Handling Haplopelma lividum???????

[Bjorgly]

Talk to Joy, she proabaly handles hers if she has one . She has an amazing ability to handle almost any tarantula. I don't know you do it Joy!

Mark

 

[Nixy]

Knowing me. I'll prolly try it. One day I Will hold our Usambar. I have had her run up my arm. But that's not the same. It Erkles the Hells out of me that I'm scared to handle her.
Yes I Will take precautions.
But one day I Will hold that spider.
I know that sounds insane. It's a me thing.
I Hate folding under my own fears. It's ok for Other people to be scared. I find that acceptable and normal. It Is normal and healthy. But me. I am extremly self critical and That's one of the things I Am critical about myself.
I Do know I won;t hold her around the twins, or anyone else.
I'll do so in a location that it is safe too. IE: the bathroom where she can't get to far and can be caught again if and when she nails me....
And I won;t tell the twins I held her.
I Won;t encourage foolhardy things in my kids.
Kids do enough all on their own. LOL.
I guess I'll post a bite report after.

 

[Kenny]

Usambara

Well, Nixy, read the Bite reports and I think getting bit by an Usambara doesn't seem that "funny".

Kenny

 

[MizM]

Handling your Ts is a judgement only you and your T can make!! My Lividium scrambled up my arm and on to my head and was content to stay there. Getting her back inside her enclosure is another thing! She's way too fast for me to consider holding her... who cares abiot a bite, I don't want to risk losing her!

I'm told that not many handle their Rio Grandes... but mine is as docile as a kitten! I just have to be very careful though, she likes to explore and doesn't stick to my hand as well at the others.

Ts are like any other living thing; each has it's very own personality. The better you know yours... the better judgement you can make regarding handling. I keep some species specifically for handling at presentations at schools, others I take in a small carriers to SHOW the children the exotic colors and size ranges of the species. If I need some quiet T time, I just take out one of my "cuddle-bunnies" and watch them explore! That cures my fix and I don't have any desire to handle my fierce Usambara!!

 

[Nixy]

Re: Usambara

Originally posted by Kenny
Well, Nixy, read the Bite reports and I think getting bit by an Usambara doesn't seem that "funny".

Kenny

No Kenny the idea of being bit is not the Least bit funny.
But I'm one of those strange creatures that gets the giggles when I'm nervous and try to fuind the upside to things.

Giggling at my Own insane desires to do something so not so bright is my way of working through it. Laughing at myself for being afraid of a bug that is two inches from fangs to spinnerettes is a way I deal with it.

It's how I delt with my teror of wasps.

I went to it with a " So what if they can kill me" attitude and Laughed at myself.
I Had to.
It was that or let my fears Freeze me and pass uneeded phobias onto my kids.

It's Just how my warped and twisted mind works. :}

 

[Ultimate Instar]

I wonder if it is a "zen" thing. On Animal Planet, Jeff Corwin visited those Buddhist monks who were caring for full-grown tigers. They were directing their movements with long, thin twigs. It was pretty mind-blowing.

Karen N.

 

[Nixy]

I don't know about the Zen thing Ultimate Instar.
For me it's a I grew up Extremly massivly abused and with Alot of baggage and Huge fears.
I took my own nightmars by the tails.
I did it for my kids.
But mostly I did it for myself so I could tolerate myself as a person.

I don't do things to impress other people. I could care less if people are impressed by me or not.

I share my thoughts on the matter and my experiences because I am proud of myself an want to share them with someone.

And it Drives me Batty to tave something Right Next to me I "can't" touch.

 

[Steve Nunn]

Originally posted by Nixy
I don't know about the Zen thing Ultimate Instar.
For me it's a I grew up Extremly massivly abused and with Alot of baggage and Huge fears.
I took my own nightmars by the tails.
I did it for my kids.

Good for you Nixy. My wife had a very tough upbringing, tough to say the least. She still suffers from it from time to time, but has a very similar attitude to yourself. I think the only way to get over problems such as these is to tackle things head on, which you are obviously doing. And lets face it, there's no better support or inspiration than the love received from your children

Ultimate instar's right about seriousness of bites, but as Rosemary Kraft has shown, anything with regards to handling can be done, it just takes time and understanding.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[Nixy]

Thank you Steve.
Very much.

 

[Kenny]

Hi

Hi..

Nixy,,I respect all what you say, but with all due respect on top of that, some of these animals are dangerous for you and your kids.

Handle a bicolor scorpion, for example.

Even if you try to cure yourself from something I think that your kids need you more than you get stung by a, for example, Usamabara and it goes bad.

The effects from an Usambara can be bad according to some reference out there.

Just my honest thoughts that handling anything with venom should be done with a lot of approach of respect.

Even my Chaco , with huge fangs and docile like that, so I have to push her to clean up have my respect.

Kenny

 

[Nixy]

Re: Hi

Originally posted by Kenny
Hi..

Nixy,,I respect all what you say, but with all due respect on top of that, some of these animals are dangerous for you and your kids.

Handle a bicolor scorpion, for example.

Even if you try to cure yourself from something I think that your kids need you more than you get stung by a, for example, Usamabara and it goes bad.

The effects from an Usambara can be bad according to some reference out there.

Just my honest thoughts that handling anything with venom should be done with a lot of approach of respect.

Even my Chaco , with huge fangs and docile like that, so I have to push her to clean up have my respect.

Kenny

Kenny I have Great respect for life and living and all the creatures in it. I Do nothing blithly or blindly without thought to the consiquenses.
That does Not mean I can't have a sense of humor about it.
Nor does it mean I should sit in a box and not take Any chances.
I could walk out of my house and be hit by a bus Just as easly as getting bitten by one of our T's. I might be foolish but Not so foolish as to move ignorantly and without foresight.
I do not risk my children. I have taken precaustions to keep them safe against our T's, as well as our dogs and cats and ather animals.

When I was recovering from my childhood. I was a half feral skittish fearful creature that had an attitude and Probably the same bite and attck record as our Usambar. My grandmother in her wisdom and her desperation to seek help for her violent angry phobia flooded and suicidial granddaughter sent her to live for a few summers with her best friend. A Chaktaw shamon that wouldn't take any crap out of the little she demoness.
With him I learned to respect, but I also learned to Live.
And how to weigh the lines between caution and exploration.

Thank you though for your concerns, they are valad and I do respect them as well.

 

[Tranz]

Re: Re: Usambara

Originally posted by Nixy

It's how I delt with my teror of wasps.

I went to it with a " So what if they can kill me" attitude and Laughed at myself.
I Had to.
It was that or let my fears Freeze me and pass uneeded phobias onto my kids.

It's Just how my warped and twisted mind works. :}

Sort of like a G. Gordon Liddy with lipstick.

 

[belewfripp]

Before I disclose the link, let me just give the usual disclaimer: Don't try this at home, and if you do anyhow, that's your decision and the consequences are your own responsibility, etc.

Now then, since it seems germane to the discussion at hand, no pun intended:

http://www.geocities.com/belewfripp/hlividum.html



Adrian

 

[Nixy]

Oooooooooooo Perty Blue!

 

[Vayu Son]

><

Seems like I missed the argument... I for one would think it was funny ;p

-V

 

[MizM]

The legs seem to be in rather strange positions. Is it ALIVE?

 

[Mister Internet]

Originally posted by belewfripp


http://www.geocities.com/belewfripp/hlividum.html

Adrian

That pic looks like a phony... that's either an immobile T following a post-ultimate or equally stressful molt, or a dead T. Come clean man...

 

[MrDeranged]

Have to disagree. If you look, you'll notice that his hand is perpendicular (well, close to it) to the floor. The T has it's legs hooked to hold on. Very normal position for a T to be in if it's hanging over the side of something. In this case, Adrian's hand.

Scott

 

[conipto]

If that were post-ultimate, i'd imagine he'd be grey, like all the mature H. lividum I've seen...

Aside from that, that's one healthy looking abdomen. when my adult died, the abdomen shrunk in a matter of hours.

Bill

 

[Steve Nunn]

Originally posted by mrderanged
Have to disagree. Scott

Yep, I'd say quite alive as well. Photos of dead T's stand out in that the opisthosoma (abdomen) 'hangs' loose and looks very different than a live T's does. There was a photo on arachnid_pix a little while ago involving an Australian trapdoor, although they made out that the spider was alive, it was in fact quite dead. If you have a look for it (search using the word "Australian"?) you'll see what I mean.

Cheers,
Steve