So the hobby is addictive?

[Mithricat]

It's VERY addictive.

I attribute this to our natural mammalian desire to observe-interact our pets. Spiders in general aren't very active but at the same time they're very fascinating and they're as low maintenance as it gets. So keeping many is easy and the quickest way to satisfy our need for interaction. Keeping a lot also gives you the opportunity to observe a variety of behaviors and temperaments which makes it all the more fascinating.

 

[Minty]

First tarantula arrived near the end of October 2017. It was a 5cm Chromatopelma cyanepubescens. Watched it grow with interest and then decided to get my second tarantula (Brachypelma albopilosum) this February. So that's a gap of roughly 4 months between the first and second. Done plenty of watching and reading in between this so felt I had acquired a good amount of knowledge. Now I have 10 tarantulas. An experienced keeper who is also a colleague offered to sell me an AF OBT not too long after I got my 2nd.

Asked him for care advice, especially considering it would be my first OW tarantuala. Roughly at the same time, I ordered a Poecilotheria metallica sling. So my 3rd and 4th were my first OWs and I already had plans for more.

Then, the same colleague offered me 5 of his for free, so I ended up getting the AF OBT plus another 5 (2 NW, 3 OW) tarantulas from him on the same day my P.Metallica sling arrived. Then last weekend, I got a Brachypelma bohmei juvenile. So in the space of 6 months or so, I've went from 0 tarantulas to 10, with plans for more when I go to the BTS exhibition in May. So yes, it is addictive.

 

[Razzledazzy]

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.

I'm sure nervous can still be the right word- but maybe anxious would be better. I know I worry over my chalcodes enough. Just yesterday I was concerned about her having parasites (with no indicating factor that she has anything, I just heard about someone else having an issue and my imagination got wild). Getting a new spider warrants some nerves.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I managed to refrain for 2 whole weeks before I purchased my Murderess*

*0.1 Acanthoscurria geniculata DTTI (Death To The Infidels)

 

[Paul1126]

Getting a new spider warrants some nerves

Agreed, I've walked into my room at least 100 times since getting the T. blondi, just to check on it.

 

[Razzledazzy]

Agreed, I've walked into my room at least 100 times since getting the T. blondi, just to check on it.

At least you're getting some exercise.

 

[R89900]

8 months in and soon to have just over 30. All slings but one. I have a problem. In my defence though, 10 are for sale!

 

[Razzledazzy]

First tarantula arrived near the end of October 2017. It was a 5cm Chromatopelma cyanepubescens. Watched it grow with interest and then decided to get my second tarantula (Brachypelma albopilosum) this February. So that's a gap of roughly 4 months between the first and second. Done plenty of watching and reading in between this so felt I had acquired a good amount of knowledge. Now I have 10 tarantulas. An experienced keeper who is also a colleague offered to sell me an AF OBT not too long after I got my 2nd.

Asked him for care advice, especially considering it would be my first OW tarantuala. Roughly at the same time, I ordered a Poecilotheria metallica sling. So my 3rd and 4th were my first OWs and I already had plans for more.

Then, the same colleague offered me 5 of his for free, so I ended up getting the AF OBT plus another 5 (2 NW, 3 OW) tarantulas from him on the same day my P.Metallica sling arrived. Then last weekend, I got a Brachypelma bohmei juvenile. So in the space of 6 months or so, I've went from 0 tarantulas to 10, with plans for more when I go to the BTS exhibition in May. So yes, it is addictive.

Seems like you got lucky with who you know! I can't seem to find any local keepers despite living in Florida- which, you would think this place would have more people keeping tarantulas because the conditions in a Florida house are pretty much perfect for T keeping.

 

[Dave Jay]

I bought a Selenotypus plumipes (featherleg) on impulse really while looking for scorpions to buy, then research led to me buying 5 Phlogius sp. 'stents' slings later in the week. They arrived on the 17th and 18th of February. The next week I ordered 6 Selenotypus 'sp.2' and a Phlogius strennus because the sp.2 were on special so how could I lose?
Thursday the 26th of April I received my 32nd tarantula and I'm still waiting for Phlogius sp. 'black presley' to be available.....
so I'd say it's not addictive at all!!!

 

[Arachnophoric]

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

This. Every. Damn. Time.


Technically speaking, I had my first tarantula when I was 8 - an Avic of some kind, named Sabeen. It had to stay at my aunt's though, because unfortunately for arachno-obsessed baby Eli, his mother was very intensely arachnophobic. Of course that Avic (kept in a poor setup of a 10 gallon tank with crickets in the tank 24/7) somehow survived long enough to end up molting into a MM. He passed away, and after that I stuck to keeping spiders spirited away off of the side of the house until I went through a phase where I lost interest in arachnids throughout middleschool and highschool.

Three years back, I walked into a petshop I frequented to pick up snake food when I saw an enormous cage labelled "Venezualan Suntiger Tarantula" and saw the tiniest black and orange spider, and with a jar of pocket change I bought that spider. Within the next week, I was purchasing my second T.

Here and now, in 2018, my collection is over 30 Ts and I'm getting ready to add my first non-theraphosid invert to the crew; a Pandinus imperator, aka an emperor scorpion. So yes, I'd say it's VERY addictive.

I think a lot of it for me has to do with how easily you can purchase them these days, in combination with what has been mentioned previously. It's as easy as just typing in a URL and you have a world of Ts at your fingertips. I have a habit of ordering in spurts - usually in the spring and the fall. I place an order, and while waiting for my new Ts I get kinda cagey and anxious. To ease my impatience, I end up looking at more Ts on dealers' websites, and thus place ANOTHER order....

It's a vicious cycle.

 

[viper69]

A lot of people that collect Ts like Skittles, end up posting here more often due to the fact they don't have a clue about T husbandry, or they buy species they shouldn't be owning in the first place.

I owned one T at a time for a few years, then slowly increased. I felt it's important to the pets that I care for that I learn about their behavior one at a time, rather than get ten at once.

 

[Razzledazzy]

This. Every. Damn. Time.


Technically speaking, I had my first tarantula when I was 8 - an Avic of some kind, named Sabeen. It had to stay at my aunt's though, because unfortunately for arachno-obsessed baby Eli, his mother was very intensely arachnophobic. Of course that Avic (kept in a poor setup of a 10 gallon tank with crickets in the tank 24/7) somehow survived long enough to end up molting into a MM. He passed away, and after that I stuck to keeping spiders spirited away off of the side of the house until I went through a phase where I lost interest in arachnids throughout middleschool and highschool.

Three years back, I walked into a petshop I frequented to pick up snake food when I saw an enormous cage labelled "Venezualan Suntiger Tarantula" and saw the tiniest black and orange spider, and with a jar of pocket change I bought that spider. Within the next week, I was purchasing my second T.

Here and now, in 2018, my collection is over 30 Ts and I'm getting ready to add my first non-theraphosid invert to the crew; a Pandinus imperator, aka an emperor scorpion. So yes, I'd say it's VERY addictive.

I think a lot of it for me has to do with how easily you can purchase them these days, in combination with what has been mentioned previously. It's as easy as just typing in a URL and you have a world of Ts at your fingertips. I have a habit of ordering in spurts - usually in the spring and the fall. I place an order, and while waiting for my new Ts I get kinda cagey and anxious. To ease my impatience, I end up looking at more Ts on dealers' websites, and thus place ANOTHER order....

It's a vicious cycle.

I can easily see myself becoming one of those people with the 'spring/fall' cycle. I'll be looking at it and then looking at the temperatures and be like 'but it's going to be 90 soon so I SHOULD place that order of five slings now.'

Only money is holding me back right now. Like I have it- but it's not a 'renewable resource' for me right now. So spending 100-ish dollars grabbing slings is pretttttty irresponsible.

Could always sell some of my video games though....

A lot of people that collect Ts like Skittles, end up posting here more often due to the fact they don't have a clue about T husbandry, or they buy species they shouldn't be owning in the first place.

I owned one T at a time for a few years, then slowly increased. I felt it's important to the pets that I care for that I learn about their behavior one at a time, rather than get ten at once.

Also it seems that the boards are frequented by obsessed people and clueless people in equal measure. Obviously, the obsessed ones seem to have more Ts than the clueless ones and are thinking about Ts more and posting here more. Thus the sample group in this is pretty biased I'll admit.

 

[viper69]

Also it seems that the boards are frequented by obsessed people and clueless people in equal measure. Obviously, the obsessed ones seem to have more Ts than the clueless ones and are thinking about Ts more and posting here more. Thus the sample group in this is pretty biased I'll admit.

There's a lot of new people who don't know a thing and repeat bad info. Always consider your source!

 

[Minty]

Seems like you got lucky with who you know! I can't seem to find any local keepers despite living in Florida- which, you would think this place would have more people keeping tarantulas because the conditions in a Florida house are pretty much perfect for T keeping.

Yeah I was. It was actually my colleague that gave me the initial information on keeping them. I had wanted one since I was a kid but talking to him convinced me I could do it.

 

[Spidersfrommars]

Got my first pink toe, 3 months later got a metallic pink toe, then 3 months later a versicolor, and a week after that a green bottle blue whom I love <3 <3

 

[Tia B]

I waited about a year and a half to get my second T after getting an A. genic sling. I occupied my time with wolf spiders. Then I went to an expo and bought like 10 tarantulas at once.

Now I think my arachnid collection is probably about the 40-50 range, haven't counted in a while.

 

[Deb60]

It's VERY addictive.

I attribute this to our natural mammalian desire to observe-interact our pets. Spiders in general aren't very active but at the same time they're very fascinating and they're as low maintenance as it gets. So keeping many is easy and the quickest way to satisfy our need for interaction. Keeping a lot also gives you the opportunity to observe a variety of behaviors and temperaments which makes it all the more fascinating.

I just love watching the different personalities of my Ts , hence why they have names such as : Bob the Builder: ( his always digging ) Mr T ( his big ) Little Dipper ( his a dwarf and stands in his water dish ) .

I waited about a year and a half to get my second T after getting an A. genic sling. I occupied my time with wolf spiders. Then I went to an expo and bought like 10 tarantulas at once.

Now I think my arachnid collection is probably about the 40-50 range, haven't counted in a while.

That’s the same as me , I’ve got about 42 in the same time as you . Maybe a few more when I go to the British Tarantula Show in May .

 

[draconisj4]

I started keeping inverts a little over a year ago, I started with 2 Gymnetis caseyi, got some desert beetles a couple months later and now have 28 tarantulas and various invert enclosures all over the house except for the unheated laundry room and the bathroom. Addictive? No way, lol.

 

[Deb60]

I started keeping inverts a little over a year ago, I started with 2 Gymnetis caseyi, got some desert beetles a couple months later and now have 28 tarantulas and various invert enclosures all over the house except for the unheated laundry room and the bathroom. Addictive? No way, lol.

Nah , of course it’s NEVER addictive! If you believe that you’d believe anything . But you have to make sure you have the time and understanding of these beautiful creatures need , be that two , or Seventy two !

 

[draconisj4]

But you have to make sure you have the time and understanding of these beautiful creatures need , be that two , or Seventy two !

So true, I bought none on impulse, every animal I have I did research on before I bought it to make sure I could care for it properly. There were some that I really wanted but decided against because I didn't feel I could give them the proper conditions or would not be comfortable caring for them.