing maintenance if they're out on display.

I don't change the substrate or rehouse unless either the tarantula has outgrown the current enclosure, or there is a problem with the setup that I want to correct.
 

JoshDM020

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 24, 2017
Messages
356
The shed sounds agood idea , got me thinking now , at the moment I have a shed with birds in , maybe if I get rid of them in the furture I could use it for my Ts . I have a lot of friends who are scared of my Ts . Even my little Euathlus sp red ! Some how I can't see him going in a shed , I'd miss him to much
Odds of me ever leaving the shed, myself, would be slim, honestly.
 
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