Why you shouldn't be bored on sunday nights when you're on vacation.

[conipto]

Why you shouldn't be bored on MONday nights when you're on vacation.

Ok. Let me start by saying I've sorta had this apprehension towards handling from the get-go. That said, since I got my pinktoes, I have had this urge to play with my T's. While it's generally accepted that they don't enjoy it, and I know the risks involved.. that still didn't stop me from being in the mood to shoot photos tonight. Keep in mind, these are all New worlders, and none of them particularly known for aggression, but still.. I wouldn't officially advocate handling any tarantula you don't 'know' well enough to trust. (I'll admit the Reinheitsgebot law had a wee bit to do with tonight's photo shoot )

So, first up, I started off easy (First were the pinktoes I handled in my thread the other day) The next logical step up from the A. avicularia seemed to be my versicolor.

 

[conipto]

Now that the ones known for docileness and such were done, I decided to move up to my personal favorite, "Casull" my C. fasciatum. Despite how fast he moves when disturbed, he took to handling very well.

 

[conipto]

Ok, so with those two done, I decided to handle my GBB spiderling. For some reason, I've always been really afraid to touch spiderlings.. more for fear of hurting them than me, but still, I got over it, and this unnamed fellow and I had a few minutes of fresh air. (Gary, see my gimp finger!)

 

[conipto]

Next up, I went for my now very healthy (and very hair-kicky) Aphonopelma moderatum. Funny to think this hair kicking demon was half-dead in my hand less than a week ago, but has become skittish and flicky in it's recovery. Still, it cooperated after bombarding my rubber-tipped forceps with hair for a while.

 

[conipto]

Next up, my demon L. cristatus. If I can handle one, I can handle em all, right? Not exactly.. this one I chased around my bed with tweezers for a good ten minutes before s/he finally sat still on my hand long enough to snap a quick macro picture. I had thought her my fastest T, but learned otherwise from the next one.

 

[conipto]

Ok, my gradual rise to 'handling haplos and pokes' ended right frikkin here. I did all the things I've been told to do in regards to handling, but this sucker bolted over my hand and onto the side of my bed. I foolishly stuck my hand in front of it and tried to nudge it's abdomen in an effort to handle it, but only got it zooming over or around my hand faster than my shutter-finger could work. So, I posted the next best thing.. a Psalmopeous in the classic pokey pose. I won't comment on how long it took me to get her/him back into her home, but it wasn't fun at all. After this particular experience, my handling fix is over with tonight.

I hope you're not as bored as I am...

Psalmopeous irminia, 2 inch juvenile, on the side of my mattress.
Bill

 

[D-Man]

Rookie question....

Originally posted by conipto
Ok, so with those two done, I decided to handle my GBB spiderling. For some reason, I've always been really afraid to touch spiderlings.. more for fear of hurting them than me, but still, I got over it, and this unnamed fellow and I had a few minutes of fresh air. (Gary, see my gimp finger!)

Yo, Bill-

What's a GBB???? Nice little guy, awesome coloring for a sling regardless of species. Your gimp finger looks like my gimp middle toe!

 

[conipto]

Re: Rookie question....

Originally posted by D-Man
Yo, Bill-

What's a GBB???? Nice little guy, awesome coloring for a sling regardless of species. Your gimp finger looks like my gimp middle toe!

Greenbottle blue, Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens. They sure look different as spiderlings, don't they?

Bill

 

[D-Man]

Re: Re: Rookie question....

Originally posted by conipto
Greenbottle blue, Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens. They sure look different as spiderlings, don't they?

Bill

Awesome! I might have recognized it if it had the dark legs and zebra markings like the adults.

 

[The_Phantom]

Awesome pics Bill. The last one I had to look at twice, he looks squished.

 

[Gillian]

Bill,
Very nice! I have yet to try holding my C. fasciatum. She isn't aggressive, by any means, just faster than greased lightning. As for my others, with the exception of my blondi, I have mostly slow, terrestrials. I do hold my juvie curly and, my juvie chaco quite frequently.
Nice pics!
Peace,
Gillian

 

[Nikos]

Bill i've noticed that you were nervous...your palms were sweating!

 

[Vys]

Originally posted by conipto
Ok, my gradual rise to 'handling haplos and pokes' ended right frikkin here. I did all the things I've been told to do in regards to handling, but this sucker bolted over my hand and onto the side of my bed. I foolishly stuck my hand in front of it and tried to nudge it's abdomen in an effort to handle it, but only got it zooming over or around my hand faster than my shutter-finger could work. So, I posted the next best thing.. a Psalmopeous in the classic pokey pose. I won't comment on how long it took me to get her/him back into her home, but it wasn't fun at all. After this particular experience, my handling fix is over with tonight.

LOL

 

[carriefrbarrie]

Great pics I regularily hold my C. fasciatum and he's about the size of yours now, and a favorite of my spiders. My C. cyaneopubescens is the same size as yours to and the fastest of my bunch. The only one of mine who is a little freaky to hold is my B.abopilosum if you can believe that, he's a skittish, weird juvenille. I love that P.irminia pic best, such a gorgeous spider and definatly on my must get next list! Thanks for the views!
Carrie

 

[conipto]

Originally posted by vardoulas
Bill i've noticed that you were nervous...your palms were sweating!

No, not really... Here's me nervous with it.. when it wasn't moving.

Bill

 

[Nixy]

Nice pics!
I Want to hold our Psalmopeous cambridgi.
But since she threw off her blonde cloths in her last molt and matured into her adult mossy green blacks.
Oi,,, is she not only Fast, but fangy too.
Not as phsyco as our orange bitey demon. But a close second.
Nothing is as dementedly Nasty as our orange bitey thing.
Neither one of these take kindly to Any ideas of handling.
I'm thinking of investing in a tranq gun to go in and do tidy work in those tanks.

 

[Henry Kane]

Originally posted by conipto
(Gary, see my gimp finger!)

LOL! Yep! It must be fun trying to get a ring on huh?

Nice pics btw. Especially the L. cristata. I wish I could get mine to calm down enough but man! I'd venture to say my L. cristata is possible my most defensive n/w T.

Atrax

 

[Vayu Son]

><

Nice pics bill, glad you had a bit of fun until the end

Now check out my 'walk with psalmopeus' thread.

-V

 

[conipto]

I have indeed checked out that thread, and IIRC one other with the same T.. When you say 'working with her since the half inch mark' I assume you've been handling her routinely since? Also, has ANYONE out there been bitten by these guys?

Bill

 

[Joy]

I enjoyed your pictures very much, Bill! And I'm glad your moderatum recovered

Joy