Is doing this with a spider really safe?

[Taenia_spp]

@Telperien

I finally looked at the picture. I did emit one “Eeee!” out of pure reflex (spider on human= me going, “Eeee!”) but it actually wasn’t that bad. I’m off to look up MacTech’s thread now.

I also did an “Eeee!”, but this was more of a squeal of cuteness than terror.

Seriously though, spiders are pretty amazing creatures. To all those that have never handled a tarantula, I highly encourage you to do so. Though they don’t look it, they are actually quite fuzzy. Having one walk on your hands and arms literally feels like there’s a moving teddy bear there.

There’s currently a spider that lives in my windowsill. I’m envying David Sedaris, who captures flies and then feeds them to his spider, because flying insects are wily creatures to capture.

[JThunder]

@Telperien

If it were one of those kinds with the shooting hairs, I think it might be bad, but other than that, no.

Most tarantulas will kick hairs in order to discourage predators and other perceived enemies.

Actually though, I think you have it backwards. The more prone a tarantula is to kicking its hairs, the less likely it is to bite. As a general rule, the more aggressive a species is, the more likely it is to bite without provocation.