Nhandu chromatus handling.. need help

church15

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Feb 21, 2008
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i just bought a N. chromatus from a good breeder
he said it just molted 2 days ago and a little skittish
but he said they have handled it..

but when i tried open the cage and to change the water it burst tremendous speed and run from the opposite side of the cage

can you give me some tips on how to handle her
most of the care sheets say they are aggressive but can be handled
 

Pink-Poodle88

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If it molted two days ago, leave it alone. Give it at least 2 weeks or so before you feed it, touch it, or mess with it in any way.

They're definitely handleable, although generally skittish from my experiences. Like I said though, wait a while, the exoskeleton probably isn't anywhere near being hardened yet, especially not if it's an adult. The handling rules are basically the same with all tarantulas, just be cautious and use common sense. Although I fully support and strongly encourage handing, I'd say that if you're nervous about it, then don't. Think about respect for the animal.
 

Talkenlate04

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Nhandu chromatus ummmm ya........... Not the best species to be sticking your hand in the tank too say hello.
 

church15

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thnx for tht info guys...

do i really need 2 weeks mine is 3.5-4" i think its a young adult or sumthing when i bought her it has a date on her cage and its already 9 months

coz within 6 days im going to get another T and buy her a good 5 gallon tank
 

Hedorah99

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i just bought a N. chromatus from a good breeder
he said it just molted 2 days ago and a little skittish
but he said they have handled it..

but when i tried open the cage and to change the water it burst tremendous speed and run from the opposite side of the cage

can you give me some tips on how to handle her
most of the care sheets say they are aggressive but can be handled
It's your pet, but why do you want to handle it? If it is running away and making every attempt to be far from you, it is pretty clear she wants nothing to do with tactile contact. Imagine this burst of speed resulting in your pet falling three feet to the ground. Besides, N chromatus have hairs that make me itch as bad as a blondi.
 

Moltar

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There are always going to be specimens that are the exception to the rule. The rule in this case is that N chromatus is not a T for handling. They're skittish and defensive, flick hairs a lot and they WILL bite you without too much provocation. Perhaps pink Poodle has a very tame specimen or He is better at handling than some. I wouldn't reccomend trying to handle it. You may end up haired and/or bitten or worse with a splattered t on the floor.

As for waiting 2 weeks... Yes. You do have to wait. Just have patience, a t is extremely delicate during that period. Right now it feels it's like if your bones were made of rubber and your skin was paper thin. You'd be testy too, right?
 
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bluefrogtat2

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handling???

are you talking about the same species?Mine would eat you alive.wouldn't even attempt handling,rears up without much effort at all,even breathe on her
andy
 

Mina

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I have 3 of them, I sub adult female, 1 very small female and 1 unsexed sling, all 3 of them are super skittish and capable of going from 0 to 100 in the blink of an eye. My biggest hasn't ever given me a threat pose, but she is extremely jumpy and nervous. I would not even think of trying to handle any of them.
If you want something to handle, a chromatus is a bad choice. Try something else that has less speed, less nerves, and is less defensive.
Even if you won't listen to the above, do listen to this. Do not handle the T until it has had time to dry and harden from its moult, in other words, if you MUST do this, wait until the T is eating again. You could injure or fatally wound the T trying to handle it at this stage.
 

church15

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hmmm thnx for the concerns ill consider to buy the tank and leave as it and put her there after 2 weeks (i like re decorating cages by the way)

hmmm on handling i guess i have to be frank i really like to handle her
one breeder ones told me to handle a T' you must handle them when they are still young to make them more tolerable (i dont insist its true but he has a point)

ok my plan is to handle her using first a paint brush then check her mood
(thats what ive read from other post correct me if im wrong)

then when ever shes ready ill try to handle her placing the cage above my bed
and lowering my hand as mush as possible if ever she jumps or fall and the bed as her cushion

so is it a good plan im quite desperate :D
 

JayzunBoget

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Every T is an individual. In my time I've seen a hand tame OBT and I've seen Rose Hairs that rilly wanted me dead. I believe starting young can help improve the odds and if your seller was honest, then perhaps she was worked with young. But do not underestimate what you've read here.
Mine has never thrown a threat pose, but it does throw entire rows of hair off of his back. It looks like someone took hair clippers and shaved rows of baldness on his abdomen. It covers everything in the cage and makes cleaning day very itchy. For that reason alone I try to disturb mine as little as possible.
 

church15

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the main reason i want my N. chromatus to tolerate habdling

1. can easlit transfer them to another cage
2. cleaning and maintenance
3. the possibility of you and your T" being close

but if all of this will be the reason for my chromatus early death i would
not handle it anymore

OT
anyway do N. Chromatus usually borrow meaning 80% of the time?
if there is a pre made burrow? or is it ok to let them roam around?
 

arrowhd

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I have an unsexed N. chromatus that is about the same size as yours, around 4 inches. Mine tends to "burst" from one side of the enclosure to the other any time disturbed. I have not seen any aggression per say.
I would think this would be a rather poor choice for handling just due to the nervousness. I can easily see mine making a run for it if given the opportunity.
Is this your first experience in handling T's? If so, I would recommend a different species. With a little more experience maybe then go back to this one later. Good luck.
 

7mary3

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I can tell you that my N. Chromatus is not ummm, handleable. She kicks hair like it's her job, and thus far hasn't hesitated to throw up a threat posture. I was working on my vivarium yesterday (I've got a salamander and a treefrog that I keep in it) and even that was enough to piss her off and make her nervous. My advice would be to leave it alone as far as handling goes. Besides, Chromatus hairs aren't fun to deal with after the fact.
 

Moltar

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G rosea, B albopilosum, G aureostriata and A chalcodes are all t's that are well known for their docile nature. Any of these 4 would be great if you want a T to handle. With n chromatus you're better off using a cup to do transfers. If you need to do some tank maintenance just drum your fingers on the glass before you open the door. This should be enough to spook her into her hide.

Yes, N chromatus will spend a lot of time in a burrow. You don't need to start a burrow for her. If you do she may or may not use it. You DO, however need to give her a place to hide. A curved piece of wood that she can crawl under will work for that. She'll probably dig a burrow underneath it and spend a lot of time in there, coming out mostly at night. Also make sure she has a water dish that is kept full.
 

Mushroom Spore

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one breeder ones told me to handle a T' you must handle them when they are still young to make them more tolerable
Tarantulas are not puppies and kittens. They are tarantulas. They are instinct-programmed, reflex-driven robots. Fascinating, interesting, beautiful robots, but robots nonetheless. They are not mammals, and they do not form personal attachments to other living creatures beyond "I can eat this" and "this can eat me."
 

SNAFU

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Mine is just a hair under 3" but is a complete psycho. She is so fast she makes me jumpy! I don't worry so much that she would bite, but that she is so fast she'd escape and maybe be injured in the attempt.
Beautiful T's but I would'nt try to handle one.
 

Rochelle

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N.chromatus is a poor choice for handling not because it's likely to bite you (it will); but because of it's own nervousness. It's very likely to simply run right right off your hand and kill itself.
Further; T's are not capable of being "tamed" to be hand pets. They are docile by nature or not. Period.
Some individuals in each sp. will be the exception and act in a manner not expected of that sp.... but not because it's been trained, conditioned or tamed. :rolleyes:
 

bluegootty

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yea agree

mushroom spore is right.. and beside. n chromatus will not only kick hairs, mine tend to bite before she decide to kick .. so as far as handling.. sorry im terrify of mine chromatus and that pretty much go for most of it's kind.. but then again there are individual. so hey.. it's on you to find out the hard way...lol..but for mine advice??? DONT DO IT !!!{D
 

cacoseraph

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lol

i love it when ppl who don't handle feel competent to give advice


in my experience tarantulas can and do become acclimated to handling. a lot of spiders that want nothing to do with me become more and more tolerant of handling as time progresses. the difference between the first time i free handle them vs the 10th time is quite remarkable... provided there is no big gap between handling events. it seems like around a month before the previous acclimatization really starts to slip. i suspect multiple reinforcements would possibly push that time limit farther back but haven't really had time to figure out any kind of experiments that would be useful


i would say Nhandu is not a super great genus to work on handling more because it has hellacious urticating setae than anything. nervous spiders can be dealt with... quick spiders can be dealt with... but short of a body condom reactive urticating setae make free handling unpleasant in the extreme and are sort of unavoidable. also... even if you don't react today... you probably will in a year or two. this is actually part of why i like OW spiders so much :)


edit:

did you give your spid a retreat? i am inclined to think not. i think that when a spider can run into a retreat but doesn't then it is more likely to be pretty good for handling. i think when a spider has no retreat and you open the cage and it starts flipping out that you are sort of starting off on the wrong foot for handling it


double edit:
i have free handled dozens of species, hundreds of individuals, thousands of times... and as far as i know, i have never hurt a tarantula from free handling. kind of takes the steam out of the whole "it's soooo dangerous for the tarantulas" argument. of course, you can be stupid and kill spiders all day from bad handling. i think the important thing is to do research (as you are) and make sure *you* are comfortable with handling. if you are absolutely in dread of getting bit, i would say *you* are not a good candidate for free handling. you are going to be too nervous and overreact.
 

von_z

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Tarantulas are not puppies and kittens. They are tarantulas. They are instinct-programmed, reflex-driven robots. Fascinating, interesting, beautiful robots, but robots nonetheless. They are not mammals, and they do not form personal attachments to other living creatures beyond "I can eat this" and "this can eat me."
I agree %100. Amazing, interesting pets, but while some may tolerate handling, they will not "get close" with you.
 
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