Growing a collection - thoughts and reflections

[Scoot]

As a new keeper (I got my first T earlier this year), I'm interested in the dynamics of growing a collection.

I can envisage, at some point in the future, keeping a modest number of around 6-8 species I'm particularly interested in and feel capable of keeping well. I expect this to be a slow process; I want to make sure my current T is healthy for a while longer and that she moults again successfully in my care before I scratch the itch for the next acquisition.

With my current expectations in mind, I'd be interested to hear from more experienced keepers with larger collections:

• Did you start out with a particular number of species in mind or did your collection grow organically?
• Did you end up with more than you initially expected? If so, why?
• Do you have any regrets about adding to your collection too quickly (for whatever reason)?
• Have you downsized at all? If so, why?
• What (if anything!) will limit the size of your collection?

To be clear, I'm certainly not making any judgements about the respective merits of larger vs smaller collections; I'm fascinated by Ts in any number and so long as they're cared for, folks can do as they please I'm just interested in how and why hobbyists build up such large collections collections from scratch and the experiences of doing so.

 

[Tentacle Toast]

First of all, God bless you if you can keep that 6-8 figure ...LoL

As for the rest:
-I started with one, thinking I'd have a (A) nice pet tarantula. Expansion was wholly organic.
-yes, I ended up with more, because they're fascinating, easily housed.
-yes, as I didn't take the time to realize that I infinitely prefer arboreal species.
-yes, but only temporarily, as I get rid of undesired terrestrials & replace them with arboreal.
-my untimely death.
That was a fun one...hope it helped

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

rule #1 don’t over expand
I started out with 1-2 of them , got 10 more. Went all the way up to 80+ or so but purchased short lived species that was back in 2012.

Regrets- just buying too many at once and not buying more slow growers.



Funds lack of funds is why I have less than 25. I can’t seem to find a non labor intensive job. Most desk jobs here require ridiculous amounts of experience.
I’ve decided to keep a smaller collection under 30 now.
now I’m back down to 15 closer to me original number. I think 5-6 are males so my number will Be 10 soon.

rule #1 don’t over expand

 

[TLSizzle]

I don't think it's all that complicated. If you like a certain number of different species, get them. Be it 4 or 24. Some folks also get multiple Ts of the same type to try to ensure getting a female.
I started with 2, now have 14 and have only been keeping for 2 months. I have already rehomed 4 as they just weren't my thing. However, I'm glad I tried them out. Great thing about the T hobby is you can most definitely find a home for some you no longer enjoy.
I think it is a bit easy to get too many too fast as slings are small, dont take much space and are cheap. But those slings grow and need care. As long as one is mindful and practical- it's a fairly simple hobby.

 

[Wolfram1]

Well, i initially started with 2 spiderlings thinking they would be my stepping stone into reptile keeping.

It never got to that .

i'd say i have good self control, think about the space requirements and i am basically a miser like dagobert duck, so my collection is growing very slowly and organicly compared to others.

though there was one big jump, were i got about 20 at once until i managed to get my inner panzerknackers under control again

5+ years in, i have over 30 animals in my home and another 4 species (note species, it says nothing of the number ) on the way soon. many more than the envisioned 1 spider.

Once you decide you enjoy it, its hard to stop. More so if you get them for free.
I am mainly interested in eventually breeding them for fun/preservation.

I have been thinking about downsizing a few times, not necessarily because i don't enjoy them but more because of the space some species take, some of which i didn't choose (gifts, adoptions, freebies etc.), or that i don't particularly enjoy keeping (arboreals are annoying to feed) that could be filled by others i am more interested in.

I also have many duplicates, which is nice as a comparison between individuals, but it eats space like nothing else.

Ultimatly the available space and my slowly eroding free time will limit me in how many i can actually care for.

 

[Dijon]

• I would say that having a goal is good but don't expect it to last lol Lots of us start out with a few but it typically balloons rather quickly. For me personally, I like there to always be something going on with my critters and since they are very low maintenance pets it makes sense to have a good handful of them.
• Yes, I get excited about new species and end up with slings
• yes and no, my only real concern is available space but as far as the individual animals go I have no regrets.
• I have in the past, for species that I realized I was not ready to keep (A. Genic and an E. Murinus) but have not had that need since
• Mostly just space It pays to have a few slow growers in the mix

 

[Matt Man]

Don't over buy slings. 50 slings will neatly fill up a desktop. 50 adults will fill a room. So space plan around adult enclosures. Buy as many Ts as you have room to house as adults.
Probably the biggest error I see in new collectors. I've been in the hobby for decades and have never exceeded 30. I only have 3 slings right now, which were part of one of my adult's sacs.

 

[viper69]

• Did you start out with a particular number of species in mind or did your collection grow organically?
• Did you end up with more than you initially expected? If so, why?
• Do you have any regrets about adding to your collection too quickly (for whatever reason)?
• Have you downsized at all? If so, why?
• What (if anything!) will limit the size of your collection?

1. No
2. No, because I'm smart enough to know my limits of caring for animals that I will continue to ENJOY vs see as a task!
3. I never add quickly- I find that approach is entirely stupid for many reasons
4. Not by design
5.Money, and spare time

 

[jVendetta]

• Did you start out with a particular number of species in mind or did your collection grow organically?

- As many, started thinking of one pet tarantula as more than enough. Bought a MF A. Seemanni at the age of 15.

• Did you end up with more than you initially expected? If so, why?

- Ease of maintenance, long premolts, more info about other species, discovery of online T shopping from other countries, high shipping cost/T price ratio, more than one sling in order to get females, freebies. Pokemon syndrome, gotta catch them all.

• Do you have any regrets about adding to your collection too quickly (for whatever reason)?

- At one point felt a little overburdened. Too many enclosures, not easy to keep track of which ones ate, premolting/recently molted Ts without a diary of some form. I was around 30 Ts with a mix of slings, juvies and adults.

• Have you downsized at all? If so, why?

- Moved to another country for eight years so I sold most of them and gifted some to friends.

• What (if anything!) will limit the size of your collection?

- Hobby enjoyment. Learnt from that experience (I hope) and nowadays, with 8 T's, feel like it is enough for now. I'll probably cap at 10 but I haven't decided on the last two species. I have time to enjoy them, observe them and keep track of their progress mostly by memory. I don't have to look at the label to know the species and they feel like pets more than numbers. I have the space and the means to keep them as display T's when they all mature.

I totally respect people with huge collections and understand where they come from but for me it undermines the T keeping experience. I also had the "luck" of being forced to sell my collection, otherwise probably I'd be swimming in T's nowadays. As a new keeper, I'd advice on doing your research on which species you would like to have and make sure you have the time, the space and the disposable money to keep them as you want and enjoy them.

 

[Smotzer]

• [*]Did you start out with a particular number of species in mind or did your collection grow organically?
  [*]Did you end up with more than you initially expected? If so, why?
  [*]Do you have any regrets about adding to your collection too quickly (for whatever reason)?
  [*]Have you downsized at all? If so, why?
  [*]What (if anything!) will limit the size of your collection?

• No I didn't start with a number in mind, I had two slings when I started out and I waited over a year and a half before I added my next.
• Nope I have never had more than I really expected, I don't have the space/money/time to live that lifestyle
• Not yet, It can be difficult to think you NEED something when you just want it. I am actually getting my first new tarantula species in almost 2yrs this week. There is really no need to rush this hobby if you are going to stick in it your whole life!
• I have not downsized any tarantulas but I have with other invertebrates such as roaches, isopods.
• Space and money. Like mentioned above do not get anything unless you can house it sufficiently as an adult and that comes down to space but also money for larger enclosures!

I never add quickly- I find that approach is entirely stupid for many reasons

The reverse of this I see can be one of the big things that hinders some people from remaining in the hobby for the pure love of it

 

[Arachno32]

So many people rush into the hobby and buy a bunch of T's right of the bat. Then just a few months later they lose total interest and leave the hobby. Seen this pattern repeat so many times. For this reason I always say start slow with one or two T and determine if the hobby is for you or not.

 

[Smotzer]

So many people rush into the hobby and buy a bunch of T's right of the bat. Then just a few months later they lose total interest and leave the hobby. Seen this pattern repeat so many times. For this reason I always say start slow with one or two T and determine if the hobby is for you or not.

Yes it is simply a variation of (shopping) process addiction pathway circuitry. A lot of people get in and get caught up in buying, especially dangerous as slings take up only a couple inches of space, and then realize it wasn't always really the animals they truly loved, (it was the dopamine release). I personally sometimes find this sad that animals which rely on us for their care have to be swept up in our desires leading to the growing pet trade. This happens across so many pet domains with people getting them thinking it will fill something inside of them and just buy, buy, buy and then lose interest, neglect, or get rid of them, etc. I don't know its something I am not fond of in these hobbies we are all invested in here. There are some big dark underbellies to the pet trade I feel people chose to not allow themselves to really be conscious of. Maybe that's an overgeneralization. But I feel like it happens routinely enough to give pause to think about those issues.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

As a new keeper (I got my first T earlier this year), I'm interested in the dynamics of growing a collection.

I can envisage, at some point in the future, keeping a modest number of around 6-8 species I'm particularly interested in and feel capable of keeping well. I expect this to be a slow process; I want to make sure my current T is healthy for a while longer and that she moults again successfully in my care before I scratch the itch for the next acquisition.

With my current expectations in mind, I'd be interested to hear from more experienced keepers with larger collections:

• Did you start out with a particular number of species in mind or did your collection grow organically?
• Did you end up with more than you initially expected? If so, why?
• Do you have any regrets about adding to your collection too quickly (for whatever reason)?
• Have you downsized at all? If so, why?
• What (if anything!) will limit the size of your collection?

To be clear, I'm certainly not making any judgements about the respective merits of larger vs smaller collections; I'm fascinated by Ts in any number and so long as they're cared for, folks can do as they please I'm just interested in how and why hobbyists build up such large collections collections from scratch and the experiences of doing so.

I started, stopped and came back. On my 3rd time now. First 2 times were single adults first before this group existed and then before I knew this group existed. AB has been invaluable to me and increased my confidence to care for multiple slings. I started with 3 slings over a year ago and have increased to 9. It’s important to me to spend time reading up on each species before I get it. 9 was my limit imposed by my daughter (up from 7, lol). Next on my list are Asian arboreals, so giving some experimental time before I get those. I have no regrets on my decisions, but when some of my males hook out, I likely won’t replace them. My (self imposed) limit is based on time I have available, as I like to spend time looking in on each of them daily, and that I don’t own my home. Some day I will have to move and that means that many enclosures and finding a place that will allow me to have them.

 

[Liquifin]

• Did you start out with a particular number of species in mind or did your collection grow organically?

Nope. I had one goal in the beginning, which was to pick up where someone left off. Then I ended up having to relearn a lot because I was taught some outdated practices. So essentially somethings I've learned, I had to relearn from step one again. Thank you Arachnoboards.

• Did you end up with more than you initially expected? If so, why?

Yep, it grew fast because I was breeding. Now for me, I was not really worried or afraid of reducing my collection, so if I needed too, I would just sell, trade, or gift some of my collection off. But the hardest thing for some people to do is to let go. It wasn't hard for me to let go of some of my spiders. But a lot of new hobbyists make the mistake of hoarding too many spiders. Sometimes less is more for a collection for sure.

• Do you have any regrets about adding to your collection too quickly (for whatever reason)?

Not really, if you enjoy a species and can afford the resources and space then it should be fine.

• Have you downsized at all? If so, why?

Every time. Downsizing is usually a must for a lot of people at some point and for various reasons.

• What (if anything!) will limit the size of your collection?

Space and time is the real enemy of limitations for any collection in my opinion. Space affects how many you can keep in a collection and time affects how much dedication you can spend with your spiders. Resources and things of that nature shouldn't be a big issue as long as you're a working adult that can make just enough to keep your collection thriving. So unless you're jobless or are in a financial pinch, then getting the resources to care for a tarantula collection shouldn't be too difficult in my opinion.

 

[ant ramblings]

1.I thought I was going to get just one curly hair but in the first week I had five tarantulas . Bought two slings from a shop , realised that didn't scratch the itch so ordered a juvenile curly hair online and two more slings because they were so cheap.
2. Only regrets are getting a gimp box as it included wild caught and I don't want wc .I have also bought a mini mystery box and they were all duplicates that I wouldn't have bought .
3. Not downsized yet and only would if I end up with multiple females or need to send males off to breed.
4. Space and adult enclosure size .I live in the UK so the spiders are very cheap it's more about giving them the correct care and future housing needs .
Upto 67 and its easy to manage without feeling like a chore I also keep other inverts including a few ant colonies and cockroach colonies etc.

 

[MariaLewisia]

• Did you start out with a particular number of species in mind or did your collection grow organically?

Organically, though getting into breeding was a big part of me expanding my collection faster than expected.

• Did you end up with more than you initially expected? If so, why?

Much more than expected. Long story short, my whole life was flipped upside-down due to chronic illness and suddenly I had a whole lot of free time on my hands. My animals became my way of handling things and not lose my mind, and in conjunction with me wanting to try breeding some time in the future, I decided to give it a shot sooner rather than later. Couldn't be happier I did!

• Do you have any regrets about adding to your collection too quickly (for whatever reason)?

No, not really.

• Have you downsized at all? If so, why?

Other than selling the slings I've bred, no. I might sell some females in the future, once this year's new breeding group of slings get big enough to sex and I end up with a lot of them.

• What (if anything!) will limit the size of your collection?

Time, space, and money. My health, too, of course, whichever direction it decides to take. If I suddenly find myself getting well enough to resume my studies OR I get much worse... I'd just have to take the bullet and downsize. But right now I'm pretty happy where I am.

 

[Matt Man]

So many people rush into the hobby and buy a bunch of T's right of the bat. Then just a few months later they lose total interest and leave the hobby. Seen this pattern repeat so many times. For this reason I always say start slow with one or two T and determine if the hobby is for you or not.

I concur on this. I had my first T for years before I added on

 

[spideyspinneret78]

As a new keeper (I got my first T earlier this year), I'm interested in the dynamics of growing a collection.

I can envisage, at some point in the future, keeping a modest number of around 6-8 species I'm particularly interested in and feel capable of keeping well. I expect this to be a slow process; I want to make sure my current T is healthy for a while longer and that she moults again successfully in my care before I scratch the itch for the next acquisition.

With my current expectations in mind, I'd be interested to hear from more experienced keepers with larger collections:

• Did you start out with a particular number of species in mind or did your collection grow organically? I started out with one spider and have gradually added more over the course of about 6 years.
• Did you end up with more than you initially expected? If so, why? I did end up with more than I originally planned because as I learned more about these remarkable creatures, my interests expanded and became much more in depth compared to when I first started.
• Do you have any regrets about adding to your collection too quickly (for whatever reason)? The only regret I have is that at times the size of my collection has caused conflict with my husband and family members. Thankfully we've worked most of it out now.
• Have you downsized at all? If so, why? I have downsized once before, and it's because I was working long hours and didn't feel like I had the time to give my animals the quality of husbandry that they deserved. I rehomed a few of my spiders to a good friend of mine who also keeps exotics.
• What (if anything!) will limit the size of your collection? A few things. Mostly time. I want to be able to give each animal the level of care that they deserve. I also realize that my husband wouldn't be happy with me if I broke our agreement and got more spiders. I'm satisfied with the number I have right now. I have the species I want, but not so many that caring for them feels like a chore. I want to enjoy taking care of them.

 

[SpookySpooder]

@Scoot I see your self control, and am not impressed.

I actually didn't start out consensually in this hobby. Sounds weird but let me elaborate.

I was shipped a live animal package by FedEx in May of 2021. At the time, I was shopping for a male boa to breed to my female boa, so I assumed it was the animal I purchased and brought it in.

Usually my animals are brought straight to the FedEx center and held for pickup, so I thought it was weird that this one was dropped off to my door.

I opened the package and it was not what I ordered. It was 3 vials with paper tissues in a tiny box. I was thoroughly confused and thought the seller had made a major mistake so I went to check the tracking and file a claim for my boa. My package had not yet been delivered. "WHAT? HOW?" I was so confused.

Upon inspecting the package, I realized it was addressed to somebody else. No big deal usually as this happened before. I simply put in a request for FedEx to come pick it up from my doorstep as I was literally about to leave town on a business trip.

I repacked the box, and placed it outside with a big note that said "FEDEX, PLEASE RECLAIM THIS PACKAGE AND REDELIVER IT TO THE CORRECT ADDRESS. THANKS"

And then I left for the other side of the country.

While I was gone, my GF recieved my boa and acclimated it into the enclosure I had prepared. No troubles there, so I forgot about it.

My GF texts me two days later and asks me how come FedEx hasn't come to pick up the package yet. At this point I'm shocked, but also angry at how negligent they were being with LIVE ANIMALS!

So I told my GF to unpack the box and house whatever was in there until somebody came to collect, as I didn't want them to die in the box before that. She and I had a few hours of scrambling around watching YouTube videos and reading Google results on how to care for an Ornithoctoninae sp. Vietnam Silver and two Neoholothele incei slings.

We were woefully and inadequately unequipped and uninformed to deal with this, but I was able to walk her through setting up a temporary enclosure with some leftover cocofiber and some Tupperware containers. Not gonna lie, our first enclosures were terrible, but we made due.

Unfortunately over the duration of my trip, both N. incei slings perished one after the other. I believe either due to the stress of transit or due to the super wet substrate. Either way, I came home to an Ornithoctoninae sling in my possession with no owner to claim it in sight. Nobody contacted me through FedEx and no attempts to retrieve the package were made. I continued to house it for weeks as I eventually resigned that nobody was going to collect it.

I treated it like any of my other animals (more like my plants TBH), and raised it like a pet hole for the next year without much of a thought until I finally saw it come out of its burrow one day. It had probably doubled or tripled in size since I had saw it initially, and I was blown away by the development of the colored setae. I think that was the moment I was like "woah, these things are pretty awesome" and began to look into other species.

Don't know why I never really put much emphasis in it. I had kept jumpers and widows and odd critters my entire life, so maybe I was desensitized to it and assumed this was just like the other Arachnids I had experienced.

That was the slippery slope for me, it exploded from there. As with all my hobbies, I dive in deep headfirst.

• Did you start out with a particular number of species in mind or did your collection grow organically?

Nope, I didn't even have plans to start out.
What does "organic" even mean in this sense? I grew my collection sporadically based on interest, availability, and pricing.

• Did you end up with more than you initially expected? If so, why?

Yup. I initially expected 0, then perhaps just a trio, then it became a dozen, and then two, and then I stopped counting.
Simply because they're so easy to care for, pretty cheap compared to my other interests, and very low maintenance so they fit with my lifestyle. Also super interested in all types of life and have been closely connected to it my entire life, so it was just another experience to me.

• Do you have any regrets about adding to your collection too quickly (for whatever reason)?

Yes, because I have T's I don't like so much and I could have a T I like better in their spot.

• Have you downsized at all? If so, why?

Yes, while no one species has put me off, I have come across several specimens with personalities and behavior that do not make my interactions with them pleasant, so I have rehomed these troublesome specimens to owners who enjoy that level of spice as I seek to replace them with examples of their species that suit me better.

• What (if anything!) will limit the size of your collection?

Simply the lack of space and time. I won't bite off more than I can chew, and would never take on the responsibility for a life that I could not handle taking care of.

 

[kingshockey]

• Did you start out with a particular number of species in mind or did your collection grow organically?

- As many, started thinking of one pet tarantula as more than enough. Bought a MF A. Seemanni at the age of 15.

• Did you end up with more than you initially expected? If so, why?

- Ease of maintenance, long premolts, more info about other species, discovery of online T shopping from other countries, high shipping cost/T price ratio, more than one sling in order to get females, freebies. Pokemon syndrome, gotta catch them all.

• Do you have any regrets about adding to your collection too quickly (for whatever reason)?

- At one point felt a little overburdened. Too many enclosures, not easy to keep track of which ones ate, premolting/recently molted Ts without a diary of some form. I was around 30 Ts with a mix of slings, juvies and adults.

• Have you downsized at all? If so, why?

- Moved to another country for eight years so I sold most of them and gifted some to friends.

• What (if anything!) will limit the size of your collection?

- Hobby enjoyment. Learnt from that experience (I hope) and nowadays, with 8 T's, feel like it is enough for now. I'll probably cap at 10 but I haven't decided on the last two species. I have time to enjoy them, observe them and keep track of their progress mostly by memory. I don't have to look at the label to know the species and they feel like pets more than numbers. I have the space and the means to keep them as display T's when they all mature.

I totally respect people with huge collections and understand where they come from but for me it undermines the T keeping experience. I also had the "luck" of being forced to sell my collection, otherwise probably I'd be swimming in T's nowadays. As a new keeper, I'd advice on doing your research on which species you would like to have and make sure you have the time, the space and the disposable money to keep them as you want and enjoy them.

i picked out an a genic as my first after doing my due diligence on the reading/ research etc.
i blame this forum for my ending up with more than one t
gf is the one who bought my first as a gift along with a few other ones as birthday christmas valentines gifts for me etc.so now my max limit is 6 now she doesnt want an apartment full of creepy crawlies