Our newest pets

[tracilicious]

A few weeks ago, as we were cleaning the bottom of the sandbox, we discovered a gorgeous female black widow spider and a few egg sacs. We all wanted to get a closer look, so Michael caught her in Indi's bug jar and we brought her inside. We destroyed the web and killed the egg sacs, and had every intention of doing the same thing to the spider after the kids were in bed, but after spending some time watching her spin her web and move her graceful legs, I couldn't bring myself to do it. So, we named her Ursula. She's in a very kid-proof jar. Indi could open it, I'm sure, but he knows how dangerous she is and he has utmost respect for her. Jade can't open it, and she's kept out of reach of the kids anyways. So no one is in danger or anything.

I might be crazy, but I'm totally in love with her. She's so beautiful. We feed her a cricket every few days and it's fascinating to watch her eat. Last week we found a male black widow, and decided to complete our collection. We dubbed our spindly male Triton. The only problem is that he won't eat. He's built a paltry web. We put a cricket in with him, but he didn't touch it, so we gave it to Ursula. I don't know how much longer he can go without eating. We're considering putting him in with Ursula so they can mate, but I don't really want her eating him afterwards. Or maybe I do...might be kinda cool.

This week we're going to upgrade her habitat to something a bit bigger, but still equally escape proof (and duct tapable to prevent entry). I'll post pics in a week or so when we get our new camera.

[Disneyphile]

Wow!

As creeped out as I am by bugs, I have to say that's a beautiful story, so respectful of nature, and really fascinating!

Congrats on your new little family members. It'd be interesting if you took them to the vet for a check-up. ;)

[scaeagles]

Completely different story in my house, traci. We had one in the garage, so I squished it. Then I went inside and said "now if I could only get rid of the other venomous blood sucking female in this house that sucks the life out of her mate I'd be doing really well". The wife punched me several times.

[CoasterMatt]

visible mojo, Leo ;)

[BarTopDancer]

YUK!

[€uroMeinke]

Pictures!

[RStar]

YUK!

Ditto.

Spiders are about the only thing that creep me out.

[Kevy Baby]

Cool story T. I appreciate your respect for nature: you understand that she is poisonous and protect your kids (and you and the hubby) without making the spider villainous. Thank you!

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Spiders are very cool looking but there is no way I'd keep a black widow around, "kid-proof jars" or not. I'd keep a bug pet though, that would be neat, especially for the kids. There are plenty of cool looking spiders that can't kill you or your children....;)

[Not Afraid]

Black Widow Spider bites don't inject much poison and death is rarely a symptom.

If a black widow spider bites a person, do not panic! No one in the United States has died from a black widow spider bite in over 10 years. Very often the black widow will not inject any venom into the bite and no serious symptoms develop. Wash the wound well with soap and water to help prevent infection. If muscle cramps develop, take the patient to the nearest hospital. Some victims, especially young children, may be admitted overnight for observation and treatment. There is treatment for a black widow spider bite that can take care of the symptoms. Various medications are used to treat the muscle cramps, spasms and pain of a bite. Black widow spider antivenin is seldom necessary.


The venom of the female black widow spider is 15 times as toxic as the venom of the Prairie Rattlesnake. Only a minute amount of the toxin is injected in a single bite by the spider however, so they are rarely fatal. By comparison, the relatively large amount of injected rattlesnake venom results in about 15 to 25 percent mortality among those bitten.

The bite itself is often not painful and may go unnoticed. But the poison injected by the the Black Widow bite can cause abdominal pain similar to appendicitis as well as pain to muscles or the soles of the feet. Other symptoms include alternating salivation and dry-mouth, paralysis of the diaphragm, profuse sweating and swollen eyelids.

Persons with heart conditions or other health problems may require a hospital stay. (Heart and lung failure may result in death.) A physician can evaluate the severity of the bite, and give specific antivenin or calcium gluconate to relieve pain if necessary. Healthy people recover rapidly in two to five days.

First aid measures: Apply an ice pack over the bite location and keep the affected limb elevated to about heart level. Try to collect the spider specimen in a small jar or plastic bag for examination by a spider expert, even if you have crushed it. Treatment in a medical facility may be necessary. Call the Poison Center for additional information. Poison Centers across the country now have a new national emergency phone number - 1-800-222-1222

[tracilicious]

Spiders are very cool looking but there is no way I'd keep a black widow around, "kid-proof jars" or not. I'd keep a bug pet though, that would be neat, especially for the kids. There are plenty of cool looking spiders that can't kill you or your children....;)


I get what you're saying here, and think you have a valid opinion. If I thought I were putting my kids at any risk then I wouldn't be doing it. Actually, I feel like I'm lessening their spider danger. Black widows are everywhere here, their chance of running into one is high. Now even Jade sees the spider and says, "Spider bite! Make Jade sick!" Granted, black widows are not aggressive spiders, so their chances of being bitten are low, but still, I'm glad they recognize the potential danger.

This spider in a taped up jar is by far not the most dangerous thing in my house. We have 350 pounds of dog that could easily kill a child if they so decided. I'm trusting that they won't, they're very gentle dogs, but they could, and it does happen. Indi has real tools (saws, hammers, nails, screwdrivers, etc.) that he plays and builds with. He cuts vegetables with sharp knives. We have a pool with a big fence, but he's very smart and I'm sure he could find a way over it if he really wanted to.

He's four and half and he understands the proper way to use those things, so it's no more a risk to him than it is to me. Jade can't understand, so we take measures to ensure her safety. Like keeping Ursula in a non-breakable jar that she can't open in a place that she can't get to. ;)

Btw, we put Triton in with Ursula and he got eaten. :evil:

[BarTopDancer]

YUK!

Why do I keep reading this thread??

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Thanks NA for the info! I had no idea they weren't as dangerous as all that.

Btw, we put Triton in with Ursula and he got eaten. :evil:Heehee! Putting this at the end of the post won me over. ;) I love me some nature carnage.

I think it's awesome that you're teaching Indy how to use sharp objects. Here's to real world learning! :cheers:

[BarTopDancer]

I think it's awesome that you're teaching Indy how to use sharp objects. Here's to real world learning! :cheers:

What she said!


[omg wtf is wrong with me! I keep clicking on this stupid thread! It's almost like There's a monster at the end of this book!]

[Kevy Baby]

I love me some nature carnage.Come over to our place on most any weekend and you will get to see a baby mouse or two get devoured.

[Not Afraid]

This thread has led me to reading lots of stuff on the internet about poisonous spiders. I'm still trying to verify some facts, but apparently there are only 2 dangerously poisonous spiders in North America - the Black Widow and the Brown Recluse. Neither are very deadly, but neither bite can be very fun to deal with. Black Widows are most dangerous to cats and horses - their venom can kill either of them.

It's been fascinating reading! There is lots of unwarranted fear surrounding spiders. I certainly share that fear at times.

[tracilicious]

I've been bitten by an Arizona Desert Recluse (cousin to the brown recluse). It was not fun. I didn't get very sick, as it was on my ankle, but I do still have a scar. A friend of mine got bitten on her stomach and was sick for nearly a month. It ate away at her flesh and she still has an indent about the size of a silver dollar under her belly button.

So I have no fondness for brown recluses, but I do love me some bugs. (As long as they aren't crawling on me or hopping around!)

[Not Afraid]

Black Widow venom affects the nervous system while Recluse venom acts directly on the tissue immediately surrounding the bite which then heal slowly or not at all.

And, then there are those who are really paranoid about spiders. (http://www.angelfire.com/ultra2/spider_information/)

[scaeagles]

Brown recluse spiders are majorly nasty. My former business partner got bit by one and it ate a hole the size of a chicken egg in his leg before he even noticed it.

[€uroMeinke]

I need to take some pictures of this year's porch spiders

[Capt Jack]

oh yeah, I have those all over the yard. large invisible web curtains that envelope you as you head to the car port. most of the inhabitants are no bigger than a nickle when you first spot them. by the time you stop seeing them when the rains (in SoCal?) come, they're half dollar sized or bigger. they're pretty impressive

wouldnt love 'em except for the incredible volume of skeeters and flying termites I see caught in their webs. I figure theyre earning their keep, so I let em stay

[Disneyphile]

I've read that daddy long leg spiders are extremely toxic, but lack the ability to really bite anything.

And, like BTD, why the heck do I keep looking at this thread when my skin is already crawling?

It's mixed emotions for me, I think. I'm drawn to Traci's respect for nature, but I'm still phobic of all things buggy.

[Mousey Girl]

This thread has led me to reading lots of stuff on the internet about poisonous spiders. I'm still trying to verify some facts, but apparently there are only 2 dangerously poisonous spiders in North America - the Black Widow and the Brown Recluse. Neither are very deadly, but neither bite can be very fun to deal with. Black Widows are most dangerous to cats and horses - their venom can kill either of them.

It's been fascinating reading! There is lots of unwarranted fear surrounding spiders. I certainly share that fear at times.

A close friend of mine lost her dachshund to a pair of black widows that had nested in the doghouse.

[alphabassettgrrl]

And, like BTD, why the heck do I keep looking at this thread when my skin is already crawling?

It's mixed emotions for me, I think. I'm drawn to Traci's respect for nature, but I'm still phobic of all things buggy.

Yeah, I'm with you there. Spiders are kind of cool at a very distant remove.

[tracilicious]

I've read that daddy long leg spiders are extremely toxic, but lack the ability to really bite anything.


Mythbusters busted this. They can bite, they are not extremely toxic. I miss that show.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Mythbusters busted this. They can bite, they are not extremely toxic. I miss that show.
It's still on, they even have a bunch of online content they don't show on the show.

Or are you not watching in protest of the horrible scripting they've taken to in the recent season?

[tracilicious]

Heehee. I'm not watching because we don't have cable anymore.

[BarTopDancer]

Can someone do me (and DP) a huge favor and change the title if photos arise? I can't seem to look away but if photos show up.. all bets are off.

[Kevy Baby]

Hey BTD: Don't open this:

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/reptiles/spiders/images/GoliathBirdEatingSpiderWHSp_AP7I.jpg

[Snowflake]

Good thing Indi does not harbor Ron Weasley's opinion of spiders....

This is cool, but also a bit creepy.

[Disneyphile]

Ooooh - it would be a cool thing to add to Halloween decor.

Traci, you could always spruce up her habitat with some Halloween village stuff. ;) I can totally see her with a little black tree, with a couple tombstones underneath.

[tracilicious]

That is a great idea DP!

[DreadPirateRoberts]

That is a great idea DP!

I hope Triton gets his tombstone.