B smithi fast movement speed

PsyC

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I was trying to feed my juvenile b smithi for the first time after she molted last week (8 days ago), i was giving her mealworms and i really got surprised with movement speed, she was basicly rinning away from the worm. She didnt eat the worm.

I thought b smithis are slow movement Ts, I even got a little bit scared
 

cold blood

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I was trying to feed my juvenile b smithi for the first time after she molted last week (8 days ago), i was giving her mealworms and i really got surprised with movement speed, she was basicly rinning away from the worm. She didnt eat the worm.

I thought b smithis are slow movement Ts, I even got a little bit scared
Even the slowest species can move exceptionally fast when they want or need to.
 

timisimaginary

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i think T speed is often a function of how likely they are to move fast, rather than how capable they are to move fast. a b smithi may usually sit still, or walk around slowly, but i've seen mine pounce on prey just as fast as anything else.
 

Poec54

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I you think B smithi are fast, you need to stay away from most tropical species, and all arboreals.
 

LLLReptile

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Like others have said, "slow" with spiders is a relative term. If your T was scared or trying to escape some prey, naturally it is going to move faster than a walk. You may want to try a different type of feeder insect for now, sounds like the worm may have been a bit larger than she wanted to eat.

-Jen
 

PsyC

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Like others have said, "slow" with spiders is a relative term. If your T was scared or trying to escape some prey, naturally it is going to move faster than a walk. You may want to try a different type of feeder insect for now, sounds like the worm may have been a bit larger than she wanted to eat.

-Jen
I tried to feed her with medium mealworms, wich francly the T is a lot bigger than the worm, I bought a pack of medium mealworms for my juvenile T's (b smithi and b emilia), i dont know what to do with the worms if the T's dont eat them
 

ratluvr76

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I tried to feed her with medium mealworms, wich francly the T is a lot bigger than the worm, I bought a pack of medium mealworms for my juvenile T's (b smithi and b emilia), i dont know what to do with the worms if the T's dont eat them
if you don't want to breed the mealworms then just keep them in the cup they came in but keep them in the refrigerator. Take them out of the fridge for about 12 hours every 2 weeks, provide a piece of sweet potato, or a green bean or some other fresh vegetable, as well as a small piece of cricket gel and remove the food item and cricket gel when you put them back in the fridge. They will keep like this for quite a while.

Good luck!. :)
 

viper69

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My AF smithi moved 360 degrees for one 1 cricket faster than I could blink- they are aren't as slow as you think.
 

sugarsandz

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My B. emilia is the fastest tarantula I have. I'm okay with the speed, it's all about knowing where they are at all times lol. I know Brachys aren't the fastest but that's my speed limit at the moment. One day I'll get an Avic when I'm in my own place and feel prepared to take on the speed.
 

viper69

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My B. emilia is the fastest tarantula I have. I'm okay with the speed, it's all about knowing where they are at all times lol. I know Brachys aren't the fastest but that's my speed limit at the moment. One day I'll get an Avic when I'm in my own place and feel prepared to take on the speed.

When you are ready, I'd recommend A metallica because generally speaking they are very mellow compared to some other Avics. They are speedy when they want to be, like all Ts, but their disposition is generally pretty good. Plus, they reach a nice size too.
 

Shrike

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I tried to feed her with medium mealworms, wich francly the T is a lot bigger than the worm, I bought a pack of medium mealworms for my juvenile T's (b smithi and b emilia), i dont know what to do with the worms if the T's dont eat them
Take a deep breath. This is a really complicated procedure that will require all of your courage and skill. Open the enclosure. Take a pair of tongs and remove the mealworm. Close the enclosure.

;)

---------- Post added 08-19-2014 at 04:49 PM ----------

Also, don't worry about getting scared. You'll quickly get used to how your tarantula behaves.

Shifting your perspective might also help a bit. As far as your smithi is concerned, you're Godzilla. When you open the enclosure, it thinks you're about to smash it, eat it, etc. It has no intention whatsoever of harming you (we're talking about a Brachypelma here after all). It simply wants to get away. All you need to do is keep your wits about you and maintain control over the situation and you'll be just fine.
 

Storm76

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I was trying to feed my juvenile b smithi for the first time after she molted last week (8 days ago), i was giving her mealworms and i really got surprised with movement speed, she was basicly rinning away from the worm. She didnt eat the worm.

I thought b smithis are slow movement Ts, I even got a little bit scared
I'm sorry, have to grin about this. Got an even better example: Of the four Euathlus sp. "red" I own, a couple of them actually likes to move deliberately slow out of their enclosures when the lid is off. As soon, as they are on the ground then it's "turbo online!" and *wroom* they can run, I tell ya! :)

Bottom line here: Every spider is capable of serious speed. Some more than others (particularly true for the arboreals since they don't care if it's up/down/left/right/diagonal/upside down or whatnot - see Tapinauchineus spp and others with a reputation :D). Your T is a) either not ready to feed yet, or b) doesn't know that particular prey item yet. Don't worry. Remove, try again in a week. Done. :)
 

awiec

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I'm sorry, have to grin about this. Got an even better example: Of the four Euathlus sp. "red" I own, a couple of them actually likes to move deliberately slow out of their enclosures when the lid is off. As soon, as they are on the ground then it's "turbo online!" and *wroom* they can run, I tell ya! :)

Bottom line here: Every spider is capable of serious speed. Some more than others (particularly true for the arboreals since they don't care if it's up/down/left/right/diagonal/upside down or whatnot - see Tapinauchineus spp and others with a reputation :D). Your T is a) either not ready to feed yet, or b) doesn't know that particular prey item yet. Don't worry. Remove, try again in a week. Done. :)
I can speak from experience that taps will teleport and you will not be able to stop them if they want to teleport. My tap is pretty mellow compared to the rest of the species but it will happily dart from its hide to the other side of the cage and back into the hole and you have no idea what happened.

I am always surprised when people are shocked that spiders can move so fast, they have 8 legs of course they are fast. Spiders, especially Ts do not want to waste the energy of constantly moving fast so they use it when they need it, which of course can surprise you. Though I feel the OP's best friend will be a 12 inch pair of feeder tongs, this allows you to still do what you need to do but keeping your hand a little further away from the spider (they will climb tongs if they want to though). Some T's just don't care for certain prey items, my G.ihringi does not want roaches, only crickets will do. I'd suggest either try again with the worm in a week or move onto something like crickets or roaches.
 

Poec54

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I am always surprised when people are shocked that spiders can move so fast, they have 8 legs of course they are fast.
What comes as a surprise is that they can coordinate all 8 legs down to the millisecond to move perfectly in unison. That's the amazing part. I have occasional trouble moving at much slower speeds with 2 legs.
 

awiec

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What comes as a surprise is that they can coordinate all 8 legs down to the millisecond to move perfectly in unison. That's the amazing part. I have occasional trouble moving at much slower speeds with 2 legs.
When I explain to people that they are little hydraulic systems that seems to help them understand more and they seem to "get it". Of course these guys would not have survived millions of years if they were clumsy.
 

Storm76

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What comes as a surprise is that they can coordinate all 8 legs down to the millisecond to move perfectly in unison. That's the amazing part. I have occasional trouble moving at much slower speeds with 2 legs.
HA! Don't we all? :)
 

BobGrill

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By tarantula standards, they're very slow moving. As said though, any species can move fast if it wants to.
 

Poec54

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When I explain to people that they are little hydraulic systems that seems to help them understand more and they seem to "get it". Of course these guys would not have survived millions of years if they were clumsy.
It's like they have their individual leg movements timed like the cylinders on a car engine.
 

awiec

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It's like they have their individual leg movements timed like the cylinders on a car engine.
Which is the cool part, I know an engineer major who was studying animals and their movements in order to improve current mechanical systems like turbines and cars. It's amazing what they can do with such a little brain that has their stomach going through it.
 
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