# check this bite report out sounds extreme Poecilotheria striata



## davieboi (Jul 17, 2008)

http://www.bighairyspiders.com/poec.html

cant imagine this would happen unless it emptied all its venom into you or you were rather sensative to the venom but happy reading:lol2:

also think its safe to say pokies should maybe be left to slightly more experienced keepers:blush:


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

davieboi said:


> http://www.bighairyspiders.com/poec.html
> 
> cant imagine this would happen unless it emptied all its venom into you or you were rather sensative to the venom but happy reading:lol2:
> 
> *also think its safe to say pokies should maybe be left to slightly more experienced keepers*:blush:


This is something I have great difficulty in agreeing with. If enough research is done, then no T is worse than any other with a comparative. My second T was a Pokie and next I'm getting a tapi. My first was my skeleton, still not a beginner T but then again I researched a hell of alot and everything is fine.

Without a comparative and with enough research no T is worse than any other.


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## iiisecondcreep (Oct 29, 2007)

davieboi said:


> http://www.bighairyspiders.com/poec.htmlcant imagine this would happen unless it emptied all its venom into you or you were rather sensative to the venom but happy reading:lol2:


I assume this is the first pokie bite report you've read then?


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## davieboi (Jul 17, 2008)

i guess you can say that you are ok with that but say somebody who isnt used to a fast t and i legs it and tags them that could be a terrible experiance for the t and the keeper 

saying that my second t was a cobalt blue i was just pointing out that is a very extreme reaction and a moderatly experienced person is meuch less likely to be bitten


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## davieboi (Jul 17, 2008)

iiisecondcreep said:


> I assume this is the first pokie bite report you've read then?


 no but this seems very bad compared to most others


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## Danhalen (Jun 6, 2008)

snowgoose said:


> This is something I have great difficulty in agreeing with. If enough research is done, then no T is worse than any other with a comparative. My second T was a Pokie and next I'm getting a tapi. My first was my skeleton, still not a beginner T but then again I researched a hell of alot and everything is fine.
> 
> Without a comparative and with enough research no T is worse than any other.


I'd have to disagree with your statement I'm afraid. Yes, your second tarantula was a Pokie, but it also happens to be a species quite renound for their more docile nature, and reluctance to bite. There are other species of poecilotheria that have somewhat contrasting personas, and are in no way suitable for beginners.

No amount of research will prepare you completely to deal with certain species, as much of your natural response to a particular action is built on confidence gained from previous experiences.


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## Lucky Eddie (Oct 7, 2009)

Bite Reports - Arachnoboards

I always look through this for a little light reading.............and especially before I buy a new T.

Its interesting the different reactions that keepers have.

Its also interesting that size doesn't always matter. Some of the tags from small Togo Starbursts are worse than from adults.


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## Ozgi (Jun 1, 2008)

"like a bee sting, but 50x worse"

Soooooo, nothing like a bee sting then? :lol2:


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## Josh-sama (Sep 26, 2008)

snowgoose said:


> This is something I have great difficulty in agreeing with. If enough research is done, then no T is worse than any other with a comparative. My second T was a Pokie and next I'm getting a tapi. My first was my skeleton, still not a beginner T but then again I researched a hell of alot and everything is fine.
> 
> Without a comparative and with enough research no T is worse than any other.


I agree and disagree. Someone who understands the risks of a tarantula may be more prepared for a tarantula than someone who doesn't. But then again, you may know what they're like by an outside view, but just knowing isn't experiance.

As Dan said, some more species of Pokies aren't so reluctant with their fangs and will just think "F**k it, you're mine." 

So safe to say, yes research can get you somewhere, but it's not entirely true to say researching a tarantula will make you ready for it. : victory:


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## davieboi (Jul 17, 2008)

Danhalen said:


> I'd have to disagree with your statement I'm afraid. Yes, your second tarantula was a Pokie, but it also happens to be a species quite renound for their more docile nature, and reluctance to bite. There are other species of poecilotheria that have somewhat contrasting personas, and are in no way suitable for beginners.
> 
> No amount of research will prepare you completely to deal with certain species, as much of your natural response to a particular action is built on confidence gained from previous experiences.


thank god the pokie king understood my point of view thought i was gonna be burned alive:lol2:



Lucky Eddie said:


> Bite Reports - Arachnoboards
> 
> I always look through this for a little light reading.............and especially before I buy a new T.
> 
> ...


i think its agood idea it lets you know what can happen if your not on your toes or if the t just happens to get you



Ozgi said:


> "like a bee sting, but 50x worse"
> 
> Soooooo, nothing like a bee sting then? :lol2:


:lol2:


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

well....I'll have to be careful around my Ornata then, it isn't escaping again that's for sure!


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## MoK3t (Aug 22, 2007)

I've kept many different tarantulas, fast aggressive ones like P.Murinus and slow docile ones like G.Rosea (Mine was a darling)

I've never been bitten or even come close to being bitten and i belive this is because i treat them all with the same caution and respect. When doing ANYTHING in a Ts enclosure i made sure i knew where the spider was and kept a close eye on it while i worked. If i had to move a spider it was the same procedure for all of em, bottomless coke bottle and long tweezers.

Never bitten, never had an escape with over 30 tarantulas. 

Just my 2p


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## atum (Jun 1, 2009)

Ozgi said:


> "like a bee sting, but 50x worse"
> 
> Soooooo, nothing like a bee sting then? :lol2:


That made me chuckle to myself :2thumb:


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## mattykyuss (Oct 12, 2009)

*bite*

my mate des has been keeping spiders for over 30 years ,only last week he was bitten by a baboon he has kept for over 5 years with no probs ,yet he had a ornamental loose in his flat for 3 weeks which showed no trouble ,its just that spider ,that day ,thats the one to be carefull of ,i have a full grown haplo vonwirthi which i handle ever day ,never had one prob ,bet if i tryed with another it might be differant ,mat


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## Poxicator (Nov 14, 2007)

snowgoose said:


> This is something I have great difficulty in agreeing with. If enough research is done, then no T is worse than any other with a comparative. My second T was a Pokie and next I'm getting a tapi. My first was my skeleton, still not a beginner T but then again I researched a hell of alot and everything is fine.
> 
> Without a comparative and with enough research no T is worse than any other.


It amazes me that someone who's had less than 1 month of keeping Ts can make such a statement, hardly the voice of experience, and unfortunately anyone new to the forum won't know that. I totally agree with reading up as much as you can but to use an analogy if you were to read the Highway code do you think you'd have the knowledge to drive?

Keeping any animal isnt about how to look after it when all's well, its when things start to go wrong that the real issues are raised. Perhaps your opinion of "everything is fine" will have a bit more credibility when you've been keeping them longer than a month


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

Poxicator said:


> It amazes me that someone who's had less than 1 month of keeping Ts can make such a statement, hardly the voice of experience, and unfortunately anyone new to the forum won't know that. I totally agree with reading up as much as you can but to use an analogy if you were to read the Highway code do you think you'd have the knowledge to drive?
> 
> Keeping any animal isnt about how to look after it when all's well, its when things start to go wrong that the real issues are raised. Perhaps your opinion of "everything is fine" will have a bit more credibility when you've been keeping them longer than a month


Personally I agree with snowgoose for the most part. I mean the T's I got were in an odd order..

1) AF C.cyaneopubescens (bit skittish but obviously not all that fast compared to a pokie.)

2) L.parahybana juvie

3) P.murinus (was my first experience of something rather fast wanting to escape rather then run down toward the sub while I closed the lid.

4) Three P.ornata slings

5) Avicularia Avicularia(I assume.)

6) G.rosea "red phase"

The pokies are the fastest, but basically when I transfer a fast one(bout 2.5" leg span now) I keep my movements really slow and fluid as to not cause too many vibrations to keep it calm. Put the smaller enclosure in the bigger one OR put the bigger one upside down and position it so the side of the smaller enclosure the pokie is sitting on has a side of the bigger one touching it, then cause the pokie to teleport upward and run to the top of the bigger one, then flip and lid it in 0.5 seconds.

Also doing it in the bath with a big see through tub to put over it in case it doesn't go to plan is helpful.:lol2:
You just have to understand you need to keep your movements slow and calm with some T's, respect their speed. It's kind of like a dog, some are really cuddly by nature, some don't seem to be so much. If you came across an aggressive looking stray you;d just keep calm and move very slowly and fluidly as to not give it cause to get overly stressed out.


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## ph0bia (Feb 21, 2009)

Lucky Eddie said:


> Bite Reports - Arachnoboards
> 
> I always look through this for a little light reading.............and especially before I buy a new T.
> 
> ...


It's also interesting when you consider how many of those reports are fabricated for the "Look at me!" factor. Funny thing is, I'm happy to say I've been bitten and give the details, but being bitten doesn't make me cool or big or clever, any jackass can get bitten and we all survive, it actually makes me feel a little embarassed.

Bite reports, sadly, need to be taken with a pinch of salt. I have eyewitnesses present at 2/3 of my bites, and Charlotte (my girlfriend) will certainly bear witness to the effects the 3rd one gave me. 

Basically, take every bite report with a touch of salt. It's very easy to write an "OMG I WAS BITTEN" story, watch at the end of this post. I also have difficulty trusting someone who happens "to know a Doctor from India (where the Mysore Ornamental is from) who worked in India and treated many tarantula and snake bites." (and firstly, didn't see him earlier, secondly, very few people in India can afford doctors, especially those labour workers living in the mountains where P.ornata is found, among other issues...) and even more difficulty trusting someone who's Email is 
<[email protected]>


If I were allergic to bullsh*t, I'd be sneezing right now.


MoK3t said:


> I've kept many different tarantulas, fast aggressive ones like P.Murinus and slow docile ones like G.Rosea (Mine was a darling)
> 
> I've never been bitten or even come close to being bitten and i belive this is because i treat them all with the same caution and respect. When doing ANYTHING in a Ts enclosure i made sure i knew where the spider was and kept a close eye on it while i worked. If i had to move a spider it was the same procedure for all of em, bottomless coke bottle and long tweezers.
> 
> ...


Doesn't always work. It's similar to the old "I walk my dog off the leash and she's fine. She doesn't bark or run off and won't attack people". You can't know that, there are too many random factors involved. A car drives past and beeps its horn whilst a yob shouts out the window, dog gets startled. Another dog comes past and -isn't- so good... same with tarantulas. Give 'em all the respect in the world and it doesn't make you immune.

If you want to keep faster, more defensive species with documented more powerful venom, then feel free to, but you need to accept there's a high likelihood you may one day experience it. I'm trying to specialise in Selenocosmiinae species, the Chilobrachys, Selenocosmia, etc... These are species renowned for their defensive (and sometimes aggressive) nature and potent venom. I'm not keeping them for the "Wow look at me!", but because I love them, and I've accepted that if I do get bitten, it will hurt SO bad.

Same if you want to keep pokies, you have to be prepared for a bite.



mattykyuss said:


> my mate des has been keeping spiders for over 30 years ,only last week he was bitten by a baboon he has kept for over 5 years with no probs ,yet he had a ornamental loose in his flat for 3 weeks which showed no trouble ,its just that spider ,that day ,thats the one to be carefull of ,i have a full grown haplo vonwirthi which i handle ever day ,never had one prob ,bet if i tryed with another it might be differant ,mat


*soap box*

This "mate des" has had so many escapes and issues I've read about this week that it doesn't seem to matter if he's kept 30 years or 30 minutes. He's inexperienced, it seems, or at least very clumsy. This is not the type of person that should be keeping these species, as by doing so, he is endangering anyone who enters his house. What's to say that an escapee isn't sitting on the sofa, and a guest comes over, goes to sit down, WHAM.

Sorry, it's irresponsible.



Poxicator said:


> It amazes me that someone who's had less than 1 month of keeping Ts can make such a statement, hardly the voice of experience, and unfortunately anyone new to the forum won't know that. I totally agree with reading up as much as you can but to use an analogy if you were to read the Highway code do you think you'd have the knowledge to drive?
> 
> Keeping any animal isnt about how to look after it when all's well, its when things start to go wrong that the real issues are raised. Perhaps your opinion of "everything is fine" will have a bit more credibility when you've been keeping them longer than a month


The bit about the highway code is spot on. I've only been keeping a *year*, researching much, much longer. When I started this hobby, I made a fool out of myself, and many enemies, on this and another forum by acting like I knew it all. Speaking with people like Pete, with the Hales, loads of people on these forums... It makes me realise how little I do know, how little _any_ of us know. But certainly, the experience is important. You can know all there is to know about a species, but only through keeping it will you understand it.

To continue the driving example, my mother has always stated "It's only after you pass your test that you learn to drive", as it's only then that you're in the drivers seat alone, or without an experienced driver with you. Those lessons certainly helped, and passing the test means you're ready, but you'd not have a hope in hell if you'd studied the Highway Code for 30 years, then one day sat down in a car and tried to drive it.

Simply put, you need to keep it to understand it. Doing your research is vital, and I can't say that nobody should get a spider like this as a starter. Mine was a P.chordatus, my girlfriends' was an H.maculata. We knew what they could do, chose to get one, accepting what could happen.

If you want to start with a pokie, fair enough. We can't stop you; it's not advisable, but with some research, some care and a bucketload of luck, it's absolutely fine 

Sorry that this has been a long ranty post, just it's a topic I feel strongly on and one of the biggest problems (on the enthusiast scale at least) in this hobby.


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## ph0bia (Feb 21, 2009)

ph0bia said:


> Basically, take every bite report with a touch of salt. It's very easy to write an "OMG I WAS BITTEN" story, watch at the end of this post.


Hey guys, I was bitten by my _Poecilotheria metallica_ (Gooty ornamental) last week, and thought I should fill you guys in on how bad this bite really is! Seriously, any of you who have these tarantulas, please be careful! Getting bitten is not fun at all...

Tuesday afternoon at about 3:00PM I was cleaning her tank as I normally would, she's usually fine, but for some reason today she wasn't fine! I didn't see her until it was too late, but certainly felt the fangs bite in! I very quickly just left her to it, closed the enclosure and washed the bite under cold water for a few minutes. At first it was a bit sore but seemed to die down after washing it under cold water.

At about 3:45, I felt my hand start to tingle, and noticed it was very red and swollen, it began to feel really hot and itchy. By about 4:15, my entire lower arm was swollen and the hand a reddish purple around the bitten area, and I couldn't close my fist anymore.
By 4:30, I couldn't move my wrist or my elbow and touching the area was incredibly painful. 

By 5:00, my entire arm was shooting with pain like the nerves were on fire, my forehead was sweating and I began to feel really tight across the stomach. My vision went a bit blurry and I felt dizzy and short of breath if I tried to walk. I took some painkillers (Ibuprofen) and this seemed to relieve a little of the pain.

I called a friend of mine, a nurse at the local hospital, and he said to come over and get some anti-histamines and steroids, so I got my girlfriend to drive me there where I took them (I don't remember the name as they were given to me unboxed). Within the hour, the pain had gone down a little and was a bit more bearable.

Next morning, I woke up and my entire arm was purple and throbbing, the bed was soaked with sweat and I realised I'd lost bladder control. When I tried to move, I found all my joints very stiff and quite weak, as if I were 90! I managed to pull myself into a hot shower, which seemed to help the pain a bit.

By midday, I was dead.





Seriously, some big words and bad symptoms and it's all too easy to fake a bite report. If you are bitten, report it (or at least record it for future documentation). Write down what bit you, the size, how you were bitten. Explain everything you did thereon. TAKE PHOTOS.

For goodness sake, don't fabricate bite reports. It doesn't do anyone any help when they post a genuine report and people shoot it down as fake. "Boy who cried wolf" syndrome. Also, it's not hard to be bitten by a spider, it's not brave.

There's an old saying on 4Chan, "screenshot or it didn't happen". As I said, I miss photos of mine as I was unable to take them but I do have witnesses who can back me up. If you find reports online, take them with a pinch of salt and try to verify it.


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## Simon M (Oct 9, 2008)

ph0bia said:


> Hey guys, I was bitten by my _Poecilotheria metallica_ (Gooty ornamental) last week, and thought I should fill you guys in on how bad this bite really is!


Thanks for that, first thing that has made me chuckle all day! :lol2:
Personally, just like most creatures, spids deserve respect and we should use common sense at all times. As we all know, they are not 'ahhhhh, cuddly kittens' type of animal. 

As for the effects of bites, every body is different, just as much as the apparent difference in quantities/potencies of venom between species. I've never been bit by a T, but been stung by a bee only twice. First time did'nt hurt - second time felt nearly as bad as getting some shrapnel in my leg in the first time I went to Afghan


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## joeyboy (Jul 19, 2008)

ph0bia said:


> There's an old saying on 4Chan, "screenshot or it didn't happen"..


what rule 34 it? That's a pretty major saying, or "pics or GTFO!", which I would say is a less tactful version of "no pics no proof no truth(or truf!)"


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## Poxicator (Nov 14, 2007)

the majority of bites seem to be dry bites or low envenom bites, not really good to compare your reactions to such a bite with others that have had a more serious bite. Check out some old BTS journals Ben, you may find Ray Gabriel giving a report that seems outside your own experience.
Having a 5 mile an hour crash is not the same as crashing at 70mph!

The issues are not solely concerned with bites however, the health of the tarantula and its requirements are important too.


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## Simon M (Oct 9, 2008)

Poxicator said:


> The issues are not solely concerned with bites however, the health of the tarantula and its requirements are important too.


Good point mate. In fact, I reckon this is of paramount importance.


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## ph0bia (Feb 21, 2009)

Poxicator said:


> the majority of bites seem to be dry bites or low envenom bites, not really good to compare your reactions to such a bite with others that have had a more serious bite. Check out some old BTS journals Ben, you may find Ray Gabriel giving a report that seems outside your own experience.
> Having a 5 mile an hour crash is not the same as crashing at 70mph!
> 
> The issues are not solely concerned with bites however, the health of the tarantula and its requirements are important too.


I read that report a while ago along with a wonderful one from Ray Hale, but he did send it to me again recently in communication in an attempt to keep me sated whilst he digs out loads of Selenocosmiinae papers 

Angela taking a hit from the Selenocosmia, yes, it's always made me respect my charges a bit more 

I'm not comparing my bites to this report, I just really don't trust this report at all. It really does seem fabricated.


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## davieboi (Jul 17, 2008)

i really didnt mean this to be much of an arguement and to be fair to who wrote this my late indian grandad was a doctor while he was in india and and he told me of spiders the size of his hand being very dangerous (could dont really know what he would call dangerous tho)and he treated many patients so it could be possible the writer did know somebody.

as many of you say different experiances and different pain tolerances

i just thought it was of interest to those thinking of aquiring new spiders

just wondering phobia how big is your metallicamine is nearing 4cm so hope it doesnt tag me:lol2:


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## Lucky Eddie (Oct 7, 2009)

ph0bia said:


> By midday, I was dead.


OMG, sorry to hear that. :gasp:

Can I have your S. ebony?


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