I'm a Wuss!

Shadrach

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Messages
51
OK yes you heard it here first I'm a wuss! But really I have always been scared of spiders so getting a T (Rose Hair) was the first big step for me! Now I've only had the girl a week but so far I have managed to touch her! I don't know who's more scared of who me or her? But anyway so far I haven't seen any defensive displays out of her my Brother-in-Law whos 16 has held her and she seemed to do fine! My question is should I really be all that concerned about holding her? I've heard several of you and spoke to several of you about your T's and it seems the majority says the same thing" take your time!" So I'm just interested how long did it take some of you to start handling T's? And also is there something wrong with me for being so.... for a lack of better words cautious?
 

pategirl

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 11, 2002
Messages
788
There's nothing at all wrong with being cautious....it's better than getting bitten. You'll get up the nerve to handle her eventually.
 

Joy

Priestess of Pulchra-tude
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Joined
Oct 12, 2002
Messages
902
Originally posted by Shadrach
My question is should I really be all that concerned about holding her? I've heard several of you and spoke to several of you about your T's and it seems the majority says the same thing" take your time!" So I'm just interested how long did it take some of you to start handling T's? And also is there something wrong with me for being so.... for a lack of better words cautious?
There is nothing whatever wrong with you. Many people abstain completely from holding their tarantulas, and the tarantulas don't feel at all deprived. You should not feel obliged to hold yours unless it is something you really want to do. I was very slow and cautious about handling my first one. I didn't try it until I had owned the tarantula for several months, and I was incredibly nervous the first time I did!

Joy
 

Henry Kane

Arachnoprince
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Jul 19, 2002
Messages
1,884
Nothing wrong with your approach whatsoever. Handling T's can be a pretty highly debated issue. There are some risks (dropping or injuring it, escapes, bites etc.) but ultimately, it's 100% your call. Not every hobbyist feels the need to handle them and some are completely against it.
Personally, I'm for it. I have a few docile sp. I handle pretty often. I also have some sp. that I feel are too skittish and some that I feel are too defensive to be handled.
I was in the hobby for about a year and my collection was at maybe 10 T's before I ever held one in my hand.(I definitely took my time! LOL!) The thing that helped me to relax the first time I held a T was for someone with experience to hand it to me. I was at the Butterfly Pavillion during a demonstration and they let me hold a rosehair. The hardest part for me to get used to was picking them up myself. After a while, you can kinda get familiar with their body language/signals and it will become much more comfortable.
Another good method is to use a soft bristled artists brush to test (gently) your T's attitude before your hand is within range. LOL!
A couple of mine are so mellow that you can pretty much just scoop 'em right up whenever.
Maybe next time your brother-in-law is holding her, have him let the T walk across your hand once or twice if you feel compelled to do so.


Oh, if you decide your gonna handle her for sure, it's a good idea to do it just a few inches above the floor. If she happens to jump, fall make a run for it etc., she's less likely to injure herself.

See ya! Keep us posted on your decision. :)

Atrax
 
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Shadrach

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Messages
51
Hehehe the funny thing is I was the one coaching him how to go about getting her onto his hand! So far I've tested her with a paint brush I can get her to go anywhere in her tank with it . I even have put it in front of her several times and brushed around her fangs without so much as even a hair flick or leg tap. She just gently rises up slightly and tries to, it seems like walk on (no fangs exposed what so ever). But thanks everyone for the encouragement on my subject! Maybe one day instead of just touching her abdomen maybe I'll move up to the real thing! Hehe!
 

Paladin

Arachnobaron
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Joined
Dec 20, 2002
Messages
535
the hard part is knowing how the thing feels like when it walks on you. After that yur gonna look back and really say "what a wuss"

the first tarantula i held was one i found behind a ball park. I decided to just pick the darn thing up. Also for the few days that i had it, it did the same exact thing as yurs did as far as only rising up do climb onto the object that i was prodding it with.
after a few days i let it go in the same place i found it after giving it a lot of water and a few crickets to munch on the day before....

soooooo, you dont have too much to worry about. When your are ready, dont pick him up with your fingers, just give him a small nudge on the abdomen and let him walk on your hand...piece of cake.

remember only when yur ready though...
 

atavuss

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 16, 2002
Messages
1,031
Originally posted by Shadrach
OK yes you heard it here first I'm a wuss! But really I have always been scared of spiders so getting a T (Rose Hair) was the first big step for me! Now I've only had the girl a week but so far I have managed to touch her! I don't know who's more scared of who me or her? But anyway so far I haven't seen any defensive displays out of her my Brother-in-Law whos 16 has held her and she seemed to do fine! My question is should I really be all that concerned about holding her? I've heard several of you and spoke to several of you about your T's and it seems the majority says the same thing" take your time!" So I'm just interested how long did it take some of you to start handling T's? And also is there something wrong with me for being so.... for a lack of better words cautious?
I have had tarantulas off and on since the early 80's, I do not handle them, and I don't feel the need to handle them. I consider them a "hands off" pet, kind of like tropical fish.......look and don't touch. if other people want to handle theirs I have no problem with it as long as it is done as safely as possible. just my .02
Ed
 

Immortal_sin

Arachnotemptress
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Jul 17, 2002
Messages
3,952
you are doing things the right way! Some people handle, some don't. It's a choice, and sometimes a very heated topic!
I handle for demonstrations, rehousing, and every once in a great while, just because.
I feel it's a good thing to know, just in case you have one jump on you at some point. The thing is to remain CALM! so you don't hurt the T.
Case in point was last night's rehousing of my P formosa! If I had NEVER handled a T, I'm certain the outcome of that little adventure would have had a sad ending for both of us. As it was, even though I was REALLY worried about getting bitten, I was able to remain calm enough to assess the situation, and decide to cut my shirt off myself LOL
If you decide to NEVER handle your T, there is also NOTHING wrong with that either :)
 

Faunya

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Messages
217
(Slightly off topic I know, but...) Have any of you ever found the handling experience...well...ticklish? I've held several rosies and a couple of pinktoes while working at mom's shop, and although I was never worried about getting bitten, it sure did TICKLE! I guess I just have to keep them on my arms instead of the palms of my hands. *LOL* :)

-Faunya
 

Arachnopuppy

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 22, 2002
Messages
713
According to my personal experience, it is much easier to hold your T right away than take your time. Your fear actually multiplies if you take your time. It helps a lot if you have something else to distract you, like your emotion. Holding your T right after you've had a fight or a dramatic experience will be as easy as flipping your hand. The first time is hard, but the second time will be like picking up your dog or your cat. Just go right now to your T and pick it up. Remember to follow instructions on how to safely pick up a T. Do it right now. TNT-Today Not Tomorrow:)
 

Shadrach

Arachnosquire
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Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Messages
51
Um lam I don't think she'd like me very much messing with her at this point espically since she is hovering over her crickets!

Well I want to handle her just haven't built up the nerve yet also my wife is slowly comming around and is starting to let her curiousity get the better of her and she's starting to walk over and try to sneak a peek at the T! Who knows she may handle her before me?
 

Cowshark

Arachnosquire
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Oct 25, 2002
Messages
68
This brings up a question for me: what does it feel like to hold a T? (heh, that rhymed). Are the bristles (the non-urticating hairs)soft? Ticklish? Do you feel the weight of the T in your hand or is it light? Only spider I've ever touched was a cellar spider, and it was all teeny and vibrating so it was almost like holding nothing. T'anks.
 

Henry Kane

Arachnoprince
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Jul 19, 2002
Messages
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Hey Cowshark,
Actually the average sized adult T's are surprisingly light in your hand. I was very surprised at how wieghtless they seem. The really big ones (like this 9"+ L. parahybana I hold at the Butterfly Pavillion) have a bit of weight to them though.

On your hand, they just feel like a bunch of little tip toes doing their thing but when they get up on your forearm you can feel the little tiny claws grappling on. Not painful at all but you know they're there.
Also, you can feel how well their scopula (the littel pads that enable them to stick to things) actually work for them. They're pretty grabby! :)

Hey Lam, I disagree with your statement about fear multiplying with time. I'm not saying that it wasn't that way for you, but stating it generally seems rather inaccurate. I think I have seen far more cases where people became more comfortable with their T's over time. Case(s) in point being my wife, mother, and the now 5 or more people who have joined this hobby after the months/years of simply being around my T's enough. IN the beginning, most of them would leave the room in a big hurry at the idea of me even opening an enclosure. After a while, they stopped running and a few eventually put their hands out or ventured far enought to touch one. After that, they're hooked and off to get a T of their own. :D

Atrax
 
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Charlie

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
367
Handeling

I had my T first T for about a month before I held her. I did the same thing you did, I kinda played around with her a little bit before I made the decision to hold her. Sept I used a small piece of paper.

Handeling them is pretty cool I think. It does not tickle me at all I actually like the feeling. If I am not carefull when my G rosea is crawling on my chest or up my arm I could actually fall asleep!

Just make sure that you prepare yourself for anything that could happen for your own safety and the safety of your pet. Make sure that you uderstand that she CAN bite. Probably will not but she can so think about what you are going to do beforehand just in case. That way you less likely to drop her or throw her accross the room or something.

Remember to that they can get spooked and run or grip your hand or arm a little. This does not always mean they are going to bite in fact my rosie has gripped my hand or run quite a few times and she has never bit me.

One more thing, I took a bite from a rosie at a pet store and from my personal experiance it's nothing really to be afraid of at all. It harldly hurt at all and there where no aftereffects accept a litte swelling.

-Charlie
 

Jobe

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 9, 2002
Messages
187
Sad to say, ive kept Ts for a total of 4 months now, and have yet to touch them :(

The fact that 4 of them are asian and the final one is a King Baboon doesnt help either:?

*sigh
-e-
 

JDK

Arachnosquire
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Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Messages
125
When I first bought a rosie, I held a different one at the store that day. The guy scooped it up with the top of a kritter keeper and it walked all over my hands. Even though I held that rose hair with no fear problem excitement ect, I cannot bring myself to even try to hold any of my T's. My hand shakes when I get close to them. I guess i'm scared of picking them up. I have this idea that the spider will get angry at me for brushing it onto my hand or I might be mistaken as food. When I was rehousing the pink-toe, it darted across the cage and almost got out. Luckily I threw the cage lid on. I almost had a heart attack and was gittery and compulsive for the next 3 hours.

Any sugestions?
 

Shadrach

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Messages
51
I don't think being bitten is my problem. I think the main thing is it's a SPIDER! I mean I have snakes and they have 120 teeth compared to 2 of the tarantula. You know this is a fear that was instilled in me from a very young age! Spiders and snakes we kill! And I was the same with snakes to start, now it's something I'm having to learn all over again with this T. But the more and more I'm around her and can see her and touch her the less fearfull I am of her.
 

looseyfur

Arachnofur
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Nov 10, 2002
Messages
436
intresting point

think of this ....
a little someone we all know and love has a great daughter who grew up with T's and look at her. No problems right? so how much does this effect your situation, if it were common place in your surrounding to handle animals of this nature you would be wondering what all the fuss was about. you need to debug your mind about bugs. I have and do hold T's and scorps. Mostly only if I need to but I do have a sweetheart curly named butch who I handle often and she seems to enjoy playing videogames with me. I too at first was thinking .oO(What the f*&k am I doing) I mean holding venemous insects isnt really something your parents encourage. Handle or dont it to me has very little bearing on your enjoyment of the hobby. I love and care for my T's ans scorps ... even the ones who have bitten me ;) btw. it hurts it sucks and it freaks you out but somehow I have become hopelessly lost to the hobby and cant be put off by much. Although my fear has mostly subsided over time I still have moments when a T bolts up my arm towards my face that I think .oO(what are you f*&king high having this as a hobby) but it useally ammounts to nothing and I end up carefully placing a fuzzy 8 legged monster back into its critterkeeper to which I think it is somehow greatful not to hjave to deal with me anylonger. heh they do one of the most complicated (or largest i cant remember) brains of all insects so perhaps they are thinking .oO(god in heaven dont let that big human monster pick me up today , he scares me) hehe



loo-cee to the mutha-f**king fur ;P
 
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