Haplopelma lividum venom?

MasamuneX7

Arachnosquire
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Oct 16, 2005
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I just received my adult female 5" Cobalt Blue in the mail today and opened the box. She was in a small container with a clear plastic lid. I put the container inside my terrarium and opened the lid. She was already in an aggressive stance and lunged at the lid while I was taking it off, so I decided to put on a pair of gloves and grab some tongs. I had heard about the aggressive nature of this species, but never expected what happened next. I tried to goad it out of the container and into the terrarium. However, as soon as I touched it, it dashed up my tongs, past my gloves, ran up my arm and latched onto my shoulder where it delivered a bite all in an instant. The speed was unbelievable. I was able to shake and brush her off and eventually got her back into the terrarium, but this is one I'm definitely not going to be handling for a long time. It may be due in part to shipping stress though.

What I'm wondering is about the potency of H. lividum's venom. I got lucky and my shirt and undershirt shielded me a little since I only felt a tiny prick with no visible signs or effects now, 20 minutes later. I believe it's one of the more potent Old World T venoms?
 

Pennywise

Arachnolord
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Jul 31, 2005
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The venom is supposed to be pretty powerful so I guess it depends on how
much is injected during the bite. Member Senor ocho told me he was bitten
on the back and it wasn't nice. You may find a summary of his experience
and others in the Bite Reports section. I hope you got away with a dry bite!
Good Luck.
:eek:
 

lunixweb

Arachnobaron
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the effect of the venom largely depends for the allergy of each individual and their immunologic system. You should investigate a little bit about your immunologic system.
 

JMoran1097

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wow, i'm raising a H.L. sling currently and damn, she's a fast little thing. i still love her though. lol
 

Mushroom Spore

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the effect of the venom largely depends for the allergy of each individual and their immunologic system. You should investigate a little bit about your immunologic system.
Last I heard it was scientifically impossible to be allergic to tarantula venom, something about peptides.
 

Alice

Arachnoangel
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yes, i read that as well. you cannot be allergic (classic allergy) to the venom, and moreover, you cannot be allergic to something your immune system has never encountered before.

still, every person reacts differently to venom. the reaction not only depends on such factors as amount of venom and place you get bitten but also on your shock reaction, immune system, nervous system, health, ... and a thousand more things. i really think you got away with a dry bite - don't try it again though ;)
 

JaxsWastedLife

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Oct 20, 2005
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I treat my cobalt like plutonium.:eek:

Your experience sounds similar to when I rehoused mine. I kept the lid closed and worked slowly with forceps and a long paintbrush and avoided a bite. I've seen the preternatural speed this species can move.

You now own on of the most beautiful T's but respect her for what she is.. Give her a nice home with a deep burrow, and try to avoid the temptation of wanting to touch her. Once she has settled in, you might get lucky and catch her out at night on your way to the john. {D
 

Becky

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Sep 17, 2006
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I treat my cobalt like plutonium.:eek:

Your experience sounds similar to when I rehoused mine. I kept the lid closed and worked slowly with forceps and a long paintbrush and avoided a bite. I've seen the preternatural speed this species can move.

You now own on of the most beautiful T's but respect her for what she is.. Give her a nice home with a deep burrow, and try to avoid the temptation of wanting to touch her. Once she has settled in, you might get lucky and catch her out at night on your way to the john. {D
I agree with this!
They're certainly not T's to be messed with. Respect her for the beautiful spider that she is and leave her in peace. Don't try and handle her.. you'll do either yourself, or her, more harm than good.
 

Hedorah99

Arachnoprince
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Truthfully, if you have a H. lividum set up properly, you shouldn't have to worry about getting bit. I haven't seen mine in months. It has 6 inches of soil to bury in and will readily hide at the very sign of the lid opening.
 

Mack&Cass

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Truthfully, if you have a H. lividum set up properly, you shouldn't have to worry about getting bit. I haven't seen mine in months. It has 6 inches of soil to bury in and will readily hide at the very sign of the lid opening.
I know what thats like, I see my lividum partially only about twice a week and havent seen the full body in over a month. Im not sure whether its male or female (though its not mature yet) because I almost never see it. A good tip if you want to see yours more is to increase the cage humidity and put carpet underneath the tank to dampen any vibrations.
 

AubZ

Arachnoprince
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I'm too tired to look up the tread, but this was very true.

Tongs = Highway to Hand
 

butch4skin

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Feb 15, 2007
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If you've felt no effects at all in the first 20 minutes, most likely you never will. If you do recieve a bad bite, some pain killers will probably be your best friends for the next day or two.
 
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