While we wait for the algae to die....

I also have living happily beside my computer two tarantula spiderlings (baby tarantulas). They are a new thing for me; I've avoided most things that could bite or sting me. These are not for playing with, though, they are more of an experiment. At the moment they are tiny; the larger Chilean Rose (Shelob) is only an inch when she's relaxed, and the Avicularia versicolor (Aragog) is even smaller – a mere half inch.

I did my research. I wanted one of the more docile species. Some are downright aggressive, and while I don't plan on handling the creature, you never know when you may need to in an emergency. Some spiders bite, some run like mad and escape easily, and some kick hairs. Tiny little urticating hairs – barbed hairs that apparently some can actually fling at any perceived threat. That's what scares me most, considering my allergic reactions to bristleworms and similar beasties. After many hours on the internet, I decided on the Chilean Rose, and decided to get one as a spiderling and watch it grow.

Of course, the place I ordered from (Swift's) would have to have a special... free tarantula with every order. So heck, why not... I found a pretty one that had no “danger, aggressive” label and got him too. I neglected to research this one as much as my initial choice.

Mistake.

When they arrived I carefully arranged my containers, and gingerly unwrapped the packing material...3 little containers, one with crickets, and two with wadded up paper towels. Ok. No problem. I took a deep breath, wondered why I'd decided on tarantulas, and opened the first one. I even put the paper towel in the container for the unwrapping, just in case. This happened to be Shelob, the Chilean Rose. She politely stepped out of the paper towel and sat rock still as I slapped the lid on. Well, I thought, that was easy. Next! Now I'm a pro! Same drill, I carefully unwrap the paper towel... and Aragog is off like a shot across the kitchen counter. Visions of future giant spiders draining my blood while I hang from the attic rafters in a deadly cocoon fill my mind, but after much panic and mayhem I catch the little devil.

So what's the moral of this story? Do your research. If I had, I would have known that A. versicolor, while a fairly docile spider, more likely to not bite than bite, is also an arboreal species. Meaning, actually, that they are far more likely to run like crazy and climb anything in reach than bite.

At least there's a happy ending, so far. They are both pretty well-behaved now that they have settled in, and they eat their crickets and sit around looking menacing, which is pretty much all tarantulas seem to do. I assume they are happy, they build elaborate webs and defend them. And no one has bitten me or kicked any hairs in my eyes, so the truce holds, for now.