Expect the Unexpected

Medusa

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One thing I've learned in this hobby is never to assume...that a "docile" t will always be docile. Today I did some feeding, watering and housekeeping, nothing unusual. But for some reason several of my ts seemed agitated. Nothing has changed. No vibrations, temp changes, etc., but my efforts to drop in crickets or fill water dishes were met with excessive skittishness to downright threat postures. I make an effort not to disturb my ts much so, for the most part, I don't deal with escapes, bites and hair kicking. Even my big gal E. campestratus (that I had hoped to allow my grandson to touch - not happening now) came flying at me today legs up and fangs out. I don't know how people handle ts and think they'll be safe. I don't handle and today was a good lesson for my reasons why.
 

Storm76

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One thing people seemingly never seem to understand, is that despite the fact that it's a tarantula "only", these animals display sometimes "mood-swings" (in lack of a better term). Grammostola spp. are famous for that, my own G. pulchripes girl hasn't been seen for 2 weeks straight. It's like she went like "Winter? Yeah, see you in summer again dude. I'm outta here". :D
 

Formerphobe

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On rare occasion I've had several of my Ts behave like this. Most likely due to incoming weather front or something sending out vibrations that we humans can't discern. On days that I have multiple Ts be over reactive, I just stop and do feeding/maintenance another day. No need to push the wire.

I might add that I live within spitting distance of Quantico. Most of my Ts have grown up with the vibrations of war games and ordnance testing, so their occasional collective reaction has to be due to something less obvious.
 

tonypace2009

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They pick up on many things we don't notice. I notice my spiders climbing there enclosures before a storm that presents a lot of lightning not every storm just seems to be before lightning storms. I figure has something to do with barometric pressure some thing that can be very subtle. Didn't the west coast just go through some weird weather pattern major storms? There behavior could be caused by many things we don't notice. Personally I think the word docile is misleading when I here the word docile friendly is the first thought to come to mind which is far from the case. Maybe instead of the word docile we should just say less inclined to bite. Or just state when they bite there effects are milder than others. This way keepers are more likely not to let there guard down and get tagged by so called docile species. We have to respect them at all times.
 

Poec54

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This is something that some people are oblivious to when they advise people to handle their spiders, or when they recommend advanced species (OBT, etc) to beginners. Spiders have bad days and if you don't have much experience, you may proceed with something that the spider is dead set against.
 

freedumbdclxvi

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This is something that some people are oblivious to when they advise people to handle their spiders, or when they recommend advanced species (OBT, etc) to beginners. Spiders have bad days and if you don't have much experience, you may proceed with something that the spider is dead set against.
yep. You just never know when you're gonna, say, end up with a pissed off Lampro blasting out of the enclosure and using you as a launch pad to the wall.
 

Poec54

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yep. You just never know when you're gonna, say, end up with a pissed off Lampro blasting out of the enclosure and using you as a launch pad to the wall.
People assume that their spider(s) will act the same every day, and they don't. We don't know why. They also assume that once a tarantula is on you, it won't bite, which is also not true. Sometimes they just decide to sink their fangs in. We don't know what's rattling around in those little heads of theirs. Best advice is to treat their cage as if it's their property, not yours: watch, don't touch, and don't intrude any more than you absolutely have to.
 

14pokies

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"Expect the unexpected, and don't try to see how much you can get away with, with your spiders."
I was inferring that we should always expect them to act unpredictable.

---------- Post added 12-19-2014 at 10:54 PM ----------

I was inferring that we should always expect them to act unpredictable.
but I agree there is hardly ever a reason to force a bad situation with a t.time and control is usually on our side..takeing it slow and acting responsibley will further the hobby much faster than hey look what I can do!
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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One thing people seemingly never seem to understand, is that despite the fact that it's a tarantula "only", these animals display sometimes "mood-swings" (in lack of a better term). Grammostola spp. are famous for that, my own G. pulchripes girl hasn't been seen for 2 weeks straight. It's like she went like "Winter? Yeah, see you in summer again dude. I'm outta here". :D
+1 I explain this to people, they are display pets not cuddly kittens.
 
Last edited:

Stan Schultz

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One thing I've learned in this hobby is never to assume...that a "docile" t will always be docile. Today I did some feeding, watering and housekeeping, nothing unusual. But for some reason several of my ts seemed agitated. Nothing has changed. No vibrations, temp changes, etc., but my efforts to drop in crickets or fill water dishes were met with excessive skittishness to downright threat postures. I make an effort not to disturb my ts much so, for the most part, I don't deal with escapes, bites and hair kicking. Even my big gal E. campestratus (that I had hoped to allow my grandson to touch - not happening now) came flying at me today legs up and fangs out. I don't know how people handle ts and think they'll be safe. I don't handle and today was a good lesson for my reasons why.

Ever consider that because you try to bother them as little as possible (never mind the discussion of handling!), that they're reverting to their wild state and you're suddenly being viewed as the predator/aggressor/alien abductor? Just a little food for thought.


____________________________________________________________________

YOU NEED TO BE REPROGRAMMED! Yes, this is genuinely, sincerely, profoundly correct! While you may have developed some proficiency at the proper care of aquarium fish, turtles or lizards, parakeets, gerbils, and even the family dog (although there is some genuine question about who has who as a pet with these), you need to set all those prejudices and practices aside, and start again with a clean slate.


-- /The Tarantula Keeper's Guide, Edition Four/, S. A. Schultz (In progress.)
____________________________________________________________________

Tarantulas think it's SSSOOOooo funny!

...watching you freak out like that!
____________________________________________________________________
 

Biollantefan54

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Wait-

Are you saying handle them so they don't revert to their 'wild state'?

That's what I got out of that lol.
 

problemchildx

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I'm not gonna comment too much on what Stan said to avoid the flames but it has been generally noted that T species labeled as "docile" (barring certain individuals) will become way more skittish with lack of human contact.

At least in my experience anyway.
 

gobey

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Wait-

Are you saying handle them so they don't revert to their 'wild state'?

That's what I got out of that lol.
Well have you read his book?

Anyways...

I agree... Docile? Or tolerant?

Curious is a good one... I have a verg curious T that is very tolerant of me. And I would not fear handling him. And have a couple times.
 

Poec54

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- Ever consider that because you try to bother them as little as possible (never mind the discussion of handling!), that they're reverting to their wild state and you're suddenly being viewed as the predator/aggressor/alien abductor?


- YOU NEED TO BE REPROGRAMMED! Yes, this is genuinely, sincerely, profoundly correct! While you may have developed some proficiency at the proper care of aquarium fish, turtles or lizards, parakeets, gerbils, and even the family dog (although there is some genuine question about who has who as a pet with these), you need to set all those prejudices and practices aside, and start again with a clean slate.

- There are those of us who respect and desire their 'wild state', and want all of those evolved and instinctive behaviors in captivity. It's not 'reverting to their wild state', it's 'preserving it' by setting aside our human ego that we have to change animals natural behaviors to comply with our whims.

- There have been huge changes in the hobby over the decades I've been in it, in popularity, captive breeding, husbandry, taxonomy, availability, etc. One of the biggest changes is that a growing number of people are not handling their tarantulas out of respect for their natural behavior and to allow them a small piece of this earth as their own. Handling is an old school approach to spiders that I hope completely goes away. Who 'needs to be reprogrammed' indeed, Mr. Schultz?
 

Biollantefan54

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Yes, I have read his book (Ok-kind of. I skimmed it, I did read most of it though). Like Poec said, if they can and will 'revert back to their wild state', why would want them to? Personally, I would rather watch a wild spider than have one that never gets defensive, or skittish. I like watching how they would act in the wild. I just don't understand the logic of being potentially bitten, multiple times, just to get the spider out of 'it's wild state'.
 

Formerphobe

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Ever consider that because you try to bother them as little as possible (never mind the discussion of handling!), that they're reverting to their wild state and you're suddenly being viewed as the predator/aggressor/alien abductor? Just a little food for thought.


____________________________________________________________________

YOU NEED TO BE REPROGRAMMED! Yes, this is genuinely, sincerely, profoundly correct! While you may have developed some proficiency at the proper care of aquarium fish, turtles or lizards, parakeets, gerbils, and even the family dog (although there is some genuine question about who has who as a pet with these), you need to set all those prejudices and practices aside, and start again with a clean slate.


-- /The Tarantula Keeper's Guide, Edition Four/, S. A. Schultz (In progress.)
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Tarantulas are constantly in their "wild state". Having never been domesticated, they are captive wild animals, even if CBB. Keepers are always viewed by tarantulas as "predator/aggressor/alien abductor". There is no 'sudden' about it. Some, as a species or as individuals, are more tolerant of forced human interaction and less reactive to our ministrations but, at the end of the day, they are still wild animals.

Handling aside, since I don't, most of my tarantulas are very tolerant of me regularly invading their spaces to feed, water, pull boluses, clean poopy walls, pull exuvia, etc. Their 'tolerance' is reflected by the fact that very few of my NW have ever kicked hairs defensively (only one ever kicked a bald spot while in my care), only a few of my entire collection have ever given me a threat pose, only one of all the individuals I have kept routinely went into unprovoked 'attack mode'. And, to date, I have been bitten exactly zero times.

Individuals will have "mood swings" at different phases in their molting cycles. As mentioned in my previous post, on rare occasion, ALL of them will be reactive to any intrusion or outside stimuli whatsoever. One day it was my AF B. boehmei drumming like a fool. She set nearly every spider in the room on edge. Other times the mass reaction has been attributable to weather changes. Sometimes there is no obvious cause for the generalized discord.

To suggest that a large number of keepers are less than proficient because we don't adhere to obsolete protocol is more than a shade egomaniacal.
 

David VB

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Jan 21, 2014
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The very first 'statement' of the OP is the reason (even when i'm only just a beginner still) i do not believe in beginner spiders. Those B. smithi's, G. rosea's and others can be very unpredictable, but because almost everybody says they're docile and can be handled, they form a bigger threat than let's say a Poecilotheria or OBT. If you get one of those, you know you have to watch out every time.

I'm pro not handling and i love my T's doing stuff they would do in the wild too, that's tho whole reason of having them i think...
 

Oreo

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Sep 21, 2011
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I've noticed Ts that have the least exposure to disturbances (maintenance, foot traffic in the room, etc) for a period of time respond more inquisitively and can react more defensively. How we approach a T is just one variable, IME, at least.

A while back one of my calmer chacos took a walk out of her enclosure and onto my hand. Not unusual, but this time she was slooowly walking around with her chelicerae spread. Every few steps she would hunker down and I could feel her fangs on my skin. Not unlike how I've seen her sloowly spreads her fangs and slooowly pick up a stubborn, motionless dubia. Maybe she was doing it for stability. In any case, I returned her to her KK with no issue. All Ts can be unpredictable, especially if our predictions aren't the best. :coffee:
 
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