Stupidity is punished...

8 legged

Arachnoprince
Joined
Nov 25, 2020
Messages
1,069
...immediately!

Regardless of whether you were well informed, a professional or simply not the brightest candle on the cake from birth, what stupid things have ever happened to you when dealing with the eight-legged friends?

I would be described as experienced myself and yet the stupidity caught up with me today.
I have prepared a moult so that I can take a picture with the microscope.
Since I ran today and then cycled with the kids, I was tired and...

...rubbed my eyes. Said moult is from a small Theraphosa stirmi.
Due to the fact that my hand was faster than my brain, I've been winking like crazy for 2 hours.
Maybe I should get some protection for welding 😂.
 

Poonjab

Arachnoking
Active Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2019
Messages
2,755
Sounds boring
Honestly probably dumbest thing was changing out substrate with no gloves. Other dumb thing I did recently was not securing enclosure properly for python, which lead to an escape. Still mad at myself for that one.
 

spideyspinneret78

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jul 19, 2019
Messages
1,253
Forgetting to cover up the sink overflow drain when doing a rehouse which led to a loose Chilobrachys living in my sink for over a week. Good times.
 

Conor10

Arachnoknight
Joined
Dec 2, 2020
Messages
289
Neglecting to fix the lid on my G. Pulchra’s enclosure, ended up with a heavily bodied T almost falling. Also, mixing used sub without gloves like @Poonjab. Ended up with the world’s most itchy hands.
 

Craig73

Arachnoangel
Joined
Jun 2, 2016
Messages
790
Yesterday I was working out in the garden and the next chore was rehousing the G. iheringi. Had everything lined up and ready to then remembered I had not washed my hands for any chemicals that were used in the garden.

I don’t use gloves or masks in general when doing enclosure maintenance, but when that turkey turned around for a fight you best believe I was suited up looking like I was ready to go into open hear surgery after that. Definitely up for ’Most likely to kick hairs‘ award of 2021.
 

spideyspinneret78

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jul 19, 2019
Messages
1,253
It´s a chilobrachys, so I think she likes her new home :rofl:
I had to disconnect the sink and literally blast him out with an air compressor into a Ziplock bag! Which is why his name is Ziplock :) . I tried everything to get him out....sewing a thread into a cricket and fishing him out, flooding him out, etc. Nope. Instead he spun webs in the hole and occasionally stuck his legs out in a hunting posture only to retreat at the slightest vibration, just to taunt me.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
I've never had an issue with tarantulas so far.

rubbed my eyes
If that happened to me, I'd be seen by an ophthalmologist ASAP. It's documented in the medical literature the setae can embed into human eye tissue and potentially cause blindness over time. It's not something to assume has been flushed out.
 

8 legged

Arachnoprince
Joined
Nov 25, 2020
Messages
1,069
I've never had an issue with tarantulas so far.



If that happened to me, I'd be seen by an ophthalmologist ASAP. It's documented in the medical literature the setae can embed into human eye tissue and potentially cause blindness over time. It's not something to assume has been flushed out.
Thanks for the tip! The hair didn't make it to the eyeball itself. "Only" on the mucous membrane near the lacrimal glands. Fortunately, I hardly react to urticating hair, but the mucous membrane is a bit more sensitive. Nevertheless, I washed with NaCl prophylactically and feel fine now.
 

Smotzer

ArachnoGod
Arachnosupporter +
Joined
Jan 17, 2020
Messages
5,275
Forgetting to cover up the sink overflow drain when doing a rehouse which led to a loose Chilobrachys living in my sink for over a week. Good times.
Hahahaha I remember this :rofl:

And I really don’t think I had any actual stupid mistakes, but I did one time almost reach into a Psalmopoeus enclosure with my hand to remove a water dish, with the tongs sitting right next to it......:cool::cool::cool:Almost stupid mistake.
 

Envoirment

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 3, 2016
Messages
93
Misjudging the size of a ventilation hole for a 1cm sling back when I started in the hobby. The sling escaped, but luckily it was just chilling on the shelf next to the enclosure.
 

RezonantVoid

Hollow Knight
Joined
Jan 7, 2018
Messages
1,354
Even starting with OW, I've never had any mess ups with T's. I've had several occasions where stuff could have gone wrong, but didn't, and one brief escape during a pairing that was quickly dealt with
 

Matt Man

Arachnoprince
Joined
Jul 4, 2017
Messages
1,685
had 2 jailbreaks but there were in multi layer containment so all was good, albeit a bit dicey until I found where my OBT sling had bolted off to.
 

RevS

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 19, 2019
Messages
5
Because I saw my Psalmopoeus walk weird after her molt (dragging behind one leg as if it couldn't move it) I wanted to take a better look at her during the rehouse 2 weeks later.
I've just assumed that something is 100% wrong and because of it she won't be moving that fast...
Well. Turns out she was perfectly OK. Also very, very fast and jumpy.

Also - sort of related. Years ago - back when I was still keeping reptiles. I was the first one to tell anyone that turtles aren't as slow as tortoises and you need to be careful, especially when feeding them.
Yet I was the idiot who would regularly hand-feed them. Got bitten by a big female red slider.
 

kingshockey

Arachnoangel
Joined
Sep 4, 2017
Messages
826
:Dunder estimated the power and strength of my a genic during its last rehouse i plopped a cup over itthinking naa its not gonna flip the cup off of itself turned to fill its water in new cage looked back around to find a pissed off genic waiting for my hand to reach back in to place a lid on the sub to complete transfer:Djust put lid back on its cage waited about 20 minutes for her to calm down then finished up the transfer ts are stronger than you would think
 

8 legged

Arachnoprince
Joined
Nov 25, 2020
Messages
1,069
Because I saw my Psalmopoeus walk weird after her molt (dragging behind one leg as if it couldn't move it) I wanted to take a better look at her during the rehouse 2 weeks later.
I've just assumed that something is 100% wrong and because of it she won't be moving that fast...
Well. Turns out she was perfectly OK. Also very, very fast and jumpy.

Also - sort of related. Years ago - back when I was still keeping reptiles. I was the first one to tell anyone that turtles aren't as slow as tortoises and you need to be careful, especially when feeding them.
Yet I was the idiot who would regularly hand-feed them. Got bitten by a big female red slider.
Psalmopoeus are always quick. Even after poor moulting with four legs left.
 

RevS

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jun 19, 2019
Messages
5
Psalmopoeus are always quick. Even after poor moulting with four legs left.
The funny thing is - the leg was/is fine as well. To this day I have no idea why she was initially dragging it behind after that molt.
 
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