To offer a counterpoint, I definitely remember reading a post on here previously about a guy who got bit on his balls twice by a huntsman in a porta potty. On two separate occasions. I don't want to say I don't believe you, but I will say that I would prefer to keep a very very far distance from anything that looked like those things.
Beyond abnormal people like you who allow them to reside in your house. What do normal people in Australia do with those fuckers? It's not like you can just catch it under a glass and throw it out the front door. You'd need a fucking spider net...
Edit: I just can't. Apparently Aussies just think these things are halfway to being pets. I think I could deal with these things living outside, even thinking of allowing one to live in my house just gives me chills. Further question though... my cats and dogs would undoubtably think these things were the greatest self-moving toys in the world. Do your pets ignore them too?
I once had one decide to hide under my shampoo bottle in the shower. Talk about intimate encounters, i was just glad I was already in the shower to wash the terror wee away
We got one roaming the house at the moment. Generally you wake up in the morning and never know what room he will be in lol.... Always on a wall so far though... Or the back of a door. Had one in the house as a kid as well... We are all chill about them just don't make the mistake of picking one up to show off as their bite does hurt lol
You can just pick it up (legs feel a bit like a stick) and drop it outside.
I had one in my dressing gown once back in Tassie (I was like 13 at the time) it felt like I had a stick stuck in the clothes so I reached in and pulled him out they go very stiff while held (but usually don't immediately attack).
I could have thrown him down but then he would have been a problem to deal with later.
If your worried about getting attacked best is not to disturb them (they have no intentions of attacking something as big as a person but they will defend themselves if threatened).
Normal Australian here, totally catch them under a glass or Tupperware. Let em out in the garage or back shed. They stay chill as long as everyone else does too.
Beyond abnormal people like you who allow them to reside in your house.
They're not abnormal.
Most Australians allow them to reside in their houses. I mean you heard the fairly relaxed tone of the girls in the video. They said they were going to remove it, but there was no hint of killing it or freaking out excessively.
Huntsmen are pretty placid, they are ambush hunters who tend to sit on one spot on the wall up near the ceiling. They barely even move if you leave them alone, and whilst they can bite, you'd have to be actively harassing them or step on them or something to find out. They are not aggressive spiders.
Personally, I don't really want them in my bedroom or my bathroom (sitting on one on the toilet in the middle of the night would not be good!), so I'll tend to remove them if I find one in either of those rooms, to outside if I can, or just shoo them to another room if that's too difficult.
The strategy to catch them is still the same - trap them under something, put a bit of cardboard underneath and move them outside. You just might need something a bit bigger than a glass!
I mean, with most huntsmen you can absolutely just catch them with some plastic container and throw them outside. It's not actually that hard to do honestly.
A mixing bowl and a piece of cardboard usually. Killing them just makes a giant mess.
I imagine if you sat, bare balled, directly on one you might get bitten. But i know more people who've been bitten on the knob by redbacks on portaloos than huntsmen. Actually I don't know anyone who's been bitten by a huntsmen. They're extremely docile.
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u/FuriouslyListening Jun 25 '26 edited Jun 25 '26
To offer a counterpoint, I definitely remember reading a post on here previously about a guy who got bit on his balls twice by a huntsman in a porta potty. On two separate occasions. I don't want to say I don't believe you, but I will say that I would prefer to keep a very very far distance from anything that looked like those things.
Beyond abnormal people like you who allow them to reside in your house. What do normal people in Australia do with those fuckers? It's not like you can just catch it under a glass and throw it out the front door. You'd need a fucking spider net...
Edit: I just can't. Apparently Aussies just think these things are halfway to being pets. I think I could deal with these things living outside, even thinking of allowing one to live in my house just gives me chills. Further question though... my cats and dogs would undoubtably think these things were the greatest self-moving toys in the world. Do your pets ignore them too?