How not to rehouse a spider

[Nightstalker47]

I was rehousing a few of my new slings into larger enclosures, they were all pretty easy. I rehoused my O.shiodtei, L.violacepes and some Lampropelma sp. Borneo black. The first three slings were super easy and walked right into their new enclosures.

When I got to the second L.sp Borneo black things took a wild turn. I gently prodded it and it slowly turned to face me, I was a little surprised and tried prodding it again only to see it strike at me and turn to face me. I was thinking "that's cute", I prodded it again and it stopped posing and moved a bit. I picked up the now fully opened vial and tilted it towards the new enclosure so it could walk right in.

As I prodded it again it just went nuts on me, it bolted out and climbed up my fingers and onto my arm before I could blink. I took a deep breath and remained calm, put my arm next to the new enclosure and tried to prod it inside.

Didn't work out well, it ran towards the opposite direction and headed further up my arm towards my shoulder, the speed was surprising. I was pondering my next move, all the while an OW spider is chilling on my arm, then I remembered that my brother was just upstairs on his laptop.

I spoke up calmly "Will can you come down here for a second" he's all like "I'm reading something man not right now " so I'm pretty pissed off now and quite frankly in a foolish position.

I put my hand on my arm to prevent it going any higher and it instantly runs past my hand into my shirt. Now I start getting nervous, I can feel the little feet moving around on my chest, I pull my T-shirt off and now see the borneo threat posing just above my right pectoral.

I manage to get a vial over it on my skin, so at least now it's trapped, with my skin as a barrier. The thing is freaking out in the vial trying to bite, either that or it was just slapping cause nothing pierced my skin. I now hear my brother coming down the stairs and he gives me a look of "what the..." I'm standing there holding a vial against my chest shirtless lol. I swiftly put the cap on the vial and pretty much explain how I got myself in that position. Finally I get it into the new enclosure.

Long story short, I do all my rehouses in a large empty aquarium, that way if any T bolts I have it contained and it can't really escape. Thing is this doesn't help in the least when they cling on to you lol. Never have I had a spider run up my hand like that whilst holding a vial, I was focused and aware of its position yet the speed of its movement allowed it to beat my eyes.

Most important thing to do when forced into that kind of showdown is remain calm, had I flinched or even dropped the vial I would have likely killed the sling. I'm glad everything turned out fine. I thought I'd share an interesting and somewhat funny situation I had to deal with.

 

[Leila]

I had a moment like that with my A. avic...granted, I had a NW on my clothed back, not an OW on my bare chest.

 

[14pokies]

Good job staying calm and getting it done without hurting or losing the Tarantula..Sometimes no matter how much we prepare there reactions just overwhelm us.. All you can do is what you did.. Stay calm and focused.

 

[Nightstalker47]

Good job staying calm and getting it done without hurting or losing the Tarantula..Sometimes no matter how much we prepare there reactions just overwhelm us.. All you can do is what you did.. Stay calm and focused.

Thanks, it was also pretty cool to experience that for the first time, I had never thought I'd have to handle an Ow sling on me that way, the spiders tarsal claws felt really weird moving around under my shirt, I could feel exactly where it was lmao.

I had a moment like that with my A. avic...granted, I had a NW on my clothed back, not an OW on my bare chest.

Still, getting hit by surprise like that definitely qualifies but I'm sure it wasn't an overall bad experience right?

 

[Leila]

Thanks, it was also pretty cool to experience that for the first time, I had never thought I'd have to handle an Ow sling on me that way, the spiders tarsal claws felt really weird moving around under my shirt, I could feel exactly where it was lmao.

Still, getting hit by surprise like that definitely qualifies but I'm sure it wasn't an overall bad experience right?

LOL, it was definitely unnerving. The avic bolted up my arm and onto that unreachable spot between my shoulder blades. This happened late one evening, so my fiance was already asleep. I sat there frantically pondering how to ameliorate the crappy predicament I was in. I did not want to wake up my fiance; and I actually didn't have to do so. I was able to lie on my stomach and coax the avic juvie off my back and onto my hand and back into her enclosure. And yeah- I felt like I was having a heart attack the whole while. Haha

 

[Anoplogaster]

Once they get up onto your shoulders and out of sight is when it really sucks. Can't see them, so you can't tell if they're posturing. And hard to reach! Saw a vendor at a reptile show with a T on his shoulder. When he was trying to get it off, he basically did it blindly, and had the T clinging by two legs! *facepalm*

 

[Ungoliant]

The avic bolted up my arm and onto that unreachable spot between my shoulder blades.

I had a similar experience during my first rehouse (a mature female Avicularia avicularia). I was naïve enough to think it would be OK to get her to walk onto my hand and then put her in the new enclosure.

Wrong.

As soon as I tapped her from behind, she bolted up my arm and ran around to my back. Fortunately, luck favored me, and when I placed my back against her new enclosure, she went right in.

Needless to say, I have learned a lot about rehousing tarantulas since then.

 

[mconnachan]

@Nightstalker47 Good for you, staying calm is the hardest part, but you have to, there's no other way, you panic the spider panics and it's pandemonium, your brother must have felt bad not coming to your aid, when he saw your predicament. Well done and lesson learned I suppose, body language is quite an indication of what mood the T is in. Glad it all went well in the end.

 

[JillGig]

I was rehousing a few of my new slings into larger enclosures, they were all pretty easy. I rehoused my O.shiodtei, L.violacepes and some Lampropelma sp. Borneo black. The first three slings were super easy and walked right into their new enclosures.

When I got to the second L.sp Borneo black things took a wild turn. I gently prodded it and it slowly turned to face me, I was a little surprised and tried prodding it again only to see it strike at me and turn to face me. I was thinking "that's cute", I prodded it again and it stopped posing and moved a bit. I picked up the now fully opened vial and tilted it towards the new enclosure so it could walk right in.

As I prodded it again it just went nuts on me, it bolted out and climbed up my fingers and onto my arm before I could blink. I took a deep breath and remained calm, put my arm next to the new enclosure and tried to prod it inside.

Didn't work out well, it ran towards the opposite direction and headed further up my arm towards my shoulder, the speed was surprising. I was pondering my next move, all the while an OW spider is chilling on my arm, then I remembered that my brother was just upstairs on his laptop.

I spoke up calmly "Will can you come down here for a second" he's all like "I'm reading something man not right now " so I'm pretty pissed off now and quite frankly in a foolish position.

I put my hand on my arm to prevent it going any higher and it instantly runs past my hand into my shirt. Now I start getting nervous, I can feel the little feet moving around on my chest, I pull my T-shirt off and now see the borneo threat posing just above my right pectoral.

I manage to get a vial over it on my skin, so at least now it's trapped, with my skin as a barrier. The thing is freaking out in the vial trying to bite, either that or it was just slapping cause nothing pierced my skin. I now hear my brother coming down the stairs and he gives me a look of "what the..." I'm standing there holding a vial against my chest shirtless lol. I swiftly put the cap on the vial and pretty much explain how I got myself in that position. Finally I get it into the new enclosure.

Long story short, I do all my rehouses in a large empty aquarium, that way if any T bolts I have it contained and it can't really escape. Thing is this doesn't help in the least when they cling on to you lol. Never have I had a spider run up my hand like that whilst holding a vial, I was focused and aware of its position yet the speed of its movement allowed it to beat my eyes.

Most important thing to do when forced into that kind of showdown is remain calm, had I flinched or even dropped the vial I would have likely killed the sling. I'm glad everything turned out fine. I thought I'd share an interesting and somewhat funny situation I had to deal with.

Omg!!! lol id panic!

 

[Venomgland]

Great story! I wish it was on video!

 

[tarantulateaparty]

I think I’m going to have to do all of my rehouses topless from now on. I believe in my ability to coax a T off skin, but taking a shirt off with a spider INSIDE w/o terribly spooking it? I commend you for that feat.