I've been gifted a T way too advanced for me

[erlendloe]

I went to an invert show yesterday with my family. Upon seeing some H. maculata slings, I commented that I think they're incredible but that I wasn't going to get one. I guess I should have elaborated because after the show my dad revealed that he'd bought one for me.

I'm very inexperienced with T's, I have a juvenile B. hamorii and a not quite juvenile G. pulchripes. I bought myself a curly hair sling and a P. irminia sling at the show, knowing the latter was more advanced. I was intending this to be my first difficult spider.

If he'd given it to me before the show ended, I would have returned it. But I'm now going to have it at least for a few days. After that I have the opportunity to take it to a store and give it to someone more experienced. I know this is the best course of action, but part of me wonders if I could keep it safely. I've done a lot of reading and I understand the husbandry requirements, but I haven't experienced the speed of it first hand.

Would keeping it be a completely stupid idea? How about if I rehoused it into a 32oz deli cup and saw how keeping it for a couple of weeks went? Or should I hand it in asap? I'm looking for outside perspectives. I think I know what they'll be but I'd like them anyway.

 

[jbooth]

Sounds like you've done some research on them. If they have places to hide, they will usually, it's not really a "stand its ground" T, but it has a long strike range if it should choose to. I'd do some research with your dad so he knows what he got you into and maybe decide with him. The irminia gets bigger and is almost as fast, I'd say if you are ready for an irminia and really want the T go for it, if not, I'm sure someone will want it. Just don't take chances with rehouse, block everything off, use cups at all times, bin inside bin, etc. Mine's not bad at all, crazy food response, out a lot if it has cover, comes when I call it lol, probably because it wants to eat whoever's talking... And these will wander off, my sling escaped for 2 weeks ish, found it on the curtain, so make sure you always close it and it can't get out the holes!

 

[mack1855]

Well,you can give it a shot.Your an adult,know what’s what,so you are aware of the potential risks and rewards.

You can always re home it later,if you get over your head.

 

[TLSizzle]

I say keep it. You already are respectful of it, so that's a great start. Give it cover, let it settle and read, watch and learn even more about them. They are stunning and if I wasn't such a chicken, I'd probably own one eventually.

 

[Gilligan]

My two cents. If it makes you apprehensive or for lack of a better term, scares you, I would suggest rehoming it. If you are not scared but instead have a healthy respect, you can try keeping it. Just don't get complacent.

 

[mack1855]

invest in one of these.18in coral target feeder,you might find then at a higher end salt water fish store.

Use it for water dish refills.Always keep the lid of the enclosure near the opened enclosure.Never look away or get distracted.

Never open the lid until you know where its at.And always check around the top edge of the enclosure.
You already know this,but just trying to help.

 

[SpookySpooder]

H. mac tend to be reclusive and will prefer to hide rather than bite or bolt if you offer it the correct enclosure size with a proper hide.

With proper husbandry and caution I don't see why you couldn't keep this T.

I started with an Earth Tiger and an OBT before I got a Psalmopoeus. Emulated plenty of experienced hobbyists and didn't have any major issues or accidents with them.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I went to an invert show yesterday with my family. Upon seeing some H. maculata slings, I commented that I think they're incredible but that I wasn't going to get one. I guess I should have elaborated because after the show my dad revealed that he'd bought one for me.

I'm very inexperienced with T's, I have a juvenile B. hamorii and a not quite juvenile G. pulchripes. I bought myself a curly hair sling and a P. irminia sling at the show, knowing the latter was more advanced. I was intending this to be my first difficult spider.

If he'd given it to me before the show ended, I would have returned it. But I'm now going to have it at least for a few days. After that I have the opportunity to take it to a store and give it to someone more experienced. I know this is the best course of action, but part of me wonders if I could keep it safely. I've done a lot of reading and I understand the husbandry requirements, but I haven't experienced the speed of it first hand.

Would keeping it be a completely stupid idea? How about if I rehoused it into a 32oz deli cup and saw how keeping it for a couple of weeks went? Or should I hand it in asap? I'm looking for outside perspectives. I think I know what they'll be but I'd like them anyway.

H mac aren’t that hard I got pokies as a beginner and those are quicker to bolt. Just do your research and you’re prepared.

 

[viper69]

H macs should never be a first OW T

Give it back

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

H macs should never be a first OW T

Give it back

Request a beginner free t??
Shame pet shops don’t give freebies .
H mac aren’t that hard to care for.

 

[Tarantuland]

H mac don't act all that different than P irminia, but their bite would be worse. They're also not hard to keep alive, but small slings can be slightly fragile. If you feel confident enough with rehousings and such, you'll be fine.

 

[slocoj91]

invest in one of these.18in coral target feeder,you might find then at a higher end salt water fish store.

Use it for water dish refills.Always keep the lid of the enclosure near the opened enclosure.Never look away or get distracted.

Never open the lid until you know where its at.And always check around the top edge of the enclosure.
You already know this,but just trying to help.

Just wanted to add to this. OP I don't know if you decided to keep the sling or not, but as daft as it might sound another option for filling water bowls from a distance is a turkey baster. Plenty with decent length, and I've found all sorts of uses for the one I have - I keep various plants so it's handy for topping up propagation tubes, watering smaller specimens etc.

 

[Introvertebrate]

I refill my S. calceatum's water bowl with a syringe with some plastic tubing attached to it. I sneak it in through a trapdoor. He hardly ever comes out of his hide anyway.

 

[Mike Withrow]

Just wanted to add to this. OP I don't know if you decided to keep the sling or not, but as daft as it might sound another option for filling water bowls from a distance is a turkey baster. Plenty with decent length, and I've found all sorts of uses for the one I have - I keep various plants so it's handy for topping up propagation tubes, watering smaller specimens etc.

It's not a daft suggestion. Let's think about this another way.
99% of the time with an H.mac. if it's even out it'll be gone in .0001 seconds once you touch the enclosure. Maintenance is simple and nothing to worry about.
There is some caveats to keeping them. Hopefully your experience goes well.

 

[erlendloe]

I ended up keeping it. It made itself a burrow at the base of the cork round I gave it and I almost never see it.

It hasn't molted yet, and it might be a different matter once it's bigger, but to be honest it's one of my easiest T's. I've since obtained a C. huahini which keeps me on my toes more. Not that I'm going to get complacent - every now and then I reread the bite reports to ensure I'm fully motivated to not cut corners on being careful.

 

[Mike Withrow]

I ended up keeping it. It made itself a burrow at the base of the cork round I gave it and I almost never see it.

It hasn't molted yet, and it might be a different matter once it's bigger, but to be honest it's one of my easiest T's. I've since obtained a C. huahini which keeps me on my toes more. Not that I'm going to get complacent - every now and then I reread the bite reports to ensure I'm fully motivated to not cut corners on being careful.

If you can deal with a chiliobracys huahini your gold trust me I have several of each..
I'm not really into reading bite reports.
I focus more on not that happening .

I've stayed this before. One there is not a single thing that will be done even with pain management in the USA. I don't keep up with common names of spiders and my rattling off I just got bit by an Omothymus Violaceopes is going to have the nurse "more likely to save you* or the doctor thinking dinosaurs are back.

 

[klawfran3]

I ended up keeping it. It made itself a burrow at the base of the cork round I gave it and I almost never see it.

It hasn't molted yet, and it might be a different matter once it's bigger, but to be honest it's one of my easiest T's. I've since obtained a C. huahini which keeps me on my toes more. Not that I'm going to get complacent - every now and then I reread the bite reports to ensure I'm fully motivated to not cut corners on being careful.

Love hearing that! Complacency breeds bad habits. Even with my NW terrestrials I still rehouse them as if they were an OBT. It's always helpful practice for the challenging spiders, and cutting corners for the "easier" tarantulas means you're more likely to cut one when working with a hotter species. I go through a checklist before and after each rehouse because it helps train me to remember and look for what could be missing, and thus I go get it before I absolutely need it. You don't want to realize you forgot to grab a catch cup for a pokie because you never needed one for the smithi you did just before.

One thing I've noticed is that a huge proportion of bites in bite reports are from people handling the spider or trying to manipulate it in some way (eg. For photos). As long as you're respectful of it and don't take unnecessary risks you will be very unlikely to be bitten.

It sounds like you're not afraid of any of them, but you have a healthy respect. Confidence is key, but without respect it becomes cockiness, and thats when you get bit. It's a finer line to tread, but it sounds like you're doing great. Keep it up!

 

[GarField000]

I can fully agree with klawfran3.
I rehouse all my animals the same way no matter how venomous they are.
Always be aware ....

But like someone else said .. if you get afraid of any off them, sell it. Because if you are afraid, you get nervous and more likely to make a mistake.
I sold a spider once because when I opened the lid it started running. I was not afraid to get bitten, but scared it got away .... It was just a LP .

 

[spideyspinneret78]

Honestly as long as you have respect for it and understand what you're dealing with, you'll probably be fine, especially since it's a sling. A sling is a lot less intimidating to deal with than an adult spider, and you can gain experience with it as it grows. They are very skittish and when disturbed they'll bolt for their hiding place. If you give them lots of cover and several hiding spots, I doubt you'll have issues. They get defensive when there's nowhere to hide and they're trapped out in the open. Get a visual on the spider before you do any maintenance in the enclosure and do rehousings in a safe, secure location. Use long tools to do your maintenance. I use a turkey baster for filling water dishes and a long pair of alligator forceps for grabbing boluses. Most people get tagged because they did something stupid. Handling the spider ( sometimes with alcohol involved), reaching into the enclosure with their bare hands, trying to get the spider to threat pose for a photo, etc. Just use common sense. They're a beautiful but very reclusive species.

 

[DustyD]

With the tarantula issue resolved, I would take your dad to a car dealership and point out a high end sports car that you like but tell him that you aren’t going to buy it. See if he bites.