# HELP!! (black widow spider)



## Ashleigh B (Aug 15, 2012)

Hey, I have a HUGE problem! My CDT lives in a dog house and when I went to get him for his inside time, there was HUGE female black widow What should I do?!


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## dmmj (Aug 15, 2012)

*RE: HELP!! *

Nothing, the fear of black widows are often over exaggerated. If you are concerned about the tortoise, I seem to remember reading that spiders fangs are not long enough to pierce tortoise skin.


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## Laura (Aug 15, 2012)

*RE: HELP!! *

remove the spider unless you want more.... but do so carefully....no need to panic...


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## Ashleigh B (Aug 15, 2012)

*RE: HELP!! *

I'm gunna panic, I'm an aracniphobic or how ever you spell it, but black widows are also one of the deadlist spiders, just like a king cobra or a baby rattlesnake. But I'm just more worried over my tortoise.


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## dmmj (Aug 15, 2012)

*RE: HELP!! *

You can always smoosh (technical term) it, be sure to check for egg sacks.


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## Laura (Aug 15, 2012)

*RE: HELP!! *

where is sam? ;-)
Don't spray any poison, it will hurt the tort..
check the underside of the dog house too. I find them there all the time.


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## acrantophis (Aug 15, 2012)

*RE: HELP!! *



Ashleigh B said:


> I'm gunna panic, I'm an aracniphobic or how ever you spell it, but black widows are also one of the deadlist spiders, just like a king cobra or a baby rattlesnake. But I'm just more worried over my tortoise.



Baby rattlesnakes are not more deadly than adult rattlesnakes. That is an old wives tale. Like toads give you warts. It is funny how long this myth has been perpetuated. In fact many baby rattlesnakes have bitten the surgical tubing covering my pinning sticks repeatedly without a drop of venom. Whereas adults will often have a pool of venom around them by the time they are subdued.


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## ascott (Aug 15, 2012)

*RE: HELP!! *

LMAO here!!! I have to say I feel your hysteria through the computer....I have to say while I would never want to be surprised by a rattlesnake, grown or baby, I believe I am more freaked out at the thought of a black widow dropping down out of no where much more. 

Here is what I do...I went to the dollar store and purchased a broom from there and this broom is left out on the porch just to wipe away black widow webs from corners of house...from corners of tortoise hides and from inside if the hides....this is California and you live in a drier part of cali as I do and they are out like crazy this time of year...

While a black widow generally is a retreat type spider they do crawl about the ground as many other spiders do....for most of the torts legs they are harmless...however they can bite the tortoise on the thin soft parts of the skin around their neck and that soft skin up under their shell....now, I too had worried about this and did some research and found that yes black widows can and have bitten tortoise but the affects on the tortoise appear to be none...now the research I came across before was in regards to adult tortoise and no mention to hatchling s. You likely have scorpions in your area as well...now those can injure and cause tortoise fatality ...so it would be good to be sure you keep the tort area active....cleaning away old food daily...sweeping away webs and such and you should decrease your widow population....although always remember that the widow web can be he'd immediately....silky shiny appearance...you can literally bounce a penny off of it and when you do cause a break in the web it makes a distinct crackle and rip sound....and they do drop from high places as well as make their webs from roof lines to the ground below...so walking about at night can be way creepy when you walk right smack into one....eeeekkkk and a few obscene words are usually shouted and quickly followed up by smacking the web off while hopping about like the queen of crazy town....lol...

No way around it...you live in cali, you have a tort that requires a hide (they also occupy natural burrows along with a variety of snakes) so you will have to big girl up and go in swinging....lol....

Good luck and happy hunting...


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## Shelly (Aug 15, 2012)

*RE: HELP!! *

You own a farm, and you were scared by a spider?


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## StudentoftheReptile (Aug 15, 2012)

*RE: HELP!! *

2 days ago, I found a black widow in my wife's car in its web not 12 inches from where she puts the 4-month-old's carseat. Needless to say, I freaked.


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## ascott (Aug 15, 2012)

*RE: HELP!! *

Yeah...that is scary for sure...we NEVER EVER EVER leave the truck doors open nor windows that are not tightly fit with screens....in the last 6few years I have had three located within the house...and each time I can remember breaking the open door rule at our house and each time is when a widow was found indoors.....Ewwwww....


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## Yvonne G (Aug 15, 2012)

*RE: HELP!! *



Shelly said:


> You own a farm, and you were scared by a spider?



She's just a young girl.


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## SamB (Aug 15, 2012)

*RE: HELP!! *



emysemys said:


> Shelly said:
> 
> 
> > You own a farm, and you were scared by a spider?
> ...



A F*****ing MEN

She is a 15 year old animal loving probably gonna be a vet GIRL lol

For sheeps-sake haha

And her mother and father are part of this forum aswell

And her fathet will deal with the spider in the morning lmao


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## Ashleigh B (Aug 15, 2012)

*RE: HELP!! *

Yes, and thanks Ascott, I hate walking into the spider webs XD and I'll have to try that penny thing if I ever find one.


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## SamB (Aug 20, 2012)

*RE: HELP!! *

HAHA I guess to update this thread

Us - 1

Blackwidow - 0


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## srkarpen (Sep 3, 2012)

Just for the record, I work at poison control and we get a tooooon of calls about black widows every year. 95% are managed at home with no 'major' complications. That being said their bites can be real nasty and have prolonged effects sometimes lasting a few weeks (that's rare but a few days to a week is not). Anyway,not generally considered 'deadly' in healthy adults. There is an antivenin but it is never ever used. The point is just be careful sticking your hand in the hide, they have been known to be aggressive. 

Also if you do ever get bit (by a widow or anything else) you should always call poison control at 1-800-222-1222. Open 24 hours a day and always there for you


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## JeffG (Sep 3, 2012)

I have black widows all over the place in my tortoise pens. I hate the things, but I have never had any issue at all as far as one injuring a tortoise. A number of other people have told me the same thing. 

I get rid of them when i can, but I am pretty confident that tortoises can co-exist with them safely.


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## Redstrike (Sep 3, 2012)

*RE: HELP!! *



acrantophis said:


> Ashleigh B said:
> 
> 
> > I'm gunna panic, I'm an aracniphobic or how ever you spell it, but black widows are also one of the deadlist spiders, just like a king cobra or a baby rattlesnake. But I'm just more worried over my tortoise.
> ...



This is not entirely the case:

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1678-91992003000200005&script=sci_arttext

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0041010191901062

There are differences in the toxicity of venom between juvenile and adult snakes.

Good luck with the Black Widow, try not to panic too much. Like others have said, they will not harm your tortoise.


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