My other half has a chillean rose tarantula and I am petrified to handle her, what are her chances of biteing and what does a bite feel like? xx

Dunno but they are beautiful....

Well the simple answer would be not to handle the spider!

The vast majority of people do not handle their spiders. The spider gets nothing positive out of it, I wouldn't imagine it would enjoy being taken from its home and manhandled... handling the spider also increases risk of injury to both you and the spidey (spidey moves quickly & you jump and drop spidey, spidey goes splat).

Personally I don't see the point in handling them. I don't handle my scorpion and wouldn't ever dream of doing it, it aint worth it for either of us

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R.I.P Buster - Causing mischief over the bridge, sleep tight soldier

Always a delicate subject in the tarantula community, with about a 50/50 split! It's right in saying that there is no benefit to the spider by handling them but if done correctly there is no harm either.

I have kept tarantulas for years and have handled many. I do not handle for the sake of handling though, only if someone wants to have a go at it. If you are not confident in doing it then I would not reccomend doing it. However if you feel you are up to it then here are the general rules to follow...

Be kneeling on the floor close to the ground or over a bed.
Place your hand down flat infront of the spider and gently coax it onto your hand
Try not to manipulate the spider to much, let it do it's own thing
Just remain calm and you will have no problems.

Every person who I have got to hold a tarantula has always said how amazing it was and so much easier then they thought. Commonly said is "I don't know what the fuss is about now"

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All ive been told before is that they dont generally bite unless really provoked and that they dont bonce if dropped so handlling needs to be done sat down on the floor or a suitable area. In most cases if bitten ive been told its no worse than a wasp sting. But in any bite there is risk of being allergic.

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Banner By Smudge.

Thats spot on

A fall from a couple of feet can rupture the abdomen and the tarantula will bleed to death

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As with all Tarantulas, while some types of species may be more prone to biting than others, it really is down to the individual!

The worst thing that can happen, as mentioned above, is if you drop the tarantula.
If you are that scared about being bitten, I would personally avoid handling as you could get nervous and freak the T.

However once you do it you will realise how cute and furry they are ^^ it feels great when they walk on you.

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