When can they bite?

becca81

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At what age / size can a tarantula bite? When are the fangs actually big enough / strong enough to pierce the skin?
 

cdxrd

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I would think from the minute their fangs are hard enough to take prey, at any age.. If an ant cant bite, I know even slings have more muscle than that and larger fangs...
 

Washout

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Supposedly the small pokie slings can affect you with their venom just as badly as the adults can. But thats got to be a rumor since more poison = worse effect. But I wtill don't want to get bitten by any kind of T, even a sling.
 

mimic58

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beccamillott said:
At what age / size can a tarantula bite? When are the fangs actually big enough / strong enough to pierce the skin?
Hi becca, the picture you see as my display to the right, the teeth in the photo belonged to a 0.5" B.smithi sling :) there only maginified at 25x in real size they would aproximaly 1 millameter long
 

Cirith Ungol

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Once when I was quite young, maybe 8 or 9 years old I got bit by a common spider... First I didn't realized it tho. The first sign was a hefty stinging sensation on the left side of my neck. I didn't know it was a spider when it stung and I rubbed the spot and turned my head and beheld a really tiny little black spider on my shoulder - just a few milimetres legspan.

I think it must have sat on my neck (well obviously) but that I twitched or tilted my head or something to irritate it in the first place and maybe trap a leg or something... I don't know and can't really remember what happened before the bite.

So to sum up a little, I also think it is important to see where the spider is biting, because I was quite little (and childrens skin is far softer than a grown ups obviously) and next that it bit my neck, where the skin is rather soft even on a grown up. Would a mature T bite the insides of my hands now I guess it would breake its fangs -> ;) <-

Edit: Just had another thaught tho - T fangs orientate towards the ground I don't know if an equally small T would have been able to "sting" me like that. I don't know what spider it was that bit me in the neck but it is quite likely it had the more evolved kind of opposite fang setup and that the little spider might have been lucky and pin down right on a nerve ending or something because I can't really believe it penetrated the skin.
 
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Lopez

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I know people who've been bitten by P.murinus hatchlings, so I'd say pretty much straight from the sac.
 

becca81

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So pretty much they can always bite..

I'm not planning on handling any slings, but I don't want to get over confident when doing maintenance or feeding and get bit.
 

Greg Wolfe

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Getting bit...

Lopez said:
I know people who've been bitten by P.murinus hatchlings, so I'd say pretty much straight from the sac.
I agree with Lopez. Straight from the sac providing their hardened up.
I have handeled quite a few slings over the years with no attempt on the slings part to bite or do a threat display. It's when some of these get bigger I employ the hands off method to transfer them.
A baby versicolor crawling on my finger is most rewarding in itself... :)
 

mimic58

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Cirith Ungol said:
Once when I was quite young, maybe 8 or 9 years old I got bit by a common spider....
I was also biten by a common british spider!, I felt something crawling on the back of my leg, it must have been up my trowser leg :eek: , I reached down to remove it thinking little of it, Unfortunatly it then Bit me twice on the back of the knee, OMG did it hurt or did it hurt!!! I duno what species it was... i was in so much pain and shock that i litrely riped my jeans off throu them to the floor and stamped down repeatedly on them, Im pritty sure i got the little sun of a #$%^#
>
I cant imagen what my nabours thought to see me standing in my boxers Screaming obsenitys at a pair of jeans and jumping up and down on them,
>
It felt like RED HOT pins had been placed into my leg and left there, i mean it REALLY did hurt! ,there was a very noticable bite area and some swealing the burning kept on for a good hour or so, I think to date that is the most painfull bite iv ever had!!!
 

Cirith Ungol

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I was also biten by a common british spider!
Yeah!! Those common spiders are really vicious and dangerous, arn't they!!! :D They are in fact the real danger in this world because they are allowed to roam free! Somone should put an end to this!! :D
 

mimic58

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Cirith Ungol said:
Yeah!! Those common spiders are really vicious and dangerous, arn't they!!! :D They are in fact the real danger in this world because they are allowed to roam free! Somone should put an end to this!! :D
I was 18 with good tolerance to pain, being an engineer i was well used to electric shocks, burns impact injurys and other unpleasntrys ,
that bite HURT!

To a small unexpeting child i dred to think how much it would hurt them especialy a todler
 
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