Raising hairs

[mr_jacob7]

How can I tell, when a spider is about to flick hairs? i have an aphonopelma pallidum, and it has been very docile, (it has only threatened to bite me once, and half an hour ago, too). anyways, i was wondering when to back away. ass you can probably tell, i'm a newbie Tarantula owner, so please help. thx!!!

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Trust me, it'll let you know. When the front legs start going up, when the back legs start twitching, it's time to back off. If it even starts trying to move away from you, back up.

Tarantulas don't really enjoy being handled--I noticed in the other thread that you've only had it three days, to boot. I'd leave it alone for a while, to be honest.

 

[cheetah13mo]

How can I tell, when a spider is about to flick hairs?

I agree with Mushroom. Let it get settled in for a couple of months and you can get more comfortable and able to recognize some T body language before you get bit.

A lot of times, when the tarantula does not want to be disturbed, it will stand up on all eight legs and raise its abdomin in the air. It's a more suttle threat display and the next step is to start kicking hairs. I've seen them go right into kicking hairs too but this is a common way you can predict it.