Explaining the hobby

[clive 82]

They're so exotic to most people, I think they genuinely like talking about them after they get past the repulsed stage. Everyone I know throws a dramatic fit when they first find out about them, but the second they come over again, they go straight to my room looking at them and asking questions.

Exactly, its almost like the whole car crash thing, you don't want to look but just cant help it?

 

[Nonnack]

Lot of ppl ask me why i keep those animals. I usually tell them something like: Because they looks great, especially if are in cool self made terrariums, they need some knowledge, skill, experience but don't require lot of time(which is great for me), and there are so many different species it never gets boring. Some ppl are just like ' you are crazy, but, can they kill you?' But most became quite interested and ask questions like : how you keep them, what they eat, do you have separate containers for each one, how they breed etc etc.

 

[Ztesch]

Wait who says we can't handle them. I get the fact that you shouldn't take them out all the time but every once in awhile? I mean why not as long as you are willing to realise that you could get bit and won't freak out about it. I think there's nothing wrong with it.

 

[Ztesch]

I just took out the Avic Avic I got today. I made sure earlier that I fed it and obviously if it wasn't having it I wouldn't have taken it out.

 

[Andrea82]

Wait who says we can't handle them. I get the fact that you shouldn't take them out all the time but every once in awhile? I mean why not as long as you are willing to realise that you could get bit and won't freak out about it. I think there's nothing wrong with it.

Alrighty then, I hope you're prepared for this. Handling is very much frowned upon throughout the hobby. Besides of getting bit (which is the better outcome when someone chooses to handle imo),
what do you think happens if you got bit? You'll probably fling the spider across the room in a reflex. Result: severely wounded or dead spider.
What if it runs off on you and falls? It goes splat on the floor, again, severely wounded or dead spider.
Or in the case of OW handling, what if it escapes and bites other housemates?

There is just too much risk involved which doesn't measure up to the handling experience itself. You wouldn't handle a fish, and Theraphosidae are the same. You can't predict if the spider is going to run from you, or, in the case of Avics/Caribena/Ybyrapora species, jumps from your hand and falls to its death because the branch it can count on to catch it in the wild is not there...

 

[boina]

Wait who says we can't handle them. I get the fact that you shouldn't take them out all the time but every once in awhile? I mean why not as long as you are willing to realise that you could get bit and won't freak out about it. I think there's nothing wrong with it.

Uh-oh, here comes the handling debate

1. Have you actually read the bite reports?

2. It's not about you. If you feel like getting bit go right ahead. It's about the spider getting thrown around in reflex when it bites you and dying. It's about the spider getting scared by something and running off and falling and dying. There are quite a few reports about how handling can end with a dead spider, even when supposedly very docile species are involved.

3. The spider get's nothing out of it but there is quite a serious risk involved - for the tarantula - in handling so most people here think the risk for the tarantula's life outweighs the fun they (the people) get out of handling.

 

[boina]

@Andrea82 simultanous posting again - we seem to do that from time to time

 

[Trenor]

Wait who says we can't handle them. I get the fact that you shouldn't take them out all the time but every once in awhile? I mean why not as long as you are willing to realise that you could get bit and won't freak out about it. I think there's nothing wrong with it.

I just took out the Avic Avic I got today. I made sure earlier that I fed it and obviously if it wasn't having it I wouldn't have taken it out.

Finds a thread that has nothing to do with handling and tries to make it into one. All you need to do is search for threads with handling in them and go there to have the debate.... yet again. Lets try to stay on topic and not beat this dead horse for the 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000th time.

 

[Rhysandfish]

Wait who says we can't handle them. I get the fact that you shouldn't take them out all the time but every once in awhile? I mean why not as long as you are willing to realise that you could get bit and won't freak out about it. I think there's nothing wrong with it.

I personally don't care if people handle their T's but if you do, please don't say it here. I've experienced the spotlight and flashing red lights of handling T's on arachnoboards and i'm not a fan of it. (you can voice your opinion it's a right, well in the us anyway, but you will almost always get backlash.)

 

[Haemus]

I think kids are much more open to talk to about Ts. I've recently moved my collection to my studio just so I could care and and stare at them more often. Normally I hide my collection as it makes my clients uneasy, but during a recent photoshoot which involved half a dozen or so very observant children, one of them pointed my Ts out and all but one or two were instantly interested.

So out came the collection, and it was a great way to build a rapport with the kids! After a short blurb about each specimen, they were a breeze to shoot (which can get a little frustrating for models younger than 10). I found it interesting how fearful, yet fascinated they were towards my collection, and even my mealworms.

To photograph children, it's imperative to connect with them on some sort of subject they like so they open up for the camera. Even with the parents right there, they tend to shy away because the unique environment. In this case they were just describing my Ts to me, and we were getting great expressions and smiles the whole time!

By the end of the day, a few really interested ones left with molts of their favorite species, could name each of my Ts by their scientific name, and are no doubt attending the next expo

 

[Swoop]

The first answer was they're like fish, but better. I think that's as simple as it gets. And some people just won't ever get it so if that's good enough, don't bother trying to explain further.

I like shooting and collecting guns; some people question it (so scary/dangerous/whatever!) and I compare it to cars. Cars are dangerous but nobody bats an eye at car collectors. Some people go 'oohhhhh', some don't. And if they don't, I don't sweat it. It's pointless to try to argue with someone who's just plain afraid of spiders or guns or anything else.

 

[basin79]

I personally hate the term hobby or collection when referring to living animals. But that's by the by.

Keeping tarantulas or inverts doesn't need explaining. If it's deemed ok to spoil a good walk by hitting a ball with a stick in golf. Dedicating your free time/life to inverts seems positively sane.

 

[Ungoliant]

Only problem with our Ts is people are happy enough to come to our house if you keep fish , but very often won't come if you keep Ts

That's a problem?

 

[maggiefiasco]

One of my roommates is super freaked out by spiders, cringes and runs away anytime I talk about them, but she has no problem in walking into my room and talking to me... even though she's surrounded by spiders in here. I dunno, its such a stupid thing... If she thinks about it, she gets freaked out, but when she's actually physically within feet of a half dozen T's and doesn't think about it, she acts totally normally. It's the strangest thing!

I usually convey the interest to people similar to what others have said in there are plenty of pets that people keep that aren't for actual "petting". Fish, snakes, lizards, turtles, are all pets for looking at, not touching. It's the irrational cultural phenomenon of spider hatred that puts them on a special s*** list, in my opinion. They have an unearned bad name, just like sharks (my other fave animal) do. I dunno, lots of people are biased against non-mammal pets. Spider keepers are the outcasts on the fringe. IMO, bird people are a little weird, but that's just me (jk)

I see myself as more of a zookeeper or curator of exhibits. These creatures are beautiful and so fun to watch them grow. It's not for me to handle or pet or love them so much as it is my responsibility to keep them happy and healthy so I can contiue to watch them grow.

 

[Rhysandfish]

One of my roommates is super freaked out by spiders, cringes and runs away anytime I talk about them, but she has no problem in walking into my room and talking to me... even though she's surrounded by spiders in here. I dunno, its such a stupid thing... If she thinks about it, she gets freaked out, but when she's actually physically within feet of a half dozen T's and doesn't think about it, she acts totally normally. It's the strangest thing!

I usually convey the interest to people similar to what others have said in there are plenty of pets that people keep that aren't for actual "petting". Fish, snakes, lizards, turtles, are all pets for looking at, not touching. It's the irrational cultural phenomenon of spider hatred that puts them on a special s*** list, in my opinion. They have an unearned bad name, just like sharks (my other fave animal) do. I dunno, lots of people are biased against non-mammal pets. Spider keepers are the outcasts on the fringe. IMO, bird people are a little weird, but that's just me (jk)

I see myself as more of a zookeeper or curator of exhibits. These creatures are beautiful and so fun to watch them grow. It's not for me to handle or pet or love them so much as it is my responsibility to keep them happy and healthy so I can contiue to watch them grow.

Bird people are weird! With their LOUD screeching 5000$ thing.

 

[Trenor]

One of my roommates is super freaked out by spiders, cringes and runs away anytime I talk about them, but she has no problem in walking into my room and talking to me... even though she's surrounded by spiders in here. I dunno, its such a stupid thing... If she thinks about it, she gets freaked out, but when she's actually physically within feet of a half dozen T's and doesn't think about it, she acts totally normally. It's the strangest thing!

That's pretty common with a lot of fears. I have a friend who is really terrified of heights. He gets dizzy taking about high places. We were hiking along a trail and it suddenly came out along a ridge near the edge. Until he noticed he was fine rolling along with the conversation. When he realized the edge and height he dropped to the ground and couldn't move. You couldn't touch him cause he would freak worse when you did. Finally, he calmed a bit and was able to belly crawl back to the trees and go back down the trail. Fears are often not rational in their application.

I find that most people who toss out the "Burn all spiders" reactions are people who are really not afraid of them. They just have the learned reaction that we are taught as kids not to grab spiders or bugs or snakes. Because of that they react like they do. I do know two ladies who are had bad experiences with spiders who are really scared of them. One was bit as a child and the other as a teen. I know this and make an effort not to flash them photos of my pets.

 

[Ungoliant]

I find that most people who toss out the "Burn all spiders" reactions are people who are really not afraid of them. They just have the learned reaction that we are taught as kids not to grab spiders or bugs or snakes.

Often they seem to think they are being funny. ("Kill it with fire" is both a meme and a common trope in movies where the monster can't be killed with conventional weapons.)

My apologies if you get sucked into TV Tropes for an hour.

 

[Kendricks]

Often they seem to think they are being funny. ("Kill it with fire" is both a meme and a common trope in movies where the monster can't be killed with conventional weapons.)

My apologies if you get sucked into TV Tropes for an hour.

Nuke it from orbit.
It's the only way to be sure!

 

[viper69]

I've told some family and friends about me getting T's and I always get the same question "Why would you do that, you can't even hold it" and I really don't have an answer. I have no clue why i'm spending 50$ on a spider and not feeling bad. Why do we have a strange attraction to T's? And how would I explain how I love large (sometimes dangerous) tarantulas and am not scared of them.

1. There's nothing strange
2. There's nothing to explain
3. Why do people own fish?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

[Andrea82]

'it's like fish. they're beautiful and interesting to look at, but I hate fish, so there you go...'
case closed

@grumpycow3 , care to elaborate on why you dislike above post??