G Pulchra bites

[vespers]

I want to make their enclosures bigger and slightly more... "homey" when they are less small XD I want to top out at a ten gallon, maybe a bit more if it's a rather large individual and from what I understand from my many enclosure threads 10 gallon is a good size for an adult

Very few tarantula species ever require the space of a 10 gallon tank, let alone a larger enclosure. They won't understand the concept of "homey", and bigger space is not necessarliy better when it comes to tarantulas. They are very different from keeping reptiles.

 

[Trenor]

Um, maybe I missed something, but that first link is for an H. minax bite, not a G. pulchra. G. pulchra was mentioned in the post, maybe your search hit on that and you didn't notice that the report itself concerned another species altogether.

Your right, I didn't notice it last night with a cursory read.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Why would you recommend no handling? If the T shows stress signs or something?

It's stressful for the spider, the spider is at risk of injury or death, you are at risk of getting bitten, I could go on... It's basically all risk for very little reward, and that is only for yourself.

I want to top out at a ten gallon, maybe a bit more if it's a rather large individual and from what I understand from my many enclosure threads 10 gallon is a good size for an adult

A 5 gallon is good for all but the very largest specimens, my adult female L. difficilis is about as large as a pulchra can physically get and she's got more room than she'll ever need in a 6.5 gallon (see below) and she's way more active than a pulchra.

The only reason you'd want (not need) to go bigger than a 10 gallon was if you were trying to make a massive elaborate display enclosure for a large adult Theraphosa and that would still only be for your benefit, not the spider's.

 

[efmp1987]

I cuddle with my pulchra. She goes out of her tank by herself every night and snuggle with me with the cat. We are very happy. True story.

The only problem is I don't have a pulchra, but that's the idea.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Glad he's seen the light

Unless someone had joined the Goddess* Family that's a pretty debatable statement

* 0.1 Pelinobius muticus PBUH (Peace Be Upon Her)

 

[starnaito]

Just echoing what everyone else has already said, but even tarantulas more on the calm side would prefer not to interact with humans. But I'd be lying if I said some of my Ts didn't end up in my hand at one point in time. The difference is I didn't reach in and grab them; they casually walked into my hand from another surface, so I was just serving as an object to walk on. If you are at all nervous about having a T in your hand, do not even consider the possibility. You're risking not only being bitten but injuring the tarantula.

I think it's safe to say your pulchra will tolerate any maintenance and enclosure transfers without giving you too much trouble. Mine is still quite small but isn't skittish like most slings and doesn't move very fast. But I second what others have said about practicing a cage transfer method that reduces the chances of escape and avoids the need to handle. Think about it: would you be in a good mood while someone's trying to take you from your home? It's not a good time to test a tarantula's tolerance level. I know it's not ideal, but all Ts are happier when they don't have to see us very often.

 

[Andee]

I agree with you @starnaito. I have realized they generally don't care when I am in their space but if I am doing anything, like major adjustments they just hunker down under their heavy foliage and watch and wait. I can tap to move them, I don't see it as an issue if they ever decide to use me as a platform or just need to be moved from one place to another and decide to wander onto my hand in the process, but it's all on their terms now. They otherwise will enjoy a life with an little interaction as possible other than watching and necessary care. Little chub butts.

 

[viper69]

Eh I don't necessarily want to... I think it comes from the reptile hobby a bit XD, where desenstizing a bit can be useful in case of an escape .___. it's hard to get out of the habit. Currently dealing with a super grump and sick male veiled who literally got out of his outdoor cage today and escaped into the nightshade, XD we had fun catching him.

Handling kills tarantulas, case closed.

True about SOME reptiles, not all, definitely not true about tarantulas, far more instinctual than most reptiles. I'm a reptile owner first, including chams among many others. Ts are a a whole other world.

If your T dies because of your desire to handle it (aside from having to do husbandry, ie it managed to get beyond barriers set up etc), one of us here will be the first to tell you it's your own fault.

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should, and you know this

 

[viper69]

Very few tarantula species ever require the space of a 10 gallon tank, let alone a larger enclosure. They won't understand the concept of "homey", and bigger space is not necessarliy better when it comes to tarantulas. They are very different from keeping reptiles.

I don't know, but you sure sound like one of those guys that would keep a frog in a 1 gallon tank

 

[vespers]

I don't know, but you sure sound like one of those guys that would keep a frog in a 1 gallon tank

Oh yeah, I tried 3 frogs and a python together in a 1 gallon, but they looked a bit cramped in there.

 

[cold blood]

I would like to be able to get in and out of the cage without them seeing me as something horrible

To them you are and always will be nothing more than a giant potential predator. The only time a t gets picked up in the wild is when something is about to eat or kill them.

I think it comes from the reptile hobby a bit XD, where desenstizing a bit can be useful in case of an escape .___. it's hard to get out of the habit.

Its a completely different hobby, your habits there don't or shouldn't apply here...its a new start and a new ballgame.

Just so you know, not every bite is started off with a threat pose

Exactly, most bites actually come from ts considered docile and handlable...simply because these are the ones most often handled.

There is a bite report on a Poecilotheria fasciata where the poster stuck their hand out instinctively to stop their tarantula and they got tagged.

Yep, and that's a great illustration of why getting used to a hands on approach can backfire in a horrible fashion (she's not hands on normally, this was instinct combined with a lack of a catch cup). Poor Cora was sick for 2 weeks. Always have catch cups available. I have one in every area of my t room just in case.

This is what her arm looked like afterward...this isn't photo shopped...the arm looks dead.

20150401_182114

• cold blood
• Jan 30, 2017
• 5

arm color, post pokie bite

Oh yeah, I tried 3 frogs and a python together in a 1 gallon, but they looked a bit cramped in there

I see the problem. Clearly one too many frogs. Try again, this time with just 2 frogs.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

The only reason you'd want (not need) to go bigger than a 10 gallon was if you were trying to make a massive elaborate display enclosure for a large adult Theraphosa and that would still only be for your benefit, not the spider's.

Yeah, that is sort of my plan for my LP. I have a 15 gallon waiting for her with which I want to make a display-style enclosure. Hopefully it will look interesting and naturalistic for my pleasure and the spider won't care one way or the other. There isn't anything inherently wrong with wasting space, after all. If you take the well-being of the spider into consideration first, why not indulge yourself?

 

[efmp1987]

Size matters! The bigger the better. Keeps them free. Red arrow points to pulchra sling hanging on ceiling.

 

[JDS123]

To the OP, I've handled many over my 25 years of keeping them. Never bitten however I know plenty of bite reports. So it's obvious they bite.

I've had them strike at tongs and such. many many threat poses. I used to breed OBTs, fun times.

Few things to keep in mind though, most terrestrial species cannot handle a fall, and clearly show balancing issues while handling them. Like these ppl tell you, very fragile in falls.

My arboreals have never hesitated to walk up and out of enclosures to go up my hand and walk around on my hands. I've had several that would jump almost a foot from one hand to another.

One would even jump almost 2 feet from its enclosure to a fake plant by it.

Arboreals are a bit tougher, does that meen you should hold them all the time, no.

Like ppl here are telling you, they just aren't a baby kitty lol.

They can split, bite, flick hairs, and get broken easy if you flinch hard or smash it with you catch cup on accident.

I do what I do, I handle certain Ts that are willing to roam up my hand and I give them that chance to go back in the enclosure. Sometimes they do, sometimes they won't get off my dang hand.

Im only telling you how I see it through many years of experience.
Lots of ppl here believe it's wrong to handle them, and lots of ppl elsewhere believe as I do.

Keep in mind what I have said though. It's not always good, most terrestrial species especially show to be quite botherd by it. Many things can go wrong. They do not have the same good agility that arboreals have.

If your worried about an incident free life, then you gotta go with what these guys say and never handle them.

Just giving my opinion from all my years along with my other fellow collectors.

Like ppl have said here though, they certainly aren't "meant" as a regularly handled lap dog lol.

Keep studying, never stop learning!

 

[JDS123]

Size matters! The bigger the better. Keeps them free. Red arrow points to pulchra sling hanging on ceiling.

View attachment 250319

No way you gotta be joking lmao?

 

[Venom1080]

No way you gotta be joking lmao?

He's joking, he's joking.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

Exactly, most bites actually come from ts considered docile and handlable...simply because these are the ones most often handled.
Yep, and that's a great illustration of why getting used to a hands on approach can backfire in a horrible fashion (she's not hands on normally, this was instinct combined with a lack of a catch cup). Poor Cora was sick for 2 weeks. Always have catch cups available. I have one in every area of my t room just in case.

This is what her arm looked like afterward...this isn't photo shopped...the arm looks dead.

20150401_182114

• cold blood
• Jan 30, 2017
• 5

arm color, post pokie bite

[/QUOTE]

I remember being quite horrified at that image. But thinking it over, while not photo-shopped, do you suppose that we were trolled? That zombie look would be very easy to do with the proper application of make-up. It occurred to me that this was a rather unique reaction to a bite and it is a little odd that we've never seen such a reaction before in a bite report.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Exactly, most bites actually come from ts considered docile and handlable.

"Get a B. hamorii" they said... "They're docile and pettable" they said...

My B. hamorii is still defective.

• The Grym Reaper
• Jul 23, 2017
• 8
• brachypelma brachypelma hamorii brachypelma smithi hamorii mexican redknee tarantula threat threat pose threat posture

She still thinks she's a P. cancerides.

 

[JDS123]

"Get a B. hamorii" they said... "They're docile and pettable" they said...

My B. hamorii is still defective.

• The Grym Reaper
• Jul 23, 2017
• 8
• brachypelma brachypelma hamorii brachypelma smithi hamorii mexican redknee tarantula threat threat pose threat posture

She still thinks she's a P. cancerides.

no crap huh, hey ive handled plenty of OBTs while breeding them back in the day, never been bit, lucky or they thought i was just a big ugly tree. not worth it anymore, too much going on in my life now and dont need anymore medical bills lol. Is that yours in the pic, nice picture...

 

[The Grym Reaper]

no crap huh, hey ive handled plenty of OBTs while breeding them back in the day, never been bit, lucky or they thought i was just a big ugly tree. not worth it anymore, too much going on in my life now and dont need anymore medical bills lol. Is that yours in the pic, nice picture...

Thanks, yeah she's mine, she used to be my most docile tarantula (and one of the few I handled back before I'd got it out of my system), she only started behaving like this after her last moult.

Funny you should mention OBTs, I think someone on here joked that I'd get one and it'd be docile, I seem to get that many oddball tarantulas lol.