# Huntsmans



## Renenet (Dec 13, 2011)

Hi, 

I have a whacking great huntsman spider sitting on the guttering just slightly to the right of my front door. :shock: I'm guessing it has to be larger than my handspan - and I've got pretty long fingers - but I'm not getting any closer to make a proper measurement.

Now, I'm about to do zoology, but huntsman spiders make my stomach quiver and my skin crawl. I'm not full-on afraid of them - that is, I won't shriek and run away - but I'd much rather they were elsewhere.

Where do you stand on huntsmans? Does anyone have any cool huntsman stories?


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## snakeluvver (Dec 13, 2011)

I like spiders. I dislike huge maneating hairy monsters that push the definition of the word "spider". We get them in our house regularly, my mum always catches them and releases them, but recently she got sick of doing it so often that the last time she found one she just used bugspray. She used half a can of mortein and the huntsman didnt even slow down.
My mum was walking recently and felt a sharp pain in her toe, she took of her shoe and a dead squished huntsman fell out.


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## ingie (Dec 13, 2011)

I like them. There are heaps at my place. The other day one ran up my arm and I tried to shoo it off me but it kept running around on my neck and shoulders and then onto my head. Bit creepy when they are on you lol. 

When I was little I found a dead one and carried it around for a half hour playing with it. Then it ran away. I was horrified that it was playing dead the whole time.


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## vampstorso (Dec 13, 2011)

My friend got into the habbit of calling all Huntsmans "George", after he rescued one from certain death, and the name just stuck. So now we all call them George lol

My Nana used to leave them be in the house, for months and months and months, she called them all "Matilda", and so us kids would come over and ask "Where's Matilda today?" genuinely interested, as I guess naming them made it less creepy for us. The deal was she wouldn't kill them, if they stayed on the roof/walls.

I find SA Huntsmans aren't so bad...they don't seem to jump or be as fiesty and large as the queensland ones.


I can't say I "like" them, but I'm happy for someone to relocate them from the house (my roomie is a hero for this)

I perfer them over other spiders...you can't deny huntsmans remind you of childhood! I do find the way they scrunch up kinda like a ragdoll in a corner quite eery though haha


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## Tildy (Dec 13, 2011)

I love them. All the huntsmans in my mum's house have been dubbed "wincey" and they are the house pets. I haven't seen any in my house yet but the way I see it is, the more huntsmans, the less nasty bugs like mozzies, flies and roaches. I would rather the spiders cause they don't eat my food and don't hang off me or bug me.


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## melissagalea2 (Dec 13, 2011)

we had 2 hanging around inside our house, and hubby would catch them in tupperware and put them outside, then the next night one would come back in the sliding doors again. (we keep em open so the dogs can go out to pee when we r home)...anyway....after 2 weeks of constantly putting them outside, we went into our room late at night, and our whole roof was covered in literally hundreds of baby huntsmans. 3 babys live in our bathroom now, and not sure were the other hundreds went.


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## phantomreptiles (Dec 13, 2011)

Terrified of them!!!!!
Had one in my room three nights ago, had my housemate in there gassing my room. Could not go back in until she found it.
I get the sweats, feel faint the works, even pics scare me.....:-(


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## Hoplophile (Dec 13, 2011)

Generally huntsmans are pretty harmless, but there have been reports of one group, the "Badge Spiders", or _Neosparassus_ (formerly _Olios_) of giving painful bites that led to nausea and vomiting. Be careful with all spiders as a precaution.


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## richoman_3 (Dec 13, 2011)

i love all spiders - spicially tarantulas  !
except
daddy long legs, put one near me and ill ********* freak out and run and run and run haha
id hold a f/w anyday over them


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## Renenet (Dec 13, 2011)

snakeluvver said:


> I like spiders. I dislike huge maneating hairy monsters that push the definition of the word "spider".



I love the way you put that, Snakeluvver. I'm okay with most other spiders - there's a lot of interesting ones around here - but huntsmans... no. Just no.


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## Dipcdame (Dec 13, 2011)

I love huntsmen, if we find one residing in the house, we leave it be, the grandkids give them names!


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## Renenet (Dec 13, 2011)

ingie said:


> I like them.



How did you get so used to them, Ingie? It might be a handy skill to have around here.



ingie said:


> When I was little I found a dead one and carried it around for a half hour playing with it. Then it ran away. I was horrified that it was playing dead the whole time.



:shock:


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## snakes123 (Dec 13, 2011)

eek i hate spiders the only things i dont like...ohh apart from horses cows and sharks im all loving towards animals


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## Renenet (Dec 13, 2011)

CoolDenturesBro said:


> I find SA Huntsmans aren't so bad...they don't seem to jump or be as fiesty and large as the queensland ones.



Way to make me feel better, CDB!  

Unfortunately, they don't make me feel all that warm and fuzzy about my childhood. We used to get them at school. I remember how they sat in one place for days - and then disappeared. I can't quite decide if it was worse to be able to see them or have them running around somewhere unknown.



Tildy said:


> The way I see it is, the more huntsmans, the less nasty bugs like mozzies, flies and roaches. I would rather the spiders cause they don't eat my food and don't hang off me or bug me.



That's true. Do they eat cockroaches? That might make me reconsider my feelings. A little.



melissagalea2 said:


> We went into our room late at night, and our whowle roof was covered in literally hundreds of baby huntsmans. 3 babys live in our bathroom now, and not sure were the other hundreds went.



Eeeek! Did you actually sleep that night? Though you seem to be one of those lucky people who don't mind them. I'd love to know how you get to that state of mind. I'd like to be a bit more relaxed when I see one.


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## Tildy (Dec 13, 2011)

I don't think they are a staple part of the diet but I have seen ours eating roaches. Also, roaches tend to lessen if the spider population is greater, I just don't think roaches like to take the chance.


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## Renenet (Dec 13, 2011)

richoman_3 said:


> i love all spiders - spicially tarantulas  !
> except
> daddy long legs, put one near me and ill ********* freak out and run and run and run haha
> id hold a f/w anyday over them



Ah, fears. Most of them are completely irrational. I'm sure there are people out there who wouldn't be able to understand how I can keep a snake, yet be creeped out by a huntsman.


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## 53ERX (Dec 13, 2011)

Love them!
Always lived in queensland and always had these critters crawling around growing up.
They generally keep to themselves, though this little guy wandered into my bathroom.


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## richoman_3 (Dec 13, 2011)

Renenet said:


> Ah, fears. Most of them are completely irrational. I'm sure there are people out there who wouldn't be able to understand how I can keep a snake, yet be creeped out by a huntsman.



haha yep,
when theres a daddy long legs in the house (regualy) my parents tell me to kill it but i say no lol,but they always say 'but you can pick up tarantulas'
i either end up throwing shoes, getting the nerf gun or using a baseball bat before my dad just comes and steps on it


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## vampstorso (Dec 13, 2011)

Misunderstood Spider meme | quickmeme


awwwwwww


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## Wally (Dec 13, 2011)

I've done a few large tree removals that have been covered in ivy and had some interesting moments. Nothing like being fifteen metres up a tree when one crawls up your arm. Great way to test out your harnesses effectiveness.


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## Renenet (Dec 13, 2011)

53ERX said:


> Love them!
> Always lived in queensland and always had these critters crawling around growing up.
> They generally keep to themselves, though this little guy wandered into my bathroom.



Oh boy, that photo made me jump - I think because someone's holding it. I hope Phantomreptiles isn't still looking at this thread...


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## Snakewoman (Dec 13, 2011)

My friend used to keep them as pets when he was a kid, he lived over the back fence from me and he would often have them crawling on his arms. His father was out with his mother one day, she was a learner on her motorcycle, and she stopped at a roundabout and wouldn't go. When her husband pulled up next to her and asked her why she wouldn't go she pointed to the tank of the bike and said "huntsman!" Her husband flicked it off and they kept going.


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## snakeluvver (Dec 13, 2011)

CoolDenturesBro said:


> Misunderstood Spider meme | quickmeme
> 
> 
> awwwwwww


I feel sorry for them now 
The first one made me lol


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## vampstorso (Dec 13, 2011)

snakeluvver said:


> I feel sorry for them now
> The first one made me lol



I found the wife one the sadest!


I agree though..definitively makes you want to leave the poor things alone!


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## ingie (Dec 13, 2011)

Renenet said:


> How did you get so used to them, Ingie? It might be a handy skill to have around here.
> 
> 
> 
> :shock:



I don't know lol. I just like them. I like touching them. As long as they don't touch me without me expecting it..... My way younger little brother went though a stage of catching them in empty cricket containers and he left his collection in my room cause Mum had no jurisdiction in there lol. At one point there was about 10 and I made him let them go cause I got sick of feeding them all. My tarantula died and I want another one!!!

There are lots of huge golden orb weavers around my garden. Maybe 15 at least. The webs are SO strong and sometimes yellow. They are so beautiful to watch but creepy when they move their webs to places I walk at night lol. It is like walking into a web of cotton.


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## Herpaderpa (Dec 13, 2011)

So I just moved to this place in the country and every day I have more than one huntsman of varying size ON ME.
There are a lot around here and recently the place has been exploding with babies. Now, while the adults are creepy... I cant stand the thought of how many babies I eat/breath in each evening while asleep.

I am SICK of having spiders on me


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## thals (Dec 14, 2011)

We used to have a heap round the house but this year they seemed to have cleared off for some reason which makes me a tad sad, I adore the fuzzy 'little' creatures  

I've found them in all the usual places, on walls, ceilings, floors, cars etc. Once I was cleaning out some of the snake tubs and as I went to grab one I felt a furry morsel on the side of the tub, long behold I had a prettyful huntsman in the palm of my hands, about the span of my palm, I kept him and named him Hansel (his to-be gf Gretel was already in another tub lol).

Another incident occurred at the timely hour of 5am on a Sunday morning, mum had an early work start and soon as she opened her car door spotted a lovely huntsman occupying her seat  Mum being a complete arachaphobe raced into my room screaming and trying to rouse me to a semi conscious state with which I staggered out to the car parked in the middle of the street donning cookie monster pjs, cupped the little guy in my hands, then let him go walk about in the garden, thennn stumbled back into house, crashed back into bed :lol:


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## dangles (Dec 14, 2011)

i didnt mind them in my house, however my EWD would go nuts in his enclosure when there was one in sight. i started letting him free range and the spider population decreased significantly


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## Jeannine (Dec 14, 2011)

*ALL spiders in or around my house that i see are taught to swim in mortein, or they become covered in snow 

**Shudder**
*


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## kawasakirider (Dec 14, 2011)

Not a huntsman story but when I was little I played with a funnel web....

I saw this black thing curled up (I assume it was playing dead) and I stupidly thought it was a burnt bit of hay (***? Stupid 5 year old.....), so I poked it and tried to pick it up. It ran (luckily in the opposite direction to me), which scared the crap out of me so I screamed out. Someone squished it.

Tons of huntsman stories, I just leave 'em as long as they aren't on the wall above my head when I sleep. I'm happy to let them roam around the place.


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## Sinners121 (Dec 14, 2011)

great beardy food


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## johannavoodoo (Dec 14, 2011)

Spiders are actually rather similar to reptiles in the fact that they're misunderstood.
I have no problem whatsoever with the little chaps.

Agreed with dear Sinners121 with regards to beardy food, though.


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## Black.Rabbit (Dec 14, 2011)

Now I don't mind spiders, I usually let them be, I often explore drains and can see hundreds of redbacks on a given night.

I know hunsmans are generally harmless but if there is one in my house it'd probably terrify me.

We had one in our homeroom in high school that we called George and I was one of the few people who would sit at the desks that were near him. Although the thought of one roaming around my house or bed for that manner, while I am sleeping makes me ill.

Not really a story about spiders per se, but when my older brother was 4, mum (who might I add was young and irresponsible) asked my brother if he wanted to see a movie about spiders (he _used_ to like them). She took him to see arachnophobia at the cinema. Apparently he couldn't sit on the toilet or sleep for weeks which cause all sorts of problems.


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## Renenet (Dec 14, 2011)

Sinners121 said:


> great beardy food



Really? Time for me to get a beardie!

I could never spray them, I find it too easy to imagine what it would be like to die of poison. Plus the poison then gets into the ecosystem, which is bad, bad, bad.

We had one in our campervan once. Now, compared to my mother I am part of the huntsman cheersquad. She will not rest until she knows it's dead. However, it was dark and this huntsman, adept at hiding in the nooks and crannies of our van, would not sit still long enough to be killed. Fair enough; I'd hide if someone was trying to kill me too. So we had to continue our journey with a huntsman _somewhere_on board. Being the brat I was, I kept touching her on the shoulder from behind going "didddle-iddle-iddle". To make her even more miserable, when the huntsman did appear the streetlights would often throw a _huge _spider shadow across a surface of the van. 

I don't think we ever found that huntsman.


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## CalamityJ (Dec 14, 2011)

phantomreptiles said:


> Terrified of them!!!!!
> Had one in my room three nights ago, had my housemate in there gassing my room. Could not go back in until she found it.
> I get the sweats, feel faint the works, even pics scare me.....:-(



hahaha that sounds just like me, they scare the living daylights out of me :shock: why I even looked at this thread is beyond me, I guess it was curiosity..LOL
Got to page 2 and there is a picture of one, literally fell of my chair, bahahahaha I am soo very brave (not!)


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## daz26 (Dec 14, 2011)

kill it


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## Pazzy (Dec 14, 2011)

I am not a big spider fan but i used to get them on my hand then chase everyone in my house with it.. My mum is completely scared of spiders its too funny!!!


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## Nayla (Dec 14, 2011)

Petrified! Of all spiders to be honest but the bigger they are the bigger my reaction. I generally end up in tears!


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## Smithers (Dec 14, 2011)

snakeluvver said:


> I like spiders. I dislike huge maneating hairy monsters that push the definition of the word "spider". We get them in our house regularly, my mum always catches them and releases them, but recently she got sick of doing it so often that the last time she found one she just used bugspray. She used half a can of mortein and the huntsman didnt even slow down.
> My mum was walking recently and felt a sharp pain in her toe, she took of her shoe and a dead squished huntsman fell out.



Karma right there 

I just found one today,...a small house spider I think I'll grab a pic,...as I do with everything


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## Leasdraco (Dec 14, 2011)

I have no great love for spiders but I don't mind them much.if I find one inside I just leave it be.roaches on the other hand...so glad the cats eat any that are in the house.
my boyfriend is getting an Aussie bird-eating spider soon.he may be keeping its tank in his office at work to keep people out.more effective than a sign on the door


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## Hyper (Dec 19, 2011)

I uses to be terrified of them, I went to bed once when I was little, when I woke up, I rolled over on my pillow to see this huge huntsman staring back...My sister then told me it was hiding behind our cupboard, and I didn't go in the room for days...Now, I love them...they're just misunderstood...

The people saying kill them: how is this any different to people saying the only good snake is a dead snake...Same thing, different animal


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## dihsmaj (Dec 19, 2011)

See I'd catch a Huntsman but apparently they go all spazzy when you catch them and freak out in a tank. That's why I leave them out -- I still love them though.


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## 53ERX (Dec 19, 2011)

Hyper said:


> The people saying kill them: how is this any different to people saying the only good snake is a dead snake...Same thing, different animal



Agreed! Amazing how hypocritical some people can be when it comes to something they deem 'scary'. 
Especially from a group used to opposition from the 'cute and cuddly' pet lovers.

Oh and the huntsman on my hand on page 2 is a little one by comparison, anyone living semi-rurally around queensland can attest to that 

And Snakeluvver3, I'd wouldn't keep one in a tank as they're a hunting spider (imagine that!), and tend to roam far more than the the web builders and burrowing varieties. But this little guy wasn't phased by my presence at all and I've a few other photos of him chilling on my hand, arm and shoulder around somewhere. Most of the time they bolt pretty quick if they think they've been spotted however.


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## moosenoose (Dec 19, 2011)

I've found the huntsmans to be completely un-aggro. I was pushing rubbish into our pint-sized rubbish bin last night and what flew up my arm...yep! :lol: I can't say it didn't scare the crap outta me, but then I picked it up off the ground with my hand and placed it gently into a nearby shrub. Even the really big ones, who look intimidating etc etc are pussycats. I never kill them if i find them around the house, much to the disgust of the missus :lol:


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## edstar (Dec 19, 2011)

hunstmans are evil. I can deal with small spiders, but not large ones


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## Defective (Dec 19, 2011)

all huntsmans get the name george or fred in our house. at our old house mum and my sister tried killing a massive huntsman witha broom, water and rexona....i just put my hand out and let it go outside. that was when mum knew she was in for trouble.


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## moosenoose (Dec 19, 2011)

They really are a gentle spider. They've unfortunately been gifted with a large frame which makes them look a little intimidating. They're really like a Daddy Long Legs on roids :lol:


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## RyanVP (Dec 19, 2011)

When I was younger I was sitting on a chair bent over eating cereal and watching tele when I got an itchy bum so when I went to scratch it I felt something big and hairy, i threw what ever it was behind me and when I turned around it was a huntsman rearing up at me, I've never been scared so much in my life lol now I'm almost arachnophobic


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## james.5 (Dec 19, 2011)

When I was on grade 9 camp someone found a huntsman in his pack and jumped backwards in fright, he then started to scream and the teacher thought he broke something! The huntsman was only the size of a spoon and even the teachers wouldn't pick it up, apparently they are aggressive and highly venomous, I was the one who had to move it.


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## Nighthawk (Dec 19, 2011)

Scare the absolute poo out of me but I find them fascinating. I'd rather remove than kill though, but I've got an irrational fear that bugs/arachnids that creep me out can drill through glass apparently; my skin crawls unbearably even when there's a jar between me and it. I get my husband to get rid of them


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## Renenet (Dec 19, 2011)

Hyper said:


> The people saying kill them: how is this any different to people saying the only good snake is a dead snake...Same thing, different animal



A very good point. 

I still don't like them. But they have their place in the ecosystem.



53ERX said:


> Oh and the huntsman on my hand on page 2 is a little one by comparison, anyone living semi-rurally around queensland can attest to that



Oooh, yeah. I've seen plenty of dead huntsmans around the same size as the one you had, and the day before I saw the spider that inspired this thread, I saw a little live one. I thought, "Oh, well, if that's the size they're going to be, I can handle that." Then Mama turned up...

I hope there are none larger than her.



moosenoose said:


> They really are a gentle spider. They've unfortunately been gifted with a large frame which makes them look a little intimidating. They're really like a Daddy Long Legs on roids :lol:



Awww, you make them sound all cute and cuddly.


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## PeppersGirl (Dec 19, 2011)

We don't mind them, just gave our current 'resident' a woody for dinner - as it's christmas and all


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## Renenet (Dec 19, 2011)

PeppersGirl said:


> We don't mind them, just gave our current 'resident' a woody for dinner - as it's christmas and all



How do you feed a huntsman? I'd be thinking "tongs"...


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## PeppersGirl (Dec 20, 2011)

That or a stick. Put the bug on the tip, then take it right to his nose (they like it close) and they'll grab it straight away. They pounce quite fast, you can really feel it  Tis fun.


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## Nighthawk (Dec 20, 2011)

You've taken away a little fear and replaced it with curiosity... unfortunately though with kids in the house at the age of 'poke it until it either bites me or doesn't move anymore', it's probably safer for the huntsman if I get my husband to remove it. At least until they get to the age of 'leave the damn thing alone to do it's thing'


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## PeppersGirl (Dec 20, 2011)

...or until you find a longer stick  He's still there this morning clutching the shriveled remains of the roach lol. There's not much left!


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## edstar (Dec 20, 2011)

even thinking about em make my skin crawl.. shudders.. need to get over it one day!


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## moosenoose (Dec 21, 2011)

Renenet said:


> Awww, you make them sound all cute and cuddly.




They're big enough at times to tickle under the chin


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## Nighthawk (Dec 21, 2011)

moosenoose said:


> They're big enough at times to tickle under the chin



Feeding now and again, yes, I think I can gird my lady-balls enough to do that... tickling? The young eb I found in my driveway was big enough to tickle under the chin, but that certainly doesn't mean I'm going to do it... :shock:


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## Renenet (Dec 21, 2011)

moosenoose said:


> They're big enough at times to tickle under the chin



I think that comment needs to come with a disclaimer, Moose. "To the extent made possibly by law, Moosenoose Pty Ltd take no responsibility for consequences that may flow from any person or persons taking this comment seriously, blah blah blah..."


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## moosenoose (Dec 21, 2011)

hehehe everyone on here takes me seriously....don't they?


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## Nighthawk (Dec 21, 2011)

You've given me no reason to expect other than blatant honesty and rigid seriousness with not a shred of evidence pointing towards satire, sarcasm or shenanigans in any of your posts EVER moosenoose


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## moosenoose (Dec 21, 2011)

of course :lol:


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## Renenet (Dec 21, 2011)

moosenoose said:


> hehehe everyone on here takes me seriously....don't they?



Yep.


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## hissnbits (Dec 21, 2011)

As I am sure many know they can make good pets!!! [video=youtube;OylmCm1zgWg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OylmCm1zgWg&amp;feature=endscreen&amp;NR=1[/video]


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## Renenet (Dec 21, 2011)

It's funny. Tarantulas just don't have the same creep factor as huntsmans for me. I've been right up close to one at a museum with no glass between us. Mind you, I'd probably be startled if I ever came across one in the wild.


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## Renenet (Dec 27, 2011)

How funny. I think this thread has been therapeutic for me. I saw a small huntsman in the house only 15 minutes ago and it wasn't so bad. I just said, "What are you doing in here, you little bastard," chased it around for a few seconds and went back to what I was doing. I've got no idea where it is now and, get this, I don't care.

If Mama was in the house, it would probably be a different story. But I'm hoping she's too big to fit through any cracks.


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## Nighthawk (Dec 28, 2011)

I wish reading through it had been the same for me lmao; my 3yo son has this habit of bellowing "ouch! Ouch!" with every bug he comes across, even millipedes. I'd just finished flicking through replies last time (and had a good stock of the heebies), when he came screaming up to me with his finger held out, this time he decided to add "Spider!" All I saw was bulbous and black, so I freaked and batted his hand... it was a beetle. *facepalm*


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## Renenet (Dec 29, 2011)

Nighthawk, I found that huntsman on the wall of my bedroom just before I went to bed. I was able to get into bed and go to sleep with only a slight case of the jitters. I'm so proud of myself. 

I think it was Moose describing them as big daddy long legses that's made them a bit more bearable. Also the thought that they might eat the cockroaches.


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## kobson08 (Dec 29, 2011)

Tildy said:


> I love them. All the huntsmans in my mum's house have been dubbed "wincey" and they are the house pets. I haven't seen any in my house yet but the way I see it is, the more huntsmans, the less nasty bugs like mozzies, flies and roaches. I would rather the spiders cause they don't eat my food and don't hang off me or bug me.



Tildy i doubt they can catch n eat mozzies, too small n just not worth the time. They definitely help with roaches tho.


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## Nighthawk (Dec 29, 2011)

Renenet said:


> Also the thought that they might eat the cockroaches.



I do like that thought...


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## Bluetonguesblack (Dec 29, 2011)

In 1977, Me and my girl at the time were at the "Heddon Greta Drive Inn" and a large one ran across the front windscreen. The solution was quite simple,wipe it off with the wipers. After doing this the smeggin thing was still there !! It was on the inside of the car and dissapeared down under the dash. We were in a small datsun 1200 and Shaz, my girl, wasnt gonna have a bar of haveing any fun that night. It was her car too. Lol. Wasnt funny at the time but it sure is now. Ross.


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## Leasdraco (Dec 29, 2011)

^That reminds me of the time my brother and i were menaced by a bloody big wolf spider on the way home from a camping trip.


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## Renenet (Jan 2, 2012)

I saw a huge huntsman last night - with only five legs. I didn't feel scared, I felt sorry for it.


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## damian83 (Jan 2, 2012)

love huntsmans, they might be quick but rarely bite, its easy to pick them up and take them outside, if your quick or a container and a sheet of paper slide it under and take it out


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## mysnakesau (Jan 2, 2012)

ANything bigger than a 5c piece freaks me out. I am not phobic, and I don't go out of my way to kill them, but I can't help shrieking like a wimp when I see them things. I near crashed my car, twice, just two days ago because a biggy decided to run up my windscreen while I was driving. It gave me a heart attack :lol: and when I finally got to the produce store I made the guy there get it off my car.


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## Defective (Jan 3, 2012)

mum freaked out at a huntsman molt the other day


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## Renenet (Jan 6, 2012)

Hmmm. There's a seven-legged huntsman in my kitchen sink. 

What's with all these amputee huntsmans? Presumably they're getting attacked by predators, but how do they get away? Do their legs break off like the tails of lizards?


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## Sinners121 (Jan 6, 2012)

Renenet said:


> Hmmm. There's a seven-legged huntsman in my kitchen sink.
> 
> What's with all these amputee huntsmans? Presumably they're getting attacked by predators, but how do they get away? Do their legs break off like the tails of lizards?



when i have fed them to my beardie if he catches a leg it will break off and the huntsman doesnt seem to bleed. just my observations.


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## Renenet (Jan 6, 2012)

Interesting. I know they can reproduce with legs missing. I have a friend who had a three-legged huntsman living in his room that produced an egg sac. Certainly one less leg doesn't seem to bother this one. It's been hanging around for a couple of days and I've seen it run at impressive speeds.


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## Renenet (Jan 16, 2012)

It was bound to happen eventually. This is Mama, or one very much like her, in my house.


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## atothej09 (Jan 16, 2012)

This is a Huntsman.
I can comfortable tell you, it was the size of my hand.
I emailed a spider scientist and thats what he told me.


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## dihsmaj (Jan 16, 2012)

Renenet said:


> It was bound to happen eventually. This is Mama, or one very much like her, in my house.


Whoa that looks nice!


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## Renenet (Jan 16, 2012)

dihsmaj said:


> Whoa that looks nice!



I'm starting to get used to them now, enough that I'd offer her some food if I had any woodies. But I'm not going to pick them up.


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## dihsmaj (Jan 16, 2012)

Renenet said:


> I'm starting to get used to them now, enough that I'd offer her some food if I had any woodies. But I'm not going to pick them up.


Fair enough, I'd never touch one because spiders are generally paranoid - they have to be, they're near the bottom of the food chain.


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## Renenet (Jan 16, 2012)

dihsmaj said:


> Fair enough, I'd never touch one because spiders are generally paranoid - they have to be, they're near the bottom of the food chain.



I haven't seen it and it's only a theory, but I think the bigger geckos here will tackle them. As I mentioned above, I've seen a few smaller huntsmans with missing legs.


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## moosenoose (Jan 17, 2012)

atothej09 said:


> This is a Huntsman.
> I can comfortable tell you, it was the size of my hand.
> I emailed a spider scientist and thats what he told me.
> View attachment 234223



That's a nasty looking unit man!


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## Boof47 (Jan 17, 2012)

Just reading the stories was making my skin crawl, and now photos...

My greatest fear, out of anything, is to be driving on a highway and suddenly find that I'm sharing my car with a giant huntsman. I know that when it happens I'll have to conquer my fear and calmly pull over, then freak out. The alternative would be to freak out at 100km/h, swerve, hit something, explosions, fire, death. Not sure I could hold it together long enough to pull over safely.

I don't go out of my way to kill them though. I'd rather get somebody who doesn't have the crippling fear to relocate them for me. It's not the spider's fault that it's insanely creepy.


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## Nighthawk (Jan 17, 2012)

Boof47 said:


> My greatest fear, out of anything, is to be driving on a highway and suddenly find that I'm sharing my car with a giant huntsman. I know that when it happens I'll have to conquer my fear and calmly pull over, then freak out. The alternative would be to freak out at 100km/h, swerve, hit something, explosions, fire, death. Not sure I could hold it together long enough to pull over safely.
> 
> 
> > Been there; it's amazing how your mind goes numb long enough to pull over lmao. The next step is shooting out of the car at 100km/h and remembering to watch for oncoming traffic...


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## longqi (Jan 17, 2012)

I took 2 mates fishing one winter night out from Nelson Bay
About 3am Nick [big tough guy] screams like a baby
huntsman crawled onto his face
Joe [nother big tough guy] tries to kill it
runs back and climbs all over Nick
He bails straight over the side
Wont get back in the boat until I tell him its dead


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## Nighthawk (Jan 17, 2012)

longqi said:


> I took 2 mates fishing one winter night out from Nelson Bay
> About 3am Nick [big tough guy] screams like a baby
> huntsman crawled onto his face
> Joe [nother big tough guy] tries to kill it
> ...



LMAO reminds me of the time my family and I were holidaying in Kaikoura and my stepfather found a giant weta in his jockeys. He found it by putting them on.
I have never, to this day, heard a grown man shriek so loudly, or seen one try to climb up his own legs butt-nekkid on a chair quite like he did; we all came running. The weta was beauty!


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## Renenet (Jan 22, 2012)

I bought a bookshelf today. What does this have to do with huntsmans? Because all my books were stacked up in piles on the kitchen bench. Loading the new shelf, I picked up a pile at random - and Mama just happened to be hiding on the side. I'm not sure which one of us was more startled. I threw the books across the room and yelled in surprise. Mama fell to the floor - fortunately none of the books landed on her - and scurried behind the nearest box. I feel like an idiot.


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## lizardloco (Jan 23, 2012)

First time I ever saw a huntsman I was watching t.v., as a massive huntsman snuck up beside me and scared the life out of me! My mum sprayed it with bug spray (snakeluvver is right, they just don't slow down) and then put it in a jar to keep it put until it died...
It took it ages to die and by then I had fallen in love with it, wanting to let it go only to be reminded by mum that I was the one screaming, ''MUM, GET THAT AWAY FROM ME...THAT MASSIVE SPIDER...KILL IT MUM!'' I was 'heartbroken'...:lol:


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## Tristan (Jan 23, 2012)

aww i only get the odd orb, Wolf and some black mean looking spiders around my garden every now and then i give them a woodie they seem to like them + i have WAAAYYYY to many


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## pacman (Jan 23, 2012)

U











Found this guy while out scorpion hunting one night


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## Renenet (Jan 27, 2012)

Pacman, that looks exactly like Mama.


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