We have ANOTHER critter in our menagerie...

Who was brave enough to open the link???

  • I fear NOTHING!

    Votes: 9 56.3%
  • I only opened ONE eye.

    Votes: 4 25.0%
  • No -- and HELL no!

    Votes: 3 18.8%

  • Total voters
    16
  • Poll closed .

ThreeShadows

Quid me anxia?
Do you know that they molt their skin? One morning you will get up and suddenly it will look like you have two of them. They're like lobsters (well, not as delicious...), they have to shed their exoskeleton in order to grow.

By the way, I used to suffer from arachnophobia until I realized that humans are more capable of inflicting pain on me.
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
I'm not a violent person by nature but I truly feel your childrens' new pet ought to be squashed with a brick. And by the way, don't mention to easy child that I roasted a chicken yesterday! ;)
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
3S... yup. We knew that! :) We also get tarantula hawk wasps here... they lay their eggs on the unsuspecting tarantula as it goes into hibernation and then becomes a meal for the newly-hatched wasps. So for those of you with the urge to squish... rest assured that nature keeps things balanced around here!

TM, I will certainly keep your menu to myself! She would not be pleased. ;)
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
Yeah. The tarentella was named because it was thought that the dance mimicked the behavior of people bitten by tarantulas.

Personally I think that's a cute one!

Tarantulas have a very impressive threat display where they rear up on their back pairs of legs, wave the front ones around, and bare their fangs.

They also, if really feeling threatened, will rip out their own body hair and THROW it at the aggressor.

The hairs are incredibly fine and also barbed. It is supposed to be like getting a face full of fiberglass and from what I've read, acts as a pretty good deterrent to predators.

Do a bit of searching on how to care and feed your new family member. I seem to remember it was crickets raised on vitamin supplemented feed, but that's from thirty years ago. I'm sure we know a lot more about how to care for these critters now.
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
They also, if really feeling threatened, will rip out their own body hair and THROW it at the aggressor.

Oh yeah! difficult child 2 found this out the hard way last Spring with a little fella our neighbor saved for him. :sick:

We'll get some crickets for him and then likely let him go in a week or so.
 

Abbey

Spork Queen
Ummm...NO.

The other day I was driving in the pitch black dark when I glanced out my driver's side window to round a corner and there danging half way down was a HUGE black widow. I thought I was going to crash my car. I reached for the closest thing...a milk bottle and tried to smash it without smashing my window. Missed and the darn thing dropped to the floor somewhere by my feet. I FREAKED out!! Fortunately it's only a 5 minute drive to work. So I drove stamping me feet the whole time and shaking my body. I bet that was a site to passing cars.

I get to work and we have to wait in our cars for someone to open the store. I promptly bolted out of my car and knocked on the door of another employee. He rolled down his window and I frantically said, "I'm sorry but could I sit in your car? There is a black widow in mine." He says sure. I get in...some young kid I didn't recognize but that's not ususual as there are hundreds of employees there. I introduce myself and he the same. It was this poor kid's first day of work. He's probably wondering what nuthouse he just got a job in. ;0

Abbey
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
We only rarely see Black Widows up here, but we do see brown recluses. Contrary to popular belief, neither of these species are particularly aggressive. In fact, most people who get nailed by recluses get it when sleeping. They roll over on a spider trapped in the bedding.

Certainly nothing like the funnel web spiders Marguerite is familiar with.

My favorite spider is the American Orb Weaver. They are covered with black and orangey yellow stripes. They are huge spiders and spin gorgeous webs.

We had one in TN that set up a lovely web where the steps to our trailer joined the door to the home. husband got the wild idea of feeding her. He'd catch grasshoppers and crickets and moths and place them in the traplines in her web.

Bessie learned within two weeks to recognize the sound of our car and would rush out to the center of her web and wait for her supper!

She lost all fear of us and it was fascinating to watch her wrap up her prey and feed. The mechanics of the web were very apparent and husband quickly learned how to place the meals so that Bessie could cut the silk wrapped carcasses free without doing structural damage to the web.

the only downside to the whole thing was the yearly influx of baby Bessies that showed up in early spring.
 

busywend

Well-Known Member
Oh goodness. No way in this lifetime would I take that thing in! Of course, I have only seen them at the zoo behind glass - so I may be misguided. NOT!
 

Mattsmom277

Active Member
HE*$ NO!!!!!!!!!!! Not in MY house. Not in MY shed. Not in MY garage. Nope nope nope!!

However, that being said, in elementary school we had a cool science teacher and we kept some odd creatures in the classroom, including the neatest tarantula. I didn't mind it at school. That is because i didn't have to sleep with both eyes open ;)

Hope your kids enjoy watching the creeper. I am glad you are turning it lose down the line though.

What kind of nuts are you all to be sharing green space with tarantulas and black widows?? I'll settle for the bears around here! They can't go unnoticed in my yard or hanging out in privacy of cars. YIKES!
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
What kind of nuts are you all to be sharing green space with tarantulas and black widows?? I'll settle for the bears around here! They can't go unnoticed in my yard or hanging out in privacy of cars. YIKES!

Yeah, but spiders don't tear open CARS to get snacks! Sheesh.
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
Nor do spiders get tangled up in down-town Christmas lights display and have to be tranquilized before they can be untangled and safely moved.
 

Mattsmom277

Active Member
dang, a bear tangled in Christmas lights? Sounds like someone should have handed him a beer, seems he just wanted to celebrate the holidays ;)

I'll take the big bears. They are kinda big babies. They may rattle the odd garbage can outside, but you see them right away. you can smell them before you see them. You can make a loud noise and THEY run away. A spider like that? It sees you and sees lunch and runs TO you. Unnn uhhhhh lol
 
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