How can I make a tarantula friendly?

[Xafron]

A t doesnt have a brain...it has a cluster of nerves, know as ganglion.

The point that I am making that perhaps their brains, figuratively speaking, are underestimated, still stands.

 

[Nephila Edulis]

Forgot you're in Australia. May I ask what species of pede you have?

I have no clue. I don't have any great pictures of it but I'm in victoria and I think it may be a species of cormocephalus, its dark brown with orange legs and a brick-red head with dark antenna

 

[Staehilomyces]

Yeah. Definitely a Cormocephalus. In fact, I find medium sized Cormos under almost every log in the botanic gardens near my place. Yours probably is C. aurantiipes.

 

[Nephila Edulis]

Yeah. Definitely a Cormocephalus. In fact, I find medium sized Cormos under almost every log in the botanic gardens near my place. Yours probably is C. aurantiipes.

Looked them up and it's definitley C. aurantiipes. Thanks! Now that it's cold he's normally buried or in a dormant state, sometimes I see him near the side of his enclosure but that's about it.

 

[Staehilomyces]

Same for my rubripes. She used to be out a lot but now I barely see her. It's a bit of a pain. I won't be able to handle her until it warms up again.

 

[Smokehound714]

FYI- tarantulas do have a brain. They have sophisticated behaviors that require serious brainpower to accomplish, and can even feel pain. In fact, all spiders have enormous brains in relation to their body size. this is a requirement because they need lots of brainpower to be able to selectively pump hemolymph into each extremity, which would be impossible with a small mass of ganglia. They've even been shown to compensate for broken fangs by mashing their prey against stones.

While they're 'primitive spiders', they're still far more advanced than most arthropoda, with crustacea being major exceptions. They have the ability to learn and develop prey-specific predation tactics, even the simple act of mating in spiders is advanced.

 

[Manga Rachnid]

Bugs are non-reciprocal animals, which is my way of saying they do not reciprocate affection or friendliness. They do not produce the hormone necessary to bond with another creature. So no, it is not possible to socialize a T. One should never "pet" a tarantula, either, especially not a child. These hairs may seem soft, but are not pleasant when released in the air. It's like pepper spray. Not to mention, T's don't like it in the first place. The most you may be able to do is make a T slightly used to being handled, but that does not make it friendly by any means. T's are not meant for snuggling or petting; they are to be studied with care. They're educational, ornamental.

 

[boina]

They do not produce the hormone necessary to bond with another creature.

While I do agree with this post in general, this 'hormone' argument is completely un-scientific and a non-argument. We have found a hormone (oxytocin) that seems to underly affection in mammals, possibly even vertebrates, although it's role is vastly overblown in popular science media. A tarantula is not a vertebrate. Invertebrates are different in almost every aspect from vertebrates and still people think they'd need some vertebrate hormone to feel affection? That makes no sense at all. If tarantulas could feel affection - and I agree, there's NO indication that they can - but if they could feel affection it would most certainly not be based on oxytocin. That argument is not valid.

 

[Vermis]

But to reiterate to newbies: you shouldn't try this at home unless you want a face full of setae, a nice dose of venom, and/or a dead tarantula with a ruptured abdomen.

... all slightly worse than a painful bee sting/
these are some of my least faaavourite things...

 

[dragonfire1577]

I haven't read every page and don't know if this is mentioned but I recall a report where a guy trained some large NW terrestrial (L. parahybana I think?) in a way. He would always tap the side of the enclosure before feeding and at first there was no response from the tap but after a while the T would jet out of its hide ready to nab a meal directly after the tapping on the enclosure wall. I swear I remember this either on here or being sent to me by a friend and I will try and find it!

 

[poopiebuttocks]

I like to make my hand an enjoyable environment for my baby mexican redknee tarantula. It will sit in the warm crevasses of my hands for hours and be reluctant to return to their enclosure. I am not sure how this may translate to adulthood but I think we're becoming pals. I totally want to tap the side of the tank before feeding!

 

[justanotherTkeeper]

I like to make my hand an enjoyable environment for my baby mexican redknee tarantula. It will sit in the warm crevasses of my hands for hours and be reluctant to return to their enclosure. I am not sure how this may translate to adulthood but I think we're becoming pals. I totally want to tap the side of the tank before feeding!

No, please don't. It is a common misconception that keeper and tarantula can "bond." It can live a long life content in the care a hands-off keeper. Your T will never be your pal, but it will thrive given the right conditions. Please enjoy your T from a distance

 

[Moakmeister]

I like to make my hand an enjoyable environment for my baby mexican redknee tarantula. It will sit in the warm crevasses of my hands for hours and be reluctant to return to their enclosure. I am not sure how this may translate to adulthood but I think we're becoming pals. I totally want to tap the side of the tank before feeding!

Yeah mate, I was pretty silly when I made this thread. Don’t do that.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I like to make my hand an enjoyable environment for my baby mexican redknee tarantula. It will sit in the warm crevasses of my hands for hours and be reluctant to return to their enclosure. I am not sure how this may translate to adulthood but I think we're becoming pals. I totally want to tap the side of the tank before feeding!

It's not bonding with you, at best it currently tolerates you.

Temperaments can (and do) change at any time, even from moult to moult. My hamorii female used to be "docile" and "handleable" (she was actually one of the few Ts I handled back when I was a noob and thought handling was a good idea) but after her second moult in my care she'd sooner rip your eyeballs out and defecate in the sockets than let you touch her, I've since found out from other keepers that this kind of behavioural change isn't that uncommon for this species.

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.