THIS Close to Death

GPulchra

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
279
Well, we had a bit of an...issue with one of our tarantulas. I was trying to get out the dead cricket from my Avicularia Versicolor's enclosure and was doing it on my desk. My dad took the tweezers and he tried. It wasn't a long enough pair of tweezers to make this easy. Anyways, the Versicolor sling was just sitting there. It watched us start ruining its "masterpiece" to get to a rotting carcass when it suddenly gave a threat/defensive posture. My dad freaked out and pulled the tweezers from the vial. A strand of web was still stuck to the tweezers, and the tarantula was right in the middle of it :wall: . It started climbing the strand to the tweezers (like that rope-walking thing people do, but upside down). I didn't want to try and catch it because the tweezers were on my bed and there was a gap between my desk and bed that was so deep, it could kill it before it hits the floor. So, I started curling the web string around the vial. Finally, the Versicolor got onto the vial. We put the vial on the ground and got the cricket out. Then, the Versicolor jumped from the side onto the floor. We tilted the vial sideways and tried doing that stupid technique of leading aggressive Ts into a shipping container, but then the Versi zoomed up my dad's arm. He shook it and it fell on the floor. I was so scared that it was dead. Then, I tried to get it inside. I kind of half-closed the lid and used the open part to push the Versicolor in. It ran in the vial and I closed the lid. WAIT! It's not over. So I was holding the vial and slowly tilting it when our dog slid inside (long story) and started barking at us. This time, I was the one who put my Versicolor's life in jeopardy. My hand, due to the reaction of the bark, flicked the vial back to its upwards position very quickly. The Versicolor was on another strand of web and safely parachuted onto the substrate. Poor thing, I feel like a jerk. That must have been traumatizing (for all of us).
 

B8709

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 25, 2009
Messages
194
Why not just put this story here where you left off instead of posting another thread.
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=189585
Anyways..How long are these tweezers? Don't be using any eyebrow pluckers.Get yourself some 12 inch tongs...And why you making daddy do that? It's your T. Also...Shut the door good so the dog don't "slide in".
 

GPulchra

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
279
Why not just put this story here where you left off instead of posting another thread.
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=189585
Anyways..How long are these tweezers? Don't be using any eyebrow pluckers.Get yourself some 12 inch tongs...And why you making daddy do that? It's your T. Also...Shut the door good so the dog don't "slide in".
Geez, why so rude? This topic didn't give you a threat display, it's just a harmless little topic. And I feel it's more appropriate to make a new thread. It has its own title, not one called "mites". I'm not sure how long the tweezers are. And my dad was trying to be helpful, unlike you. My door can't close so we block it with a ton of stuff, but our dog is still able to go through. By slid in, I meant he was literally sliding. When he runs too fast, he loses balance.
Offkillter, I know. It must've been REALLY ticked off.
 

Jaymz Bedell

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 19, 2009
Messages
186
Geez, why so rude? This topic didn't give you a threat display, it's just a harmless little topic. And I feel it's more appropriate to make a new thread. It has its own title, not one called "mites". I'm not sure how long the tweezers are. And my dad was trying to be helpful, unlike you. My door can't close so we block it with a ton of stuff, but our dog is still able to go through. By slid in, I meant he was literally sliding. When he runs too fast, he loses balance.
Offkillter, I know. It must've been REALLY ticked off.
woah! why so defensive? unfortunately the internet, for all of it's good points, is not good at tones or expression. I doubt he was being rude, but his points are very valid. invest in a baby gate for your door, the dog shouldn't be able to slide past it, and it will save you a lot of worry. a pair of long tweezers/forceps is indispensable for exactly this reason. it's much easier to get leftovers out of a vial with a pair of 12 inch forceps than it is to get leftovers out with standard household tweezers. they prevent a lot of headaches in that area. they also come in handy for tong feeding, water dish removal/placement. and staying calm at all times, even when you've got a spider slowly crawling toward your hand and you're not used to it. getting excited often causes more problems, as you learned tonight. calm and level headed will get you a lot farther in this hobby...actually in most things in life. advice is free, when good advice is given it's usually best to accept it, even if you think the tone is rude or condescending. good luck, and next time stay calm.
 

GPulchra

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
279
woah! why so defensive? unfortunately the internet, for all of it's good points, is not good at tones or expression. I doubt he was being rude, but his points are very valid. invest in a baby gate for your door, the dog shouldn't be able to slide past it, and it will save you a lot of worry. a pair of long tweezers/forceps is indispensable for exactly this reason. it's much easier to get leftovers out of a vial with a pair of 12 inch forceps than it is to get leftovers out with standard household tweezers. they prevent a lot of headaches in that area. they also come in handy for tong feeding, water dish removal/placement. and staying calm at all times, even when you've got a spider slowly crawling toward your hand and you're not used to it. getting excited often causes more problems, as you learned tonight. calm and level headed will get you a lot farther in this hobby...actually in most things in life. advice is free, when good advice is given it's usually best to accept it, even if you think the tone is rude or condescending. good luck, and next time stay calm.
We tried the "doggy door". You don't know our dog:embarrassed:, he can find his way past everything. Also, the tweezers at this size were all we had at the time. My parents are leaving tomorrow for 2 days and, point is, it's not healthy to leave a dead cricket like that for so long. I'm not the one that freaked out over the tarantula, I freaked out over my dog suddenly going wild. B8709 was absolutely no help. He gave me crap, so I gave him crap back.
 

popcangenie

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 6, 2010
Messages
135
well if you and your dad are scared of the tarantula it would be smart not to mess around and why would you do it on your bed maybe in the bathtub? sink? i would invest in a door so your dog can't get in and kill your Ts and if your anything like me i know that dog would not live very long after that

be careful ! alot of T deaths happen from there owners!
 

GPulchra

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
279
well if you and your dad are scared of the tarantula it would be smart not to mess around and why would you do it on your bed maybe in the bathtub? sink? i would invest in a door so your dog can't get in and kill your Ts and if your anything like me i know that dog would not live very long after that

be careful ! alot of T deaths happen from there owners!
I'm not the one scared of my tarantula! Please, popcangenie, please read my whole post. First off, it was on my desk. I didn't think it would be this much trouble. Now I know. Anyways, I think I'll have to wait out the recession. Either way, Snowball is scared of crickets. He likes toying with roaches, but he's terrified of crickets. It's just his bark that scares us to [the tarantulas'] death.
 

popcangenie

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 6, 2010
Messages
135
i'm not the one scared of my tarantula! i didn't think it would be this much trouble.

if you not scared of the tarantula then why was you dad helping you? Your a big boy you can do it your self that way you don't get a t against the wall and if it has never been handled use the bathtub no matter what you think or what sp it is... A avic can be a b1tch sometimes i held my 1 inch today for a tank transfer... It pooped on me and not the normal dump it shot out like 3 inchs :d learn from your mistakes

sorry for caps the button poped off and im to lazy to find it at 4 30am
 

GPulchra

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
279
My dad helped because he wanted to "face his arachnophobia". My dad's really been into arthropods lately and he wanted to be able to do something. I thought, "Oh, what the heck? It just saves me the trouble." Man, was I wrong. Anyways, thanks for the info. I'll use the bathtub from now on. Much safer. Yeah, all animals can be unpredictable. For example, my dog seems cute and cuddly, and he is. But he's got one CRAZY bark that makes rollerskating little girls fall onto the grass...um, long story.
 

cacoseraph

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 5, 2005
Messages
8,325
when did so many of the posts on AB turn to crap?


you got a younger dude (snow) sharing a story about helping someone get over their fear of spiders and over half the posts are fairly stupid and insulting. *sigh* i remember a time when only a quarter of the posts where idiotic.





ftr, the bathtub and sink are two really stupid places to do bug stuff. aside from residual chemicals they are two of the hardest, most unyielding surfaces in your whole house. NOT exactly where i would want a pet spider to be landing in case of a fall
 

B8709

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 25, 2009
Messages
194
B8709 was absolutely no help.
Sure I was. I told you to put your dog up and I told you to buy longer tweezers and I also told you to take responsibilty and not make daddy do it. Relax, Kid...If you don't like what I say then feel free to ignore me. That's just the way the world works. People are gonna say stuff.
 

Salamanderhead

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 30, 2009
Messages
410
Get a long container and fill it with like 3 inchs of water. Put the enclosure in the center. If the spider runs it will usually stop at the water and stay on its enclosure.

I find it works well for the most part on those quick ones.
 

Nicole

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 30, 2004
Messages
95
when did so many of the posts on AB turn to crap?
I haven't been around for a long time, but since my return I've been wondering the same thing. :confused:

For the OP, I use a rubbermaid tub to do sling feeding and maintenance in. Makes it a little easier to catch runaways.
 

curiousme

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
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Dec 11, 2008
Messages
1,661
*sigh* i remember a time when only a quarter of the posts where idiotic.
Idiotic?! Where?!!!!! :p



ftr, the bathtub and sink are two really stupid places to do bug stuff. aside from residual chemicals they are two of the hardest, most unyielding surfaces in your whole house. NOT exactly where i would want a pet spider to be landing in case of a fall
+1

I would much rather have a big open expanse of carpet to sit and do tarantula things on. If the T tries to make a hasty retreat, it will have to stop and rest before it gets to the wall or anything that it can hide on/ under/ or in. Then you have a perfect opportunity to cup and retrieve.


and I am glad your sling is okay!
 

Jaymz Bedell

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 19, 2009
Messages
186
I didn't suggest a doggy door, I suggested a baby gate. they lock into place, so unless your dog grows thumbs and learns to open it there will be no sliding passed. the dog would have to jump the gate, and there are many ways to make jumping the gate unappealing enough to ensure the dog won't jump it. that way you don't have to worry about the dog getting into the room and possibly disturbing you. a rather inexpensive solution to provide a bit of added security. if you have a fenced in yard you could also put the dog in the yard while you work in open enclosures. safety is a big concern when working with any animal and I'm just trying to offer tips to help you keep the environment as safe as possible.

staying calm helps a lot as well.

and because this is the internet which lacks any and all emotion...this is all in a friendly trying to help with a few things I've learned over the course of 2 decades working with exotic animals of all kinds tone.
 

Bill S

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 2, 2006
Messages
1,418
It's too bad so many egos get in the way of helping a person with a tarantula-related issue.

BurntSnow - would it help to move your tarantula to a different size or different shape container? It can be a nuisance trying to reach past webbing in a narrow vial. If the spider is big enough a deli cup might give you room to work around. If the tarantula really is too small for anything larger than a vial, then the cricket bodies you are feeding it shouldn't be big enough to cause any immediate disasters.

For transferring fast-moving spiders I sometimes use a ten gallon aquarium as a work space. Better than trying to work in the kitchen sink because you can see through it, better than a bathtub because you can put it up at a convenient height. (Although the last time I had to move a bunch of OBTs in a hurry the bathtub was my workspace of choice.)

While I appreciate your efforts to help your father get past his arachnophobia, it might be better to have him help in ways that are less likely to put animals at risk if he has a panic reaction. And it really is your responsibility to control your work area - meaning that one way or another you need to figure out a way to exclude your dog if his presense is likely to cause problems.

Good luck, and don't let the more negative elements of this board discourage you.
 

popcangenie

Arachnosquire
Joined
Aug 6, 2010
Messages
135
there is nothing wrong with useing you bathtub alot of experienced users do it the way i found it was jon3800 was useing it with pokies and obts and the such
 

sean-820

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 15, 2008
Messages
547
My dad took the tweezers and he tried. It wasn't a long enough pair of tweezers to make this easy.Various sizes of tweezers are a great thing to have. My main pair of tweezers is a reversible (squeeze to open) 8" pair thats easy to use even in vials Anyways, the Versicolor sling was just sitting there. My dad freaked out and pulled the tweezers from the vial.Anybody doign somethign liek this with t's needs to quickly get over their feer as pulling the tweezers away quick can easily hurt a t A strand of web was still stuck to the tweezers, and the tarantula was right in the middle of it :wall: . It started climbing the strand to the tweezers (like that rope-walking thing people do, but upside down). I didn't want to try and catch it because the tweezers were on my bed and there was a gap between my desk and bed that was so deep, it could kill it before it hits the floor. if a small insect or spider falls a few feet it should be fine uness it has a big abdomen as it wont hit the ground with much force sicne its soo small. Being a versi, i doubt it would fall as they are good climbers but catching it back there could be a pain. Another thing is open tanks and other enclosures that are small enough to move in a clutter free space if possible so a t that darts is easy to catch So, I started curling the web string around the vial. He shook it and it fell on the floor.Another thing wrong. If its on him it shouldnt be hard for you to get it off.I had a versi juvie climb over my arm onto my back and all i needed to do was calmly take my shrit off while laying down then take it off my shirt. With a second person you should be able to just take it off his arm I was so scared that it was dead. Then, I tried to get it inside. I kind of half-closed the lid and used the open part to push the Versicolor in. It ran in the vial and I closed the lid. WAIT! It's not over. So I was holding the vial and slowly tilting it when our dog slid inside (long story) and started barking at us. Another problem. When doing something with t's keep dogs, cats and even most people away as a t on the ground could be killed by a person entering the room or a dog or cat

Hopefully you can learn from this experince and see that:

-proper tools help simplify tasks (various tongs, chipsticks...)
-opening a vial or tank in a farily bare space helps to keep your focus on the t and to prevent it from dashing into any cracks or clutter. This is why alot of fast or defensive t's are rehoused in something like a bathtub so if they get away they can't really go anywhere. For something like a sling in a vial, a rubbermaid or small aquarium coudl be used as the bathtub. When i started i opened the tanks in the middle of my floor so it cant immideatly get anywhere so i had time to catch it if it did start running.
-isollate yourself and anybody else helping from anybody/anythign unaware of what your doing as you don't want to get startled or have them unknowingly step on it as it dashes across the floor
-Know how to calmly capture an escaped t. If you scare it it will get defensive or run, but if you are calm it should stay still so you could at least put a cup or something over it to prevent an esccape
-Panicing reactions can easily hurt or kill t's. I suggest you get more comfortable with your t's before trying to help your father get over his fears as the blind leading the blind isn't good. You may not be scared of your t's, but you still are not experienced in handling them or at least knowing hor to safly capture an escaping t
 
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GPulchra

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
279
sean-820, going in order from your replies.
1. I know, I'm going to get them.
2. Well, it's over now.
3. So you're saying that 4 feet onto a hard floor can't even slightly damage a .75" arboreal sling if given sling lands correctly? Either way, it could scurry away and we'd never find it.
4. As I said, my dad is an arachnophobe.
5. We tried closing the door as best we could. Whatever, now I know.
-
1. It was on short notice, I'm going to get some tools on Tuesday.
2. I didn't think it would cause this much trouble.
3. Didn't you already say this?
4. It didn't run. When we tried to get it in its container, it climbed above it and went on my dad's arm.
5. Yeah, you're right. Still, I think I was pretty unlucky overall this time.
 
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