So, Firstly hello. This is my first post, and I walk into it knowing that I most likely will illicit a negative response from the overwhelming majority who will think me soft in the head, or incapable of higher reasoning. However, I implore you to refrain from what will most likely be your instinctual negative reaction to what I am asking.
I have been accused of being overly communicative (long winded .) So bear with me I will try. I have been keeping true spiders since I could coordinate myself well enough to catch them. I started with Hogna Aspersa that I caught in my backyard growing up. They are amazing creatures, and quite defensive when they have sacs; I found this out the hard way. I progressed to the Argiope aurantia, and kept one in a critter keeper on my dresser following her entire life cycle and the emergence of her spiderlings. I felt a deep and profound sadness from this, she gave everything that she had to ensure that they had the opportunity to exist. This had to be something like twenty-five years ago. I think I was around eight or so. The following summer, my ceaseless curiosity could finally no longer be contained when I came across a female Latrodectus mactans in my grandparent's barn. I caught it, and kept it for a number of months, out of a desire to observe its habits and life. This became a problem when my grandmother realized what was in the kritter keeper (she wasn't stupid just not very observant of my hobby .) And I almost gave my poor grandmother a coronary; I quite possibly got lucky, as I did handle the specimen. I will say in my defense I was only nine or ten, though I did know what could happen, I don't think that a mind that young can fully comprehend the consequences. I also maintained a collection of Dysdera crocata, and fed them from a colony of roly polies that I started. When I was young I thought that I was going to be an arachnologist, but as I got older my ADD inhibited my tolerance for the scientific process ... I have a career where I am constantly moving and this is much better for me.
Fast forward about ten years, and I am older but find that the fever from that first H. Aspersa never really went away. I started keeping T's, only G. rosea because that is what was readily available, keep in mind at the time windows XP was the next big thing and e-commerce was still an emerging technology, so I had to go to the pet store. If this were not the case I would have gotten in way over my head almost immediately. Recently I have been keeping Latrodectus geometricus. There is a huge population around the stairs to my apartment, and as I could find very little information about them I just had to observe one.
Which brings me to the question at hand. I happened across some of RobC's videos on youtube, and his almost child like excitement and love for his T's rekindled my own love for these majestic creatures. This man is a credit to the hobby in my opinion. I am not quite ready to commit to the OW arboreals, speed, unpredictability, fragility, etc. I just know I am going to regret that comment, but that is the way that I see it after having read a considerable number of bite reports, and researching the needs of these species. Keep in mind that as I see it I am referring to "Pokies" when I think arboreal. I have little interest in NW species, not that they are not spectacular in their own right, I am just very sensitive to the urticating hairs. I learned this with the G. rosea. I also don't really identify with them. There is however, an OW species that I do identify with. The P. Murinus.
I have spent the last few weeks or so reading everything that I could about them, as well as watching as many videos as I could featuring these amazing spiders. I know that it will be a "pet hole" and can be prone to highly defensive behavior, my hope is that those who read this will see that I know what I am getting into, and will genuinely try to assist me in my quest for knowledge about this species. I have seen specimens with my own eyes fang the walls of their enclosures in reaction to the vibrations of people entering the room and approaching said enclosure. I have read every bite report that
I could and have also seen first hand the results of an envenomation. There were tears and agony and a general sense of confusion, and this guy was around 215 pounds, so I definitely have a respect for the consequences of carelessness.
So, please realize that I know full well what I am getting myself into. I am not necessarily a neopyhte when it comes to arachnids with a medically significant venom, that being said, I will admit that I have very little experience with Therophosids. I am also not going to just jump in feet first, I am just wondering if a few of you who have experience with
the P. murinus will chime in so to speak on a couple of questions that I have. I am trying to amass a body of knowledge
before I commit to the care and responsibility of one of these beautiful creatures.
Specifically, I am wondering about handling them. I don't mean that I want to handle one. I have been envenomated
before, luckily by spiders far less potent, and found it to be less than a pleasurable experience. I am just
curious about videos of people that have recorded themselves handling them, I know that it is possible I just can't
work it out. By all of the descriptions that I have read, these creatures are to be treated like a loaded gun for lack of
a better expression, yet I have seen first hand people letting then walk on their hands, with little regard. I have even
seen a video of a person that has a P. murinus enclosed in his hand, and it even started webbing inside his hand. This
video can be seen by searching "Orange Bitey Thing My (insert the most common vulgarity used to refer to the human
posterior here)" I just found it to be an anomaly in the "normal" stated behavior of the species, and was curious if it
was something experienced by other keepers. I will never know first hand as I have a deep and paralyzing fear of
hospitals.
I also feel prepared for the more defensive species because I have never owned a T that was not defensive. My wife and
I nicknamed the G. rosea that we had baboon because it's opisthosoma was always bald, and we never saw anything but fangs
when the business end was facing us.
Glad to meet you all, and Thank You in advance for your replies. By the way, I just have add that every time I hear
the song "Red Again" by Chevelle I cannot help but get the image of a P. Murinus in threat posture out of my head. Man
I love this species.
I have been accused of being overly communicative (long winded .) So bear with me I will try. I have been keeping true spiders since I could coordinate myself well enough to catch them. I started with Hogna Aspersa that I caught in my backyard growing up. They are amazing creatures, and quite defensive when they have sacs; I found this out the hard way. I progressed to the Argiope aurantia, and kept one in a critter keeper on my dresser following her entire life cycle and the emergence of her spiderlings. I felt a deep and profound sadness from this, she gave everything that she had to ensure that they had the opportunity to exist. This had to be something like twenty-five years ago. I think I was around eight or so. The following summer, my ceaseless curiosity could finally no longer be contained when I came across a female Latrodectus mactans in my grandparent's barn. I caught it, and kept it for a number of months, out of a desire to observe its habits and life. This became a problem when my grandmother realized what was in the kritter keeper (she wasn't stupid just not very observant of my hobby .) And I almost gave my poor grandmother a coronary; I quite possibly got lucky, as I did handle the specimen. I will say in my defense I was only nine or ten, though I did know what could happen, I don't think that a mind that young can fully comprehend the consequences. I also maintained a collection of Dysdera crocata, and fed them from a colony of roly polies that I started. When I was young I thought that I was going to be an arachnologist, but as I got older my ADD inhibited my tolerance for the scientific process ... I have a career where I am constantly moving and this is much better for me.
Fast forward about ten years, and I am older but find that the fever from that first H. Aspersa never really went away. I started keeping T's, only G. rosea because that is what was readily available, keep in mind at the time windows XP was the next big thing and e-commerce was still an emerging technology, so I had to go to the pet store. If this were not the case I would have gotten in way over my head almost immediately. Recently I have been keeping Latrodectus geometricus. There is a huge population around the stairs to my apartment, and as I could find very little information about them I just had to observe one.
Which brings me to the question at hand. I happened across some of RobC's videos on youtube, and his almost child like excitement and love for his T's rekindled my own love for these majestic creatures. This man is a credit to the hobby in my opinion. I am not quite ready to commit to the OW arboreals, speed, unpredictability, fragility, etc. I just know I am going to regret that comment, but that is the way that I see it after having read a considerable number of bite reports, and researching the needs of these species. Keep in mind that as I see it I am referring to "Pokies" when I think arboreal. I have little interest in NW species, not that they are not spectacular in their own right, I am just very sensitive to the urticating hairs. I learned this with the G. rosea. I also don't really identify with them. There is however, an OW species that I do identify with. The P. Murinus.
I have spent the last few weeks or so reading everything that I could about them, as well as watching as many videos as I could featuring these amazing spiders. I know that it will be a "pet hole" and can be prone to highly defensive behavior, my hope is that those who read this will see that I know what I am getting into, and will genuinely try to assist me in my quest for knowledge about this species. I have seen specimens with my own eyes fang the walls of their enclosures in reaction to the vibrations of people entering the room and approaching said enclosure. I have read every bite report that
I could and have also seen first hand the results of an envenomation. There were tears and agony and a general sense of confusion, and this guy was around 215 pounds, so I definitely have a respect for the consequences of carelessness.
So, please realize that I know full well what I am getting myself into. I am not necessarily a neopyhte when it comes to arachnids with a medically significant venom, that being said, I will admit that I have very little experience with Therophosids. I am also not going to just jump in feet first, I am just wondering if a few of you who have experience with
the P. murinus will chime in so to speak on a couple of questions that I have. I am trying to amass a body of knowledge
before I commit to the care and responsibility of one of these beautiful creatures.
Specifically, I am wondering about handling them. I don't mean that I want to handle one. I have been envenomated
before, luckily by spiders far less potent, and found it to be less than a pleasurable experience. I am just
curious about videos of people that have recorded themselves handling them, I know that it is possible I just can't
work it out. By all of the descriptions that I have read, these creatures are to be treated like a loaded gun for lack of
a better expression, yet I have seen first hand people letting then walk on their hands, with little regard. I have even
seen a video of a person that has a P. murinus enclosed in his hand, and it even started webbing inside his hand. This
video can be seen by searching "Orange Bitey Thing My (insert the most common vulgarity used to refer to the human
posterior here)" I just found it to be an anomaly in the "normal" stated behavior of the species, and was curious if it
was something experienced by other keepers. I will never know first hand as I have a deep and paralyzing fear of
hospitals.
I also feel prepared for the more defensive species because I have never owned a T that was not defensive. My wife and
I nicknamed the G. rosea that we had baboon because it's opisthosoma was always bald, and we never saw anything but fangs
when the business end was facing us.
Glad to meet you all, and Thank You in advance for your replies. By the way, I just have add that every time I hear
the song "Red Again" by Chevelle I cannot help but get the image of a P. Murinus in threat posture out of my head. Man
I love this species.