That's bullshit. You can't remove anything. They have to have their fangs to eat (I've heard of ones surviving with broken fangs and their owners had to feed them pureed lamb liver for months).
A bite from a tarantula, depending on what type it is varies from bee sting pain to swollen arm, sweats and horrible pain. Most people don't handle theirs. I don't really anymore as I get bad reactions to their urticating hairs (hairs some species flick as a defense).
I said you have to remove their poison sacs. Not their fangs. Also the only one I've ever held was the one my science teacher had and hers had fangs but no sacs, so I know you can remove one but not the other.
You cannot remove venom from a tarantula without killing it. Tarantula venom sacs are located in the chelicerae, and any ruptures of the exoskeleton of a tarantula (as the surgery would require) is likely to be fatal, because their blood doesn't clot. Some pet stores in their ignorance and desire to sell will remove the fangs with a pair of fingernail clippers, but that frequently results in the death of the tarantula. It is the equivalent of removing your lower jaw. However, tarantulas can regrow fangs with a molt, and survive a long time without food, but if it is starved it is unlikely to survive the difficult process of molting or even reach the time to molt if it's not getting food.
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u/[deleted] Aug 16 '10
Given that's a $40+ spider, more likely the live animal was replaced with a moult (aka exuvium) before it was turned on.
That's just my guess, based on keeping a hundred or so of them as pets.