So the hobby is addictive?

[Razzledazzy]

So I'm new to the hobby and just curious how much the 'you can't just have one' thing seems to hold true. Right now I've only got one.... and yet I snagged a second tank claiming it would be a good 'backup' container in case anything happened to my main cage.

Yet I can't stop thinking about how well another T would do in it... I've already got the substrate....

I've only had my first T for two days.

 

[Lokee85]

My husband and I got our first two Ts at the same time, a B. vagans and B. albo. We had our third and fourth two weeks later. Within two months, we were at 25. We now have 23 Ts (had one death and gave one to a friend), 1 Wolf spider, and 1 brown recluse that was found in my bedroom that I've been caring for temporarily until temps warm up enough to set it free away from my apartment building. I haven't acquired any new Ts in over a year, and it's getting harder to refrain, but finances do not currently permit new acquisitions.

 

[cold blood]

I'm the exception to the rule, but that is because I got my first as a rescue, not anything I planned, and I was seriously arachnophobic at the time...I just couldn't see something get killed for amusement. So I had my first for a decade before deciding more was what I ultimately wanted. It was a rose hair, so it took a long time to actually learn the things I needed to learn.

But here's the reason many get lots at a higher rate.

1. Ts are inherently inactive most of the time. So if you want to observe activity, you need many as most won't be at any given time.

2. Feeding is the biggest draw perhaps. And feeding one, once a week, doesn't satisfy most people's wants and needs to observe the hunting and feeding process.

3. This is a big one...ts inherently go through long periods of total inactivity in the pre-molt period.

Combine these, and more ts is the answer to everything I listed above. And even when you get a bunch, they all inevitably end up pre-molt at the same time...which makes the person say, dang, I need a few more yet.

Also, more ts, mean you learn more about them, faster, as an individual or a few, take a long time to understand the things they do to help you learn fast...so the learning process is significantly slower, with fewer ts.


When I expanded, I was like, hey, if I get 7 it would be perfect....then I realized all could be fed in about 3 minutes each week (leading to a helicopter owner, constantly hovering and over-worrying)...and the time spend on them was practically zero...so I thought, maybe a dozen....same thing, then all 12 end up hiding in pre-molt because I was feeding at a higher rate than necessary. So I thought, 17 to 20...perfect number.....fast forward a few months and again...all 20 are in pre molt, fasting and hiding.....So because of this, and the low time constraints even that many had...I decided the room needed to be dedicated to them.

The more you have, the more often you can feed (without over-feeding any one individual) and the more activity you inevitably witness, the more you learn, and the faster your comfort level rises as a result.

Large numbers mean that even when many are pre-molt, many won't be...so those pre-molters that used to be a source of frustration, are now barely noticed....making the keeper, more patient with each individual t...and with this hobby, patience is the #1 thing one can have to be content with the collection.

JMO anyway.

 

[0311usmc]

It really depends on who you ask. Take me for example. I got my first tarantula in 2007 i bought my 2nd tarantula in 2009 my 3rd 2010 etc. Its 2018 i have 10 tarantulas total including my first from 2007, a snake and a centipede. Keeping tarantulas is awesome and everything but my other hobbies are far more expensive, time consuming and all together funner than keeping a ton of tarantulas. I just make sure i only own bad ass species of tarantulas and no lame ones, cough cough grammys and brachys to keep me entertained when i am at home.

 

[Razzledazzy]

I haven't acquired any new Ts in over a year, and it's getting harder to refrain, but finances do not currently permit new acquisitions.

Oof! I feel this. I'm in between jobs right now but my living situation is stable and I've got some savings and I keep telling myself that needs to be saved for emergencies and yet... a few hundred... who's gonna miss it? (The answer is future me and they're gonna kick my ass about it.)

, and I was seriously arachnophobic at the time...

It's interesting how many arachnophobic people end up in the hobby. Something about them that scares us also seems to fascinate us.

(leading to a helicopter owner, constantly hovering and over-worrying)

Ooof, I feel this. I'm already here. I'm always getting up to check on my one T.

But here's the reason many get lots at a higher rate.

1. Ts are inherently inactive most of the time. So if you want to observe activity, you need many as most won't be at any given time.

2. Feeding is the biggest draw perhaps. And feeding one, once a week, doesn't satisfy most people's wants and needs to observe the hunting and feeding process.

3. This is a big one...ts inherently go through long periods of total inactivity in the pre-molt period.

Combine these, and more ts is the answer to everything I listed above. And even when you get a bunch, they all inevitably end up pre-molt at the same time...which makes the person say, dang, I need a few more yet.

I never thought about these factors. I keep my T in my bedroom and I don't spend much time in there. (I spend a lot of time working on my computer in other areas of the home.) So when I check on her and she's active I'll stop and watch for a bit, but if she's inactive most of the time I'd never know because I'm not in the room. I'm lucky my girl does the 'happy dance' when she's been fed, so the feeding process isn't over so quickly.

When we get to pre-molt for the first time is probably when my resolve is going to break.

I decided the room needed to be dedicated to them.

This is my nightmare scenario, trying to convince other family members (we've got three generations living in this house) that I need space in the shared living spaces for Ts. My bedroom can only hold so many.

 

[Screamingreenmachine]

I think Cold Blood nailed it perfectly. I started with two, but they were growing too slow for my impatient self, so I jumped up to 7, now I'm at 13 and 3 scorpions and honestly, I still want more since most of them are just sitting around or hiding, like CB said. Thankfully my life is super busy so I only feed them once every two weeks, so no overfeeding, and I take a nice break from life to watch them hunt the crickets. If it wasn't for a space issue right now, I'd definitely have more. When I get my in my new place I'm planning on setting up a large bark scorpion colony so that way I'll have more activity and hopefully my itching desire to buy more T's fades for a while.

 

[Razzledazzy]

I think Cold Blood nailed it perfectly. I started with two, but they were growing too slow for my impatient self, so I jumped up to 7, now I'm at 13 and 3 scorpions and honestly, I still want more since most of them are just sitting around or hiding, like CB said. Thankfully my life is super busy so I only feed them once every two weeks, so no overfeeding, and I take a nice break from life to watch them hunt the crickets. If it wasn't for a space issue right now, I'd definitely have more. When I get my in my new place I'm planning on setting up a large bark scorpion colony so that way I'll have more activity and hopefully my itching desire to buy more T's fades for a while.

Oh wow, a whole colony? How many scorpions is that going to take?

 

[LV-426]

I started at 2, blew up to 35, now I have 3 left.

 

[DanBsTs]

After I got my first T I bought a 2nd one a week later much to my wife's dismay. That was 6 months ago and my current count is 7 with my 8th coming next Tuesday. My wife just gave me the green light to continue with my hobby at my own discretion so I'm sure my collection will start to grow. . . rapidly.

 

[Screamingreenmachine]

Oh wow, a whole colony? How many scorpions is that going to take?

Starting with 5 and then letting them do their thing and it'll go from there!

 

[spookyvibes]

I bought my first T and waited several years to buy another. I never really felt the need to start expanding my collection at a rapid rate, and I also had no idea I could buy tarantulas online/that there were reptile expos that I could buy them at. Now that I know about these things, I'm fulfilling the desires of my 10/11 year old self and getting all the ones I wanted but didn't know where to buy (and probably was better off not buying some of them tbh.) Also, there's so many cool spiders in the hobby now that I desire as well

 

[Razzledazzy]

I bought my first T and waited several years to buy another. I never really felt the need to start expanding my collection at a rapid rate, and I also had no idea I could buy tarantulas online/that there were reptile expos that I could buy them at. Now that I know about these things, I'm fulfilling the desires of my 10/11 year old self and getting all the ones I wanted but didn't know where to buy (and probably was better off not buying some of them tbh.) Also, there's so many cool spiders in the hobby now that I desire as well

Right! When I first started looking I was completely bewildered by the selection. I had so much trouble trying to find a suitable 'first' and ended up going to purchase a g. pulchra from someone- only to find out they were getting an a. chalcodes in next week. One that was the perfect size for me. It was fate.

There's an expo coming up here in July (Repticon, why they would do the Repticon in Florida in JULY makes no sense to me. The weather's going to be horrid.) and I can see myself coming home with some acquisitions.

Starting with 5 and then letting them do their thing and it'll go from there!

Admittedly I don't know much about scorpion breeding but I can foresee a surplus of babies in the future with a setup like that.

 

[Screamingreenmachine]

Admittedly I don't know much about scorpion breeding but I can foresee a surplus of babies in the future with a setup like that.

Haha that's the plan! Get a bunch of babies and I'll probably end up giving tons of them away in time.

 

[Rinfish]

Had one tarantula for 6 years, and within a year I acquired three more haha. They certainly are easy to care for in groups. I mainly justified my purchases based on the fact that:

1.) Easy to clean and care for.
2.) buying 6 crickets every 3 weeks was a drag. Now that I have three slings and one adult, I get a mishmash of small and large crickets and its easier to keep the crickets alive in between feedings.
3.) There are just too many beautiful ones!

 

[Razzledazzy]

3.) There are just too many beautiful ones!

There are so many beautiful ones! I wonder if anyone else gets on an online shop and goes and fills up a cart full of slings and then leaves them there. I think it helps me to decide on which ones I end up getting.

(Looks at my other tab with neoholothele incei gold and an avicularia juruensis morphotype 2.... the purchase button is Right There.)

 

[Garth Vader]

So I'm new to the hobby and just curious how much the 'you can't just have one' thing seems to hold true. Right now I've only got one.... and yet I snagged a second tank claiming it would be a good 'backup' container in case anything happened to my main cage.

Yet I can't stop thinking about how well another T would do in it... I've already got the substrate....

I've only had my first T for two days.

I had one for a while and I obsessed and fussed over that poor bugger. Then I ordered one more, she came with a freebie. Then I got one more and stuck with that for a while. Then there was a sad Avic at petco. *sigh* Then the summer ended and there's more and more. I'm up to 10 now and actively making plans for my 11th (from someone you should buy tarantulas from, @cold blood ). I think my tarantula obsession might be a bit seasonal. When the weather gets nice I am outside a lot working in my gardens and most of my free time is there. I live in a particularly cold and rainy place so it is hard to be cooped up all winter. Tending to my tarantulas is nice.

What I often compare it to is tattoos. I have had the attitude of "what's another tattoo when I am so covered in them and I like them?" and also "what's another tarantula when I already have a bunch, it is just one more to take care of, no biggie."

One nearly full tarantula cabinet and 2 arm sleeves later...

 

[Razzledazzy]

I had one for a while and I obsessed and fussed over that poor bugger. Then I ordered one more, she came with a freebie. Then I got one more and stuck with that for a while. Then there was a sad Avic at petco. *sigh* Then the summer ended and there's more and more. I'm up to 10 now and actively making plans for my 11th (from someone you should buy tarantulas from, @cold blood ). I think my tarantula obsession might be a bit seasonal. When the weather gets nice I am outside a lot working in my gardens and most of my free time is there. I live in a particularly cold and rainy place so it is hard to be cooped up all winter. Tending to my tarantulas is nice.

What I often compare it to is tattoos. I have had the attitude of "what's another tattoo when I am so covered in them and I like them?" and also "what's another tarantula when I already have a bunch, it is just one more to take care of, no biggie."

One nearly full tarantula cabinet and 2 arm sleeves later...

Ha! The comparison to tattoos is scary accurate. They both cost absurd amounts of money to acquire and people will judge you for them no matter how colorful and pretty they are.

I didn't know Cold Blood sold Ts, I've seen him around the forums. I might have to check that out. If only to acquire some more Ts so I don't fuss my poor chalcodes to death.

 

[Garth Vader]

Ha! The comparison to tattoos is scary accurate. They both cost absurd amounts of money to acquire and people will judge you for them no matter how colorful and pretty they are.

I didn't know Cold Blood sold Ts, I've seen him around the forums. I might have to check that out. If only to acquire some more Ts so I don't fuss my poor chalcodes to death.

Ha! Yes, my harassed first tarantula is an Aphonopelma anax. I love that genus, so of course I want more.

Yes, people judge the hobbies of both tattoos and tarantulas and tend to ask lots of questions about both. There is also something pretty nice about other people who like those things too and don't make a big deal out of it. Part of the reason why this forum is cool. The tattoo questions are annoying like OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT ON YOUR ARM. IS THAT A HEART? WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT? DID IT HURT? HOW MUCH DID IT COST? WHAT DOES IT MEAN? ARE YOU A BUDDHIST? HERE'S WHAT MY TATTOO MEANS! I GOT IT BECAUSE I LOVE SUBLIME. THEY ARE MY FAVORITE. *person I don't know touches my arm*
One time I went to get a massage (I was also One Million Months Pregnant so I was quite uncomfortable and needed it badly) and the massage therapist asked me questions about my tattoos the whole time. Sadly, I was too nice to tell them to shut it, which I really wish I would have done.

And the the tarantula questions
DO YOU PUT THEM IN THE SAME CAGE? DO YOU PET THEM? ARE THEY SOFT? I WOULD PET THEM! EW, BURN IT WITH FIRE, etc etc etc

 

[Razzledazzy]

Ha! Yes, my harassed first tarantula is an Aphonopelma anax. I love that genus, so of course I want more.

Yes, people judge the hobbies of both tattoos and tarantulas and tend to ask lots of questions about both. There is also something pretty nice about other people who like those things too and don't make a big deal out of it. Part of the reason why this forum is cool. The tattoo questions are annoying like OH MY GOD WHAT IS THAT ON YOUR ARM. IS THAT A HEART? WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT? DID IT HURT? HOW MUCH DID IT COST? WHAT DOES IT MEAN? ARE YOU A BUDDHIST? HERE'S WHAT MY TATTOO MEANS! I GOT IT BECAUSE I LOVE SUBLIME. THEY ARE MY FAVORITE. *person I don't know touches my arm*
One time I went to get a massage (I was also One Million Months Pregnant so I was quite uncomfortable and needed it badly) and the massage therapist asked me questions about my tattoos the whole time. Sadly, I was too nice to tell them to shut it, which I really wish I would have done.

And the the tarantula questions
DO YOU PUT THEM IN THE SAME CAGE? DO YOU PET THEM? ARE THEY SOFT? I WOULD PET THEM! EW, BURN IT WITH FIRE, etc etc etc

I've had her three days and somehow, everyone has asked me these questions five times over. There's only three other people living in my house and I haven't shared the news with people outside the house yet.

I tend to also be too nice to tell people off when they get invasive. Ah, the trials of being confrontation-averse.

At least tattoos are harder to impulse buy than tarantulas.

 

[Paul1126]

Nearly a year of keeping Ts I have 13 in 5 minutes I will have my 14th and without a doubt my biggest challenge yet.
A T. blondi 6cm juvinelle.
Nervous isn't the word, not because I fear it but because I know that the wrong conditions will kill of this T.