How many is too many?

[Death Derp]

I have over 100 cockroaches nobody is counting those

Lol, my mom won't let me get a single cockroach as a feeder and i have 4 tarantulas and getting my 5th soon

 

[Trincess]

Lol, my mom won't let me get a single cockroach as a feeder and i have 4 tarantulas and getting my 5th soon

Haha that really sucks! They are such good feeders

I had a very similar situation with my wife. It got to a point (when I got my 7th Tarantula) that she said no more. I accepted it and left it alone for a few months. She eventually came around and said that Ts didn't bother her anymore and that she really just wanted a say in the matter because they made her uncomfortable. Not saying this will happen in your case but perhaps your S.O. just needs time for adjustment. And as long as you can care adequately you can never have too many Ts imo

Here’s hoping this happens to me!

The number is different for everybody, but I feel that at some point, you'll cross a line where the pleasure you get from having all of them doesn't outweigh the cost and maintenance as much (both of which are low, but even a low number multiplied by dozens or hundreds can add up.) For me, the ideal number is somewhere in the neighborhood of 25-35.

I’d probably be content with about 10. So let’s hope he loosens up on the tarantula rules

 

[JanPhilip]

once you feel like taking care of them is a chore and you view it as need rather than a want, then you’ve had enough.

I couldn't agree more with this. It is a hobby and a hobby is supposed to be enjoyable. After a certain number it can become more like a second job. Currently I keep ~60 tarantulas and some reptiles and it is close to my maximum for my current situation. I used to keep a lot more, but I found narrowing it down to the species I enjoy the most made more sense for me personally.

 

[Minty]

Get him to speak to people at the BTS and he’ll realise that you don’t have many.

 

[Trincess]

Get him to speak to people at the BTS and he’ll realise that you don’t have many.

I’m so excited for BTS

Truth is that its almost easier to take care of 15-20 than it is to keep 3 or 4....I mean, you can now actually go buy a dozen crickets and not just a couple at a time....and hey, if you already have a roach colony...well 20 wouldn't even make a dent in those roaches. At least with 20 you will have a little activity to observe...they are inherently inactive animals, and more allows you to actually see their behaviors more regularly.

I couldn't imagine having just a couple. Its like going to a movie and just getting 3 or 4 cornels of popcorn.

So here is what I’m thinking. Which agrees with what you said! If a tarantula is in premolt it’s especially boring so if I have a bunch of them they’ll be at different stages with different personalities and will be a lot more interesting for me as some will be active while others aren’t

Seems odd that the Ts are the concern and not the roaches

It seems that people around me believe that tarantulas are deadly or can hurt them. I don’t even have any OW ones yet! Ps: nobody is too crazy about my roaches either. Also I checked my roach kindergarten yesterday and there was about 40 newborn nymphs in there

 

[StampFan]

Lol, my mom won't let me get a single cockroach as a feeder and i have 4 tarantulas and getting my 5th soon

You're in Canada, cockroaches are illegal.

 

[Ancistrus]

If he loves you, he will accept your hobby, if you love him, you should consider his request.

But just consider,... haha...

Life is too short, as long as you are not hurting anyone, you should enjoy it.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I let the extremely important question of 'how many is too many?' in the supreme, wise, kind etc heart of womens (wifes, girlfriends, mothers in general) for that I'm always lurking and searching for incautions husbands, 'so', sons etc near me always ready to buy one more spider.

Then, after pinpointing those, I try to fix the issue

 

[Trincess]

You're in Canada, cockroaches are illegal.

Why am I in Canada?

I let the extremely important question of 'how many is too many?' in the supreme, wise, kind etc heart of womens (wifes, girlfriends, mothers in general) for that I'm always lurking and searching for incautions husbands, 'so', sons etc near me always ready to buy one more spider.

Then, after pinpointing those, I try to fix the issue

I really did not understand what you said here...

 

[cold blood]

Why am I in Canada?

As he quoted deathderp, he wasn't talking to you

I really did not understand what you said here...

Join the club...lmao

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Why am I in Canada?

Well, happens. For instance, I'm in Iowa at the moment, watching a bunch of lovely farmers talking about politics and wheat.

I was born, and, at the time of writing, I was a Canadian as well. But I have a DIY Time Machine, and you... not

Join the club...lmao

 

[Sinned]

I had a very similar situation with my wife. It got to a point (when I got my 7th Tarantula) that she said no more. I accepted it and left it alone for a few months. She eventually came around and said that Ts didn't bother her anymore and that she really just wanted a say in the matter because they made her uncomfortable. Not saying this will happen in your case but perhaps your S.O. just needs time for adjustment. And as long as you can care adequately you can never have too many Ts imo

^^ this,

About the same here, all the "limits" were nothing more then time she needed to adjust and play catch up. She has taken an interest and even checks up on them now when she walks past them. When she did tell me she was bothered about it, I respected it and didn't push the issue. We share a home and part of that (misplaced or not) concern also had to do that we have a (young) daughter and other pets. In time she learned about T's and we now even visits expo's together as a family.

In time, as space is an issue, I don't think she will mind me getting more T's. But for now, 15 is enough.

 

[Trincess]

Well, happens. For instance, I'm in Iowa at the moment, watching a bunch of lovely farmers talking about politics and wheat.

I was born, and, at the time of writing, I was a Canadian as well. But I have a DIY Time Machine, and you... not

Ok you lost me again lolol...

^^ this,

About the same here, all the "limits" were nothing more then time she needed to adjust and play catch up. She has taken an interest and even checks up on them now when she walks past them. When she did tell me she was bothered about it, I respected it and didn't push the issue. We share a home and part of that (misplaced or not) concern also had to do that we have a (young) daughter and other pets. In time she learned about T's and we now even visits expo's together as a family.

In time, as space is an issue, I don't think she will mind me getting more T's. But for now, 15 is enough.

I like all insects and frogs, I love frogs actually so other females especially think I’m really weird because I don’t collect handbags and I have a big tub of soil that I culture woodlice and springtails in. Literally freaks people out when I show them

 

[cold blood]

I don’t collect handbags and I have a big tub of soil that I culture woodlice and springtails in

 

[Tarantulasareanimalstoo]

I think my problem would be trying to even it out between Ts and reptiles/amphibians . I agree that standards of how many is the limit depends on all sorts of things between housing space, relationships ( SO’s, roommates, family, etc), and the individual collecting the Ts. I mean like I have a wishlist that consists of nearly 40 Ts and that’s not even counting other animals.

 

[TechnoGeek]

Depends on the keeper, mostly on your lifestyle. A dedicated keeper who happens to work from home and doesn't like to travel as often as humanly possible can realistically handle 50 Ts or even more. For a healthcare worker like myself, considering I like to travel every vacation, holiday, and long weekend, 20 is my limit.

That said one thing I love about tarantulas and scorpions is how hardy they are and how little maintenance they require. If I have to be gone for 20 days or so, all I have to do is feed them as much as they'll eat before I leave, put an extra water dish in there, and that's it! Most other pets could be dead or possibly badly emaciated and stressed if left alone in the enclosure for so long, but not arachnids! The common boa is the closest, but still requires more work. She won't require food for 25 days if you give her a big enough rat or a rabbit, but you'll have a lot of cleaning to do when you come back if you catch my drift.

 

[spideyspinneret78]

I have 43 tarantulas in total right now, plus a few other arachnids. I'd say I'm realistically at my limit now with what I can handle, in addition to space available. My husband used to get upset with me when I brought home more tarantulas, but eventually he stopped caring and accepted it as something that means a lot to me.

 

[Introvertebrate]

I think my problem would be trying to even it out between Ts and reptiles/amphibians . I agree that standards of how many is the limit depends on all sorts of things between housing space, relationships ( SO’s, roommates, family, etc), and the individual collecting the Ts. I mean like I have a wishlist that consists of nearly 40 Ts and that’s not even counting other animals.

I've toyed with the possibility if getting a reptile or two. However, I get the impression that the minute you move up the food chain, you have to start socializing your animals to make them more tame and/or manageable. Whenever there's work involved, you can count me out.

 

[TechnoGeek]

I've toyed with the possibility if getting a reptile or two. However, I get the impression that the minute you move up the food chain, you have to start socializing your animals to make them more tame and/or manageable. Whenever there's work involved, you can count me out.

It depends on the reptile in question but yeah generally speaking you'll need to work on taming them else they'll be much harder to handle. The key for me is to have only one animal that requires taming at a time. This one is possibly one of the most difficult that I've had to tame but he's pretty chill now:

 

[spideyspinneret78]

I've toyed with the possibility if getting a reptile or two. However, I get the impression that the minute you move up the food chain, you have to start socializing your animals to make them more tame and/or manageable. Whenever there's work involved, you can count me out.

I agree. I eventually want to get a snake, but comparatively speaking they're significantly more work than having tarantulas. I already have a dog that I love dearly but she can be a lot of work....any additional mammalian pets at this point are a no thanks. Sometimes I daydream about getting a horse if I ever had the money, then I remember that it's a LIFESTYLE, not just a pet! No way my depressed butt could keep up with all that maintenance in reality. Spiders are the perfect pets for someone like me.