Handling your T

Rachel87

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 20, 2012
Messages
47
So I was wondering if there are any keepers out there that have never handled there T's? I know it's not recommended but was curious to see if anyone had never done it. I have had mine now for about 2 months and have no intentions of handling (purely cause I don't want to hurt her and don't know what to expect) but would one day like to maybe see if I can just to know what it's like.
 

EulersK

Arachnonomicon
Staff member
Joined
Feb 22, 2013
Messages
3,292
Never handled on purpose, no. Particularly with NW terrestrials, some of them begin to wander out of the enclosure when the lid is taken off. Sometimes it's easier to allow them to walk into your hand and right back into the enclosure.

But I'd venture to say that most of us have never taken off the lid for the sole purpose of handling.
 

WeightedAbyss75

Arachnoangel
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
921
I have with my subadult G. pulchripes. Only because I know how docile she is and she was high on her enclosure wall. Worried she was going to fall, so I just nudged her onto my hand and down to the sub. Not really the biggest fan of handling, but so long as you know the T and take every precaution, it could go well. Your risk though, T's can be unpredictable and it's a risk many don't take. I have, but I'd not recommend it to others. Huge risk and no reward.
 

Chris LXXIX

ArachnoGod
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Dec 25, 2014
Messages
5,845
Never since 1992. I think that handling T's (with the sole exception when someone is forced to do that by the events, btw almost at 90% bad news or such) is a huge lack of respect for those animals since they aren't smartphones or portable consoles.

When I was a children, however, I literally grabbed a C.punctorium and still I remember his fangs :-s
 

gypsy cola

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 16, 2014
Messages
192
I handle but not frequently. If a spider is roaming out of the enclosure I will pick it up for a minute and place it back in. Sometimes I handle to get a picture of the spider. Other times because the spider is just new and I am checking it out. When I am showing other people their collections and vice versa. These opportunities are far and few between though.
 

KezyGLA

Arachnoking
Joined
Apr 8, 2016
Messages
3,013
I handle the explorers when doing maintenance/rehouse/packing only.

I dont see any other reason to handle a T apart from trying to get a positive ID for species.
 

Rachel87

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 20, 2012
Messages
47
I wouldn't get her out of her enclosure just to handle her. I can imagine her getting pretty annoyed with me. I'm just curious to see what it feels like to hold one as I've never held or touched one, but at the same time I'm not desperate to do so either...
 

Kayis

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 26, 2016
Messages
37
Like others I don't purposely handle any of mine, I see no point in doing so. I refuse to get bit and hate the thought of having one get injured or die from a fall. When they do get out they get directed back in.
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Messages
4,611
I've handled a few times a couple years back. Just watch the fangs, the spider tends to spread their chelicerae when walking over you, that was enough to make me never handle again.
Handling tarantulas on purpose just shouldn't be done.
 

Rachel87

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 20, 2012
Messages
47
That's one of the reasons I don't want to handle is getting bit but also I don't know what my reaction to being bit would be. It's just one of those things that I have never done but was just curious as to what it would be like. Tbf though I'm the type of person who would rather play it safe than do anything crazy/stupid.
 

Arachnomaniac19

Arachnolord
Joined
Aug 23, 2014
Messages
652
I used to. Now that I understand the risks I only do so if a spider gets out during feeding *cough* G. pulchra *cough*. Other than that it's always a no go.
 

Andrea82

Arachnoemperor
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Jan 12, 2016
Messages
3,686
That's one of the reasons I don't want to handle is getting bit but also I don't know what my reaction to being bit would be. It's just one of those things that I have never done but was just curious as to what it would be like. Tbf though I'm the type of person who would rather play it safe than do anythienclosurstupid.
Just wait until it happens by accident. There will probably be a chance to get a T on your hand during feeding, maintenance and rehouses. If you are planning to get an Euathlus sp. Red, you're bound to be handling it.Well, for it to be handling you. They are curious like that.
 

Abyss

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
281
I did years ago when i was young. I used to handle all myvarious T's. Everyone that came over loved my L. violaceopes soi always got her out. She was always so calm an laid back.
Bear in mind, this was LONG before i discovered this forum and knew that dif species had dif tempraments, bite potency, etc.
in heindsight, handling an LV was dumb but mine was calm and i didnt know any better at the time. But also in retrospect, i have never owned a T that i would consider aggressive or defensive to this day. I think some of that comes from how you interact with them and i am sure heres experience and skill involved there to a point.
My considered defensive yet very calm list (im bad w/latin names FYI):
L. violaceopes (she was crazy calm)
King baboon
T. stirmi
P. metallica

The metallica i have now and only handled once during an escape attempt. She actually jumped and landed on my arm. I gently coaxed her back into her hide no biggie. The other 3 i listed were very complacent and never really threw many threat displays or showed any signs of agression even when gotten out for handling (again long becore i knew better)
 

Abyss

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
281
Should note*
Only messed w/ the stirmi and baboon a few times and im sure much more an they'd have both been extreemly unhappy about it in heindsight.

Needless to say im glad i know better now and leave my T's be but having done it, has left me in a good position (IMO) to expect the unexpected and not be startled etc when T's dont cooperate like shoot up ur arm etc. so i look at the silver lining there.
 

cold blood

Moderator
Staff member
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Jan 19, 2014
Messages
13,223
Handling for the sake of handling...never, not once...never will, I just don't see the point...I never held any of my fish either when I kept aquariums.
 

Anoplogaster

Arachnodemon
Joined
Jan 15, 2017
Messages
675
I generally never handle, either. I have..... Nothing special. You don't really feel much unless the T is really big. Just light little feet poking you. It feels very much like you would imagine it feels. This topic gets brought up a lot, and the answer is usually the same: The T gets nothing out of it. They don't have the capacity to really experience the situation beyond a stressful one. Whether or not it's actually stressful is hard to say, too. But when you think about the fact that a spider's strongest sense of their environment is movement and vibration, you can imagine being handled probably feels very chaotic to them.

Most people would naturally have a knee-jerk reaction to being bitten. You will probably jump because it hurts. So this would be a HUGE risk to the spider. If something were to happen to your spider in this very preventable situation, it'd be tough to forgive yourself for it.
 

Graves6661

Arachnosquire
Joined
Dec 31, 2015
Messages
86
I have never intentionally handled a T. I was rehousing my C. marshalli this past weekend and when I dug her up she bolted up the side of her old enclosure. My first instinct was to put my bare hand in front of her to catch her. Not the smartest reaction but she got into the palm of my hand and I lifted her up then I realized what I got myself into...

I never moved so slowly and methodically in my life. Every time I started to move she would raise her front legs then put them down. Needless to say, I had my girlfriend quickly grab the new enclosure and gently put the T down.

An Old World T is not what I had in mind as my first experience handling.
 

mistertim

Arachnobaron
Joined
Sep 4, 2015
Messages
548
Just wait until it happens by accident. There will probably be a chance to get a T on your hand during feeding, maintenance and rehouses. If you are planning to get an Euathlus sp. Red, you're bound to be handling it.Well, for it to be handling you. They are curious like that.
My E. sp Red does that as well. Whenever I open up her enclosure all the way to do maintenance she always decides to climb up and see what is going on. Not bolt or anything, just sort of take a stroll.
 
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