Molting Q: (Please alleviate my fears)

[Chris LXXIX]

You really want to go into this, in a thread where a newbie was just asking whether a molt was okay or not?

Fine...

I'm totally okay with keeping crickets / worms / flies/ etc. as feeders (hell, I even bred mice as snake-food for a time). The way I see it is: We're able to play favorites, because we're human, and in control. I had pet rats -and- pet mice at the same time I was breeding mice as feeders. I picked out the ones I either liked because of their color or personality and kept them apart from the rest, who were destined to be food.

I find all invertebrates fascinating, even crickets (though I like grasshoppers more). I don't feel an ounce of guilt dropping a few into my Latrodectus' web though, because they're not my pets, the black-widow is, and the crickets are her food. It's a necessary evil in a world of arbitrary injustices.

As for the "giant scooping you up and how would YOU like it..." scenario; Yeah, that'd be terrifying.

Good thing Tarantulas don't have the same emotional capacity as we do, eh?

If you want to argue that they do, then constant exposure would reduce it to the point of familiarity, same way that I'm trying to acclimate my hatchling snapping turtle to human contact by handling him a couple times a week, and letting him know that me picking him up doesn't mean I want to eat him.

Actually I was only replying, man. (re)read :-s

I've replied to a comment made by Arachnomaniac19 about handling, then I've replied to yours. I didn't start that argument (IMO nothing bad about, btw).

If someone wants to handle, then handle. If someone loves to think that, after a lot of handling, they can become more "tolerant" to that or else, fine. I stated only my opinion about this issue and, it doesn't matter their "intelligence/feelings" or else, everyone knows, as a fact, that they don't need that.

 

[Venom1080]

That being said. It's an insect. For the same reason that it doesn't benefit (so you say) from handling, it doesn't benefit from being left entirely alone in an artificial cage that isn't even close to it's natural home.

Everything about the hobby is artificial, so if a T is docile enough to be handled, then there's no reason it -shouldn't- be, safely, by an intelligent and caring owner.
e.

it benefits alot more being left alone in a proper enclosure without the stress of being handled. there are no benefits to the spider from being handled. of course theres a reason, aside from stressing the animal you are trying to take care of, there are numerous reports of tarantulas falling and some nearly practically exploding. they are not made to be handled.

 

[Anoplogaster]

I've never been a fan of the mindset that you need to get 10 other species before "graduating" to something like a P. ornata. Learn about the proper care for the species you want, understand their typical behaviors, know the risks, and just GET IT and enjoy it. No sense in rubbing a "mistake" in someone's face, especially one that (in my opinion) wasn't that big of a mistake. Any spider can bite ANYONE. If an ornata is going to bolt, no experience in the world is going to stop that from happening. As long as you learn what to do in that situation, I really don't see the issue. My second spider was a pokie, and so was my third and fourth. Never been an issue. Transfers, feeding, anything...... Just practice the proper level of caution and you will be fine

 

[Anoplogaster]

Ah..... and I see the later parts of this thread now.....

Yeah, no handling....... treat Ts like fish

 

[Zath]

Ah..... and I see the later parts of this thread now.....

Yeah, no handling....... treat Ts like fish

My betta comes up when I put my finger in the water and lets me touch it. What are you saying?

(I get the point, lol)

 

[Abyss]

Happens w/most of my slings. Dont worry

 

[Anoplogaster]

My betta comes up when I put my finger in the water and lets me touch it. What are you saying?

(I get the point, lol)

A barracuda would do the same

 

[Zath]

A barracuda would do the same

And here the difference lies....I wouldn't keep a barracuda as a pet.

(This isn't the place for this discussion, but hell...why not make a grand entrance?)

Your reference to a barracuda is pretty adequate. It's dumb, and runs on instinct. It would be "healthy" in an adequately sized tank....but in it's tiny little brain, it would probably appreciate being "let out" every once in awhile into a gigantic pond. (Or...you know, maybe not. Maybe barracudas don't like to explore, I dunno).

Either way, I know that if I was a prisoner, I'd like to get out into "the yard" every once in awhile, even if it meant I had to travel there with my hands held by the guards.

If one of my T's is trustworthy enough (i.e. docile) to be let out of it's cage...I'm more than happy to get it out every once in a while and let it wander. Maybe they don't have a sense of curiosity; I can't say. But it certainly doesn't -hurt- to get out of your cell every once in awhile, especially if someone is watching out for you and making sure you come to no harm outside of your little safe-space.

 

[Anoplogaster]

And here the difference lies....I wouldn't keep a barracuda as a pet.

(This isn't the place for this discussion, but hell...why not make a grand entrance?)

Your reference to a barracuda is pretty adequate. It's dumb, and runs on instinct. It would be "healthy" in an adequately sized tank....but in it's tiny little brain, it would probably appreciate being "let out" every once in awhile into a gigantic pond. (Or...you know, maybe not. Maybe barracudas don't like to explore, I dunno).

Either way, I know that if I was a prisoner, I'd like to get out into "the yard" every once in awhile, even if it meant I had to travel there with my hands held by the guards.

If one of my T's is trustworthy enough (i.e. docile) to be let out of it's cage...I'm more than happy to get it out every once in a while and let it wander. Maybe they don't have a sense of curiosity; I can't say. But it certainly doesn't -hurt- to get out of your cell every once in awhile, especially if someone is watching out for you and making sure you come to no harm outside of your little safe-space.

Ah ha.... now there's a difference here. A barracuda is a pelagic organism. They are adapted to travel fast over wide open spaces. A tarantula is the exact opposite.

 

[Anoplogaster]

Truthfully, I believe this becomes an issue of anthropomorphizing spiders. As humans, we tend to imagine ourselves trapped in a box and think "Poor spider. It needs roaming space." Which is usually not what it needs at all. Crawling around only burns unnecessary energy. Some spiders refuse food for over a year..... something a human would never do. So you simply can't compare them to vertebrates. It's almost the same as feeling sorry for a plant in a pot.

 

[Crone Returns]

At the very least read the bite reports and watch this video:

Also, handling any T is incredibly dangerous. The only time I'd recommend it is for educational purposes only. A small fall of a foot can easily kill most tarantulas.

As for the analogy to machinery, the difference is incredibly vast. I used many machines during mechanics classes and they're far different to any biotic organism. It's like comparing cats to a catalyst.

:wideyed: Definitely re-enforces my knee jerk reaction of NEVER, EVER going into ows.

 

[Zath]

Truthfully, I believe this becomes an issue of anthropomorphizing spiders. As humans, we tend to imagine ourselves trapped in a box and think "Poor spider. It needs roaming space." Which is usually not what it needs at all. Crawling around only burns unnecessary energy. Some spiders refuse food for over a year..... something a human would never do. So you simply can't compare them to vertebrates. It's almost the same as feeling sorry for a plant in a pot.

I don't -think- I've given the wrong impression, but perhaps I have. At any rate, I agree with you. I'm not saying they're "unhappy" either way. I'm just trying to say it doesn't make much of a difference to them. If they get a little "stressed" because you handle them 2-3 times a month, it's not a huge deal. Just imagine what a wild T has to go through in it's lifetime.