- Joined
- Mar 2, 2007
- Messages
- 598
Got home Saturday night and found my big male B. smithi hanging from the rim of his tank by LI & LII legs (not stuck, just clinging for dear life to the rim of the aquarium). He's seriously pre-moult, so the rest of his legs were not getting a grip on the glass at all. Silly me, I think, "I'll just help him down so he doesn't hurt himself". So, I take the top of the tank off, which triggers a barrage of hair kicking like I've never seen. He's using BOTH hind legs to kick. I subdue the hairs with a few puffs from my mister (which didn't help his attitude at all), and decide I'll just come up from underneath him with a deli container, then put him back in his tank. Wrong! When you touch a tarantula's butt, what direction do they go? If your answer was, "where you want them to go, down into the deli container", you are WRONG! He goes forward, up over and out the container, where he then falls all the way to the floor because his feet have no grip! Expecting the worst, I'm prepared to find T splatter when I look under the shelf. Lucky T. Lucky me. He's fallen onto some plastic containers and is none the worse for his experience. He is, however seriously p.o.'ed at this point, and continues kicking hairs like crazy. Got him cupped and returned to his tank uneventfully and he's fine. Lessons?
1. Get the tank down first and do it at floor level!
2. Keep benadryl/hydrocortisone on hand at all times!
3. Wear more clothes
Even with misting, at least a couple dozen hairs managed to connect, and um, they're mostly in a really uncomfortable place. Yes, I was in the process of getting ready for bed and um, wasn't wearing much more than shorts. Yikes! All the ointment in the world isn't helping at this point! I'd include pictures, but I think the mods might object!
1. Get the tank down first and do it at floor level!
2. Keep benadryl/hydrocortisone on hand at all times!
3. Wear more clothes
Even with misting, at least a couple dozen hairs managed to connect, and um, they're mostly in a really uncomfortable place. Yes, I was in the process of getting ready for bed and um, wasn't wearing much more than shorts. Yikes! All the ointment in the world isn't helping at this point! I'd include pictures, but I think the mods might object!