Handling an A. Seemani.. Yes .. no...carefully???

[Binky/Carol]

need help here friends,
I got an A. Seemani 4 inch female.
I want to know if handling them is advisable?
My hubby wants to know.
Thanks
Carol

 

[Merfolk]

They are recluse and defensive. Definitively not!!!

 

[tospace]

I have an A. Seemonni. I've handled him about 4 times. He has never bit me, but after his molt he got more defensive. I suggest you leave her alone Ts usually don't like to be bothered

 

[james41777]

I've handled a.seemani, but
they are skittish / a bit fast..and
they are considered nervous also.
IF you decide you are going to..
just make sure u don't act ur finger like a cricket.
you can try "scooping it up" and then putting the tarantula on ur hand..
kinda like the tarantula thinks ur hands are a floor or something.
handle it low, so it doesn't possibly fall and get injured

 

[becca81]

This species is known for being skittish and nervous. They will quickly run and can easily fall off your hands.

I've witnessed one falling off a store employee's hands onto the floor and the abdomen rupturing - not a fun sight.

I personally see no need to handle - if you do decide to do it, make sure you're over a bed or other soft surface, etc.

 

[Talkenlate04]

I only have one... and I can honestly say that I will never hold her. Shes got attitude thats for sure. She has shown some threat displays and everything. I think Ill stick to watching her through the tank.

 

[ShadowBlade]

I've handled two mature females, and one mature male. No problem whatsoever. Yes, they are skittish. But there are plenty of WAY faster T's. If you, (or him) are comfortable with it, Go ahead.

 

[demicheru]

Objection: Asked and Answered

This subject has been brought up a number of times recently, with this species. Do a search for "seemani" and "handle" or some variations on those words and you should find some. I'll try to sum up.

People will tell you absolutely not and these are devils. Other people will tell you go ahead, they're super calm. Obviously, these people have come into contact with EVERY A. seemani and are therefore in a good position to make such blanket statements.

I have two A. seemanis. One of them is calm and I hold it. The other is not calm and I don't hold it.

You just need to pay attention to you spider. How does it react when you come near its tank/setup/container/whatever? How does it react when you open the lid? When you drop prey in? When you're doing maintenance? How do you react when it moves while your hand is in there?

If it seems like it is going to be okay with your handling it, it is most likely going to be okay with your handling it. If it runs all over the place when you open the lid, it might be a good idea to let it be and pet your cat instead.

I have an obt that I have handled. I also have an A. avic I don't handle. There are generalizations that can be made about species, but that's all they are - generalizations. A little common sense can help us all get past generalizations.

Another thing - have you handled other t's before? Handling something like a G. rosea or G. aureostriata is probably a pretty good intro-ish experience for someone before you go sticking their hands in with something that may do something they don't like.

Edit: On rereading this, my tone sounds kinda harsh. I'm mostly trying to be helpful here, not a jerk. Please try not to take offense at my inability to make this sound nice/helpful.

 

[Binky/Carol]

I have a g. Rosea, she does not like to be handled.. but is tolerant as the species is wont to do .
I have an A. Avic, I have handled a time or two.
I have a G. Aureostriata juvie, I handle,
An A. Hentzi, two B. Albo's, and a B. Vagans.
We are making the decision to keep or sell this girl.
I think my husband wants something he can look at out side the tank.
I will see how she handles my hand in her tank, she seemed very nice if cold perhaps when she arrived last weds.
I have only just gotten her at a great price. I don't want to stress her out after she has just gotten in from shipment.
She is eating just fine, and drinking, and re decorating just fine.

Oh.. are they burrowers??
If so I will put more substrate in her tank.
Thanks
Carol

 

[Pyst]

I have a g. Rosea, she does not like to be handled.. but is tolerant as the species is wont to do .
I have an A. Avic, I have handled a time or two.
I have a G. Aureostriata juvie, I handle,
An A. Hentzi, two B. Albo's, and a B. Vagans.
We are making the decision to keep or sell this girl.
I think my husband wants something he can look at out side the tank.
I will see how she handles my hand in her tank, she seemed very nice if cold perhaps when she arrived last weds.
I have only just gotten her at a great price. I don't want to stress her out after she has just gotten in from shipment.
She is eating just fine, and drinking, and re decorating just fine.

Oh.. are they burrowers??
If so I will put more substrate in her tank.
Thanks
Carol

Not to sound like a jerk but how does this relate to this thread?

I've got a breeding pair of A.seemani and I've only handled the male to help him into the females enclosure. He's a little skittish but not too bad. I'm not one to handle my spiders personally.

demicheru I don't recall ever reading where anyone has ever said not to handle an A.seemani due to their temperament. Until you yourself has handled "every" A.seemani as you so eloquently put it how can you recommend handling or not ? So far you've handled two.

 

[ShadowBlade]

There are generalizations that can be made about species, but that's all they are - generalizations. A little common sense can help us all get past generalizations.

Generalizations on species are usually pretty accurate. Renegade devil brachy's, and kitty-cat OBT's are very much the exception, not the rule.

You will always find slight differences among a species, as well as between the sexes. But temperaments can be 'assumed' about most species.

 

[YouLosePayUp]

Generalizations on species are usually pretty accurate. Renegade devil brachy's, and kitty-cat OBT's are very much the exception, not the rule.

You will always find slight differences among a species, as well as between the sexes. But temperaments can be 'assumed' about most species.

Temperment is not the only issue when thinking about handling a tarantula. I have handled a few willingly and a few unwillingly. To sum this up I tried to handle a P. lugardi "fast" "semi-aggressive/defensive" I was gently coaxing it toward my hand as it has never shown the most minute sign of defense pose. As soon as it touched my hand it zipped across my hand way too fast to imagine compensating with hand to hand maneuvering. At that point I made what I would call the right decision and chose not to try and handle this specific T simply because of it's speed.

 

[ShadowBlade]

Temperment is not the only issue when thinking about handling a tarantula. I have handled a few willingly and a few unwillingly. To sum this up I tried to handle a P. lugardi "fast" "semi-aggressive/defensive" I was gently coaxing it toward my hand as it has never shown the most minute sign of defense pose. As soon as it touched my hand it zipped across my hand way too fast to imagine compensating with hand to hand maneuvering. At that point I made what I would call the right decision and chose not to try and handle this specific T simply because of it's speed.

Thats a given. You must know the species capabilites.
I myself can handle any T in my collection. But some I've only done once. (Its not worth it much more..)
Its your own limitations that matter though... with Speed or Temperament.

 

[xgrafcorex]

i've never handled my female seemani. she doesn't seem like she'd take to kindly to the shifty movements of my hand. each spider is its own, but that is the general personality of A seemani

 

[Spideyman]

Alright,I dunno bout yours,but my friend's semani refused to budge.My friend had to like pull it out to get it out.In fact,it was really calm,didnt even move a 'lil.I thought it was dead,but it wasnt!My friend said that everytime it approaches molting,it'll be that weak.Is that true?Oh yeah,I knew that the "pull out semani"is bad and stressful,but my friend refused to listen.

 

[becca81]

Generalizations on species are usually pretty accurate. Renegade devil brachy's, and kitty-cat OBT's are very much the exception, not the rule.

You will always find slight differences among a species, as well as between the sexes. But temperaments can be 'assumed' about most species.

Gotta agree here.

Generalizations don't apply to every individual of the species, but they are typically a good average. That's what a generalization is.

Of course there are going to be exceptions - I have a G. aureostriata female that lunges at me whenever I even open her container and a P. imperator that strikes (with telson) at everything that moves in its tank. Typical? Probably not. But I'd still tell people that, on average, both of the above species are good beginner species.

I've kept 3 P. murinus RCF that never showed the slightest defensive pose, yet I still wouldn't recommend one to a beginner that wants something to hold.

As for A. seemani, I've found that temperament is really hit-or-miss. I've kept several different ones - from slings to mature females and males. Some are fairly calm - some are highly defensive at the slightest movement in the tank.

On the whole - tarantulas are not good hand pets. Can they be handled safely? Sure. However, there are risks involved with handling - sometimes they will tolerate being handled - sometimes they won't.

Unfortuantely, IMO, this species isn't the most fascinating to watch in a tank. It will often burrow and stay there for months on end.

 

[Python]

I don't handle any of my animals. I've found that there is absolutely no circumstance at all that requires me holding them. Granted most of mine are either fast, aggressive, or both, but even if they were the most docile rosies around, I wouldn't handle them. The fact of the matter is that not all T's will bite, but ALL T's can bite. I don't want to get bitten b anything and the only way that I can guarantee that I won't is remove the contact. It's also the only way that I can guarantee that I won't somehow injure the spider. I have handled many in the past but as time goes by I find that I have no need whatsover to handle them at all. Besides, it serves no benifit to them.

 

[Binky/Carol]

Well after checking and watering those that needed it.
I got the glad ware type container that she came in. She was allowed herself to be nudged into the container. I then picked it up and was sitting on the floor, which is carpeted by the way...
She did scabble about a little but I then proceeded to allow her to come out onto my hand/arm.
She is fast, but not excessively so. she went up my arm, I put the lid in front of her on my bicep. I was wearing sweats, and then I could use my hand to nudge her back down my arm.
Once there I got her to go onto my hand, where she hand walked up and accross my hands several times. She did put on a few bursts of speed, but nothing I couldn't handle.
She never once while in the tank OR on me did any type of defensive behavior.
She did sit for a few seconds at a time on/in my hand. I then nudged her into the container, and put her back.
She seems very nice as far as T's go. I think I will keep her and know that at this point I can handle her.
But I will never do it, standing or at a table. The person has to be ready for her bursts of speed.
She is not a stroking a leg type of T. But she is lovely!

Carol

 

[rodan32]

Just another vote for probably leaving this species alone. My little A. seemani seems at the very least very shy. I've never had a threat display, but the transition to the new home involved a lot of running, hiding, and hair-kicking. I don't know if that applies to all A. seemanis, but mine at least is very reclusive and shy compared to my other spiders.

There are a jillion handle/don't handle threads on this forum, and I've seen people successfully handling some of the more defensive species without appearing to cause too much stress to the spider. My take, however, at least in my experience, is that my A. seemani is very uncomfortable away from home, so I try not to bug it too much.

 

[GartenSpinnen]

A. seemanni are very notorious like G. rosea for having a wide variety of moods. Some individuals are very docile, while some, act like little terrors. I have had 2, a male and a juvenile i currently have. When i first obtained the male he was not all that defensive, i handled him and he was very skittish and nervous so i made care to not handle him unless i did so low and above my bed. When he went through his ultimate molt he turned into a mini-satan. The juvenile i have seems to be wild caught, it is very up and down in temperment, very skittish. The bottom line is i would not reccomend handling this species just because you really never know how they are going to act, and at the slightest disturbance they dont like they will run and act crazy. Also, i keep this species with about 4" of substrate and a flower pot hide. I keep the substrate moist, and provide a water dish at all times. This species will remain visible a lot of the time, then it will go into a hibernation for months without eating ( i dont know if hibernation is the right word, but it remains "inactive" for very long periods). Despite all of that, these are beautiful tarantulas and with the proper care make great "look at, but dont pick up" tarantulas. Hope that helped....
-Nate