My mother was driving in Okinowa Japan (several years ago my mom just retierd from the service) And she was driving down the road and this huge Bannana spider (not venimous, i think...) at least 10 inchis around, crawlled up her sholder while she was driving and went under neatht he car seat, she never found the spider, dead or alive... she was freaked out a whole week after that to get into the car!

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BOO!!!

Oh for pete's sake!
Did one little spider scare everyone away???

wow ur lame

Thank you for your responce. I was beginning to think this forum was dead.

This forum is horrid!!! In Australia our spiders are much smaller and the big ones cant really hurt you - just watch out for the worlds deadliest snakes... at least they eat the spiders!

I was watching this show on the Discovery Channel and it was about Austrailian spiders. It had all these stories about venomous spiders(funnel web...I think) that make big nests in people's houses (and inevitably bite them). Is that true?

Yes. Funnel web spiders are aggressive enough to come after you. They make most new world spiders look tame.

Come to think about it from what i hear darned near every other animal down under is deadly for one reason or another.

Here's the dreaded funnel web spider!
{{gwi:1269760}}

Yeah, but they mainly (and i say that carefully!) live in or near Sydney and noone really cares about those guys...hehehehe (Im a melbourne chicky)

Yes, this forum has been dead for a while, but you didn't need to post pics of spiders! I nearly flipped out when I saw those! =P Yuck!

Sorry about that. I just thought it'd liven things up a bit! ;)

Speaking of which, I'm noticing a LOT more spiders around recently & wonder if it's due to our unbelievably hot, dry weather.

In the house, in the barn - I'm getting tired of screaming & tired of squishing them - lol!!

The foodchain has a fair number of favorites of mine in it. if a spider HAD to be destroyed,I'd much rather some other end come to it than one resulting in my having to scrape it off the bottom of a shoe. A much better way would be down the gullet of a fat little toad.

Just my two cents.

I know that most people do in fact seem to hate spiders and I find it unfortunate. Not too long ago I felt what I thought was a mosquito tickling my arm. When I went to smack it and it fell from my arm to the floor I noticed that it was a jumping spider like the one in the picture that I first posted only black in color.
I felt bad.
Really bad.
As spiders go I've always favored the jumpers. Their body language is more evident when compared to other spiders,making them less cold and calculated looking.

I was watering my orchids one night, about a month ago, when I noticed a dark brown and gray thing on the rug. Turned out to be a wolf spider. I got another family member to spray it with bug spray (it was one or two inches long with huge fangs--I wasn't about to get back in that screenroom with it) and didn't set foot in the screenroom till the next morning (with boots on to be sure it couldn't bite me) when it was sure to be dead from the spray. It even tried to attack the family member that sprayed it. Also, the one or two inches didn't count the big legs on it. Now the screenroom door stays locked in the evening or when it rains to make sure no spider gets in the screenroom with my orchids.

Ugh! My husband once saw a wolf spider on the wall of his bedroom, and when he sprayed it with bug-killer spray, all of these tiny spiders suddenly jumped off it's back and were all over the wall. It was a mama spider carrying her babies on her back! So he had to desperately squish them all with a shoe as fast as he could. I swear I would NOT ever sleep in that room again if it were me!

Here's a pic of a wolf and her cubs,errr spiderlings.
{{gwi:1269761}}

Anyone ever heard the old wive's tale that stomping a spider turns it into a bunch of little spiders? This is probably where the myth comes from. When you step on the mother her babies dismount and flee in all directions!

Alexis,
The family member that was being "attacked" was much more likely being mistaken for an object under which the poor spider could take cover. It just looked like it was coming to get him/her when in reality it was looking for a place to hide.
I used to get wolf spiders the size of your fist in my place all the time. I left them alone they left me alone. I think they and I had that kind of understanding.

I keep tarantulas and occaisionally other spiders I find as pets. Right now I have 22 tarantulas ranging in size from 1/4" spiderlings to 6" adults, several of whom will max out in the 8" to 10" range. Males will live 2 to 5 years and females, depending on the species, can live 5 to 30 years....maybe more with some of the desert species who possess extremely slow metabolisms.

Actually, the keeping of invertebrates is a growing hobby in the USA, especially spiders, centipedes, milipedes scorpions and tropical roaches. This trend seems to be growing and picking up momentum every year. It seems to be a result of people having less time and space to care for more traditional pets which makes invertebrates a wonderful alternative. Many require minimal care once thay have been set up in a proper enclosure, usually less than a few minutes a week. They are also the only pet I know where you can actually get away with spending less on a cage and supplies than you did on the actual animal if you know how to shop.

Spiders don't bite people for no reason. It usually occurs because the person is panic-ing and crushes the spider which forces the fangs into the skin and resulting in an involuntary envenomation and death of the spider. This can also occur if your sleeping and roll on a spider or go to scratch or swat at one that is crawling on you while your sleeping. Staying calm, avoid breathing directly on the spider and then use something to allow the spider to crawl on or use a cup and peice of paper/cardboard to move it to a safer location is all one has to do. Panic and fear are really un-necessary, only a healthy respect is mandatory. I know people who actually catch, breed and sell/trade black widows, brown recluses, orb weavers and other spiders for fun. I also know many arachnophobes who used tarantula keeping as a means to over come their irrational fear of spiders. I would encourage you to visit one of these sites to learn more or to ask questions of arachnophiles who will be more than happy to share information and educate someone who is interested in learning:

www.arachnoboards.com

www.spidertalk.net

American Tarantula Society

Here are a couple online dealers who sell spiders as pets:

E-Spiderworld

Swift's Inverts

Lastly, here is a pic of my male Brachypelma smithi(Mexican red knee) eating a pinky. This is probably one of the best beginner pet species around and THE "classic" tarantula often demonized in B-movies. It is extremely harmless and quite beautiful.

{{gwi:1269762}}

Wow!!
Poor little pinky!
Was there anything left of it,or does the whole thing reduce to fluid?

Tarantulas masticate their prey so they "chew" it up while coating it with regurgitated digestive enzymes and a fluid excreted from coxal glands(they salivate from their arm pits). The pinky eventually was turned into a ball of goo and the leftovers are a greyish white blob that is usually deposited in a corner of the cage or in its water dish. Tarantula venom causes paralysis in prey but doesn't cause the connective tissues to break down.

Okay.
I knew that adult mice would be reduced to a pile of bones and hair but I had no idea that connective tissue in general escapes the digestion process. Nor did I know that they chewed their prey. Tarantulas really are amazing creatures. Thanks for sharing!

I think your all weird... :) "beautiful" is not a term I would be using if I stumbled across one of those!

hehe

I agree with kelbel.

I know this is kinda off topic, but I was wondering exactly how HabRob and AsleepInTheGarden posted pics in their posts. Any answers?

You need to use html code to post images in your posts. THe images need to be hosted somewhere. You can see the code by viewing the source for the web page and get the appropriate tags. www.imageshack.us will host images and give the various tags used on different types of pages to post the image in the thread. Click on the picture of my B. smithi eating the pinky.

I'm from the uk - no poisonous beasties here. Saying that, i just got out of the bath the other day and a huge house spider ran across my bare foot.

I'm no arachnophobic but i didnt enjoy the experience.

Funny how even though we think ourselves evolved past basic instincts it's times like these we wonder.

Quote: "I had no idea that connective tissue in general escapes the digestion process."

The connective tissue doesn't escape the digestion process. The point I was trying to make was that tarantula venom doesn't play a role in digestion.Its a common misconception that spider venom plays a role in digestion. The tarantula's digestive enzymes do break down the connective tissue during mastication.

hey how much does one of those guys eat? Ive been wanting one but i doubt i will ever get one my mom sayz its cool but my GF is a compleatly other story!!!! she is horrified of spiders! an arachniphobic if i ever saw one! n was wondering what about wolf spiders? n e one ever kept one of those as pets? I think i might have a couple in my terrium? just a lil tangled web of nothing? Could that be one of them..

Cheers

I have grape vines in my yard and every night when I water them there must be at least 75 spiders just hanging down from the vines! Dont know what type but they never bother me, I have picked grapes during the day and night with out ever being bitten, when they do get on me I just put them back on the vine and they crawl away, I dont spray because they do more good than harm, they are about the size of a dime and seem to be a creamy color.

Just make sure the one of them doesn't end up in your fruit salad!!

I heard this "urban legend" that the average person accidentally consumes a few spiders every year. Anyone know if there's any truth to this? (See the link below)

Here is a link that might be useful: Rumor

I used to work in a "big name" cake factory and I was told by the state inspector that certain (accidental) amounts of "pest" (insect and mammals) in the mix was considered safe and acceptable. He told me that the amount was "normal/safe" and was considered "unavoidable" and was the norm for all food stuff corp/companys, Im not going to tell you about the ham factory my dad worked in! YUK!

The FDA does actually have regulations pertaining to the amount of rodent hairs/feces that can legally be present in consumer products. Yuck!

UPDATE ON THE SITUATION: Please see my latest post!!!

Guess what happened today! My youngest was eating a can of chef boyardee ravioli, she has a habit of opening the ravioli like a sandwich and eating the middle first, then the two halves, so she comes up to me and says "dad, what is this?" and empty the contents of her spoon into my hand, to me it looks like a chunk of beef, so I go ahead an start to rinse it off and low and behold! Its the upper half of a cricket!(minus the head!) and if that wasnt bad enough, I open the others and three out of five had assorted cricket parts in them! We called them up and they told us they would send "compensation" I told them if its a case of ravioli, keep it! LOL! So, next time your eating ravioli.......

WOW THAT IS DISGUSTING.

GUESS WHAT HAPPENED TODAY!! I FOUND THE MOST AMAZING PRODUCT. It's this non toxic, biodegradable, all natural spider web cleaner. It dissolves spider webs. Not only that but it also prevents spiders from developing webs (in the places where the stuff is sprayed) for up to 6 months.

In case any of you don't know, I now have a breeding spider infestation in that room.

I'm NOT going to put this stuff directly in the viv-no way. But I'm sure it's safe to spray around the shelves where the vivs are (assuming i cover the lid of the viv well).

Here is a link that might be useful: Cobweb Eliminator

No poisonous spiders in the UK? With all this shipping/importing of everything under the sun? That's how pests get around. Bed bugs are making a comeback here, thanks to tourism. Do you have the Japanese Beetles there yet? Just wait, you're gonna love them too.

Just thought I'd clarify something I'm seeing here. There is no such thing as a poisonous spider. Poison is ingested. Venomous is the proper term, as venom is injected. And ALL spiders in existence are venomous. But the vast majority of spiders are completely harmless, with either fangs too small to pierce human skin, or venom too mild to cause any serious reaction. As far as US spiders that are of medical importance, there is only the black widows, the brown recluse, the yellow sac spider, and the hobo spider (western range only) to be concerned about, and all but the widows have limited ranges where they are found. Spiders are beautiful and beneficial creatures, and if evreyone will take the time to learn about them - especially the very few harmful ones - then they will all seem much less intimidating. :)
On a side note - in regard to an old post above, the brown recluse's natural range does not extend into Virginia. It is considered extremely rare in Virginia, and most spider bites attributed to brown recluses in the region are believed to actually be that of the yellow sac spider, whose bites can also demonstrate necrotic lesions similar to the recluse. :)

Hi therant, Thanks for the Info, but this poison/venom thing is just the way most people phrase it, its like," I just got stung by a mosqito!" most people know that its technically a "bite" but they use the phrase any way because its what they know, not that anyone person is any smarter than another, its just the way it is =)and I think that most if not all spiders are venomous? (I might be wrong)I would be worried, as are most on this site, about the size of the prey! (our frogs!) although venom/fangs from a small spider might not affect or be able to puncture human skin, Im sure it would do some damage to a small frog! A rose hair bit down on my finger when I was 16, it let go very quikly, I basically gave out a small,"ouch!" them put some peroxide on it and went on with my life, would I have done the same if the rose hair was four foot tall and 250 pounds......=)

therant: I think most of us know know that spiders are considered venomous rather than poisonous. Like iliketerrariums said, it's just a matter saying what comes to mind. When you were little and you asked your teacher, "Can I go to the bathroom," the teacher would always give some some type of remark like, "I don't know, CAN you?" They you'd have to re-ask the question and say "may" instead of "can." No offense, but I find that annoying.

I do not think spiders are beautiful. I think they are hideous. But, I have nothing against anyone who likes them. And I certainly agree that they are beneficial creatures.

I think iliketerrariums made an excellent point. A spider might not be venomous to a human, but there is definitely a possibility that it could hurt a vivarium creature, especially a dart frog or a baby red eye treefrog.

Hi again,
Sorry if I offended anyone. I didn't mean to come across in a "know-it-all" way. I used to give entomological lectures to gradeschoolers and their parents (spiders were always a hot topic), and most people are fascinated by and appreciative of the tidbits of info. Just trying to help. And I do agree that a handful of spiders can be a danger to other vivarium pets we may keep. But again, I apologize if I was offensive.

No problem, therant. You were just trying to make an important distinction.

Well, if I haven't told you all already, then here's a follow up to the whole "spiders in my feeder insects thing." Some how, some spiders ended up in my vivarium room and now there is an infestation!! Everywhere I look, huge spiders. Not only that, there are these little sacs everywhere and every day a few of them burst open with hundreds of tiny little spiders. Oh, and did I mentin that the spiders found their way into my vivariums too?

What a mess. Talk about cobwebs!

I can understand your frustration. That sounds like the small problem I had. I had a bit of an infestation of Achaearanea tepidariorum (common house spider) in my basement and garage. I didn't mind the spiders, but the webs can be a nuisance. Based on what you describe, I'd wager that's the spider you're dealing with - or possibly Steatoda grossa. The good news is that they are harmless to you, and pretty much harmless to all but the smallest creatures. If you want, google the species names and see if the images match your culprits. Best of luck in getting rid of them. Poor spiders :( (just kidding)

I don't know why but they are absolutely THRIVING in that room. It's not like I have insects running all over the place.

I'll try to take some pictures this weekend and post them here.

You might want to call an exterminator if they are still alive and thriving in the room. The hatchlings could get in the vents in your house and spread into other rooms. I think that's the only safe way to remove them at this point if they are taking over so much of the room. It might cost some money but I think the safety of your frogs and your peace of mind would be worth it. It sounds like the situatiion is quite beyond anything you can come up with by yourself.

wow i just read this whole thread and it was terrifying. my friend came up behind me and accidentally scared the S*%t out of me. if i ever saw a spider near me in my car like some of those people did i would definitely crash. i saw this picture of some marines in the desert holding some kind of spider or spider like insect that had to be a foot long. i'll try to find it and put it on here if i can stomach it. you spider fanatics would love it. you probably know what i'm talking about already.

Is that the one you are talking about? That is a pic of a camel spider, and it is a misleading camera trick. Compare the size of the spider to the size of the sleeve. It's really only a few inches long. Nothing to see here, move along....

-DH

yeah i just found the picture too. the last time i saw it i looked for about half a second and was grossed out. but by looking at it now, it is indeed small, i also just realized that its two spiders. still, if youre not a fan of spiders its not something you'd want to meet.

Can a "camel spider" hurt you?

I don't believe so, but why don't you provoke it and let me know? :)

-DH

Here is the HOBO spider website...including other necrotic wound causing spider species...
Under photo's you can view a map showing the distribution of each the Hobo, Brown Recluse and other Recluse species...

We have Hobo's here...big and ugly!

Vera

Here is a link that might be useful: Hobospider.org