Anyone interested in FREE Black Widow Spiders?

[Cap10Squirty]

I was feeding my Monitor lizard this afternoon and up in the corner of its 7x4x8 enclosure was a black spider. Of course I took extreme caution to find out what it was before I just started poking at it. I could clearly see the hot red hour glass on its underside! Turns out the female Black Widow was also guarding two egg sacks.

Anyway, before ridding the enclosure of about a nano liter of poison I decided to offer the spider and its egg sacks to anyone here who would be interested in them...I'm probably going to get in trouble with my wife for even allowing the spider(s) to live!

if anyone is serious about them you had better let me know quick otherwise they are going to the far FAR back corner of my yard to fend for themselves this winter! I guess I could figure out shipping and if you cover that then they'll be on their way!

[Cap10Squirty]

The more I think about this, the more I feel like this is a bad idea...unless the person interested is poison (the member of this forum haha).

[MatthewM1]

If my girlfriend wouldn't flip over me getting another spider I'd be all over it.

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[deranged chipmunk]

Yeah, probably not a good idea to be shipping poisonous insects via mail with no experience. I see bad things happening there lol

[Cap10Squirty]

Yeah, probably not a good idea to be shipping poisonous insects via mail with no experience. I see bad things happening there lol

I agree. I was just thinking of all of the bad things that could happen. Never mind folks! I'll release the fiend tomorrow behind some trees where I will not trespass until spring haha.

[deranged chipmunk]

Darn it! Venomous!! I know better! Tread safely my friend!!! Lol

[Cap10Squirty]

Darn it! Venomous!! I know better! Tread safely my friend!!! Lol

hah yeah
I saw that I made that mistake earlier...couldn't edit my post in time :P

[Truffs1178]

Do you get anti venom for black widows over in the US? Nothing's dangerous over here so I never hear about anti venom or cases of people dying from venomous or poisonous creatures.

[poison]

Do you get anti venom for black widows over in the US? Nothing's dangerous over here so I never hear about anti venom or cases of people dying from venomous or poisonous creatures.

Black widows really arent deadly. Though their venom is strong, they don't deliver in large amounts. Usually all that happens is pain and swelling. I'm sure it depends on the person as well. I'm not sure if they have anti venom out here.

[deranged chipmunk]

Only if you are rushed to the hospital with a bite.

[Cap10Squirty]

The antivenin used is Lactrodectus mactans. I learned about it the other day in school when studying acute poisoning and toxicities. I'm not sure if its available at your run of the mill pharmacy, but more than likely in the ER...which you don't want to have to be there to find out!

Anyway, mother spider and her egg sacks are both out on their own in the forest now. No longer in the cozy 84 F, 70% humidity monitor enclosure that they tried to overthrow.

[kueluck]

<~~would have smashed the female, then the egg sacks. They are all over our yard since we don't spray or use chemicals.

[deranged chipmunk]

Black widows really arent deadly. Though their venom is strong, they don't deliver in large amounts. Usually all that happens is pain and swelling. I'm sure it depends on the person as well. I'm not sure if they have anti venom out here.

Actually watched a fascinating documentary about this this past weekend. While it's true that the bite isn't always deadly, downplaying it with pain and swelling is an understatement. The pain associated with a female black widow bite causes excruciating pain. Pain to the point where victims of bites have attested to high doses of morphine not being able to control it. Neurotoxins such as are in their bite should never be down played.

Antivenin is given as a last resort only due to it sometimes causing adverse reactions in the patient. Also, it can only be administered to a patient once in their lifetime. It also takes the venom of 2000 spiders to make one dose. Antivenin also takes 2 years to make and is only made every 5 years.

Fascinating little Arachnids though.