Experiences with the Huntsman or other spiders?

The snakes and kangaroos don't worry me so much. But the spiders good god why?

I have seen some pics of the Huntsman and heard stories that they are everywhere. In yards, in shoes, in cars.So people with arachnophobia do not exist in this country? I have never visited Australia because of the spiders especially the Huntsman. I don't care if it is not venomous it's terrifying. I can not risk it sitting on my chest when I wake up.

Anyone have stories of encountering them in the wild? It seems crazy animals are just part of the daily Aussie life.

 

Australia looks so amazing to visit but those spiders keep me away

 

Christina loves spiders.
When she was 4, one day when it was snowing, she told me that the poor little spiders in the garden were getting cold. A couple of hours later, after realizing that she was unusually quiet, I went to investigate and found that she was putting jam jars full of spiders to bed.
She was not stupid though, she was putting them in OUR bed. Needless to say, their are no garden spiders in winter and our bed was full of ants.

When are you planning on starting your family.???????

 

Southern Venezuala, Northern Brazil if you want to avoid the worlds biggest spider, the Goliath Bird Eating Tarantula




















BOO!

 

Huntsman spiders look fierce but they are easy to handle. I pick them up and put them back outside. If you are frightened of being bitten use tea towel to cover them before gently removing them. They are not dangerous unlike funnel webs . I need any case the place is not over run with nasties! Human habitation as resulted in so much natural habitat destruction that sightings of many creatures are rare. The average urban Australian has only seen snakes marsupials spiders etc in zoos!

 

I watched a documentary on Australian living last year, and this guy said it's a good idea to check your car visors and shoes every day, in case a spider is hidden in there. Oh hell no.

 

there are other uses for dab rig torches ...

 

Did you just say the average urban australian has only seen spiders in zoos?.

I live in eastern Sydney right in the middle of urban australia, had a huntsman in my kitchen like a week ago. My mothers place, inner west of Sydney, full of spiders

 

I just had to look at this thread before bed...

Actually Huntsman Spiders are quite interesting:


-The huntsman can be quite a social spider and unlike other species, the females and males don't hurt each other and even have a long courtship before they mate.

-The female huntsman spider makes a great mum. She will lay all 200 of her eggs inside an egg sack which she places behind bark or under a rock. While the babies are developing she will stand guard to protect them day and night for three weeks without even eating.

-There are 100 known species of Huntsman in Australia but it's believed there are plenty more yet to be discovered.

-Huntsman spiders do not do much damage to humans (except the Irish; they don't like the Irish). Unless you provoke them, the spiders won't bite. If you do get bitten, a cold pack is usually all you need to relieve any local pain and swelling.

-Huntsman spiders prefer to mate when the weather is warm and humid. Unlike some other species of spider, the males are rarely attacked by the females after mating.

Sources below.

Huntsman Spider

https://www.backyardbuddies.org.au/backyard-buddies/huntsman-spidersThe Mating Game

Just like other spiders, they help rid homes of certain pests (but who could live with a Huntsman spider in their home?).

I didn't find info about keeping them as pets, like tarantulas.

 

Huntsmans are the friendliest most humble spiders you can have in your house.
They hunt and kill all the other spiders and bugs in your house and watch TV with ya.

Had one in my house growing up and we just let him be and named him Huntsy,
hung around for a good 4 months and became very aware of us and would not run away or move quickly.
Sadly got caught in a door one day though

 

A friend has a pet huntsman,she suffers with bad asthma and the spider eats dust mites..

 

Huntsmans is why thongs and flip-flops were created.

 

I get the vacuum cleaner out and suck them up if i see any spiders.
Seriously if you are getting spiders clean your house up they hate chemicals

 

Damn! Lucky the thing didn't prefer a nice warm crotch! In the US brown recluses are the worst, and will sometimes kill homeless people, but often bite your ass in outhouses if you are not careful. They're called "fiddlebacks" for the fiddle design a lot of them have.

 

I do the vacuum on moths.

 

I will light a candle for your moths.

 

I like spiders.
But then, I have never been to OZ, or got bitten by a spider.

 

Spiders maybe stupid insects, but smart enough to usually save their time and energy for smaller prey. I've maybe stepped over a couple of dozen poisonous snakes, and the issue is knowing how to avoid sharing the same space at the same time.