Tarantulas are one of the most favorite spider pets. You will have a long-term relationship with your eight-legged spider, so before you are going to make this commitment, it is imperative for you and your pet to also understand every detail about them before you bring them home.
Being famous for their long lifespan, tarantulas can live up to 20 years of their lives in captivity. They take very little space and are fairly easy to maintain, making tarantulas a fascinating pet to have at your home.
As tarantulas are docile, it is not the best choice for the owners who want to have hugs and cuddles with their pets. Tarantulas love to be left alone rather than being cuddled and pampered by their owners. Also, tarantulas lack emotions, making them different from other pets like cats or dogs who get attached to their owners.
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Do Tarantulas Bite?
Well, this question is the most asked by the people who are curious about spider pets. But when we talk about tarantulas, they do not usually bite humans until and unless someone provokes them. They usually do not want to use their venom onto the things they cannot eat, and as humans are big enough for them, they usually do not bite humans.
Tarantulas are shy, so they prefer to run away when they feel threatened. They also have another defense in which they use their urticating hairs present on their abdomen. Whatever is pursuing to threaten them, tarantulas pull out these hairs and fling them back.
They are very good at aiming, and these hairs can be very irritating. These hairs are stuck in the eyes, noses, and mucous membrane that causes excellent irritation.
When tarantulas feel threatened, and in distress, they will stretch their bodies to look greater and do whatever they can to get the threat away. Tarantulas also make hissing sounds to indicate that they are threatened by rubbing the hair on their abdomen onto the floor.
Can Tarantulas’ Bite Kill You?
Your tiny eight-legged spider friend is innocuous and will bite humans eventually only if they feel threatened by them. Their bite is not lethal at all. Tarantulas use their venom to subdue their prey, generally like a wasp or bee sting. It only causes irritation or allergy, and no death is reported ever by tarantula bite.
What Effects Do Tarantulas’ Bites Cause?
If you handle your eight-legged scorpion pet gently, they might pose little risk, but if they feel threatened, your tarantula will bite you and will release a cloud of their urticating hairs as a response in their defense. Their bite will leave scars and will be painful for you.
Pain by Tarantula bite will feel like throbbing that lasts for hours. Nausea, vomiting, and fever may occur due to the bite. In short, the effects caused by tarantula bites are very mild. But, contact with tarantula hairs can cause some more significant health effects. However, its toxicity is not that serious but still can be very painful.
Contact with their fangs causes burning or stinging effects, and sometimes numbing sensations will also happen. Other effects that will occur at sting sites are swelling, scabs and redness. There is no proper anti-venom against tarantula bites available. It is only said to wash sting sites with soap and water, and for pain, over-the-counter medicines available at home can be used.
VERDICT
Although we cannot say with 100% surety that a tarantula bite cannot kill any human. As we do not know how the individual’s body will react to its venom. But till now, there is no death reported ever to be caused by tarantula bites. Only mild allergic reactions due to bites are reported, whereas other spider’s bites can be lethal, so you should not get confused between the species.
Give the best care to your pet if you have committed to having them with you for a lifetime and do not do anything to aggravate them. Your tarantula loves to be left alone, so let them be.
