Oi, Australians, I need some advice.

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Okay, yesterday there was a huntsman in my house. After about half an hour of plotting I managed to lure it onto an axe and put it outside. What I wanna know is what everyone else does? I didn't grow up in Australia so I'm not used to having to deal with such big nasty arachnids and in the past few days I've seen more than one of these guys. I mean, should I be releasing them? Do they make a big mess if you squish them? Do they jump ?If your reading this and you're unfamiliar with what a huntsman is then...

...that mean looking motha is what I'm referring to. Any advice?

They're scary but they're essentially harmless and short lived. If you can ignore them, they'll eventually die (or have babies... )

They're not poisonous but they can give you a nasty bite if you pick them up.
They don't jump but usually they're up high and if you bump the walls they'll tend to fall on you.

Squishing them works but makes a huge mess - and they don't die easily. Also, keep in mind that they usually won't bother you if you don't annoy them - attempting to squish them is annoying...

The best thing to do is to have a jar handy and try to put it over them. Then you can slide a piece of paper under it and it should be ok. Then take it outside and put it down a drain.

If you're new to Australia, you can ignore these... It's the funnel webs (and the red backs) that you need to worry about.

I love this page from the California Academy of Sciences
http://www.calacademy.org/exhibits/venoms/html/deadly.html

Three of the four deadliest animals on the page are from Australia.

Awesome, cheers.

Yeah just leave them alone and they won't bite. I used to have funnelwebs and redbacks living around and under my old house, imagining getting bitten by one makes me sweat.

If I could leave them alone I would, it's just i can't sleep when there's one of those big buggars about. No literally, my 13 year old sister got me out of bed just to deal with this one last night. It was resting JUST next to the tv on/off button and we've lost the remote. No, I really don't think just leaving them alone will do. Still, I'm relieved to know they won't come after me in an arachnid rage.

Oh, and do you get funnelwebs in WA? If so I won't be happy (I can only imagine what having them under my house would be like ).

You're in luck.

Of course, I could probably send you one if you wish.

The only problem with them is that they can climb into your mouth when you're asleep if you breathe through such. I just herd them outside via a long stick type thingy. You can let them climb onto you and then walk outside, but they sometimes jump off.

Isn't the box jellyfish the most venomous critter on the world? Yep, it is.

Luckily, there's not much chance of a box jellyfish climbing into your mouth when you're asleep.

In any case, the idea of eating spiders while you are asleep is an urban myth. I'm sure it has happened but it's rare. Spiders don't enter the mouth of sleeping persons because the air expelled is warmer than the air around them. It serves as a danger signal.

In addition, the human tongue is quite sensitive and has reflexes which would push a spider out if it was dumb enough to try to enter. Finally, humans have several sleeping reflexes which cause us to roll over or brush away tickling sensations while asleep. A spider would have difficulty getting close.

I had it happen to me (I breathe through my mouth); I've also had several walk over my head when I was asleep (which woke me up). Doesn't sound that unlikely if these circumstances are replicated.

I heard that spiders sometimes walk in your mouth when you sleeping but a Huntsman? Goddamn. gbollard I hope your right about it being a myth.

I catch them in a tupperware container then let them out in a bush outside.

I always seem to cross one while in the shower

Yep. I got a leg. I was sleeping on the floor. There were a lot of palm trees at that place, and they liked living in them. They also crawled over me when I sat in a dark room; they weren't that averse to coming close to me or other humans. As I said, it happened to me several times with them crawling over me as I slept; it was bound to happen.

I never heard of said myth before. I looked it up, and it speaks of some average of spiders that people swallow in their lifetime--I don't know how they figured that one out.

In WA the only real problem you need to worry about is Red Back spiders. But that said, I've been bitten twice. Generally as long as you aren't an infant or elderly, they aren't that serious.

But of course, watch out in the garden because you CAN have an adverse reaction. Hunstmen are harmless, and I've never been aware of swalling one, or known anyone that has... there was the hole fly debacle of course... 'cause I know an old lady who swallowed a spider, that giggled and tickled inside her, she swallowed a spider to catch a fly. Of course she took out the darwin award shortly after swalling a horse... not a bright one.

As for all the other poisonous stuff australia is famous for, it's largely not an issue (except jelly fish) because fauna is so spread out, and much of it runs away at the first sign of anything. Animals are so poisonous over here because it is largely an arid land predators can not afford their prey to get far because such morsels are so few and far between. That said be careful in long grass and make lots of noise.

Thanks for the advice everyone.
And Izaak, there I was thinking I was WA's only WP member. Nice ta meet ya.

There used to be a few of us. Well, two more that I know of. Don't know what happened to them though.

Where you from originally? I'm not a native sandgroper either. I hail from the footy state, Victoria.

I'm what you call a pom.
Oh well, hopefully more WA people will join, just mabe...