Rehoming a Poecilotheria vittata

[Toxoderidae]

I just mentioned the lake because you did...any lake, stream or river will work...you're in Ontario, there's no shortage of water in those parts.

Sometimes I miss WI and how pure and serene it is. Then I remember the winters. And the leeches. And the gigantic crap at the bottom of lake michigan.

 

[louise f]

And the gigantic crap at the bottom of lake michigan

Holy CRAP

 

[MrsHaas]

I'm thinking the newspaper and squirt bottle method. A quick smack, a firm No, and a squirt to the butt. Let's them know you won't put up with any unwanted shenanigans

Oh and don't forget the T leash! And I heard they also have those boundary collars so your T will get zapped a bit if it wanders out of range.

 

[Dennis Cada]

Well. I still haven't been able to clean this terrarium. I did make up a deli cup and put 2 crickets in it then set it in the terrarium with the hope that when she went to chow down I would snap the lid on then remove it. But all she did was stand there with 2-3 legs in her dry water dish, so I wasn't able to take that out to fill it either.
The phony plants at Walmart weren't all that cheap. They cost a little more at PetSmart but they were so much bigger and better, and made for terrariums not aquariums. I did rinse them in hot water from the sprayer next to the faucet and I put one which stood up on its own in the terrarium. I haven't seen her use it yet, she might still be standing in her water dish.

 

[Sana]

In my experience the easiest way to get a pokie into a cup is to nudge it toward said cup with a paintbrush or other long object. If you have a big enough cup and a little luck you can also place the cup gently over the top of the tarantula and then use a piece of cardboard to slowly slide between the spider and whatever it was standing on. The spider will move farther into the cup to avoid the cardboard and once they're in the cup, you snap on the lid. I enjoy the place cup over tarantula method when I'm in a situation where I can use it.

 

[Dennis Cada]

Nudging with a paint brush might work for a nice docile NW T but I'd be afraid this one would just run up the paint brush and chow down on my hand. I did think about putting something on top of her when she is on the glass then sliding the lid or a piece of cardboard as you suggested but I'd be afraid she might try to escape and either succeed or I would end up squishing 2-3 of her legs. I did something like that to rehome a Haplopelma vonwirthi. It was successful but I could see that she was NOT happy at the time.

 

[bryverine]

Nudging with a paint brush might work for a nice docile NW T but I'd be afraid this one would just run up the paint brush and chow down on my hand. I did think about putting something on top of her when she is on the glass then sliding the lid or a piece of cardboard as you suggested but I'd be afraid she might try to escape and either succeed or I would end up squishing 2-3 of her legs. I did something like that to rehome a Haplopelma vonwirthi. It was successful but I could see that she was NOT happy at the time.

Something I just learned with my H. maculata (thanks coldblood) is to use a 2L coke bottle with the ends cut off. I'm partial to orange crush (forget that Fanta junk ) so I made myself sick drinking it in one night .

Cut dotted lines, have catch cup at end of tube. Use their flightiness of the T to have them launch down the tube into the catch cup! Have a lid ready for the end of the coke bottle or catch cup.



Not sure if anyone had suggested this, but do this in a bathroom with something stuffed under the door. Be careful, be deliberate, be calm, be careful.

Edit: I added a little flare to the picture.

 

[Dennis Cada]

I would use Dr. Pepper myself but I can see why it would need to be done in a bathroom with something stuffed under the door!

 

[Poec54]

I would use Dr. Pepper myself but I can see why it would need to be done in a bathroom with something stuffed under the door!

I'm pretty sure it has to be a Orange Crush bottle. You may be able to get away with a grape flavored soda.

 

[Toxoderidae]

I'm pretty sure it has to be a Orange Crush bottle. You may be able to get away with a grape flavored soda.

If it's not Mug Root beer, get outta here! the shape of the bottle is exactly what you need, anything else, and its problematic!

And @Dennis Cada with all my rehouses, even The Beast (my massive P. regalis that eats anything, and everything) I tap the backlegs with my bamboo rod, and they go running into the deli cup. Getting them out when they don't want to is hard, so I just stick the cup in the new home and wait for them.

 

[Sana]

Nudging with a paint brush might work for a nice docile NW T but I'd be afraid this one would just run up the paint brush and chow down on my hand. I did think about putting something on top of her when she is on the glass then sliding the lid or a piece of cardboard as you suggested but I'd be afraid she might try to escape and either succeed or I would end up squishing 2-3 of her legs. I did something like that to rehome a Haplopelma vonwirthi. It was successful but I could see that she was NOT happy at the time.

Please don't take this as mean spirited as it isn't meant that way. Instances like this are why we generally recommend the ladder system. There are a limited number of ways to get a spider into a cup and none of them absolutely guarantees that you won't end up with a very unhappy tarantula on your hand, arm, back, or on top of your head. I haven't ever seen any tarantula happy with being stuck in a cup even calmer NW tarantulas. Having practice with getting the giant spider into the cup starting with slower species and working up is the best way to be confident and calm working with fast, venomous OW tarantulas and those two things are key to what you're doing. If you're afraid that the tarantula will harm you or escape you're likely to increase the odds of either outcome. To be fair, while the chances of those outcomes is highest during a rehouse, those are chances that you take every time you open the enclosure to feed, change water, or do maintenance. Being able to get her into a catch cup is a necessary skill and not just for rehousing. If there is a health issue you may need to get her into one as an example. This is a difficult situation that you're in and you are going to have to make some hard choices. If you're truly afraid of this tarantula's potential to cause problems you should consider selling it or trading it for a species that will better prepare you for the challenges of working with an OW. If you feel very strongly that you are capable of this challenge you have a steep learning curve ahead of you. Obviously at this juncture the thing that needs to be learned is getting her into a catch cup. Sadly I think that I have read every method that I have heard of already posted here. None of them is particularly more effective then the others as far as the tarantula is concerned. Which you use is entirely a matter of your preference and the specific situation. To the best of my knowledge there isn't a way to learn this skill except doing it and hopefully not making any tragic mistakes while you're at it. I suppose that you could practice putting house spiders into a catch cup but that's still a different beast then a large, unhappy tarantula. I wish you all the best in your adventures in this hobby and hope that you will not take offense at what is merely an honest opinion on the current situation from an outside viewpoint.