Do you live in oz, kappers?
That would be the red-headed mouse spider, Missulena occatoria. The species I am after for a pet (I have one tank for a scorpion, of which I have decided the genus, which shall be Parabuthus (one of two genera commonly referred to as fat-tailed scorpions, the other being Androctonus (old greek for man-slayer or man killer, these fat tailed scorpions are highly venomous, an untreated sting delivering a significant quantity of venom from any of these species, more or less, is capable of killing a man within a few hours)
Parabuthus is neat genus. P.transvaalicus is a likely candidate pet species. This genus is totally unique within scorpions, in that it can SPRAY venom. Like a cobra, although of course lacking the advanced optical targeting a vertebrate has, and in particular cobras, which can aim for and reliably hit right in the eye from a considerable distance, the fat-tailed spitting scorpion Parabuthus transvaalicus, has, like any arachnid, much poorer vision, and the range of the fired venom is less also. There are other Parabuthus species I am considering also though)
As far as spiders go, I've kept Steatoda (false widows) before. I managed to raise over 100 slings, which had grown a little, before they were ALL, to a baby spider, butchered by the pigs in a raid (which again and of course, resulted in no charges, and damage to my lab equipment)
Another good beginner spider, if a venomous would be a widow. They are all shy spiders, although they are araneomorphs (fangs working like pincers or pliers in coming together, rather than the mygalomorphs, such as the australian funnel webs and the mouse spiders in the genus Missulena, and tarantulas like ducky's much loved pet. The true tarantulas that is. As pika mentioned Lycosidae, the wolf spiders, the true tarantula Lycosa tarantula, is actually not at all related to the tarantulas we commonly know. Many are what we call bird-eating spiders, although they do not eat birds, save for the exceptional occasion where a situation arises by chance to strike and take one down. Or nestlings that have fallen from their nest. These will of course be eaten
Such a meal would keep even a very large 'tarantula' well fed for a long time, a month at least, for a nestling bird, and for a large fledgeling that happened to find itself surprised and bitten by a 'tarantula', then that spider would be stuffed to the gills for even more I'd think.
As for the widows...In a developed country nobody dies from a widow bite, should the second worst happen
(the worst being the spider being flung off and dying or being injured in response to sinking its fangs into its human companion) they are not quick to bite, they are quite venomous, but antivenom is kept in europe and almost certainly the US. Definitely in oz, and likely new zealand, as they have the Katipo spider on the coast, similar to OZ's redbacks. Widow spiders are almost universal, although none are native to the UK, although I've seen one.
Antivenom is not terribly likely to be used, even in cases of a bite. Antisera have their risks inherent in themselves, being produced by administering slowly increasing quantities of venom to animals such as horse, cow, goat etc. And can provoke severe allergic reaction, anaphylaxis in rare cases.
Brown widows would be an excellent choice, they share the shy temperament of their various black widow cousins, although smaller, and their venom, whilst highly homologous to the alpha-latrotoxins found in black widow venom, they are able to deliver much less of it, for a specimen that is of a size capable of delivering a proper bite easily.
BTW, anyone in europe, willing to go a-huntin', I am willing to negotiate a fair and good price for any of the black widow species. I've had the false widows before, my last mother died laying two egg sacks. One hatched, to give all the little 'slings I spoke of in this post, and earlier I believe. One was waiting to hatch...but was found entirely missing (whilst the tray they temporarily called home, was in EXACTLY the same spot as before I was arrested in said raid)
Widows are very easy to ID by their famous red hourglass. In many species of Latrodectus however, this is not on the underneath of the spider's abdomen, but on the top, at the back near the spinnerets, and does not always take on the form of an hourglass, but sometimes dotted, zigzags, stripes, etc. I'm interested in all species however. And can advise on transport requirements, payment would be on recipt of the spider.
Same goes for oz residents. Do NOT risk your safety. I want a mouse spider, have done for a while, but none seem to be on the pet trade (hobbyists and serious spider fans I mean here) M.bradleyi is the one I want, although Missulena occatoria also, and other species) These ARE venomous spiders. Delta-missulenatoxins are somewhat homologous to funnelweb spider venom, although appear to be orders of magnitude less lethal in man than either atraxotoxins from the funnelwebs, such as Atraxus robustus, the sydney funnelweb of much infamy. Or the versutoxins present in Hadronyche spp. (tree funnelwebs, and many species are highly dangerous) Mouse spiders are not as aggressive as the sydney funnelweb, but will certainly not hesitate to bite if grabbed hold of, or messed around. Their venom is not as toxic as either the sydney funnelweb, or such beasties as Hadronyche formidabilis, the treatment is however identical. Delta-missulenatoxins respond to antivenin raised against atraxotoxins (robustoxins, to give them their older names), although such antisera would only be used in severe cases of envenomation, which is unlikely from a mouse spider. I've been looking at statistics of bites from KNOWN spiders of known identity, and those from mouse spider species have only resulted in one death in many years, of a child bitten, I think, by either M.occatoria or M.bradleyi. Do not handle these spiders, rather, coax them into a temporary container. Be aware that these are large mygalomorph spiders, with large fangs. These have considerable mechanical strength. The funnelweb (Sydney) Atraxus robustus itself can drive its fangs through a big toenail without problem. So don't anybody put a mouse spider in a thin plastic container and stuff it in a pocket!
The spider could well simply drive its fangs right through flexible thin plastic tubs etc.
Missulena spp. usually give either a dry bite, or a bite delivering a dose of venom sufficient only to cause localized symptoms around the area the bite was delivered to. Such as sweating around either the bite wounds themselves or the limb/hand in question, pain and piloerection of a forearm (piloerection simply means hairs standing erect, a symptom of mouse spider bites, funnel web bites, and those of the brazillian wandering spider and tree funnelwebs, all of which have venoms which bugger around with the opening kinetics of voltage-gated sodium channels, as do many jellyfish, sea anemones, hydras, scorpions possessing the usual alpha toxin family in their venoms and more than a few spiders)
I'm interested, acquisition wise, in other Mygalomorph spiders, other than burrowing spiders of any kind, care of which is beyond my ken. And besides, I would never see them. I don't want Araneomorph spiders other than Latrodectus spp., the widows however, nor either Hadronyche or Atraxus, the (tree)funnelwebs respectively I have not the experience for such highly lethal and aggressive spider. And in the case of Hadronyche, I simply couldn't arrange for a suitable environment. Short of converting the small room next to my bedroom into a place for the tanks. And that room is being converted into a microscopy room, and general lab space. And it would be unfair on both spider and scientist, the former for exposure to chemicals used....I don't think I could come up with a gas mask for a small creature with book lungs...let alone fit it to something with a pair of venomous fangs that wouldn't hesitate to use them. And the latter, for having to devote considerable space to house said creature, which could instead, hold my lab freezer, my new histology microscope, or a desk full of flasks, condensers, vacuum pump, analytical this that and t'others,soxhlet etc.
(Strictly speaking, spiders are ALL venomous, with the exception of the primitive burrowing spiders, which are the beginners of the surviving lineages of spider, the order Mesothelae, and its surviving family, Liphistiidae, Liphistius do not possess venom, instead they are burrowing spiders, segmented plates are present on the abdomen, showing the similarity here to the scorpions, demonstrating they are a basal spider lineage, close to where scorpions and spiders diverged from common ancestors. They lay a series of hair-trigger like lines, which they monitor, radiating outwards from their burrows. When these are touched, the Liphistius species rushes out of its burrow, overpowers the prey by brute force then rushes back. Very fast, but no venom glands. There is also two orders of tiny spiders that are indeed carnivorous but possess no venom glands, one being the Uloboridae, a type of orb weaver, I forget the other. And a single species of spider which is actually herbivorous)
So I'm only after widows, Steatoda nobilis, one of the false widow species, and no other Araneomorphs, no burrowing spiders either, and no strictly arboreal (totally tree living...don't really have space for large enough tanks to accomodate both sufficient plants and dead wood for them to live in, as well as enough space to prevent escape.) Besides, the venom of most tree living 'tarantulas' DANGEROUS. The bird eating spiders, and most big hairy tarantula spiders from africa etc. are not particularly hazardous, the venom being little worse, quantity aside,than a bee sting, excluding of course, anaphylactic allergic reactions from those allergic to spiders, like people are to bees. But the tarantula type spiders from asia, china,etc. that are arboreal species,such as the popular 'cobalt blue' tarantula often found in pet shops....they pack a hell of a powerful punch. I really REALLY would not wish to be bitten by any of them. Quite a few genera and species pack a venom powerful enough to send one to the ER, and cause extreme muscular cramping in the process. Haplopelma, is such a genus, and the cobalt blue is one of 'em. Less than many, but that socalled tarantula packs enough venom of a strength quite enough to cause a day or two of agony, if it manages to deliver a good bite (lol...good being intended to mean 'efficient', and good from an eight-legged, many-compound-eyed point of view, not good for the unfortunate git being chomped down on
)
I would be interested in Liphistius species though. They are burrowers but are quite interesting species. None are venomous as I said, but they do have damn powerful fangs. They need to, with their method of hunting. I.e rush out, take the prey by surprise, and more or less hack, chomp and tear it to death with brute force before they can eat their tea ^_^)
Evolutionary point of view they are fascinating, as well as behaviorally speaking, as well as in a fair few species, brightly colored.
My empathy and sympathies to you duckface hun. I'm really sorry for your loss, and your spider's loss. I know how it feels to lose a loved pet. I have lost many over the year, including all the spiders murdered by the fed. I know what its like.
I've lost over the years, three cats, two by hit and rundrivers, the middle cat from illness and inability to feed, as well as my family not shelling out for vet bills, poor as we are, animals deserve our care, even if sacrifices have to be made. a rescued dog, run over again, all rescue animals..I had to return my leeches to the place they were caught from because I couldn't stand the 'suck..suck..suck' noises they made from climbing the side of their tank as I tried to sleep. They at least went to the wild alive, healthy and fed, rather than died from illness or hit by a car. I've failed to keep alive many injured birds I've found (they die very easily from shock, even if not severely injured,just battered and bruised), my rook/raven I rescued.
The hedgehog, I took in after finding him in a back alley, with the cold of winter closing in, only very young, and in no way able to survive a winter without the fat put on to hibernate. He (or she), Sonic (of course, what else...had to be either that, or Spike
) went back to his/her natural habitat after being cared for and kept awake over winter, well fed and in general much loved. I miss the little guy, he became quite tame with gentle handling. I was quite young myself when I had Sonic.
I have taken in ANY (and for that matter, every) injured, sick or weak animal I've found. The only two I have ever found that I haven't, were two wild urban rats, that I found almost dead, or close to that from poison, which I had neither any vitamin K to treat nor other antidotes. The only thing I could do was put them down mercifully, which I did. One I had to shoot in the head at point blank range with a handgun, the other I was in school at the time, boarding school and I did not bring the pistol I had at the time to school. I had to smash the poor creature's skull in with a heavy object. I made sure that he/she died instantly though still. And a couple more hard whacks for good measure to make sure both skull and neck were crushed and broken totally and instantly.
Urban/sewer rat or not, I won't leave them to bleed to death slowly over days and suffer all the way. sooner an instantaneous, merciful end from a bullet in the head,or a broken back, neck and head instantly crushed to a paste, giving them no chance to feel a thing, than days of protracted misery.
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