These creatures:

My friends and I used to keep them as pets. I named mine Phil, and my friend had one named Spot. Surprisingly, they were more reminiscent of hamsters than spiders in terms of their behavior. However, they didn’t exhibit much personality. You could let them crawl on you, but be cautious because they have tiny pinchers on the underside of their feet that may grasp your arm hair or skin, which can be a bit unsettling. As a defense mechanism, they shake their hind legs to flick off leg hairs. While harmless for most people, some individuals may develop a minor rash if exposed to these hairs. These tarantulas pose a significant threat to small creatures like mice or crickets.

To handle them, you should gently hold them between your thumb and middle finger, grasping the front four and back four legs. They will instinctively spread out their legs in an attempt to touch a surface, but if you handle them correctly, they won’t be able to reach you.

If you allow them to crawl on you, it’s best to keep them on a flat surface as they are unable to bite such surfaces. They might feel a bit startled, so be prepared to pick them up and return them to their enclosure. When you do pick them up, they will likely cling to your arm, as mentioned earlier.

In my experience, I have only witnessed a tarantula biting in self-defense on rare occasions. It doesn’t appear to be a common occurrence.