Ryanb741 From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2002, 3219 posts, RR: 17 Posted (9 years 4 months 2 weeks 18 hours ago) and read 2077 times:
I guess that I never grew out of the stage of being a kid who kept various invertebrates in jars, and have had a few tarantulas now. The one we have now is an Aphonopelma Seemanni (costa Rican Zebra leg) and she's a real sweet heart - no hair flicking or biting. Tarantulas have a really bad reputation but in general they are very gentle, quiet, clean creatures. We previously had a Mexican redknee and a Starburst Baboon (the Baboon was a really nasty piece of work though - hissing at me whenever I went past the tank and it bit me on the face once and I had to go to hospital. Lesson learned, don't get drunk and as a dare try to kiss a Starburst Baboon Tarantula! Recommended only for experienced handlers! )
I also have a giant Asian Praying Mantis - absolutely cool creature, my own pet alien. She is perfectly happy to be handed (not recommended with Tarantulas unless you really know what you're doing) and the gestures they make are hilarious. A terrific alternative pet.
Anyone else keep Tarantulas or other invertebrates?
I used to think the brain is the most fascinating part of my body. But, hey, who is telling me that?
AvObserver From United States of America, joined Apr 2002, 2430 posts, RR: 10 Reply 2, posted (9 years 4 months 2 weeks 12 hours ago) and read 2030 times:
I kept reptiles as a youngster but I absolutely draw the line with spiders. Yecch!
JetService From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 4798 posts, RR: 13 Reply 3, posted (9 years 4 months 2 weeks 12 hours ago) and read 2024 times:
I'm an ex-tarantula owner. Also had the Mex. Red-Legged. You're right about their disposition; very gentle, quiet and clean, and only need fed once or twice a month. Almost the perfect pet. Mine didn't mind being handled at all. She was extremely tame.
FSPilot747 From United States of America, joined Oct 1999, 3599 posts, RR: 14 Reply 5, posted (9 years 4 months 1 week 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 2002 times:
"Tarantulas have a really bad reputation but in general they are very gentle, quiet, clean creatures."
"...it bit me on the face once and I had to go to hospital"
SSTjumbo From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 6, posted (9 years 4 months 1 week 6 days 6 hours ago) and read 1991 times:
FSP, Baboon Spiders in general are nasty creatures. They do not like people and are very prone to biting. However, other species like the Euthalis/Brachyphelma line like the Mex R/Leg and the Chilean Rose Hair, Grammastola Cala and the pink-toe tree climbers are generally very docile creatures. The way to think about it, they're really quite lazy and would prefer to sit on their @$$ all day instead of biting. I don't think the Goliath Bird-Eater, Theraphosa Leblondi, is half that bad either when it comes to handling them. Just make sure you have a big enough hand, like ohh, say 10" across . I've found spiders to be wonderful pets. Just remember, you have to feed them live crickets and pinky mice for larger ones. That may be hard for some people, so think twice before you purchase one.
Here's an interesting one, I've heard of Brazilian Wandering Spiders, i.e. Banana Spiders, kept as pets. I wouldn't touch one of those sons of bitches with a 10 foot pole if I was drunk . In case anyone needs a description, size of a small tarantula, fast as a grass spider, stealthy as a jumping spider, and poisonous enough to kill a human without even trying. They have been known to hide in bananas and come up north to the states in banana shipments, and if one ever comes hopping out of a bag of bananas and enters your house, you might as well burn the entire house down. Now that's what I call pest control .
Continental From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 5476 posts, RR: 21 Reply 7, posted (9 years 4 months 1 week 6 days 6 hours ago) and read 1990 times:
Ouch, in the face!?? I don't have a tarantula, but I have an emperor scorpion! He's a little fiesty guy too, whenever I try to give him a cricket with my hand, the little jerk tries to strike me with his tail!!
Aerialpingpong From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 103 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (9 years 4 months 1 week 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 1978 times:
Hey Ryan,
Good stuff I currently have four of them. Two starburst baboons (P. murinus), a Chilean Rose hair (G. cala/rosea), and an Antilles pinktoe (Avicularia versicolor). The baboons are definitely not a spider to be messed with! They aren't fully grown yet and I haven't heard them hiss but they love to show their fangs, even at the water droplets when I mist their enclosure. The rose hair is very docile and super lazy. My Antilles pinktoe, Paloma, is a sweetie. She's barely 2" long now but not a bad bone in her body (unless you are a cricket). When I was in college in Ohio I had around 50 of them, several types of pinktoe, a monstrous goliath baboon from Benin, Indian ornamentals, etc. Fortunately (knock on California drywall) I haven't been bit yet. I'd eventually like to expand my collection again but I promised my wife I'd get her a cat first.
JetService From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 4798 posts, RR: 13 Reply 9, posted (9 years 4 months 1 week 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 1970 times:
Positive Rate, I heard a bite is as painful as a wasp sting (x2 fangs). Tame tarantulas almost never bite and only would if they felt threatened (mine bit our cat because she was after her). Also, spiders have awful eyesight and may mistaken a finger for a meal. That's incredibly rare and you'd almost have to trick it into thinking your finger was a little critter on purpose.
FSPilot747 From United States of America, joined Oct 1999, 3599 posts, RR: 14 Reply 10, posted (9 years 4 months 1 week 5 days 13 hours ago) and read 1958 times:
"whenever I try to give him a cricket with my hand, the little jerk tries to strike me with his tail!! "
Survival of the fittest, I guess. And I'm not talking about the Scorpion.
KC7MMI From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 854 posts, RR: 4 Reply 13, posted (9 years 4 months 1 week 5 days 8 hours ago) and read 1941 times:
I've had my lovely Chilean Rose Hair (name is Regina) since 1992. She's a real good spider and I look forward to keeping her for another decade or so. I've always wanted a Honduran Black Velvet and a Goliath Bird Eater....maybe one of these days.
Ryanb., why don't you post a pic of your nice little Praying Mantis?
-Benjamin
PS. The only invertibraes I cannot tollerate are cockroaches...they are demons straight from HELL!!
Ryanb741 From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2002, 3219 posts, RR: 17 Reply 14, posted (9 years 4 months 1 week 5 days 8 hours ago) and read 1940 times:
To expand upon Jet Service's post - virtually all New World Tarantula bites (South America and American species) are not too painful (the exception is the Goliath Birdeater which isn't very venemous but it has 1" fangs which can impale your hand!) The Old World tarantulas (Asia and Africa) however often have more medically significant bites - I can tell you the Starburst Baboon bite hurt like agony and I got muscle cramping and vomiting (I posted this a year back on the forum when she bit me). The only potentially fatal bite comes from the Indian Ornamental Tarantula (P. Regalis) that supposedly has high toxicity and could be deadly to young children and the infirm. Nothing like a Sydney Funnel Web Spider though. New World Species generally tend to run or flick their 'urticating' hairs as a defence mechanism - these hairs are itchy but not too annoying. The African and Asian species are more aggressive (rather I should say defensive) and species like the Baboon tarantulas, Thailand Black and Cobalt Blue Tarantulas seem to have a bad attitude all day long! Those species should never EVER be handled, unless you are a crazy Australian crocodile wrestler in tight shorts. The aforementioned Indian Ornamental Tarantula (the potentially dangerous one) isn't very aggressive and is an arboreal species (lives in trees).
BTW - the most aggressive things are the crickets they feed on - those critters bite all the time and are cannibalistic.
Anyone who is interested, there is a cool Tarantula forum at www.spidertalk.net.
I used to think the brain is the most fascinating part of my body. But, hey, who is telling me that?
A340pilot From Canada, joined Sep 2003, 576 posts, RR: 0 Reply 17, posted (9 years 4 months 1 week 5 days 8 hours ago) and read 1932 times:
As for me, I am a chicken s*** when it comes to spiders, I wont watch any movies, discovery shows, or commercials with spiders! If a spider crawls up the drain, I wont go into the bathroom till I know its gone! I just toss my cat into the room where the spider is and hope to hell that she eats it! However on the other side if she dosen't eat it, I wont squash it or kill it, I get someone to capture it and set it free. And I will NEVER go into a basement or crawl space to move boxes!
Ryanb741 From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2002, 3219 posts, RR: 17 Reply 18, posted (9 years 4 months 1 week 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 1923 times:
Right, I have attached 2 pictures, both taken on my mobile phone so quality isn't great. The 1st one is of my mantis sitting on my wife's hand, the 2nd pic is of a tarantula of the same type as mine - I couldn't take a photo of mine as she is a burrower and is buried in her burrow and there is no way I am getting her out of it!
I used to think the brain is the most fascinating part of my body. But, hey, who is telling me that?
Espion007 From Denmark, joined Dec 2003, 1691 posts, RR: 0 Reply 20, posted (9 years 4 months 1 week 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 1919 times:
I have a phobia,but seeing the critters on TV and anything the size of a dime wont freak me out-much.
In the summer my house is Iraq to spiders.they are everywhere-until fall which i like cause they finally die/go away.i remember when i moved into this house there was a huge ass Tarantula in the basement.It didnt move much,but i remember it had some bright-orange markings.No one ever saw it since.man now im getting chills typing this.Im afraid the damn thing is on my back right now or on the desk. well I havent seen the little sucker for 5 years so what are the chances?
SSTjumbo From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 23, posted (9 years 4 months 1 week 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 1904 times:
Espion, sounds like you may have a Mexican Red Leg (Euthalis Leblondi?) living in your house. If so, they're fairly passive creatures and tend to only take in pests. I wouldn't worry about it biting you. Chances are that it's much more likely to shoot you with its rear-end semi automoatic shotgun, i.e. the hairs on its posterior. That's only if you actually try to provoke it though. Even if you do brush by it at close distance, it probably won't mind. It's only when you start dancing in front of it and making scary moves that it will begin to feel threatened, and that takes effort on your behalf. So other than that, I wouldn't be too worried. Now if a fast as hell 3" spider with red fangs jumped out of a bag of bananas, I'd burn down the house if I were you (please refer to previous post made by me).
KC7MMI From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 854 posts, RR: 4 Reply 24, posted (9 years 4 months 1 week 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 1906 times:
Ahhh, nothing like soft velvet on your face...
Regina is a real sweetheart, and I'd like to thank her for holding that pose as I snapped this shot.
One question, is my expression convincing?
-Benjamin
25 KC7MMI: BTW, several months ago I saw a large praying mantis on my front door. It was probably close to 3" long and I could see its tiny pupil follow me as a
26 Solarix: I used to have a Tarantula that a buddy of mine picked up out in the back country. It was really fun to feed it crickets and watch how it would "prepa
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From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2002, 3219 posts, 
Recommended only for experienced handlers! 
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. In case anyone needs a description, size of a small tarantula, fast as a grass spider, stealthy as a jumping spider, and poisonous enough to kill a human without even trying. They have been known to hide in bananas and come up north to the states in banana shipments, and if one ever comes hopping out of a bag of bananas and enters your house, you might as well burn the entire house down. Now that's what I call pest control 
.
I currently have four of them. Two starburst baboons (P. murinus), a Chilean Rose hair (G. cala/rosea), and an Antilles pinktoe (Avicularia versicolor). The baboons are definitely not a spider to be messed with! They aren't fully grown yet and I haven't heard them hiss but they love to show their fangs, even at the water droplets when I mist their enclosure. The rose hair is very docile and super lazy. My Antilles pinktoe, Paloma, is a sweetie. She's barely 2" long now but not a bad bone in her body (unless you are a cricket). When I was in college in Ohio I had around 50 of them, several types of pinktoe, a monstrous goliath baboon from Benin, Indian ornamentals, etc. Fortunately (knock on California drywall) I haven't been bit yet. I'd eventually like to expand my collection again but I promised my wife I'd get her a cat first.
From Denmark, joined Dec 2003, 1691 posts, 
From Canada, joined Sep 2003, 576 posts, 
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