Originally posted by Doobdonk
This is a top thread Mr Lopez!
I read the first five pages on Saturday, took well over an hour with all the info, thought i'd check back to see how the blighters were doing 
You've actually got me seriously interested. If it wasn't for the fact that i'm unsure of how the missus would view having a tarantula around the place i'd seriously contemplate this.
Have you any advice on owning a tarantula with a very small child around the place? Obviously it's a matter of keeping it out of reach, but i'm not sure it's a risk i could take. I presume any potential bite would be more harmful on a child?
With small children it's honestly probably safer to keep the tank well out of reach, or even better, in something like a lockable cabinet, with sliding glass doors so you can still see the spider. (like you can get for videos, spirits, etc etc.)
You only need to have the tank open once a week for the desert species (food, water, humidification, cleaning the tank) so it isn't the inconvenience youmay at first think.
I can leave the Chile open while cleaning and feeding but she has all the temper of a brick. Inanimate in the extreme.
For the baboons I slide the lid open, insert cricket, slide lid shut and leave it at that. I never
ever leave them open and unattended - given the immense speed they move at it isn't worth the risk.
If the worst were to happen and a child were to be bitten, they would suffer similar effects to a wasp or bee sting - pain in the affected limb, swelling etc. Old World (Africa/Asia) tarantulas tend to have more potent venom, another reason to stick to Middle American species like the faithful Brachypelma genus.
Many people report Anti-Hystemene tablets as being an effective remedy for a bite - bear in mind there are ZERO recorded deaths from Tarantulas, and that includes kids, the sick, the elderly....
A New World spider is far more likely to crouch and hide if prodded by inquisitive fingers. Hair kicking may ensue, which can make your eyes swell and itch like crazy for a few hours. But usually you have to really annoy them to do that.
Of course, tarantulas don't read books about themselves - you may end up with an evil ball of hellfire Chile Rose, or a Baboon spider that would rather spend an afternoon mincing about daintily instea of hissing and attacking everything that moves.
You will rapidly "learn" your pet's temperament.
Miggyman.....
Fish?!?
?!
