Do Tarantulas get used to You?

[Bipolar Spider]

No, humans would like to think so but no, they don't.

 

[jigalojey]

Honestly? No, I don't believe they can get used to us/ know what we even are on any sort of level, to put it bluntly their brains are pathetic and they run of pure instinct from every scientific paper I have read and what I have witnessed, however I have noticed my captive bred tarantulas are a lot less defensive/on edge than my wild caught ones.

 

[Nicolas C]

I don't know how to answer this question from my own experience. The only thing I was able to witness, like was said before, is a T getting accustomed to her new enclosure then being less defensive. Maybe it's a kind of "learning" experience when the T understands that it can be secure in a new environment? Could it be the same with handling for instance? I don't know.

But what is written in some books I read (cf. Biology of spiders for instance) is that several spiders spp. are able to "learn" new behavior and to adapt to a new context. But the statement was made on true spiders, not tarantulas. Couldn't it be the same for them? I really don't know.

 

[gobey]

Is adapting = learning though?

 

[goodoldneon]

I suppose it's possible that a tarantula could become habituated to handling - enjoy it however, unlikely.

But life is full of surprises, and one never knows, now does one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb_9X3I38N0

 

[Poec54]

Is adapting = learning though?

Yes, but their are limits to the invertebrate brain. Being able to accept Godzilla as a friend is a far stretch for an animal that is typically solitary and cannibalistic. Some T owners want their spiders to 'like' them and be a cuddly pal (a bizarre concept), and interpret things from that perspective. Nothing like that goes on in nature. To some extent, some can get accustomed to the disruptions of captivity after enough exposure, but their drives are food, water, and reproduction, not companionship with other species. Like any wild animal, instinctive reactions can be triggered by unexpected stimulae, and running and biting are never out of the mix. Since far more intelligent wild mammals turn on their human owners, how can you expect invertebrates not to?

 

[gobey]

I was just thinking though, isn't adaptation to external stimuli also probably hardwired into their instincts? Does that count as learning new behavior or information?

And yeah, I learned a while back to accept them for what they are. Abandoning what I had imagined my first T might be like and was sold to me as going to be like. It's a G. porteri that while settling in put up with a lot of newbie crap from me. But now will not hesitate to bite anything that touches her or comes close to her. She doesn't want to be my friend. And would prefer she never saw me I'll wager.

I like them just the same however. Doesn't change that they fascinate me.

 

[Poec54]

I like them just the same however. Doesn't change that they fascinate me.

Same here. In fact I prefer them feisty. How can you not admire such a small animal that stand's up to a human, hundreds of times its size? We certainly don't have anywhere near that kind of courage.

 

[VenomousMe]

Have you considered that it's not your spider getting used to you, but you getting used to your spider? You are capable of learning, your tarantula is not. It's entirely possible that the reason your pet seems less threatened is you have adjusted the way you approach situations. People tend to take themselves out of the equation and put the spider as the only variable. They aren't the only variable, though; and it's far more likely that the change is in you.

Could you explain where you got your information, list your sources please, about tarantulas not learning? I find that to be a very interesting and broad statement.

 

[BobGrill]

I'd say we're more comparable to King Kong then Godzilla, being that we are mammals. With that being said, continue please....

 

[Storm76]

To some extent, some can get accustomed to the disruptions of captivity after enough exposure, but their drives are food, water, and reproduction, not companionship with other species. Like any wild animal, instinctive reactions can be triggered by unexpected stimulae, and running and biting are never out of the mix.

This brings it down to the point. They no doubt get accustomed to their cages being picked up and the like, but their reaction depends a lot on the individual and its particular threshold for disruptions of any kind. Some will start frantically running around, others will just stay put, but most in my own collection "adapted" / "got accustomed" to all the disruptions while growing. In fact, I'd say that the more they grow, the more "self-confident" (doesn't apply, but in lack for a better term) they get in dealing with such disruptions.

Example: My huge A. geniculata was a very outgoing defensive speciemen when I got it as a ~3". Over the time, she "ignored" more and more of me disturbing her. Stopped attacking the waterstream refilling the dish, stopped attacking the tongs when I removed I bolus - but all that is still very possible and I have had her suddenly do it now and then. IMO they certainly perceive the same thing differently depending on the "mood" / "time" they get exposed to it. So in the end, letting down your guard and assuming - sooner or later will lead to an unfortunate outcome one way or the other.

 

[Poec54]

You are capable of learning, your tarantula is not.

Actually they are, to a limited extent. Being big and conspicuous, they also have to make a lot of decisions on the fly. Arboreals have to be the most aware of their surroundings, or they'd be falling out of trees. Tarantulas have a relatively large brain and there is intelligence there, by invertebrate standards. Some people try to take it further and project mammalian intelligence and feelings into them, which then becomes absurd.