# Best handling tarantula?...



## tasio (Aug 22, 2013)

Hey i think Ts are very very amazing pets to have , i have other exotic pets but i have never own a Ts , i jsut wanted to know which one is the best for beginners as i have read many different things , i do want to be able to handle it so which is the best handleble Ts for begginers? i like mexican red knees but ive read that they tend to flick hairs quite a lot ? 

thanks


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## Guest (Oct 24, 2013)

I personally handle none. It doesn't benefit them in anyway. 

If you really must then I would go for a Brachypelma albiceps. Very docile and easy to keep.


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## Mrchancellor87 (Jan 10, 2012)

Every T has its own personality. I have 5 adult B. smithi and one is a complete ballbag. 

So it's just luck of the draw.

Brachypelma albopilosum (curly hair) are usually pretty docile.

I'd say Euathatlus sp RED are the most docile as I haven't heard of any mean ones. Thats not to say that the one you decide to hold will not bite you.

You gotta gauge its temperament and accept you're taking a risk.

Also, there are quite a few threads on this if you go scouting around 

Now, commence other people saying that you dont need to hold a tarantula..


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## Payne (Sep 8, 2013)

I've never owned one myself but my friend had a B. smithi and I used to handle it. It was calm and didn't move too much.


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## jadeyydoe (Apr 27, 2009)

depends on the T its self I would say.
I have a b vagans that is supposed to be docile yet skittish, shes more like the devil incarnate, I wouldn't bloody dare hold her, she scares me 
and a fireleg which is supposed to be a renown hair flicker but I have only seen her flick hairs once and thats cos I man handled the lid ad scared the crap out of her by accident (my bad) I plan on handling her once in a while just to build up my own confidence with Ts, shes probs my best bet for this.

when I wanted a T that I wanted to handle I got it from a pet store, they cost more yes but you get to actually get to see its temperment a bit and what not before buying and see how it is to handle (although I don't think many other pet stores are willing to handle for you to check like the one i went to was ha) instead of just getting posted a random one 
probs sound like I'm talking utter tripe :lol2:


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## EddieWood (Jun 20, 2013)

**



ImBatman said:


> I personally handle none. It doesn't benefit them in anyway.
> 
> If you really must then I would go for a Brachypelma albiceps. Very docile and easy to keep.


Although I dont think t's should be handled recreationally or very often, its important to be confident handling them incase of medical emergency or something but thats something keepers will argue until the end of time 

I +1 B.Albiceps, my af is the most docile creature ive ever came across

(idk what happened to the title of this post)


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## tasio (Aug 22, 2013)

Thanks for all the replies i will have a look at all the names and i will go to a pet store and see if they could let me look at them and see how they react that was quite a good idea didnt think about it lol ... i do believe ill get the mexican red knee or a curly hair T as they seem to two of the most common choices. Also are spiderling a lot more difficult to take care of ? Because they are like 5 pounds instead of 50 .. 

Cheers


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## wilkinss77 (Sep 23, 2008)

tasio said:


> Thanks for all the replies i will have a look at all the names and i will go to a pet store and see if they could let me look at them and see how they react that was quite a good idea didnt think about it lol ... i do believe ill get the mexican red knee or a curly hair T as they seem to two of the most common choices. Also are spiderling a lot more difficult to take care of ? Because they are like 5 pounds instead of 50 ..
> 
> Cheers


a red knee sling will take ages to grow, a curly hair sling will grow quicker. you're better off getting a sexed female juv rather than a sling, cos if it turns out to be male, it won't live very long once it matures, but the females live for years.


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

As said above it all depends on the individual spider and their temperament, I have a sub adult female G pulchra, a species recommended as being of a docile nature, I would not dare handle mine, she's the spawn of Satan and a down right horrible/nasty spider in nature but she's gorgeous and is my favourite spider & on the flip side I have a Chile Gold Burst, she's an adult female and is the calmest and most docile of all of my Ts and she will calmly walk only my hand when she wants to, she just sees me as something else to climb on really.


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## sage999 (Sep 21, 2008)

I always worry more about the tarantulas welfare than the handlers, after all its not the tarantulas who are asking to be handled. You will be advised of several of the more suitable handling species and this normally comes down to the individual experiences of each owner. Even the most docile species can boast the odd skittish specimen so if you really feel compelled to handle do it just above a soft surface such as a bed. Never let someone you know to be nervous or scared attempt to handle your specimen as this is when the poor creature is likely to be launched across the room.


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## Adam B Jones (Jan 17, 2011)

Only thing I would add here is that handling/checking temperament in a shop is not necessarily the best way to judge a spider in my opinion. Their reaction to being prodded/handled etc will depend on a range of variables such as how long it has been in the shop/how settled it is, how often it is poked/prodded, how warm it is being kept, lighting, general disturbance, whether it has a hide etc etc... If it is unsettled/stressed/not adapted to it's enclosure, it may well (although by no means definitely) seem more docile than it actually is, although that sounds odd:

When a spider is within what it considers it's territory due to adapting to an enclosure by adopting a retreat, laying down silk lines etc, it will behave differently to when it is outwith this territory. Eg, it may rear up/strike more readily in it's enclosure than it would outwith it. I rarely handle mine at all, but one thing I would never dream of doing is reaching into ANY tarantulas enclosure and trying to scoop it up with my bare hands, as the knee-jerk reaction of the spider may well be a bite! Most tarantulas, when removed from this territory seem to behave a lot more kindly, but there are no guarantees, plus some are just plain psychopaths.

If you really want a "handleable" one, I'd say it's best to go for one of the mentioned "docile" species, do the research on tarantula husbandry in general, spend some time looking after it, and then judge whether or not you feel comfortable giving handling a try.

I would say it would be safer for both parties concerned to coax it into a tub with a paintbrush, and then allow it to walk around on a large, open, safe surface, and see how you get on guiding it about with a paintbrush before deciding to stick your hand in front of it...


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## Tarantulaguy01 (Mar 31, 2012)

just my opinion


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## Harbinger (Dec 20, 2008)

If its got a good temperment, and its out for a wander anyway, i dont see the harm in letting it wander over your hand. People always seem to overreact when it comes to handling tarantula's, obviously it needs to be done safely to both parties but thats just common sense.


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## tasio (Aug 22, 2013)

just wanted to thanks everyone that reply and i though it would be a good idea to update all of you and say ive got my first T is a chilean rose tarantula, nad she is beautiful they let me hold it at the pet store and she was so calm i had to get it she is a beauty


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## Payne (Sep 8, 2013)

tasio said:


> just wanted to thanks everyone that reply and i though it would be a good idea to update all of you and say ive got my first T is a chilean rose tarantula, nad she is beautiful they let me hold it at the pet store and she was so calm i had to get it she is a beauty  image


Congratulations! Hope you enjoy keeping her


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