Now im terrified

I was planning on getting a tarantula to help me overcome my fear of them. I heard they are for the most part calm and gentle animals. Watching this scared the poop out of me and postponed me getting a tarantula for a while. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiZgdkurcGc

Jeepers creepers look at those fangs! Eeek!

Thats what im saying. I went to see handling videos and thats the first one i see. Me overcoming my fear isnt looking too good.

Im missing something...? What part scared you?

You don't have to handle T's. They're fragile so its easy for them to get hurt.

Well for starters I never recommend a G.rosea (Rose Hair) to anyone as a first T because of this reason. A ton of people say oh they are great for first T's and yaddah yaddah but a lot of people dont tell you the dark side of the rose hair.

If you want a great starter T look for something in the Brachypelma family.

Also if you are watching youtube videos of tarantulas I recommend only watching Jon3800's tarantula videos

http://www.youtube.com/user/Jon3800

There is a link to his channel.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Im missing something...? What part scared you?

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Mike ALL OF IT !!! :O:O:O

Every White Plain Show i promise myself i will ask one of vendors to hold one...

I'm attending that Show 3rd year in the row almost all of them...

And every one of them .....:bolt:

yae that what I'm doing... :rofl:

Whoa...that's an angry bitey spider.

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Originally Posted by Aes_Sidhe

Mike ALL OF IT !!! :O:O:O

Every White Plain Show i promise myself i will ask one of vendors to hold one...

I'm attending that Show 3rd year in the row almost all of them...

And every one of them .....:bolt:

yae that what I'm doing... :rofl:

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So what youre saying is im gunn have to convince you to at the next show...?

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Im missing something...? What part scared you?

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Its the fact that im scared of them to begin with. If one of my snakes bit me it wouldnt freak me out. I would just evaluate the situation and figure out why it happened. If a tarantula bit me i would need years of therapy.

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Originally Posted by Gerardo

If a tarantula bit me i would need years of therapy.

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Haha that made me choke on my snack! :D
Yeah, I don't like spiders much, either - would not want one crawling on me with all those legs :O
That's just waaay too many legs!

If that scares you, please don't buy a tarantula.

I would also advise to never ask to hold a T at a show. If a vendor is willing to let you hold a T, move to the next table.

Had no desire to have a Tarantula before that. And now I have even less. I don't hate, just not for me. All you T owners enjoy.

Get a spider that isn't aggressive! And after it eats and settles in, do that same thing with a butter knife or a stick to see if it's aggressive in it's natural state. If it is aggressive, return it or sell it.

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And stop watching scary spider attack videos..NOW!! :O

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Originally Posted by Capray

Get a spider that isn't aggressive! And after it eats and settles in, do that same thing with a butter knife or a stick to see if it's aggressive in it's natural state. If it is aggressive, return it or sell it.

- - - Updated - - -

And stop watching scary spider attack videos..NOW!! :O

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If you don't want an aggressive spider, don't get a spider!! Do you think you can tame them? It took 15 years before my Chilean Rose threw her first threat pose. Im pretty sure she was settled in.

They are not really a pet that you handle. Can you handle them? Sure, doesn't mean you should. You could also handle your fish if you wanted too.

A pretty good chance the spider isn't going to make it if you get bit. First reaction most people will have will be them flinching or snapping your hand back. A drop like that wouldn't be the best thing for your pet or the animal that you want to hold to get over a fear.

Respect the spider as you would any other pet.

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Originally Posted by Gerardo

Its the fact that im scared of them to begin with. If one of my snakes bit me it wouldnt freak me out. I would just evaluate the situation and figure out why it happened. If a tarantula bit me i would need years of therapy.

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I'm guessing you are talking about a non venomous snake? Tarantulas are venomous. Some more potent than others but they all are. Look up bite reports. They can go from, feels like a bee sting to... Throwing up for a few days, tunnel vision, muscle cramps, high fevers etc.

Will all respect, you might want to start off keeping a few Wolf spiders or Jumping spiders.

The people posting "handling" videos are A. people who have been keeping Ts for years. B. didn't get enough attention from mommy. C. Just stupid to begin with. :p

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Originally Posted by Capray

Get a spider that isn't aggressive! And after it eats and settles in, do that same thing with a butter knife or a stick to see if it's aggressive in it's natural state. If it is aggressive, return it or sell it.

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All have the chance to be aggressive at some point or another.. hungry, or react defensively if startled. There are many that are known to generally be 'nicer' than others, but this is not always the case. I'd recommend a Brachypelma sp. or a Grammastola pulchripes, a hundred times over a rosehair... not only for a more consistent temperament, but you're also less likely to go on a fast, or have problems because of being more sensetive to their environment. I would never approach a spider like the person did in the video unless I'm TRYING to get a bite... soft barely noticeable movements near the front of the body? What do you think crickets feel like when they approach a spider? I don't offer a horse a carrot by holding it between my fingers, I don't stick my fingertip out to a rat (especially one guarding babies), and I don't let my hand crawl around like a mouse in a snake's cage.

There are safER ways to approach and handle a tarantula, but there are never any guarantees, and frankly, most of them don't particularly enjoy being handled... some just seem to tolerate it better than others. Unless a person is aware and OK with the idea that they might get bit, it's probably not a great idea to handle them at all with hands :)

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Originally Posted by Anatopism

I don't offer a horse a carrot by holding it between my fingers

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Unrealistic comparison. Horses are way more dangerous. And scary

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Unrealistic comparison. Horses are way more dangerous. And scary

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More people are killed by horses each year, for sure :) Big chompers too. So devious.

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Originally Posted by 3skulls

They are not really a pet that you handle. Can you handle them? Sure, doesn't mean you should. You could also handle your fish if you wanted too.

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Wait... you *shouldn't* handle fish? I used to have a goldfish I took with me everywhere in my pocket. Sadly, he died, not sure what was wrong with him...

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Originally Posted by Coleslaw007

Wait... you *shouldn't* handle fish? I used to have a goldfish I took with me everywhere in my pocket. Sadly, he died, not sure what was wrong with him...

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Didn't you read the owners manuel that came with hims??

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It would have been worth it if you got some videos for YouTube.

Thanks for all the comments. As for me getting a tarantula i wasnt trying to get one so i can handle it all the time. I just want to be able to handle one without freaking out. I just hate the fact they scare me for no real reason. I actually wouldnt mind not handling it but i want to face my fears and thought that caring for a tarantula could help me do that.

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Originally Posted by DrDooLittle

Didn't you read the owners manuel that came with hims??

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No... I got him second-hand and he didn't come with one :( He seemed to LOVE going for walks, he'd flop around all happily and excitedly open and close his mouth. He was such a happy fish! :D

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Open and closing their mouths is them giving kisses.

Reminds me of the keychains they were selling in China. A baby turtle in a ball. I think they lived for a few months :/

This thread made my day

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Originally Posted by 3skulls

Open and closing their mouths is them giving kisses.

Reminds me of the keychains they were selling in China. A baby turtle in a ball. I think they lived for a few months :/

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I KNEW he loved me!

Ugh. That makes me think of the "bonsai cats" hoax lol. http://ding.net/bonsaikitten/gray.html

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Originally Posted by Anatopism

More people are killed by horses each year, for sure :) Big chompers too. So devious.

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Satanic!

I was timid with spiders when I first started with Ts. I did a ton of research before getting my first and decided to start with slings. I now have 23 beautiful Ts from adults down to tiny baby dwarfs (Hapalopus sp. Colombia). I love feeding them and watching them in their enclosures but I do not hold them. I have all terrestrials and if I had an accident with one and it fell it would be tragic. I respect them for what they are- A tarantula not a puppy. I have G. rosea (I don't think this should be a first either) all the way to an OTB (orange biting thing). They all are different even within a species. Take the time picking one out just like you would a snake. Just because they are cheeper than a $900.00 BP doesn't mean it should be treated with less respect. There are a ton of really knowledgeable T people on BP.net so don't hesitate to ask them questions.

PS I would also bite if someone shoved something in my mouth too!