An eight legged friend who lives in my tub.

[Tonya]

A couple months ago, I discovered this little spider living in my bathtub. He isin't there all the time, just a lot of times. Not in body, but in legs in length and all, I'd say he's about as big as a golf ball. His little body is shaped like an upside down dorrito, lol!
At first i was scared of him, and wanted him dead, but then I thought, "What would Wilt do?", and then I actually got over my fear, little by little. But he seems harmless enough. Never going anywhere.
And here's a thing, he can't seem to crawl out of the tub. The little thing tries and treis, takes a break for a day or two, and then tries later. I've seen spiders WAY smaller, and bigger, crawl outta my tub better than he can.
I named him Little Guy. Not that I'd want to actually pick him up, but I've grown accustomed to him as a friend, mabe even as a little pet. And sometimes he looks flat, sleeping?, and I get scared thinking he might've got squished! So, just to make sure, I actually either bang on the ledge or kick the tub and he jolts like he got startled out of his sleep, lol :).

Just thought I muight share Little Guy wth everybody.

[SkittleMonkey]

Oh, he sounds so cute! Well...for a spider anyway. Sure hope nobody squishes him.

[Thornwhistle]

You are right not to touch him/her. You never know if a spider is poisonous or not,so be on the safe side.

[Carlaz]

Your very own "IF" only he's real! :)

[koosie]

I like that WWWD thing. That's funny.

Are you sure he wants to be in the bathtub? The spiders here all like hiding behind stuff so he might feel a bit exposed. Go on, pick him up and put him somewhere he'd like to be. Use gloves if you're nervous but I'm sure it'll be fine.

On a related note, if you had a spider web with silk the thickness of your wrist it would be strong enough to stop a 747 at full speed. Jeepers!

[Tonya]

Yeah, I got the "WWWD?" idea from that "WWJD?" saying. I just had to say that :).

But yeah, you're right, mabe he likes my tub. And I could never touch a spider! I'm too afraid! Well, mabe one day I'll get up the guts to atleast pet him. You know, I don't even know if it's a he or she. I always make assumptions on animals without looking, lol!

[LaBlooGirl]

And here I went and squished a house spider today. It had the nerve to be on my armoire so that when I opened the door to get a necklace, I nearly touched the thing with my whole hand. Ick.
Sorry, but most spiders I hate. Some are real cute and i actually like them (jumping spiders! Aww.) but others are nasty. These house spiders look like snot and are just gross, so I have to squish them otherwise they end up in my bed.
EW.

(Case in point, I had a larger house spider end up in my bed....I got under the covers and as I flipped the edge up, I felt something smack my eye, and saw something fall to the bed. When I looked, it was a spider. I've been even more skeeved out since.

[pitbulllady]

Can you get a picture of the spider? It might be a good idea for me to identify it, to at least let you know if it's dangerous or not. In actuality, very few spiders are dangerous to humans, and most have fangs way too small to penetrate human skin(Common House Spiders being a case in point-they cannot bite us, and they actually eat other spiders, including Brown Recluse spiders, which are VERY dangerous to humans). Unless the spider is in a web suspended above the tub, it's probably not in a good place. Many times spiders fall into tubs and sinks, and cannot climb back out, so they eventually will starve to death. You can easily capture a spider, even a dangerous one, without touching it, by using a small plastic condiment cup, the sort they put ketchup and stuff in at restaurants, that has a lip. Invert the cup over the spider, and use a stiff piece of paper to carefully slide under the cup and spider, then once the spider is on top of that paper, and covered with the cup, turn the whole thing over. Tap the paper gently to make the spider drop down into the bottom of the cup, then quickly remove the paper and replace with the lid. You can take the spider outside or to another safe place and release it. I actually encourage spiders, especially House Spiders, to stay in my house, to control insect pests, which are a big problem here in the South. They catch countless mosquitoes, flies, gnats and even fleas, keeping the latter away from my dogs and cats. Spiders actually kill 3,000(yes, that's three THOUSAND)times more insects than birds, bats, reptile and amphibian insectivores combined, making them the most significant predators of insects on the planet.

pitbulllady

[Tonya]

I really wish I could send ou a pic of it, but I don't have that kind of fancy equipment on my computer :P.
Aww, there's a small part of me who almost wants to keep it. What do spiders eat? Can they eat the food we eat?

[Medikor]

Well, if you want to move him without touching him, you could slide a piece of paper under him and carry him somewhere else. He may be too heavey though. He sounds like one big sucker!8D
If you really want to feed him then I suppose you could bring him some bugs or something. I don't know because I've never had a pet arachnid before. But I always thought it would be cool to have one of those big scorpians!:bloogrin

[pitbulllady]

I really wish I could send ou a pic of it, but I don't have that kind of fancy equipment on my computer :P.
Aww, there's a small part of me who almost wants to keep it. What do spiders eat? Can they eat the food we eat?


All spiders are carnivores, which means that they eat other animals. In the case of 99% of the spiders on the planet, that means other small arthropods-mostly insects and other spiders(yes, many are cannibalistic). A few species specialize in hunting small vertebrates; Fishing Spiders, for example, will catch small minnows(hence the name)along with tadpoles and small frogs. Some tarantulas get large enough to eat small rodents and birds or small reptiles. MOST spiders require that their prey be still alive when they catch it, since their feeding response has to be triggered by specific movement of the prey, though they can be fooled into eating something pre-killed, as long as it's fresh. I feed some of my tarantulas the same frozen-thawed, pre-killed mice or small rats that my snakes eat. No spiders can eat, or would eat, processed human food, though. Unless your bathtub is overrun with insects, that spider you found in the tub will most likely starve to death for not being able to get enough food.

pitbulllady

[Cassini90125]

No spiders can eat, or would eat, processed human food, though.
pitbulllady

Which makes them smarter than us. :D

[pitbulllady]

Which makes them smarter than us. :D

Yeah, I guess in a way, it does!

By the way, what do humans, chimpanzees, Bottlenosed dolphins, gorillas, orangutans, orcas, African Gray Parrots and Jumping spiders have in common?

Hint: It's something quite unique and special in all the Animal Kingdom, something not shared with most other animals, including our familiar dogs and cats. The Jumping spiders are the only invertebrates to exhibit this, which makes them even more unique and special.


pitbulllady

[Sparky]

Is it like, self-recognition? Being able to look in a reflective surface and know that it's yourself? And I know that jumping spiders (or at least some/one species) exhibit the ability to memorise prey items, does it have to do with that?

[pitbulllady]

Is it like, self-recognition? Being able to look in a reflective surface and know that it's yourself? And I know that jumping spiders (or at least some/one species) exhibit the ability to memorise prey items, does it have to do with that?

YEP! That's it! These are the only species which have been documented by behaviorists to demonstrate awareness of self, and recognize their own reflections in a mirror. This indicates and extremely high degree of intelligence and is considered to be one of the indicators of the most intelligent species. With Jumpers, it is no surprise, considering that in some species, their brains occupy nearly 65% of their total body mass!

pitbulllady

[kageri]

If I were a spider I wouldn't want to be trapped in a bathtub.... perhaps you can get a plastic cup or something, and slide a piece of paper under the spider so you can take it outside. That's what I do.

The thought of jumping spiders kinda gives me the jibblies, though. I mean, spiders that jump. Not as bad as the hissing roaches, but still.

[BlooCheese]

HISSING COCKROACHES.
One time, I opened the door to my dad's tool shed and was about to step inside, but luckily I looked up before entering because the door frame was decorated with lovely hissing cockroaches.

[pitbulllady]

HISSING COCKROACHES.
One time, I opened the door to my dad's tool shed and was about to step inside, but luckily I looked up before entering because the door frame was decorated with lovely hissing cockroaches.

Uhm, Hissing Cochroaches are native only to Madagascar, though a lot of people breed them in captivity to feed to tarantulas, geckoes and other critters, or just to impress people. They're sorta expensive, though.

pitbulllady

[kaytea]

aww how cute
I had a spider leaving in my bathtub too I named him/her jeff(yes it can be a girls name too)
each time I went to th bathroom I liked to talk to him/her and sometimes it felt like he/she was listening(yes I know that sounds stupid)
I was so sad when my dad killed him/her =(

I have a little fear of spider
I actually think spiders are adorable and like watching them close or from a distants but some reason when one starts crawling on me I freak out
(one day I break out of that)

[donna323]

I'm not sure, but I THINK, we had a brown recluse spider outside our front porch this summer. It was big (about the size of a dime), fat and furry, and had a violin on its back, a white one. It wove this elaborate web between a push and a porch pole.

I heard they were dangerous, so I have to admit I executed it.

I believe spiders are a good sign, mystical and magic, like the full moon. But I didn't want something around that could put my daughter in the hospital, you know?

[BlooCheese]

Uhm, Hissing Cochroaches are native only to Madagascar, though a lot of people breed them in captivity to feed to tarantulas, geckoes and other critters, or just to impress people. They're sorta expensive, though.

pitbulllady

Oh. I am ignorant when it comes to bugs. But I know they weren't those jolly, fat, black ones that look sort of like this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Eurycotisfloridana.jpg
They had yellowish-brown stripes and their bodies were more elongated, and they made these sighing sssssss noises.
Are there other species of roaches that can make noises?

[pitbulllady]

Oh. I am ignorant when it comes to bugs. But I know they weren't those jolly, fat, black ones that look sort of like this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Eurycotisfloridana.jpg
They had yellowish-brown stripes and their bodies were more elongated, and they made these sighing sssssss noises.
Are there other species of roaches that can make noises?

Those must have been American Cockroaches, also known as "Palmetto Bugs" or "Water Bugs" by people who don't want to admit they have roaches: "Oh heavens, no, we've NEVER had cockroaches in this place! Now, we do occasionally see a Palmetto Bug or two, but no roaches!" That species is really large, too, and can fly. They can make a slight hissing noise with their wings, especially if a large number of them are present. Their claws can make noise on surfaces like wood, too.

pitbulllady

[BlooCheese]

Aaaah! Thank you for informing me with new knowledge.

[pitbulllady]

I'm not sure, but I THINK, we had a brown recluse spider outside our front porch this summer. It was big (about the size of a dime), fat and furry, and had a violin on its back, a white one. It wove this elaborate web between a push and a porch pole.

I heard they were dangerous, so I have to admit I executed it.

I believe spiders are a good sign, mystical and magic, like the full moon. But I didn't want something around that could put my daughter in the hospital, you know?


That would have been an Orb Weaver of some sort, probably Araneus diadamatus, NOT a Brown Recluse. Brown Recluse spiders have these sloppy, very "abstract" webs that they spin in corners and underneath things, rather than those big aerial webs with that classic shape. There's nothing "elaborate" about a Brown Recluse web. ALso, they are not very large at all, and their "violin" marking is DARK, not white, and located on their carapace around and just behind their eyes. Brown Recluse spiders do not have white on them at all, and their hair is very, very short, barely visable even in macro photographs. Here is a really good macro(close-up)of a Brown Recluse that appeared yesterday on Deviant Art, taken by an entomologist. She is missing a front leg, but you can see that characteristic "violin", the short, fine hair, and the characteristic eye arrangment-these spiders only have six eyes, which are arranged in three pairs in such a way as to resemble a human face, with the "nose" being the middle pair of eyes. If you live within the range of the Recluse species, it's a good idea to know how to recognize them. Brown Recluse spiders are almost always found INDOORS, by the way.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/43184263/

pitbulllady

[LaBlooGirl]

That would have been an Orb Weaver of some sort, probably Araneus diadamatus, NOT a Brown Recluse. Brown Recluse spiders have these sloppy, very "abstract" webs that they spin in corners and underneath things, rather than those big aerial webs with that classic shape. There's nothing "elaborate" about a Brown Recluse web. ALso, they are not very large at all, and their "violin" marking is DARK, not white, and located on their carapace around and just behind their eyes. Brown Recluse spiders do not have white on them at all, and their hair is very, very short, barely visable even in macro photographs. Here is a really good macro(close-up)of a Brown Recluse that appeared yesterday on Deviant Art, taken by an entomologist. She is missing a front leg, but you can see that characteristic "violin", the short, fine hair, and the characteristic eye arrangment-these spiders only have six eyes, which are arranged in three pairs in such a way as to resemble a human face, with the "nose" being the middle pair of eyes. If you live within the range of the Recluse species, it's a good idea to know how to recognize them. Brown Recluse spiders are almost always found INDOORS, by the way.

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/43184263/

pitbulllady


Whaaa....that looks similar to a common house spider!!! Eep. Actually, recluses ARE house spiders, I would guess, since they like the indoors.
PBL do you know exactly where they live? Any chance of these things being in New Jersey?

[kageri]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Eurycotisfloridana.jpg

AAAAAUUUGHHHH!!!

Madagascar hissing cockroaches always make me think of the ones fashion designers sell, with little jewels all over them, at $80 a pop. Crazy.

[pitbulllady]

Whaaa....that looks similar to a common house spider!!! Eep. Actually, recluses ARE house spiders, I would guess, since they like the indoors.
PBL do you know exactly where they live? Any chance of these things being in New Jersey?

No, they are not in New Jersey. Recluse spiders are a Southern and Midwestern spider. They actually don't look like Common House Spiders at all, IF by "Common House Spider" you mean this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/pitbulllady/Spider%20and%20Other%20Arachnid%20Photos/DSCF0389.jpg

This is Archaranea tepidariorum, what's called a "Common House Spider" in the US. It looks completely different from a Brown Recluse-different body shape(these are very fat and rounded, like a BB), patterned legs and abdomen, and they are not dangerous to humans at all. They will kill and eat Brown Recluses, though.

pitbulllady

[LaBlooGirl]

No, they are not in New Jersey. Recluse spiders are a Southern and Midwestern spider. They actually don't look like Common House Spiders at all, IF by "Common House Spider" you mean this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/pitbulllady/Spider%20and%20Other%20Arachnid%20Photos/DSCF0389.jpg

This is Archaranea tepidariorum, what's called a "Common House Spider" in the US. It looks completely different from a Brown Recluse-different body shape(these are very fat and rounded, like a BB), patterned legs and abdomen, and they are not dangerous to humans at all. They will kill and eat Brown Recluses, though.

pitbulllady

That's the best news I've heard all day! LOL Glad to know there are other spiders who will "help" us in getting rid of more dangerous arachnids like that Brown Recluse.

[pitbulllady]

That's the best news I've heard all day! LOL Glad to know there are other spiders who will "help" us in getting rid of more dangerous arachnids like that Brown Recluse.


I've found that the best defense against venomous spiders are OTHER spiders, many of which actually specialize in eating other spider species. "Black House Spiders"Kukulcania hibernalis, a sort of "tarantula wannabe", will often eat Black Widows. Black Widow venom apparently has no effect on them, while I've never known a K. hibernalis to bite a human unless it mistook a finger for a bug, which happened to me last year. I was poking around the web burrow of one of these, and got tagged on the end of my index finger. It felt like a mosquito bite, just not quite as itchy, and within fifteen minutes I could not even find where I'd been bitten, and it was a BIG spider, too. The spider had clearly been lying in ambush down in her den, waiting for something to stumble across her "trip wires" of silk outside, and just ran out and grabbed without first checking to see what it was. I swear, if she could speak, she would have been doing a pretty darn good impression of Wilt afterwards-"OH, I am SOOOO sorry, I didn't know...I am REALLY sorry! I'll just go back inside and punish myself for that, if that's OK!" I've held that same spider in my hand without so much as a nip, so I know it was an accident and was entirely my own fault.

pitbulllady

[kaytea]

does washington state get Recluse spiders?

[pitbulllady]

does washington state get Recluse spiders?

Nope, but you DO have the Western Black Widow(Latrodactus mactans hesperus)and an imported European species, called a "Hobo Spider"(Tegenaria agriestis), both of which can be quite nasty. The Hobo Spider's bite can cause a similar necrotic lesion as that of the Brown Recluse, just not quite as bad, and it does heal faster, but still doesn't sound like much fun at all. Hobo Spider males tend to be a bit aggressive, too, and are more likely to bite in the first place than either a Black Widow or a Brown Recluse, both of which will avoid biting if they possibly can. Fortunately, Washington state also has yet-another imported Tegenaria species, T. gigantea, which can get quite large, and is a ruthless killer of its smaller, more venomous(to humans)relative.

pitbulllady

[Tonya]

Uh ohhh..... I did something bad and I didin't mean too!
Okay what happened was, I tried to shuffle the spider on a piece of cardboard to put in in a jar. Well, it freaked out, ran toward under the mopbucket and died. I was really gentle, but I thinkI scared my Little Guy to death! *is sad* Aw, now I feel really bad.... I was thinking about keeping it atleast for a little while and feeding it ladybugs-we have way to many hanging around our house. But...I scared him to death.... He must've been really timid. My Little Guy has gone to a better place.
I don't know what I did wrong.

[pitbulllady]

Uh ohhh..... I did something bad and I didin't mean too!
Okay what happened was, I tried to shuffle the spider on a piece of cardboard to put in in a jar. Well, it freaked out, ran toward under the mopbucket and died. I was really gentle, but I thinkI scared my Little Guy to death! *is sad* Aw, now I feel really bad.... I was thinking about keeping it atleast for a little while and feeding it ladybugs-we have way to many hanging around our house. But...I scared him to death.... He must've been really timid. My Little Guy has gone to a better place.
I don't know what I did wrong.

You might not have done anything wrong, many spider species are masters of "playing 'possum"! Black Widows, Common House Spiders, Black House Spiders, and many others will very convincingly play dead, since birds and lizards are among their main predators, and both are highly stimulated to attack by MOVEMENT. Most lizards that eat spiders won't eat one that's already dead, so the ruse works. Here is a big female Black House Spider(Kukulcania hibernalis) that I caught at school last year curling up and trying to convince me that she was dead. She was just fine, believe me; as soon as I placed her on my hand, out of that plastic cup, she took off like her heels were on fire and her butt was catchin'!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/pitbulllady/Spider%20and%20Other%20Arachnid%20Photos/DSCF1372.jpg

pitbulllady

[kaytea]

Nope, but you DO have the Western Black Widow(Latrodactus mactans hesperus)and an imported European species, called a "Hobo Spider"(Tegenaria agriestis), both of which can be quite nasty. The Hobo Spider's bite can cause a similar necrotic lesion as that of the Brown Recluse, just not quite as bad, and it does heal faster, but still doesn't sound like much fun at all. Hobo Spider males tend to be a bit aggressive, too, and are more likely to bite in the first place than either a Black Widow or a Brown Recluse, both of which will avoid biting if they possibly can. Fortunately, Washington state also has yet-another imported Tegenaria species, T. gigantea, which can get quite large, and is a ruthless killer of its smaller, more venomous(to humans)relative.

pitbulllady
oh okay ^_^
thanks for the info

[Tonya]

Well, my spider "played dead" waaaaay earlier today, like around 11 or 12 o'clock, and it's going on 10 now and it still hasen't moved. Y'know, I even gently nudged him with a hanger and the darn little thing is still "playing dead"!-that is if he's been playing that long.
Thanks so much for the advice pbl :).
Nine and a half hours playing dead is kinda long though... But this is my first spider, I'm a nervous parent haha ;D!

[koosie]

Yeah, I guess in a way, it does!

By the way, what do humans, chimpanzees, Bottlenosed dolphins, gorillas, orangutans, orcas, African Gray Parrots and Jumping spiders have in common?

Hint: It's something quite unique and special in all the Animal Kingdom, something not shared with most other animals, including our familiar dogs and cats. The Jumping spiders are the only invertebrates to exhibit this, which makes them even more unique and special.


pitbulllady

Is it like, self-recognition? Being able to look in a reflective surface and know that it's yourself? And I know that jumping spiders (or at least some/one species) exhibit the ability to memorise prey items, does it have to do with that?


Fascinating! ..and Elephants apparently.