Little nervous about getting bit by my OBT (when it gets bigger). Tips on avoiding this?

Anonymity82 · Jan 26, 2012

I was rummaging through the "Bite Reports" under P. murinus and am now frightened :unsure: of being bitten. I am going to get it a KK and only open the little top plastic square to drop food in or pick out garbage. I am also only going to change housing when I absolutely have too and plan on dong the bag method. I can't afford a trip to the hospital so that's out of the question too. Does any experienced keepers have any other tips on how to avoid this? I wonder what the ratio is too (owners who own OBTs to owners who get bit). It just sounds absolutely horrible!

---------- Post added 01-26-2012 at 12:14 PM ----------

And I know, not having one would be the best prevention. So don't start with that

Sweepstakes · Jan 26, 2012

Just always be attentive when working with it and never underestimate it and you should be alright. Giving it the respect it and all other fast, defensive T's the respect they deserve will go a long way towards not getting bitten. You can also get a long pair of tweezers to do cage maintenance with.

Billeh · Jan 26, 2012

OBTs bites are painful and could last about a week of agony. However, unless your allergic to the venom, you most likely will not have to be hospitalized. As long as you respect your OBT and don't expect it to be cute and fuzzy, you'll be completely fine. Just take precautions and do transfers in a bath tub.

jayefbe · Jan 26, 2012

On an off topic note, I love when people say that OBTs and other defensive OW tarantulas are fine and tell new keepers they aren't anything to worry about when all they own are 1/2 inch slings. There's a big difference between a sling and a 5" defensive as can be, fast as lightning, venom dripping tarantula.

I personally work with absolute caution when it comes to any of my tarantulas. That means safety goggle when I pull out my big hair kickers for feeding/cage maintenance. Thinking ahead, using the correct tools, and always being aware and vigilant is what I do to avoid unwanted interactions with my tarantulas.

Anonymity82 · Jan 26, 2012

jayefbe said:
On an off topic note, I love when people say that OBTs and other defensive OW tarantulas are fine and tell new keepers they aren't anything to worry about when all they own are 1/2 inch slings. There's a big difference between a sling and a 5" defensive as can be, fast as lightning, venom dripping tarantula.

I personally work with absolute caution when it comes to any of my tarantulas. That means safety goggle when I pull out my big hair kickers for feeding/cage maintenance. Thinking ahead, using the correct tools, and always being aware and vigilant is what I do to avoid unwanted interactions with my tarantulas.

Thanks. I will definitely work with much caution. Just nervous about getting bit. I know no one has died but it's still pretty scary thinking about up to a weeks worth of muscle cramps and pain. I'm 190 lbs and only 5'8 so I'm hoping some extra chub and poor circulation will work in my favor if I do get bit LOL. I'll probably end up trading it or selling it when it gets older anyway. They don't bring in the big bucks but I could at least get an LP sling or something.

How would you compare their defensive behavior with a H. mac? I want one of those too because they are so awesome looking, but again, they are highly venomous. It's not so much the venom that scares me but the likely hood that the T will use it.

Sweepstakes · Jan 26, 2012

My H. mac is only a half inch sling so I can't vouch for their adult behavior. However, my sling is FAST and I only expect it to get faster as it matures.

Anonymity82 · Jan 26, 2012

Sweepstakes said:
My H. mac is only a half inch sling so I can't vouch for their adult behavior. However, my sling is FAST and I only expect it to get faster as it matures.

My OBT is a sling too and very fast, but it hasn't tried to attack me the one time it got out. It ran all over my body but didn't bite or anything. Even when I put my hands in front of it. I'm hoping it stays the same but I know it will start to become highly defensive.

Ultum4Spiderz · Jan 26, 2012

Just respect the spider... ,most people get bitten by harrassing & poking at it...

Use tongs / paintbrush / catch cup.. similar to caring for Pokies
You wont get bit if your Smart enough... My only bite was from A. Anax (texas tan) trying to pinch grab it... I feel dumb

xhexdx · Jan 26, 2012

Heh.

Billeh said:
OBTs bites are painful and could last about a week of agony. However, unless your allergic to the venom, you most likely will not have to be hospitalized. As long as you respect your OBT and don't expect it to be cute and fuzzy, you'll be completely fine. Just take precautions and do transfers in a bath tub.

Read this:

Venom said:
Tell your mom not to worry. The chemical composition of tarantula venom (ALL of them) makes their bites innately hypoallergenic. There is less than a 0.0001% chance of anyone having an allergic reaction to tarantula venom, even if they are already allergic to bee venom. The venoms are THAT different.

Here's why: most venoms are made up of proteins dissolved in a liquid matrix. Proteins are large molecules, generally speaking, and are easy for your immune system to "detect" and react to. But tarantula venom is made of peptides dissolved in a liquid matrix--and peptides are the building blocks of proteins. As such, the peptides are waaaaaay smaller molecules, and they literally "fly under the radar" of your immune system. Unless your immune system is an extravagantly rare freak of nature, (which I'm not betting on) there is no way you could have a reaction to tarantula venom.

"True spider" venoms are different--as in, spiders that are not tarantulas. Because regular spider venom IS based on proteins, you are more likely to have an allergic reaction to a plain old garden spider than you are to any tarantula.

That said, Poecilotheria have some pretty unpleasant bites even without allergies being an issue, and I would advise caution. Many is the keeper who, after being bitten by a Pokie, sought professional medical help.

catfishrod69 · Jan 26, 2012

all my obts are adults except 1. and if yours ends up anything like my adults, then you will have to do what i do. open them only enough for a mist, and a cricket dropped in. thats all the farther i can open them. because when i pick up their enclosures, they run to the top, flip over, and assume the position. i dont like spraying right on them when i mist, but kinda impossible. so they bite like crazy when im spraying. but after about 10 minutes of me not holding the enclosure, they calm down and start drinking. they also attack the crap out of the crickets when i drop them in. vicously. sorry to make this worse on you, but just telling you the truth about my orange demons.

Anonymity82 · Jan 26, 2012

catfishrod69 said:
all my obts are adults except 1. and if yours ends up anything like my adults, then you will have to do what i do. open them only enough for a mist, and a cricket dropped in. thats all the farther i can open them. because when i pick up their enclosures, they run to the top, flip over, and assume the position. i dont like spraying right on them when i mist, but kinda impossible. so they bite like crazy when im spraying. but after about 10 minutes of me not holding the enclosure, they calm down and start drinking. they also attack the crap out of the crickets when i drop them in. vicously. sorry to make this worse on you, but just telling you the truth about my orange demons.

Haha! The fact that they are vicious is the reason I wanted to get one. Much different than my G. rosea. She can get pretty testy if I go near her with tongs but she has so far been pretty calm around my hands. She seems to know when they are gone. I'll place them in there and pick something up near here (ex: uneaten roach) and she'll throw up a threat display. I quickly remove them and slowly place a hand near her and she either crouches down or just calmly moves. I love it. On that note, she is pretty boring though.

I'm just new at T keeping and after reading Invert's bite report I started to get a little worried haha! I will do my best to never let down my guard or do anything reckless around her.

Maybe I'll try to play soothing music while he/she is still a baby and read to he/she every night so he/she can grow up to be a sweet loving machine! ;P

---------- Post added 01-26-2012 at 04:07 PM ----------

xhexdx said:
Heh.

Read this:

That's very interesting. I'm a little confused by all the reactions people report if they aren't allergic reactions. I'm not disagreeing with you that they aren't just confused on what would cause the dizziness/nausea, painful muscle cramps all over the body, moderate to severe swelling and the possibility that this could go on for an extended period of time.

catfishrod69 · Jan 26, 2012

i wouldnt advise putting your hand next to your rosea to settle her down. one of these days it will catch up to you. yeah i know all about invertfix's bite report. really crazy, and would have sucked badly.

Ultum4Spiderz · Jan 26, 2012

I never handle any T unless I test it with a paintbrush
Slapping your hand to calm down a T... is like waking up a very mean sleeping dog...DUde your gunna get bit...
my P striata almost bit me from poking it once.. If I slapped the ground near it... 100% chance it would have tagged me...

GEtting bitten by any Baboon spider sucks... King baboon is very bad I hear you get hallucinations... I held my juvie(LOL):laugh:

Anonymity82 · Jan 26, 2012

catfishrod69 said:
i wouldnt advise putting your hand next to your rosea to settle her down. one of these days it will catch up to you. yeah i know all about invertfix's bite report. really crazy, and would have sucked badly.

Thanks. It wasn't to calm her down, but just experiments

. I wanted to see if it was the tongs or just the fact that something was near her that upset her. I wanted to speculate as well, whether or not she knew the difference between my hands or the tongs and she definitely knows somethings up. She actually will approach them and when she gets close enough she starts her pose. Using my hands though, she does something very different. Like I said above, she crouches or goes in the opposite direction. I am very careful and never take my eyes off her while doing this. I know she could change her mind one day decide she wants to keep me out.

catfishrod69 · Jan 26, 2012

well i could understand what you mean. not sure if Ts really do sense the difference of your hand or the tongs, but maybe. i know if a alien was walking up to me i would crouch down, but if they broke out the probe, i would be in a threat pose haha.

njnolan1 said:
Thanks. It wasn't to calm her down, but just experiments . I wanted to see if it was the tongs or just the fact that something was near her that upset her. I wanted to speculate as well, whether or not she knew the difference between my hands or the tongs and she definitely knows somethings up. She actually will approach them and when she gets close enough she starts her pose. Using my hands though, she does something very different. Like I said above, she crouches or goes in the opposite direction. I am very careful and never take my eyes off her while doing this. I know she could change her mind one day decide she wants to keep me out.

Introvertebrate · Jan 26, 2012

njnolan1 said:
.........I am going to get it a KK and only open the little top plastic square to drop food in or pick out garbage. I am also only going to change housing when I absolutely have too..........

Sounds like an appropriate rearing procedure regardless of venom strength.

Anonymity82 · Jan 26, 2012

Introvertebrate said:
Sounds like an appropriate rearing procedure regardless of venom strength.

Thanks. Like I said though, it's not the venom strength, it's the likely hood that the T will use it. From what I have read, Pokies venom is stronger and they are quite fast, but they would mostly look for a hiding place if bothered whereas an OBT is much likely to come on full force lol.

High_Rolling_T · Jan 26, 2012

njnolan1 said:
That's very interesting. I'm a little confused by all the reactions people report if they aren't allergic reactions. I'm not disagreeing with you that they aren't just confused on what would cause the dizziness/nausea, painful muscle cramps all over the body, moderate to severe swelling and the possibility that this could go on for an extended period of time.

What causes those symptoms is the venom taking it's effects on the body. How the venom effects the body has nothing to do with having an allergy to it: i.e. its going to have an effect whether an allergy exists or not(which is not since as Venom stated, it isn't possible)

InvertFix · Jan 26, 2012

njnolan1 said:
Haha! The fact that they are vicious is the reason I wanted to get one. Much different than my G. rosea. She can get pretty testy if I go near her with tongs but she has so far been pretty calm around my hands. She seems to know when they are gone. I'll place them in there and pick something up near here (ex: uneaten roach) and she'll throw up a threat display. I quickly remove them and slowly place a hand near her and she either crouches down or just calmly moves. I love it. On that note, she is pretty boring though.

I'm just new at T keeping and after reading Invert's bite report I started to get a little worried haha! I will do my best to never let down my guard or do anything reckless around her.

Maybe I'll try to play soothing music while he/she is still a baby and read to he/she every night so he/she can grow up to be a sweet loving machine! ;P

---------- Post added 01-26-2012 at 04:07 PM ----------

That's very interesting. I'm a little confused by all the reactions people report if they aren't allergic reactions. I'm not disagreeing with you that they aren't just confused on what would cause the dizziness/nausea, painful muscle cramps all over the body, moderate to severe swelling and the possibility that this could go on for an extended period of time.

I didn't let my guard down. I was aware of the t. But regardless of keeping your guard up things can happen unfortunately. I just come to terms with it and accept it. Do everything I can to avoid it, but as I said sometimes you can't help the outcome of a situation. I could have if I didn't keep the obts or if I don't do maintenance or feed them, but I wouldn't do that and I love the species.

Using Tapatalk on my iPhone 4S.

InvertFix · Jan 26, 2012

Ultum4Spiderz said:
Just respect the spider... ,most people get bitten by harrassing & poking at it...

Use tongs / paintbrush / catch cup.. similar to caring for Pokies
You wont get bit if your Smart enough... My only bite was from A. Anax (texas tan) trying to pinch grab it... I feel dumb

I used tongs. I wasn't harassing.

Does it make me not smart because I got bit? No. Unfortunately things happen.

Using Tapatalk on my iPhone 4S.

Little nervous about getting bit by my OBT (when it gets bigger). Tips on avoiding this?

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