It was a big red-legged tarantula. She had it in one of those terrariums that looked like a big glass ball. The thing would burrow down into the soil about five or six inches and would spin webs all over the surface of the ground in there. We tried to keep the terrarium as clear as possible of the little cricket corpses which she’d sucked dry, not to mention her own waste, but about every three months or so, the whole thing had to be cleaned out and filled with new, clean soil. During that time, someone had to hold on to the little beastie, and I was usually the one to do it.
As long as she didn’t get onto rough clothing, there wasn’t really all that much to it. She’d try to wander around and explore everything, and I had to keep moving my hands around to keep her from getting onto my back or somewhere that I couldn’t reach her. That was more for her protection than mine. Even though a big spider like that might be able to jump a fair distance, if they fall even from a pretty short height, they’ll likely rupture their carapace and die.
The feel is a little weird, but not bad. They’re dry and there’s not any kind of residue or anything from them being on you. It almost feels as if you were to take eight little paper clips and have the tips of them tapping up and down your hand or arm. Kind of unusual, a little tickly, but generally pretty easy to deal with.
