Most ignorant questions or comments

[Tapahtyn]

I have to total agree. Used to argue this all the time as a groomer when I owned a pitbull and also argue this with recent Ex. Fact yes some breeds were orgianal breed for aggression. However before you say all and point to mine or to a current breed better check breed makeups background and what made her. Fluffy used to be bigger. Inbreeding and puppy mills have ruined many tempers in dog breeds. As a former AKC handler, trainer, breeder, and groomer I've got more bite mark scars from little pee fart. Use to tell people all the time its in good breeding, knowledge of the breed, care, handeling, proper training (and not well I take my dog to such and such and have it trained). Honey if you don't know how to handel the breed and be the dominet one fluffy will eat you too. Their gribbing about my killer dog who is laying in the middle of the floor in a grooming shop with open doors relaxing not bothering a thing while a toddler son is playing next to him and loving on him kinda ruff. Whats fluffy doing tearing up the kennel, blood dripping off my finger, fluffy had to be muzzeled to be groomed, a catch poll to get it out of the crates, fluffy has no current vacinations oh and did i mention when came in looked like someone mowed the yard and went "oh look i found a dog". True story nasty witch only brought her stupid poodle in just before christmas every year for about six years to be groomed cause the familys coming over. Stupid thing had to be muzzeled everytime, every year had to down right demand proof of current rabbies vacinations, has actually bit a kid before, came in a tangled up matted up black poolie but left a sparkling white poodle. But fluffy is such a perfict dog and my pitbull is going to one day eat a kid. On a side note she stopped coming after we again gave her our cradintials in dog care and made her get that little monster out herself after I was bit with it just standing on the table waiting to give it time to relax and settle in which as I recall took you about an hour of just standing there next to it. Plenty of stories like this. Leason learned I dont groom anymore. OMG and customers only got worse after Dog Whisperer. Lord people leave it to that man. You are by no means an expert because you watch Cesear Chavez do it. He has way more experiance and knowledge than you do.

On a side note if we ordered something we knew since we were small, may be awhile having these, we tried to get care sheets and at least read about them before they arrived. And tried to stick with things like Rosies and strip knees.

We used to git all kinds of just great questions on T's too.
Rosies Them: "Oh thats one of dem der bird eater thingys." Us: "No sir its a rose hair." Them: "Dunt look no rose I ever seed." Thinking: Bet not sir.

Scorpions: Them: "you know if the sting you, you'll die." Us: "Sir thats an Emp might hurt like heck but you prob wont die" Thinking: Unfortunently. Wait really want ta be the first? Maybe lessen the population of the short bus.

Them: "You know they have to be on sand." Us: "No mam those belong on mosit dirt." Them: "They come from the dessert. Theres no dirt in the dessert." US: "No mam this is a diffrent type of scorp. Diffrent types all have diffrent requirements" Thinking: Isn't sand dry dirt.

Kid one time and I mean all of maybe 13-14: "I want a deadly one." Me: "Good go find one. I won't buy em' dont ask." Brat: "Well I'll come back with my mom." Mom upon return from shopping "He wants one thats more posionus." "May I suggest another pet store. I' do not sell Scorps other than Emps. Expecially to kids." Talks to manager who is basically adopted grandfather. He tells her same. They storm out. Hope the little torp got stung too.

That's pretty good. I agree with the whole dog whisperer thing and the hillbilly remarks sound a lot like here in Missouri. country bumpkins!! My husband worked with a young guy that had never seen a gallon of milk nor knew what a pharmacy was!!! NO he wasn't amish

 

[fandip]

So I'm brand new to the T world however I've been reading alot on here until it shows up. I was at Petsmart today to pickup a tiny cage for my sling thats showing up this week and the girl said I should get it a 10 gallon tank now so I don't have to buy another later, and I want all these heat lamps. I said ooookay... and walked away. Thank god I've been reading up otherwise I'd have either a split open, or cooked T very shortly

 

[tjmi2000]

Wait I got one. It's not about spiders but it is an excellent example of stupidity. Bill S. you cracked me up with those cave questions. They remind me of people that come to my work. I work as a manager in a restaurant at a major resort and one of the most common questions I here is, "How big is the nine inch pizza?" I just wish I could show them what nine inches looks like!

 

[Bill S]

I feel like if it's not directly affecting the way you live, what business is it of yours what I have at my house?

I agree completely. Unfortunately there are always those people in the world who feel they are interfering for your own good, and they're convinced it's their job to protect you from yourself whether you like it or not.

There's an old quotation from Thoreau that goes something like "If you see someone coming your way with the obvious intent of doing you good, run for your life." He must have had this type of person in mind when he said that.

 

[blix]

This thread deserved a bump, since I was - once again - visiting my local pet shop to buy some small mealworms.

The conversation went like this, after I had bought them:

Me: "Thanks, just what I needed!"

Owner: "So how are your spiders doing?"

Me: "Great, thanks, although some of them barely eat at the moment"

Owner: "Well, usually they are like that for many months due to hibernation when they sleep - like bears do"

Me: "Ehh, right, have a good weekend"

 

[BigDaddyJ]

Although some of these are rather funny because we are all informed about Ts dosent mean that these people need to be belittled due to thier lack of knowledge about them. Instead of saying "I have to go" or "thanks goodbye". Take 5 min from your day and inform someone about Ts. This is why most people have a fear of them and the crazy laws that are trying to be passed to take your hobby away.Due to uninformed people. Education is key to make this hobby grow and flurish.

 

[Sathane]

I don't think it is our responsibility to educate people who are in the industry on their 'product'. If I took 5 minutes to set the record straight every time I heard some retardation being spewed at a LPS I'd spend days there. I've heard associates telling customers that their new Ts required heat lamps and UVB lighting. In those cases, where there is the potential to harm the animal and send off a new hobbyist in the wrong direction, I do make a point to correct the situation.

You are right though. It's not nice to belittle and make fun of the uninformed in these threads.
It should be put in your sig, were it belongs.

Although some of these are rather funny because we are all informed about Ts dosent mean that these people need to be belittled due to thier lack of knowledge about them. Instead of saying "I have to go" or "thanks goodbye". Take 5 min from your day and inform someone about Ts. This is why most people have a fear of them and the crazy laws that are trying to be passed to take your hobby away.Due to uninformed people. Education is key to make this hobby grow and flurish.

 

[Scorpendra]

my sister asked me if my tarantulas were having babies. i said no, and she asked why. i tried explaining simply that they were different species, but it went right over her head, as did my analogy of a cat and dog (even though it's not an even parallel). after a minute or two, she got frustrated and left, claiming that she doesn't know anything about spiders...even though the problem was understanding basic biology.

if she pushed the issue, i would have mentioned that almost all of them are adult females.

 

[Sathane]

Is she 4 ?

my sister asked me if my tarantulas were having babies. i said no, and she asked why. i tried explaining simply that they were different species, but it went right over her head, as did my analogy of a cat and dog (even though it's not an even parallel). after a minute or two, she got frustrated and left, claiming that she doesn't know anything about spiders...even though the problem was understanding basic biology.

if she pushed the issue, i would have mentioned that almost all of them are adult females.

 

[Scorpendra]

she's 21. awkward, huh?

it's not that she doesn't understand the concept of taxonomy, it's just that she doesn't think actual boundaries go deeper than "dog", "snake", "monkey", "tarantula", etc. and that anything that does go deeper is along the lines of a breed. there's really nothing i can be expected to do at that point.

 

[KoffinKat138]

I went In to a LPS, to buy a coast rican tiger rump( Cyclosternum fasciatum) that they just got in,,and i saw in a KK they had a OBT,,but just to make sure i asked "what kind of Baboon tarantula is that?"
and the guy replied "oh its not a baboon, its the "Golden" phase Tiger Rump.,,its just a Lil more aggressive.

 

[Radamanthys]

she's 21. awkward, huh?

it's not that she doesn't understand the concept of taxonomy, it's just that she doesn't think actual boundaries go deeper than "dog", "snake", "monkey", "tarantula", etc. and that anything that does go deeper is along the lines of a breed. there's really nothing i can be expected to do at that point.

people are used to cats and dogs that breed with anything similar to their form lol

 

[Lennie Collins]

1) What if they get out of their cages and bite you?
2) Do you let them out and roam around your apartment?
3) Do they come when you call their names?
4) Are they mean (aggressive)?
5) Are they poisionous?
6) Do they get along with other pets?
7) Can you put them (different species tarantulas) all in a cage together?
8) Can they kill you/Are they dangerous?
9) Do you bathe them?
10) Can you pet them?


These are some of the ones I have been asked since I have been collecting? I would not say they are ignorant BUT like not knowing!

 

[Chilobrachys]

Not really something someone said, but i was at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo today and noticed the old sponge in the water bowl in the GGB enclosure. The rest of the Ts there had bone dry water bowls. Other than that they have a pretty cool collection. I just think a zoo would know better.

 

[OxDionysus]

When I first moved back to MI from Vegas I found a LPS and they had a few T's that were WAY over priced. They had Rose hairs and Pink toes for $60, Red Knee's for $300, Cobalt blue $90 and I asked why the prices were so high and he said that these were normal prices for these T's.

I told him I just came from Vegas and the prices were like 1/4 of his and he told me that's because they can just catch them wild there. Here in MI we have to have them imported and shipped ect..

I just shook my head and walked out.

 

[Steve Calceatum]

It's no secret to anyone here that keeping our beloved "Monsters" attracts a crap-ton of attention from those around you. Since I started, I've had to indulge every one of my friends and family in alot of spider-related crap. Alot of questions asked, and they're always wanting to see the lil buggers...even the so-called "arachnophobes!!" And I think we all agree that, when given the chance, we just love to show off our collections!!!
Nothing asked in the interest of learning or just plain curiosity is unwelcome. I enjoy being able to educate and instill passion in people. When the intent is to judge or demean, I just call them on their s#!t right there.....completely bypassing the educational approach (they're not gonna listen anyway:wall: ), and inform them that X-behavior is asinine, ignorant, and completely out of line for Y-reasons, and if X & Y continue, then I gotta go....

On a lighter side:
My ex-wife came to pick up the kids, and brought her new boyfriend in to see the Creepies. When dropping them off the following week, this guy (a lovable, but highly ignorant type) was asking me how he could get hold of an "African Birdeater." (I couldn't help but smile at this point) After a few minutes, I assertained that he was referring to a T. blondi...and that he had this burning desire to fit-in and keep the biggest freakin' eight-legged thing he could find!!! Lo, and behold, it just so happened that the Discovery Channel showed him the light to his first T. Well, I had just started to get out the phrase "That is the most absurd thing I've ever h......." when my 5-year old son interrupted me and said "Pokies are better!!!!"

 

[LeilaNami]

It's no secret to anyone here that keeping our beloved "Monsters" attracts a crap-ton of attention from those around you. Since I started, I've had to indulge every one of my friends and family in alot of spider-related crap. Alot of questions asked, and they're always wanting to see the lil buggers...even the so-called "arachnophobes!!" And I think we all agree that, when given the chance, we just love to show off our collections!!!
Nothing asked in the interest of learning or just plain curiosity is unwelcome. I enjoy being able to educate and instill passion in people. When the intent is to judge or demean, I just call them on their s#!t right there.....completely bypassing the educational approach (they're not gonna listen anyway:wall: ), and inform them that X-behavior is asinine, ignorant, and completely out of line for Y-reasons, and if X & Y continue, then I gotta go....

On a lighter side:
My ex-wife came to pick up the kids, and brought her new boyfriend in to see the Creepies. When dropping them off the following week, this guy (a lovable, but highly ignorant type) was asking me how he could get hold of an "African Birdeater." (I couldn't help but smile at this point) After a few minutes, I assertained that he was referring to a T. blondi...and that he had this burning desire to fit-in and keep the biggest freakin' eight-legged thing he could find!!! Lo, and behold, it just so happened that the Discovery Channel showed him the light to his first T. Well, I had just started to get out the phrase "That is the most absurd thing I've ever h......." when my 5-year old son interrupted me and said "Pokies are better!!!!"

Yes I love how absolutely everyone who is afraid of spiders calls themselves an arachnophobe. True arachnophobia is uncommon. Fear of something does not make it a true phobia!

 

[Jackuul]

Yes I love how absolutely everyone who is afraid of spiders calls themselves an arachnophobe. True arachnophobia is uncommon. Fear of something does not make it a true phobia!

I was one of those folks who was actually really afraid of spiders. A phopbia I had nightmares about, constantly on my mind, and always out the corner of my eye anything dark and small would elicit a violent reaction of recoil, even if it turned out to not be a spider - just because I was a afraid it might be one.

I would yelp and run away. I couldn't even handle them myself. Here I was, 22, 5'10, afraid of a tiny spider to the point of just running to get a hammer or something to use against it. I regarded them as my greatest foe in life, just as heights still are (I cannot stand on a chair competently enough to save my life) and I pretty much lived in fear of them. As in, real nightmarish fear. I looked them up, I read about them, I did everything on the educational front when it comes to the basics of spiders - and that did not change me.

However, two years later, and I have baby Ts. I changed after, instead of killing a gigantic wolf spider that was obviously female and possibly gravid (it was huge compared to the small ones with the club-like pedipalps) I trapped it in a jar. My much younger brother insisted he keep it as a pet, and we ended up getting it an aquarium, and crickets to eat - which it devoured one after the other after the other.

Then he wanted a Rose Tarantula. I was tasked with the research on proper care and such, and eventually got to the point - without thinking - of managing it and making sure it was cared for correctly. I have held his spider, any my own, whereas not more than a year ago I would flee in terror. Now I have gone from wanting just one spider of my own, to a specific set of spiders.

Every single species in the genus Grammostola, and I have even started a site dedicated to arachnids...

It wasn't so much education as it was exposure and actually seeing them right up close (and finally handling them) without either running away or attacking with a blunt object that would doom anything.

 

[xhexdx]

There was a dealer at Repticon here who had S. calceatum labeled as P. regalis.

I tried to explain to him that it was labeled wrong, but he got it from someone (he told me his name but I have no idea who it is) who supposedly supplies everyone their spiders and breeds everything and has been doing so for the past 25 years, so he can't possibly have it labeled wrong.

So I clarified with him that I wasn't trying to start an argument or create a problem, but the spider was definitely labeled wrong. We kind of left it at that and I walked away.

I sent him an e-mail today with links to both spiders and pointed out two of the main (there are plenty!) differences between them, and he responded positively and said he would forward the information to his wholesaler as well.

Hopefully he's actually doing it, but at least I proved my point. That's why I don't buy anything that's too small to properly identify from reptile shows. Too questionable.

 

[Julia]

There was a dealer at Repticon here who had S. calceatum labeled as P. regalis.

I tried to explain to him that it was labeled wrong, but he got it from someone (he told me his name but I have no idea who it is) who supposedly supplies everyone their spiders and breeds everything and has been doing so for the past 25 years, so he can't possibly have it labeled wrong.

So I clarified with him that I wasn't trying to start an argument or create a problem, but the spider was definitely labeled wrong. We kind of left it at that and I walked away.

I sent him an e-mail today with links to both spiders and pointed out two of the main (there are plenty!) differences between them, and he responded positively and said he would forward the information to his wholesaler as well.

Hopefully he's actually doing it, but at least I proved my point. That's why I don't buy anything that's too small to properly identify from reptile shows. Too questionable.

Yup yup. Been there. Done that. Heard the whole, "I get these from a guy who breeds them so he knows what he's talking about and has been doing this for many years" spiel. Only in my case, it was an adult female labeled as "O. gadgili" that I immediately recognized as a Haplopelma. I questioned that it was CB and totally questioned the genus/species name. The dealer swore it was all correct because that's what his guy told him. Bought her anyway ($15....couldn't pass it up). Still don't know exactly what she is.

In your case there, S. calceatum labeled as P. regalis, at LEAST both are arboreal and both have nasty bites. I mean, It's not like the S. calceatum was labeled an an A. avic or anything.