Since I’ve been sharing my experiences and journey in tarantula keeping, what many people like asking me is if I’ve ever been “attacked” by my tarantulas.

I’d like to preface this by saying I don’t necessarily believe in the terminology of a tarantula “attacking” me – I don’t believe tarantulas attack at all actually. I believe tarantulas only act out of self defense or hunger and I believe that any time a tarantula bites a human it is because they feel scared, threatened, or it is a mistake for food.

I personally have not ever been bitten by my tarantulas. Well, Blinky is just a little sling so I guess they don’t count. But I have had my g. rosea, Spidey, for several years and she is quite a big girl. During this time she has been very sweet and docile, although she does sometimes get a little more antsy and jumpy after a molt. She has never threat posed me, but then again I have never really pushed her to do so. I have always tried to test her temperament and move slowly and gently in her presence. While that may not work for all spiders, she seems to have a pretty good temperament and is ok as long as I am being respectful.

However, I HAVE had Spidey kick hairs at me before (pic in video above!) – and it’s my own fault. New world spiders have urticating hairs on the back of their abdomens, which can be a bit itchy and painful if they got on you (and quite dangerous if you breathe them in or get them in your eyes). What happened is a perfect example of why we need to be respectful and gentle with our spiders because they are so sensitive.

I think Spidey kicked hairs at me within the first year of being in my care. I was a lot more careless and less respectful of her back then, and would handle her much more than was necessary and didn’t really understand her need for stability and alone time. So one night I couldn’t sleep and turned the light on suddenly so I could see what she was doing. I would usually try to be pretty gentle in opening up her lid but I guess this time I was a bit clumsy in the night and startled her – bad move. Because of my lack of care, I saw that naughty back leg go up and start to move toward her abdomen. My hand was about to go into the enclosure before that happened, but I quickly changed my mind – and I’m glad I did. Spidey kicked a few hairs at me, but fortunately none got on me because I realized what she was doing and moved away. And I’m pretty glad I did, because my hands and face were originally pretty close to the tank!

However, I don’t take this personally. I know I was in the wrong for surprising her and that she was scared. I have also seen her kick hairs at her own food before just because she was annoyed and wanted to be left alone so I wasn’t too offended. That was pretty hilarious to see, by the way!

I’d like to end this by saying that the number one thing I do to ensure that I don’t get “attacked” by my tarantulas is that I leave them the hell alone lol. I rarely handle them (haven’t for over a year) and maintain minimal contact with them. I let them have their space and really only move about their tank if they need water or food (and even then I try to be very discreet). The most fussing I will do with them is when I have to clean their enclosures which only happens about twice per year. Other than that, they are happy in their homes without my interruption!