Some info...

Hello,

I'm new to Arachnoboards and am quite scared of spiders (as you can tell by my name) but I'm looking for more info on them and this looks like a great place to get it! Are any of them deadly? Which ones? What are the rules about having pet tarantulas if you're a tenant? (Particularly in Alberta and BC?). Are they dangerous for kids to be around? Babies? Are any illegal?

That's probably more than enough questions for now - any replies are much appreciated :?

i recently joined the other day i'm no expert but you have come to the right place! the people here will help you with basically anything you need to know and they are really nice...i'm also a bit scared of the fact that they can bite me but i still enjoy having one and take the best care i can for my T. AND for the first time i can say this to someone WELCOME TO THE BOARDS!!!

all T's possess a certain amount of venom. rules about keeping them vary depending on where you live; best to just ask your landlord. basically some are handleable and some just arent. handling isnt really recommended, but lots of people do it. its just a matter of when and how really. as for when, if a T is giving you a threat display, then id say, that is not a good time, or if it is molting, definately not a good time. and as for how, there are several methods in the "methods of handling your Ts" sticky thread. do plenty of research. never handle a T if you do not know what sp. it is, and also just use common sense. and also, welcome, this place rocks!

Scared-of-Ts said:

Hello,

I'm new to Arachnoboards and am quite scared of spiders (as you can tell by my name) but I'm looking for more info on them and this looks like a great place to get it! Are any of them deadly? Which ones? What are the rules about having pet tarantulas if you're a tenant? (Particularly in Alberta and BC?). Are they dangerous for kids to be around? Babies? Are any illegal?

That's probably more than enough questions for now - any replies are much appreciated :?

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First off hello and welcome to the boards. I'm pretty new myself but you settle in quick.

Are they deadly? - no species of tarantula has venom that will kill a human, unless you are allergic to it. Some of them can make you feel pretty nasty tho. Some species are a lot more likely to bite. From what I have gathered the Brachypelma (eg Mexican Red Knee) and Grammostola (eg Chilean Rose) species tend to be more chilled out, while the Pokies and the Pterinochilus are more irritable.

Dangerous for kids? - tarantulas will not differentiate between a kid and an adult, it is a case of whether the *kid* is more likely to provoke the *spider*. Kids like grabbing things and playing with them and tend to be less aware of potential dangers posed by small furry critters. Clumsy handling and constant hassling of a T is likely to result in a bite. If the kid can be told to look and not touch, and if they DO handle a T (one that is known to be docile and okay with handling!) they need to understand that they aren't to be handled the same way as a hamster or something. It's a case of having the spider sit in / walk over your hands. No cuddling, no stroking, no playing. Obviously if the kid DOES get bit, the venom will have more of an effect than on an adult due to their smaller body mass. However I have still never heard of a non-allergic human dying from a T bite, even a child.

Babies? - don't put a tarantula near a baby. Neither will benefit from it. If you're talking about having a T in the same house as a baby, that's okay as long as you ensure it's in a secure tank that the spider cannot get OUT of and the baby cannot reach INTO. I would never let a baby or toddler come into contact.

Legality - I'm in the UK so I can't be sure, but over here there are no illegal tarantulas. There are a few spiders which you must have a Dangerous Animal license to keep. I don't know about Canada but I've not heard of any T's being illegal anywhere.

Can't help you out with the tenancy question, I think you would have to ask your landlord. Hope I have been of some help. Are you asking these questions out of curiosity or are you considering getting a tarantula? I myself was arachnophobic all my life, got almost totally over it just by learning about spiders, and finally conquered my fear by getting a T of my own. I wouldn't recommend a pet T to someone terrified of spiders because it will make it difficult for you to care for it properly, but if you are simply a little apprehensive then I think it works wonders. If you don't want to you never have to touch it and they really are fascinating to have around.

Any more Q's just ask, you're in good hands here!

What exactly is your intention? If you are trying to come to terms with a fear (phobia) that you have then this is a good place to do it. But simply going out and starting a hobby to overcome a phobia is not advised and probably would not be successful. Don't jump to conclusions from my tone but I care too much for tarantulas to have them thrust into an environment where they are the centre of a human fear. My recommendation would be to work with a friend(aquaintance) who has Ts or spend some time with them at a dealer first before deciding to purchase.

Thanks for your reply - nope, I'm not wanting to get one, and I agree that getting one simply to overcome a phobia isn't a good idea. My boyfriend has lots of them and I'm just wanting to learn more about it and this looked like a good place for that because of all the experts on here. That's all - no worries about a tarantula being thrust into an environment of human fear!!

They'll grow on ya.

In time you'll wanna change your name to "I Love Ts"

How many does your boyfriend have?


-Matty

With respect to bites and allergies, there is some debate on this topic. However, most experts are of the view that true allergies to tarantula venom are highly unlikely. The composition of the venom is much different than that of bees and wasps and is not likely to cause allergic reactions. However, because each person's body reacts differently to foreign substances, it might be possible for someone to be allergic. Though this is highly unlikely.

There are no known, reliable sources of any deaths due to a tarantula bite. Some reports that can be found have more of a myth quality to them than of truth. In my opinion you should not worry about bites being dangerous. Besides, they are fairly easy to avoid by simply not handling your tarantula.

Tarantulas can make great pets for kids since it encourages them to learn about them. Because they are not very common, they can become more intrigued by them and want to learn about them. As mentioned, they are not the same as a hamster or a gerbil and should not be viewed as a cuddly play thing. With proper supervision though, kids can learn how to handle them properly. My children have grown up with them and have never had any problems. As a matter of fact, they have all gained a respect and love for them and are quite knowledgable now. My son's fourth grade teacher asked for him to help when they discussed spiders in their science class.

Windchaser said:

With respect to bites and allergies, there is some debate on this topic. However, most experts are of the view that true allergies to tarantula venom are highly unlikely. The composition of the venom is much different than that of bees and wasps and is not likely to cause allergic reactions. However, because each person's body reacts differently to foreign substances, it might be possible for someone to be allergic. Though this is highly unlikely.

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I don't know if I totally agree with that just for the fact that t bites are uncommon. Even among poeple who have kept hundreds of species for several years many have never had a bite.So i think its hard to determine exactly how many people are truely allegic, based on the fact that so few are actually ever exposed to a t's venom, as opposed to bee stings where most of the population has been stung at least once and knows if they are allegic or not.

Scared-of-Ts said:

Thanks for your reply - nope, I'm not wanting to get one, and I agree that getting one simply to overcome a phobia isn't a good idea. My boyfriend has lots of them and I'm just wanting to learn more about it and this looked like a good place for that because of all the experts on here. That's all - no worries about a tarantula being thrust into an environment of human fear!!

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What an intelligent approach to the problem! The world needs far more people like you! :clap:

Beccas_824 said:

I don't know if I totally agree with that just for the fact that t bites are uncommon. Even among poeple who have kept hundreds of species for several years many have never had a bite.So i think its hard to determine exactly how many people are truely allegic, based on the fact that so few are actually ever exposed to a t's venom, as opposed to bee stings where most of the population has been stung at least once and knows if they are allegic or not.

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Read through this thread. It discusses some of the make up of tarantula venom and why it is highly unlikely to be an allergen.

Beccas_824 said:

I don't know if I totally agree with that just for the fact that t bites are uncommon. Even among poeple who have kept hundreds of species for several years many have never had a bite.So i think its hard to determine exactly how many people are truely allegic, based on the fact that so few are actually ever exposed to a t's venom, as opposed to bee stings where most of the population has been stung at least once and knows if they are allegic or not.

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I think your point is valid Becca but it goes further..
If I remember correctly Bee Venom is a sensitizing agent.. that is the more times you are exposed the worse the reaction will be... it could be your 3rd sting or 53rd but eventually it can produce anaphylaxis

So it can be argued that enough people have not been bitten and enough people haven't been bitten often enough..

But the facts also remain that the peptides in T venom are much different ..
This has been covered THOROUGHLY in another thread..

I say get more familiar with T's through your boyfriend...

If YOU have kids.. and are worried.. just make certain he's not had any escapes.. and all cages are secure before you bring the kids over.. and ALL will be fine..

personally I'd be more worried about the neighbor's dogs than a sig. other's Tarantulas. Best of luck

Beccas_824 said:

I don't know if I totally agree with that just for the fact that t bites are uncommon. Even among poeple who have kept hundreds of species for several years many have never had a bite.So i think its hard to determine exactly how many people are truely allegic, based on the fact that so few are actually ever exposed to a t's venom, as opposed to bee stings where most of the population has been stung at least once and knows if they are allegic or not.

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It's not just as simple as making a headcount and going at it from a percentage or likelyhood kinda way. The thing is that T venom is peptide based. There are certainly other animals out there that have a peptide base venom but I don't know what animals they are. I know though that scorps, bees, snakes, an many many more animals have protein based venom and that that can cause severe allergic reactions.

It is scientifically *proven* that T's have peptide based venom and it is reasonably certain that a venom with that make does not cause allergic reactions in humans.

Edit - ah, ok, point already covered...

I have read all the threads about why T venom isn't that harmful to humans...I was just simply pointing out that I don't think there is enough of an actual human study group to know for sure. I fully understand that T venom is different than bee venom(because of some peptide chain) and that like, 1 in 8 poeple are allegic to bee's, and I know the subject has been discussed very, very, much, i was just saying if maybe there was more hard actual human evidence I might be more apt to believe it. I'm definetly sure that 1 in 8 of us on these boards arn't allegic to T's I was just simply saying that a lot fo poepel have never ever been bit by a T and have no idea how their body will react to it.

Beccas_824 said:

I have read all the threads about why T venom isn't that harmful to humans...I was just simply pointing out that I don't think there is enough of an actual human study group to know for sure. I fully understand that T venom is different than bee venom(because of some peptide chain) and that like, 1 in 8 poeple are allegic to bee's, and I know the subject has been discussed very, very, much, i was just saying if maybe there was more hard actual human evidence I might be more apt to believe it. I'm definetly sure that 1 in 8 of us on these boards arn't allegic to T's I was just simply saying that a lot fo poepel have never ever been bit by a T and have no idea how their body will react to it.

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However, significant research has been conducted on what types of foreign substances invoke an allergic response in humans. Given that tarantula venom is not similar to these types of substances it stands to reason that allergies to tarantula venom are not very likely. Accurate conclusions can still be drawn from what is known about allergens and tarantula venom to safely say that allergies to tarantula venom are highly unlikely. It is not necessary to have a large sample of bite victims to come to this conclusion.