What of the really nasty urticating hairs? Perhaps I can recommend a good pair of ski goggles to wear when you handle.
OOps that will teach me not to refresh the page after walking away for a bit. You'd already addressed this with OP. My bad.
Yeah, I do have a pair of goggles and some thick gloves. I have a specific shirt i only wear when taking her out, so only one article of clothing touches the hairs, and it's soft and thick. I don't plan on handling too much, but she's relaxed when I do.What of the really nasty urticating hairs? Perhaps I can recommend a good pair of ski goggles to wear when you handle.
For care refer to the posts above and the thread, just take care to ignore most pet shop advice, care-sheets and youtubers (Tom Moran is an exception) then you’re good.
Tarantulas’ moods change often. I highly highly advise against handling, not for your safety but for the T’s. It it bites you and you fling it, game over. If it bolts and you flinch, probably game over. If it jumps, game over. And this leaves you with a dead T and some very annoyed members when you post about it.
I had a Mexican red knee bolt on me. She was decent size and ended up on my neck. Didn't flinch or fling her. I have never owned one, never housed one. But I've held them in a lot of shops. A tarantula rearing or flinging hairs is the sign for leave me alone. Molting. Leave it alone. I'm not going to bother her if she's in a mood. If it bolts, you stay calm and urge it back into a safe container. There are ways to handle these guys. I'm not going into her enclosure every day, week, or even month. I like handling them, but I respect her space. She's probably going to be hiding for the most part anyway.
But why handle in the first place?
On a final note, why say this and then still insist you know better?? Please just listen to some of the people here on this thread who are basically living encyclopedias of tarantula knowledge (I am not one of them, but there are multiple here on the thread who I would consider highly credible) and take their advice on husbandry, including handling.
top soil
I'm not picking fights, nor insulting anyone. I'd appreciate if you respected me the same way. I'm just here to ask questions about the enclosure. Not be bullied.
Yes but you’re doing something dangerous with your tarantulas. We can’t respect you the same way when you are endangering your tarantulas for self pleasure. This isn’t bullying, it’s informing.
I personally disagree with handling, but I will say that handling a Brachypelma, Grammostola, or Aphonopelma species is not in the same ballpark as handling a Theraphosa species, given the much worse urticating hairs and potential for more mechanical damage from a bite. You're an adult so do what you want, but in my personal opinion this would not be a species to handle if you are determined to handle a tarantula.
I liked the red knee I had. She was really cool. I was going to buy her but she was already pretty big and I wanted to get something that would work up in size. She's pretty comfortable in her enclosure, so I probably won't see her much until feeding.
The new home is finished. I put the vents on the side and the top came with a ventilation hole. Got the sponge the cork wood and the Stirmi is in. Just gotta wait for her to go hide.
Ditch the sponge. They harbor bacteria and your tarantula can drink just fine from the water dish. It's in no danger of drowning.
My bad. It's not a sponge. It's moss. Don't know why I called it a sponge.
I have a Brachypelma hamorii that is more on the crazy side. I needed to coax her to the other side of the enclosure once with a straw. At first, she responded as one would expect from such a docile species. But then she bit the straw without warning. The lesson: tarantulas remain unpredictable animals. Even a 'docile' species could bite without much of a warning and without giving you the chance to react. There are many examples of keepers who had a docile tarantula once, but this changed after a moult.
And you did not learn anything from that experience? Even if you don't overreact or flinch, a running tarantula could easily fall and die. This is a terrestrial species, not the best climbers. You were very lucky that time.
Yes, just put some in the corner. It doesn't need to cover the floor
Since she's a baby I don't want to handle her much at all, plus, she's burrowed and I'm pretty happy about that so I don't think I'll see much of her. Sould I check on her though? To make sure she's okay if I don't see her come out??? I don't wanna move around the bark or shine a light in there.