"Handleable" Tarantulas?

but he is the size of a dinner plate and he did eat 3 times a day trust me i owned him i raised him and i know him

amending the last 2 posts

i dont know where he is now since i gave him up for adoption and i dont know exactly where he is right now or if hes dead

LOL
Well, aside from the information being incorrect, the picture is decent.

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The Goliath Bird Eating Spider feeds on frogs, small snakes, beetles, lizards, and even bats. Occasionally, these spiders will take young birds from the nest giving them their name "bird eater". The goliath sneaks up on its prey and pounces on it injecting it with poison from its venomous fangs.

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Wrong! Or, rather should I say, misleading. While Theraphosa blondi *can* eat the prey types listed, they are *not* the spider's typical diet. Also, birds live in nests in the *trees* and blondi are *terrestrial*...and...they are *not* good climbers, thus, they do *not* "take young birds from the nest"...unless of course it is some ground dwelling bird. Neither do they "sneak up on its prey" they are ambush predators who lay in wait for prey to come to *them*.

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The goliath is a very aggressive spider

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Actually, with the rare exception, no, they are not "very aggressive". They are rather quite calm, all things considered. However, if they are in a stressful environment or are being bothered a lot then, yes, they will show more aggression.
My blondi is actually quite calm as far as blondi go. I can do whatever I want in her tank and she just saunters off to the other end...if she even bothers to move at all.

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injecting it with poison

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Don't even get me started on the poison vs. venom thing. :D

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Originally Posted by Shadowspider

On the *other* hand....I also take the stand that *every* keeper who intends to keep tarantulas for any length of time *should* know the proper and safest ways to pick up and hold *any* tarantula. Why? Because, if you are in this hobby long enough, the occasion WILL arise where handling a tarantula will make its self necessary.
For example, if you have an adult H. lividum or Poeclithera sp. that has a severe case of mites or a bit of mold on it....how are you going to get it off so it doesn't end up killing the spider? You *need* to know the methods of handling, securing and working with tarantulas, no matter what species they are, docile or not.

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now don't you get started with me on this one denise :giggle: i will NOT hold them. as you already know it's my hubby who has all the courage when it comes to handling our Ts.

So girl... how many do you and Duke have now?

monty, i tend to agree with denise on this one... i don't have any Ts who would eat daily, much less three times a day. :P

kinda like feeding your snakes three meals a day...

Wasn't that photo of a Rosehair?

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Originally Posted by Rapture

Wasn't that photo of a Rosehair?

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It was indeed - nice catch!!

You can google image search for some big blondi pics



http://images.google.com/images?q=%2...sa%20blondi%22

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now don't you get started with me on this one denise i will NOT hold them. as you already know it's my hubby who has all the courage when it comes to handling our Ts.

So girl... how many do you and Duke have now?

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LOL that's ok, as long as one of you is insane...it works! :D

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So girl... how many do you and Duke have now?

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At last count 102 I think.

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Wasn't that photo of a Rosehair?

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;) good eye. Dontcha just loooove Google's accuracy. :rolleyes: Blondi aren't that "fuzzy" or that pink and they "don't" have a mirror patch. :lol:
This is what a blondi looks like one week post molt. Sorry the pic is so lousy.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...ly/Test-07.jpg

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Originally Posted by Shadowspider

At last count 102 I think.

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well i have 012 approx. does that count! :rofl:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

well i have 012 approx. does that count! :rofl:

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Absolutely!
I wish you didn't live in Canada....I'd send you some of my extras.
Actually, come to think of it, that P. metallica of yours counts as 3 just in its self. :D

heehee... ya she does :P

I thought Birdeaters were too aggressive to hold?

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Originally Posted by Rapture

I thought Birdeaters were too aggressive to hold?

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Any tarantula can be too aggressive to hold. ;) (ok, I'll stop being so nit picky :D)
As a general rule of thumb, no, you don't want to handle a Theraphosa blondi. Not necessarily because they'd try to eat you (that's what Haplopelma are for :lol:) but rather because of the urticating hair they have and because of the "possibility" that you *could* get bitten...and 1" fangs sinking into your bones is not a pleasant thought. :eek:
In all honesty (and from my *own* point of view) I would feel more comfortable handling my blondi or any of my Lassie's than I would *any* Haplopelma, Poecilotheria or baboon species. Mostly because, as far as blondi go, they have a tendency toward *not* being aggressive/defensive to the extent that some other species do.

The term "aggressive" is one that is tossed around freely with tarantulas and, in most cases, is not an appropriate discription of them. "Defensive" is, IMO, a much better adjective to use that better describes their attitudes, temperaments and personalities. My Chromtopelma cyaneopubscens is by far more "aggressive" (defensive) than my blondi and my C. cyan. is half my blondi's size.

Ok, I'm rambling. :)
Should "bird eaters" be handled, to be on the safe side, no. But then again, to be on the safe side, *no* tarantula should be handled...unless necessary.
(no, transferring is not a "necessary" reason to handle any tarantula. ;) )

Shadow spider: you pic of your T.Blondi is also incorrect. im not trying to start a fight or anything but i have had lots of experiance here. seriously though this is a 7.5" inch T.Blondi 1 week post molt.
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g55/Bodar/elvis3.jpg
and a shot of her fangs and my ugly fingers
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g55/Bodar/dafangz.jpg

although it is impossble to ID with only pics. your T is far to black and has a redish tinge it seems on it abdomen. and this is a great excuse to show my prize
specimen my P.Ornata, i know it has nothing to do with anything but hey take what you can get!!!!! :carrot:
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g55/Bodar/Tiny1.jpg

i'm guessing it was her crappy pic bodar.

niiiiiice p. ornata!!! it looks to be around 3"???

LOL yes, the picture is lousy isn't it? :D
I assure you, she IS a Theraphosa blondi. I'm assuming you've never seen an adult blondi right after a molt...they are very dark brown nearly black right after a molt, they DO have pink-ish highlights and that picture was taken 3 days after she molted. She measured 9 inches after that molt and that was last year.
I have been in this hobby for many years (between my husband and I, it's been over 25 years, me personaly, 9 years) and *do* know my tarantulas....trust me, I know a blondi when I see one and I know what my blondi looks like. I also know what my male blondi looked like when I had him and mated him 3 different times with my female. ;)
Nice P. ornata, BTW. It is still a s'ling or is it a male?

I'm not trying to argue either, but that pic you posted is not one week post molt of a 7.5" blondi. That is a pre molt blondi...the abdomen its self gives that away as does the cinnamon color.
Let's take a look at Theraphosa blondi
Notice the pink:
T. blondi 9 inches
11 inch T. blondi
Male T. blondi
Young T. blondi

Notice the color:
Most of these "freshly molted" blondi are 2+ months post molt.
Freshly molted T. blondi There is also a picture in the same thread of the same spider before it molted.
Freshly molted T. blondi
Freshly molted T. blondi 2 You may have to scroll down
6 inch T. blondi
Pre molt T. blondiNotice the cinnamon color as opposed to the nearly black coloration of a freshly molted and newly post molt blondi

amazing how different a T can look pre and post moult ;)

Yes, it is.
While with some tarantulas, it is more difficult to determine the difference between inter molt, pre molt and post molt, others, like Theraphosa blondi, it is very easy, especially once they mature. I have seen many times, people who aquire a blondi who freak out once it molts because they think they got duped because the spider sitting in the container is NOT the spider they bought...the difference is *that* severe, especially because the vast majority of photos we see of blondi are of the spider at intermolt or pre molt. Also, like with B. albo. it can be difficult to determine when they are entering pre molt until we have had them for quite a while and have actually had the opportunity to see the subtle changes they go through until they reach their next molt. Did y'all know that an adult B. albo. has *very* pink seate right after a molt. The longer seate is almost as pink as a freshly molted G. rosea. ;)

With species like blondi, as well as pretty much all other Theraphosa spp. it is by far easier to tell when a molt is approaching. The exoskeleton will gradually become lighter in color during intermolt, the seate on the abdomen will get thinner and more ragged looking, (which is evident in the photo above) generally from kicking hair. As well, the skin color of the abdomen is clearly visible where the bald spot is (again, very visible in the photo above). It will first look pink-ish and, as molt approaches, that area will get darker and darker until it is nearly black (which is the new exoskeleton underneath showing through). When a blondi is in imminent pre molt, the entire spider will tend to look "ragged" in it's appearance and will be a rather light, dull cinnamon color with the abdomen looking grey/black where the bald spot is. Once they have molted, they, like *all* freshly molted tarantulas, will look "all fresh and new". The new exoskeleton will be nearly black in appearance, the seate on the abdomen will be shiny, lush, thick and well laid along the abdomen, coming to a gentle point at the end of the abdomen. They are quite shiny (for as much as a blondi shines), the pink highlights on the leg striping and above the chelicerie is quite distinct. The hair on the legs and abdomen is a white/pink color that is easy to see under the right light.
My picture is, indeed a baaaadddd representation of T. blondi because it does *not* show their true color very well.
I would venture to guess, based on the photo above, this blondi has a few more months before it molts, as the abdomen is still brown/pink where the bald patch is, the seate on the abdomen is quite ragged, as is the hair on legs IV, the ragged look of the carapace, and the lightened, dulled colors over all suggest that it has a while to go before it molts.

:cool: i learned something but ... oh man now my head hurts

Well, you just c'mon over and Shela will explain all there is to know about her to you. :D
Heck, she'll even sit in your lap while she does it. Just don't take her mouse away...then she'll show you what one inch fangs can do to a hand and the bones therein :eek:

no thanks :bolt:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

no thanks :bolt:

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Aww, c'mon! She's a sweetheart! She'll climb right up on top of her bark, over the side of the tank and right into the hands, sit there and be happy as can be.
She's actually a very good girl....that U hair of hers though....that's a bit of a different story.
Or....you could come over and we can let Zoe (AF P. irminia) out and chase her thorugh the house....no, better yet, you can help me rehouse Reggie, my 5" P. ornata...yeeeaaahhhhh :eek:

did i say i liked you? cause i think i had you confused with someone else :bolt:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

did i say i liked you? cause i think i had you confused with someone else :bolt:

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Hmmm, umm, no, you never have...that I recall.:D
You've made comments as to "odd" "goofy" "strange" and the like, but "like".....nope.

oh that's good cause i wouldn't want to mislead you ;)

:rofl:

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

oh that's good cause i wouldn't want to mislead you ;)

:rofl:

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LOL
As long as you keep it honest (no saying things about or to me that aren't true like...."you're such a well manaered, soft spoken, decent person"....or...."she loves everyone") and keep it PG (on the public boards) it's all good! :cool:

:rofl: i'd never say such things about you! denise... i may say things like that about others... but never you :8:

now, quirky, honest, REAL, knowledgable and addicted (to critters) - those are words i'd use to describe you :giggle:

yeah shadow, it think i wrote post molt cause i just read your reply. pre-molt is what i meant. ummmmmmmmmmmm the ornata is a female. in that pic its a sling has since molted twice. dam do they grow fast, i bought her at about .5" and now she's about 4" 5". in a year, and i do not power feed. have few questions for you, you feed mice to you blondi? has it ever affected its molts? i feed mice and no it has never affected anyting. what humidity and temp do you keep you T's at? are they in one room or spread out. the reason i ask is i recently put all mine in one room with my snakes and centi's and scorps. i then bought a humidifier and a oil filled heater. now my room is a constant 75degrees and about 60 - 70 humidity. since doing this i have noticed a startling change in behaviour. everthing in the room is way way more lively now and every T i have has turned to a prolific webber!!!!!! i know that they are really loving it, so i must ask if you have the same sort of temp and humidity. or how you are controlling your conditions. i apologize for my reply also i swear i could see pattern on the legs in you pic :confused: . oh well, live and learn i suppose.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!

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Originally Posted by bodar

yeah shadow, it think i wrote post molt cause i just read your reply. pre-molt is what i meant. ummmmmmmmmmmm the ornata is a female. in that pic its a sling has since molted twice. dam do they grow fast, i bought her at about .5" and now she's about 4" 5". in a year, and i do not power feed. have few questions for you, you feed mice to you blondi? has it ever affected its molts? i feed mice and no it has never affected anyting. what humidity and temp do you keep you T's at? are they in one room or spread out. the reason i ask is i recently put all mine in one room with my snakes and centi's and scorps. i then bought a humidifier and a oil filled heater. now my room is a constant 75degrees and about 60 - 70 humidity. since doing this i have noticed a startling change in behaviour. everthing in the room is way way more lively now and every T i have has turned to a prolific webber!!!!!! i know that they are really loving it, so i must ask if you have the same sort of temp and humidity. or how you are controlling your conditions. i apologize for my reply also i swear i could see pattern on the legs in you pic :confused: . oh well, live and learn i suppose.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!

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I feed my large (6+ inch) tarantulas pinks every once in a while but roaches are their main diet. I've never had any problems with my blondi or any of my others molting as a result of eating the occasional vertebrate prey, but I would not feed it as the only food source. As far as humidity, I don't keep all of my inverts at the same humidity levels. I have over 100 tarantulas and scorpions of various species and they require different environmental conditions. I have my inverts in 3 different rooms in my home:
The living room, my bedroom and the bathroom. My shelving unit in the living room is for my desert species in which I keep the humidity at pretty much nil, the shelving unit in my bdr. is for my tropical species and I mist them on a regular basis and the bathroom is for my gravid females. I do not keep my temperatures and RH at a constant as it does not allow for the natural instinctual changes that inverts go through during the course of the seasons. I like to mimic their natural environmental conditions and seasonal changes as it is more natural for them and helps greatly with breeding.

Shela (my blondi) *does* have leg striping, all blondi do. The reason it shows so much in my pic is because of the pic its self. The camera that was used was a piece of junk, the lighting biffed and, well, it just made the pic come out funny.
Yes, P. ornata (as with most Poecs.) do tend to grow quite rapidly. I got my girl around .75" about a year and a half ago (maybe 2, I don't remember) and she's 5+ inches now...and mean as all get out!

No probs man, it's all good! :)

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i'd never say such things about you! denise... i may say things like that about others... but never you now, quirky, honest, REAL, knowledgable and addicted (to critters) - those are words i'd use to describe you

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You know me so well! :carrot:

i do i do i do! :P