past prime for handling?

[krystal]

okay, okay, i don't handle my tarantulas. i've held only my spiderlings, but i've since stopped when my l. parahybana darted up my arm and onto the back of my shirt (which i had to remove in order to find the sling again!).

my 5 1/2-inch a. geniculata seems relatively docile. whenever i nudge her into a new container so i can clean out her aquarium, she goes without fighting. she's only given me the threat pose once, and that was after a lengthy car drive to our new apartment.

considering her age (probably a year and some change) and size, would it be wise for me to try holding her now when she has never been handled (to my knowledge) before? i know, it's a difficult question to answer since no one here can actually witness her temperment.

has anyone else tackled handling a tarantula that has never been held before? how did the tarantula react?

 

[Joy]

Yes, I have done it frequently. My own feeling is that successful handling has as much (or more) to do with confidence on the part of the handler and the individual spider's temperament, as with any attempt at conditioning.

Joy

 

[krystal]

thanks, joy.

don't worry--if i wuss out, i won't try to hold her! in fact, i've been wussing out ever since i got her, but i've been hiding behind the "i don't believe tarantulas should be held" facade. i just needed a little confidence booster. i'll probably still decide not to hold her, though.

 

[Mojo Jojo]

I used to be able to brush my genic Striker's hind legs with my finger in order to get it to move. One day, I did it, and the think did a corkscrew flip so fast and came at me with its fangs. I didn't have time to get my hand away. However, it did let up at the last second before nailing me. I tell you my heart never jumped so fast! If there had ever been any desire what-so-ever to hold the genic before that, it was surely gone afterward. I have become pretty handy rustling Striker into a small critter keeper when I need to do some cleaning.

Big Dragonfly

 

[Lost_Tarantula]

Krystal -
This should make you feel better. My first tarantula was wild caught...by me . So I *know* it hasn't been handled before. But after a few weeks, I let it crawl on my hands....first with gloves. I soon lost the gloves and just let it walk on my hand. Hasn't bit me yet. It's a mature male. Not sure on the species, can't get a positive ID. Something along the lines of a Texas Brown probably. But the point is, the fact that it hasn't been held before shouldn't be an issue. The main problem, as Joy already pointed out, is your confidence. The spider's temperament does have some factor...I wouldn't dare hold a Cobalt Blue. But Joy over there seems to be able to handle anything as long as it has eight legs . So if you feel up to it, try it and be calm. It'll all be fine; you'll come out unscathed.

Good luck

-LT

 

[King_Looey]

Use gloves at first if you dont think you are used to handling them. Let it get used to being handled, the try it without them. You will probably feel a little nervous at first, thats normal, just be careful not to drop it.

Handling a large spider and handling slings are 2 totally different things.