How often can I handle my chilean rose hair?

[driller212]

Hi guys,
I was wondering how often i can handle my chilean rose hair tarantula. She is 10-12 years old (i am the new owner and the previous owner isnt sure of the age) and really seems to enjoy being out of her enclosure even though tarantulas dont have a personality etc since they barely have a brain. But even then she seems to be quite perked up crawling on me/the floor and laying her web all over the place. I am very gentle with her and dont 'push' her into moving anywhere i let her do what she wants, she often climbs into the container i move her in without coaxing.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

[Avicularia Man]

This thread should prove interesting. *grabs popcorn and sits back to watch the show*

[Fran]

Tarantuls dont enjoy any petting or handleing. It is dangerous for them, and you could get bitten.
My advice is dont handle her at all, or the minimun.

[Avicularia Man]

These type of responses is why I said this thread should prove interesting.

[driller212]

yea i dno. it seems like she is more active out of her cage, and has her spinerettes moving around laying web etc which i feel means that she is enjoying herself..

[driller212]

well avicularia man, what is your opinion on the subject?

[Mack&Cass]

yea i dno. it seems like she is more active out of her cage, and has her spinerettes moving around laying web etc which i feel means that she is enjoying herself..

It doesn't mean that she's enjoying herself, it means she doesn't know where she is, she knows something strange is happening and so she's laying down webbing because there isn't any there, they use their webbing to navigate. I don't think T's know they're being handled, they just know they're not at their home. And they are more active because to them, they're "lost". They don't move around much in their enclosure because they're comfortable, they're surrounded by their webbing and they're just waiting for food to come by.

Cass

[driller212]

yea that sounds logical.

[curiousme]

Hi guys,
I was wondering how often i can handle my chilean rose hair tarantula. She is 10-12 years old (i am the new owner and the previous owner isnt sure of the age)

Why do you give an age approximation, if the previous owner had no idea? Most adult G. rosea(it is better to use the scientific names, to avoid confusion caused by similar common names) are WildCaught and therefore, no one could tell you how old the tarantula is.

and really seems to enjoy being out of her enclosure even though tarantulas dont have a personality etc since they barely have a brain. But even then she seems to be quite perked up crawling on me/the floor and laying her web all over the place.

What you are witnessing is your tarantula trying to find something familiar/ a good hiding place and its wanderings/ perking up is to that end. She leaves behind web as a kind of trail of breadcrumbs.

A happy tarantula is one that sits in one place for 13 hours, moves a few inches away and then sits there for hours. So, going by this, no T ever 'enjoys' being handled. Some of them tolerate it more, but they don't 'enjoy' being handled. Knowing this, it is up to you to decide how much handling is too much. We rarely handle ours, because even if they are calm and easily to handle; they act stressed once they are back in their enclosure. Nothing make me regret handling more than a pouting T......

I am very gentle with her and dont 'push' her into moving anywhere i let her do what she wants, she often climbs into the container i move her in without coaxing.

That is good. You should also remember to always sit on the floor and keep your hands close to the floor to prevent injury from a fall.

It is always handy when they stroll right into the cup, isn't it? My theory on that is that they like enclosed spaces and they interpret it as safe place. Who knows if i'm right though, after all, i'm not a tarantula!

Welcome to the hobby/ addiction!

[Avicularia Man]

well avicularia man, what is your opinion on the subject?

I hold my T's. I would say once or twice a week for like 2-5 minutes each time is okay. but I wouldn't dig my T's out of a burrow or anything like that to hold it. I mainly only hold my A. Versicolor. The G. Rosea and A. Hentzi are my kid's, so I don't bother with them other than to care for them (feed and water them). I don't hold my A. Metallica much because it is only 1/2" and I don't hold my B. Emilia because it is always in it's hide. And the few times I have held it, it was a pet rock. It just sat there, which is boring. My A. Versicolor jumps and walks everywhere when I hold it. I always hold them over something soft and always close to whatever I have it over. Like 6" above. I don't want it to get hurt when I hold it. I don't see why people get so uptight about holding a T. I could understand removing it from it's hide or burrow being a problem, but I don't see what's the big deal to pick your T up and hold it for a few minutes from time to time if it is out in the open and exploring anyways. With my A. Versicolor making webbing, I don't get to hold it as much. If it is in it's web tunnel, I don't bother it. That is it's version of a hide after all.

I just knew that this thread would turn into a "don't hold your T's" thread, instead of people wanting to actually tell the guy how often is to often on holding. That's what happened to the last thread that somebody started to ask the same question.

[driller212]

well thanks guys i guess i dont want to stress her too much :s. Um the previous owner also had the tarantula her whole life but he wasnt 100% sure of the age btw.

[Fran]

Im sorry but the OP was asking for opinions; Well that was my opinion.
They dont enjoy being held and move around/pet or and stress. They dont.

Now, do you want to handle them? Go ahead, they are yours.
But theres no such thing as " 5 min is ok, 7 is bad" . They dont enjoy any bothering,period.

[curiousme]

Im sorry but the OP was asking for opinions; Well that was my opinion.
They dont enjoy being held and move around/pet or and stress. They dont.

Now, do you want to handle them? Go ahead, they are yours.
But theres no such thing as " 5 min is ok, 7 is bad" . They dont enjoy any bothering,period.

Well said

[Merfolk]

For millions of years, when a bigger creature came close to a tarantula, it was to kill/eat it! Being the object of manipulation meant death... So I am pretty much sure that it is still a stressful experience for them.

[SPIDERBYTE]

I might handle my T (rosea) about each week or two. Sometimes its just a few minutes, sometimes she will sit still on my arm, once even for 20 minutes while I watched TV.

It all depends on how the spider "feels" that day. If it stays mellow, and takes frequent breaks in its crawling, or sits still for up to several minutes, that's pretty good.

If it starts crawling non stop, or gets faster, then its getting stressed and its time to let her back to her hide/home. Sometimes they do the "shy spider" pose, they sit still, but are huddled up, legs covering eyes.

When I let her back into her cage, she will usually go for her hiding spot, if she doesnt, and is looking "lost" or pacing around, I'd carefully guide her to the hide using a soft brush ( I've rarely seen her do a threat pose, unless she's really spooked-but just in case she freaks out, its not my fingers on the line!)