Spiders, evictions and dithering


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Just thought I would bring you up to date with Big Bertha (originally Brock but apparently she is a female because of the size). She has been sticking to the terms of her tenancy except for once when I caught her hurtling towards my kitchen. I swiftly stopped her progress, gave her a good talking to with the threat of eviction and she went under my tumble dryer to sulk. Apart from that she has been a perfect tenant and we avoid/ignore each other.

However I went into her room the other night and there she was Gigantic Gertie, she was even bigger than Bertha sat quite brazenly on the wall. She was quite high up so it was going to be a ladder job. I am not very good going up ladders, tend to wobble a bit but needs must. I struggled with the ladders, got them set up. Gertie just sat and watched. My spider kit wasn’t big enough, so I got an old lunch box out my cupboard and battle commenced. Up the ladder I went, with Gertie eyeing me nonchalantly. Put the lunch box over her, the ladder wobbled a bit but I gritted my teeth and carried on. 
By this time my two boys had joined me finding the events quite interesting, swear they gave each other a look which said “she’s at it again”. 
Now for the awkward part getting the lid under the box without touching the spider and you guessed it, she poked a leg out I shuddered and off she went further up the wall out of reach. Said a few choice words and climbed down the ladder and put it away. Came out of the shed and she was back in original position. Left her there, Gertie 1 - me 0.

Didnt see her for a couple of days. Then I went in one night and she was on the floor chasing Big Bertha, either they were playing tag or her intentions were more deadly. Bertha ran towards me, there was a (big) flowerpot to hand so I put it over Gertie. Realised there were holes in the top so covered them up so she couldn’t escape. Headed Bertha away from the kitchen back under the tumble dryer. Went into kitchen and put some gloves on (I know, I know very wimpish) and a piece of card to tackle Gertie, she wasn’t going to get away this time chasing my resident spider was a bridge too far. Managed to get card under flowerpot, a leg did appear but I poked it back, no not with my gloved hand I wasn’t that brave, with a piece of garden cane. To cut a long story short Gertie now resides in my neighbours garden, Bertha is skulking under my tumble dryer, all is right with the world. 
Just to show how brave I am getting. I was sitting in my front room when I noticed a clump of dog hair (my boys are moulting like there is no tomorrow, so bad my Dyson has just given up) moving across the floor, when I looked closer there was a spider tangled up in it. Just a normal sized one, possibly a male (?) which explains how it got into this predicament! I caught it quite easily and managed, very carefully, to untangle it without touching it. Felt quite proud of myself. It also now resides in my neighbours garden! 
I do wonder if my neighbours have noticed how their spider population has increased over the past few weeks, but then perhaps they aren’t as bothered about them as I am. 

 

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Perhaps Big Berths and Gigantic Gertie are friends?    I think you may have broken up a beautiful friendship!

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Oh dear I hope not. I can just about tolerate Bertha being a resident (as long as she stays in my side room and to the terms of her tenancy) but Gertie was just too big. 
 

Getting a bit worried that I am talking to spiders, I really must get out more!

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I was woken in the early hours by thumping and banging coming from the stairs. Got up and switched on the landing lights. It was Bruno, my ginger moggie, jumping up and down on his back legs, trying to reach a spider on the wall!! Just goes to show how good moggie vision is in very low light, almost total darkness, in fact.

 

I'm not a fan of arachnids but this one wasn't terribly large so I caught him in a plastic beaker and put him outside in the rain.  Felt a bit guilty.

 

Just got back to bed and was falling asleep when a very disgruntled ginger moggie landed on my abdomen and started crying!  I spoiled his fun!

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Maybe you were right first time, it's Brock you've got residing with you. Now that Big Bertha has come along, even bigger, maybe she is the female and Brock is a bigger than average fella?

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Solve the problem straight away SG., just get a 6 inch strip of sellotape and put it over said arachnid. It can there as long as it likes then. !!

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Oh dear got up this morning and Big Bertha has passed away. She was laying in the middle of her rooms floor on her back with her legs in the air. I was letting the boys out and of course they immediately spied her, I had to grab Wolfs collar and put a leg in front of Kai’s chest to stop them Investigating. Then I had to move Wolf nearer Kai (not easy with two 40kg dogs really wanting to go in the other direction) whilst keeping my balance and then do a leg down/grab collar move on Kai (he would have eaten her he does like a bit of extra protein, spiders, flies and his favourite daddy long legs). 

She is in a match box at the moment, managed to get her in there without touching her I am pleased to say. Not quite sure what to do with her, don’t like the thought of putting her in the bin, I have become quite fond of her in a strange way she was so sassy. (That sounds really sad possibly best not to mention it to too many people they might think I am a bit strange!) Possibly a burial in the back garden or in one of my pots, underneath the acer tree might be nice and will be easier than trying to dig in the garden:huh:

Just hope Gigantic Gertie doesn’t try to move in now the room is (as far as I know) is vacant and she wasn’t as attractive as Bertha, didn’t have the markings on her body, and is just too big. 
oh well such is the circle of life, at least she was warm and dry for her last few weeks. 

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Poor Big Bertha! I'm sorry she's gone scuttling off to the golden web in the sky. You will miss her.

 

A decent burial sounds a good idea. You could say a few words. I certainly won't think you're loopy. I talk to everything in the garden! :wacko:

 

There's what I think is an orb web spider near my back door. Again, probably female. She spins the most elaborate web. I've damaged it accidentally a couple of times and last week when my winter fuel was delivered, the chap destroyed it altogether. I apologised profusely to her when he'd gone and suggested that she might be more sensible to spin her web higher up, where it won't get caught by passing traffic. The following morning, I was amazed to see that she's done precisely that, so I congratulated her!  The day after that, I noticed there was another web next to hers. She's found a friend! Ah!! :rolleyes:

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Remember that spiders, like snakes, shed their skins so it may just have been the old skin that was on the floor and Bertha is happily munching away at her latest prey in a corner somewhere.

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I didn’t know they shed their skins, will investigate further to see if it just an old skin. I presume if she has it means she has grown bigger? 
I can see a renegotiating of her tenancy looming if she has, she will want more room, I will offer to leave the larger cupboard door open definitely not the kitchen. I have become fond of her but not that much!

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Why not just have a ' granny annexe ' built for your spider, then she's  got her own pad. As long as you remember to leave a bottle of milk on her doorstep.

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SG you've got spiders I've got lizards. I thought we'd found where they were coming from but after sealing the hole they started coming back. They don't bother me but I have this recurring memory of years ago. I pulled the bed covers back to get into bed and one was on my pillow.

The other morning going into the bathroom ( hadn't got my glasses on) I noticed a black mark on the door frame, I thought it was a spider so got my glasses on and looked very carefully. It was the head of a lizard poking out of the door frame. Rushed into the kitchen to get something to catch it but by the time I got back it had moved. Saw in scuttling towards  furniture but I managed to halt it with a sweeping brush, container at the ready to cover it but it got free and I followed it into another room but then it took refuge in another door frame. I thought I'd leave it til it found its way into somewhere a bit more open but he/ she  has disappeared. No doubt waiting til he thinks I've forgotten.

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Yes Jill I'm afraid of the dogs getting them. Trouble is they drop their tails when trapped and they go on wriggling for a while. Not sure but everyone says lizards are poisonous if they eat them. No doubt they would be very sick.

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A few years ago, a colleague told me about her son who had a Tarantula named Rosie!  She was given the name due to the reddish colouration of her 'knees'.  My colleague wasn't wild about sharing the house with Rosie but they respected each other's space and no one came to any harm.  I believe they have pretty long lifespans but I don't like to think of any living creature being cooped up in cages, tanks or having their freedom taken from them...criminals excepted!

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I do agree with you somewhat. But on the other hand the animal/spider has a constant food supply and no predators to worry about and of course as long as the habitat is appropriate.

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Jill... It may have been a red knee spider! Yes really that is the name for them!. 

 

They do live for many years ( I have had mine for more than 15 years) but the tarantula I have only ever lives within a small area for its entire life. They do that in their natural environment. It only moves if there is no water or food. Give them both, and they are happy. She has been in a warm glass box for many years and it is warm, moist and lots of food. Desert spider heaven!

 

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Yes, it was a red kneed tarantula, MD. He also had a snake!

 

My two orb web weaver spiders seem to have disappeared. Perhaps they're cheesed off with their webs getting damaged or maybe they've packed their traps and scuttled off to Gretna Green together.

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I was asleep & woke up with something in my mouth, in my half sleep l Crunched down on whatever it was & swallowed it, I realised it was probably a spider & ran into the bathroom coughing & heaving  but couldn't bring it up. Took me ages to get back to sleep..  

 

Saw loads of lizards when I was in Florida a few months ago, they'd eat the black ants but they didn't go near the red ants though, think they were fire ants I'd read about...

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Colly - now that's made me feel quite sick... perhaps (I hope) you were dreaming about swallowing a spider!,

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Not a pleasant thought is it, Margie? I read somewhere that the average person swallows between 20 and 30 spiders during their lifetime, usually when asleep!

 

From the unfortunate arachnid's perspective, however, it is probably floating around inside Colly, wondering about the strange new universe it now inhabits! Colly should have some empathy with that!

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