Hi there ppl...

I want some advice how to handle a tarantula for the first time...they say it's best not to handle your tarantula because it can stress them very much and if they jump and fall u can damage them...

I have a 2cm Avicularia versicolor and 2cm Acanthoscurria geniculata and Brachypelma albopilosum.

Every time i see someone handle a tarantula i want to handle mine also but i don't want to stress them to much..

We won't handle it everyday but to handle it now and then will be cool...

And next week I'm getting the following slings and would also like to handle them now and then:

Grammostola pulchripes
Brachypelma smithi

and the one i've been waiting for the Grammostola pulchra... :spider:

Thanx

I do not support handling, but, if you choose to do it. Get "The Tarantula Keepers Guide" written by S and M Schultz. They have a section on how to properly pick up your T.

Also read the following link, I am not sure, but I think I did see something about handling there somewhere, plus it is a good page crammed with info.

people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/spiders.html

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I'm no pro on the subject and not exactly pro the idea either although I have done it a few times. I will say this though:

DO NOT breath on the tarantula!

Made that mistake once, Breath + P.cambridgei = Definition of speed :igiveup:

Just another thought.... a T that size bails up the length of your arm, in all likelyhood he will end up INSIDE of your shirt...
Not a situation I would like to be in :eyepoke:

Good luck and I'm sure the reading Uncle Charlie suggested will get you going! :thumbsup:

I was so surprised that "Tarantula" was still available as an alias :woohoo: , I had the reply to this.

Welcome.

Firstly I would like to warn you that there is a possibility that you or your hubby may have severe reactions to the urticating hairs as some of us do. And take it from me if you handle your T make sure that you do NOT get any of these in your eyes. Fortunately not all T's have these, but if they don't... chances are they have some or other defence or attitude problem worse than the hairs.

The general rule of thumb is to handle them close to the ground. As an add on to reading up on the VALUABLE advice of Stanley Schultz, you can also go check the videos of RobC on Youtube. He often end up handling T's that he didn't even intend on doing (and yeah they are more often than not highly venomous) in these vids. I suspect that he has balls of steel, but a gentleman never asks. :laugh:

Lastly to help with those scientific names that Cerat mentioned in your previous thread...

Good luck.

Uncle Charlie wrote: I do not support handling, but, if you choose to do it. Get "The Tarantula Keepers Guide" written by S and M Schultz. They have a section on how to properly pick up your T.

Also read the following link, I am not sure, but I think I did see something about handling there somewhere, plus it is a good page crammed with info.

people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/spiders.html ...

Thanks! You saved me a lot of work.

Because TKG3 has a pretty good section on handling I'm hesitant to include one on the website. Thanks a bunch for the good words!

tarantula wrote: Hi there ppl...

I want some advice how to handle a tarantula for the first time...they say it's best not to handle your tarantula because it can stress them very much and if they jump and fall u can damage them...

The subject of handling has been known to cause flame wars that rivaled some civil wars. I won't go into the subject here except to tell you to do as your Uncle Charlie says.

However, I will include a brief essay that will eventually appear as part of another webpage on my website :

Tarantulas and their far distant precursors and ancestors have been on this planet for over half a billion years. During that time they have taken part in at least two continental collisions and breakups. They have survived no less than 5 great extinctions. They have endured comet strikes, ice ages, super-volcanic eruptions, decade long, total blackouts due to dust and ash from volcanic eruptions, continent-wide firestorms, epic floods, being dumped on by Tyrannosaurus rex and peed on by mammoths and mastodons. They've survived DDT, Elvis Presley, and even the !@#$%! misting of their cages!

Now, tell me again why you think that a little handling is going to cause your tarantulas undo stress?

:happy:

Enjoy your little 8-legged survivors!