Untrue Tarantula Myths You've Heard?

Immortal_sin

Arachnotemptress
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Jul 17, 2002
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The most common questions I'm asked are:
1 ~ Isn't tarantula venom deadly?
2 ~ You know, they can jump like...5 feet straight UP don't you?!
3 ~ How many times have you been bitten?
4 ~ They chase you down, aren't you scared of them?
5 ~ Have yours been 'devenomized'?
 

druid8783

Arachnosquire
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Dec 22, 2004
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I'm glad this thread was posted! I have a strange one!

I went to the store to buy crickets and when the check out girl asked me what I was feeding, I said tarantulas and she stopped and stared at me. She asked if I held them and I said not really, but the calmer one's I do sometimes. She said "Don't let them crawl on your face, they smell the salt and bite you. This one guy here at the store was bit in his eye and went blind."

I just looked at her dumbfounded and tried not to laugh. I got in my car and laughed so hard my side almost split. If I knew telling people you owned T's would get you such off the wall stories I would have gotten one long ago.
 

BlkCat

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It truely amazes me how ppl believe evrything they hear. :wall:
 

Greg Wolfe

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Myths and Mayhem...

I could write a book on all the myths and mayhem that float around out there, LOL.
This is true though, Hollywood has done a disservice to tarantulas with their movies portraying giant rose hairs attacking towns and eating people.
My top favorite myths I like to dispel are:
1) They can chew through concrete
2) They can jump six feet
3) The bigger the more venomous
4) They can smell your fear
and the 2 foot across T that got away... ;P
 

Arachnobrian

Arachnoangel
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Devenomizing for $40.00

Unbelievable, Now there's a way to fraudlently increase the price of a "T".
I guess none of these stores carry any books on "T's", or they do, but can't read.

I have been asked several times, "Are they venomous?, did you have the fangs removed?".

And after a brief "T" lesson, they start to understand the myths surrounding "T's", and the previous spider phobia becomes curiosity.
 

Crunchie

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I had a good one not too long ago, I run a football forum and had posted about my tarantulas in the "off topic" section and had this conversation with someone who I'd previously banned...

me: here's my new tarantula he's called "Duffy" after Daryl Duffy heh
them: weirdo
me: ;P
them: why can't you get something normal! Get a dog you weirdo!
me: my dad is allergic to anything with fur or feathers!
them: allergic to fur! What do you think that is on the spiders back?!
me: the dust off a dog or cat causes the allery you half-wit :rolleyes:
them: actually tarantulas give off just as bad dust from their bodies!
me: Funny that... because the dust off a dog or a cat is dead skin. Tarantulas have exoskeletons... once again you half-wit! :rolleyes:
 

metzgerzoo

Arachnoangel
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Dec 12, 2003
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If I had a dime for all the dumb things I've been asked I'd be rich, let's see:

Why don't you defang them? :wall:
Do you let them run around the house while the kids are up? {D
Do they like being petted? :?
What do they smell like? :rolleyes:
And my all time favorite, what we were told by the pet store worker when we got our rosie, "she's viscious"! :clap:
 

Dragoon

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Oct 6, 2003
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With me, its the odd notion that tarantulas run loose in my apartment.
I always say Yes, I have tarantulas, 55 of them in fact.
And the FIRST reaction is always
'Just running around?'
'Aren't you afraid you'll step on one?'
'Won't you lose one?'
'Aren't you afraid one'll bite you!?'

Cages, people, cages! Why on earth does everyone think pet spiders run free? Has anyone else been asked this?
hahaha, and yeah, I get the regular questions, too.
'Won't they bite you?' is the second most popular.
D.
 

LPacker79

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Dragoon said:
With me, its the odd notion that tarantulas run loose in my apartment.
I always say Yes, I have tarantulas, 55 of them in fact.
And the FIRST reaction is always
'Just running around?'
'Aren't you afraid you'll step on one?'
'Won't you lose one?'
'Aren't you afraid one'll bite you!?'

Cages, people, cages! Why on earth does everyone think pet spiders run free? Has anyone else been asked this?
hahaha, and yeah, I get the regular questions, too.
'Won't they bite you?' is the second most popular.
D.
Haha! I get that a lot too! The next question is always "Are they all in the same cage?" Oh yeah, I have 110 tarantulas and I keep them in a big cage all together!
And apparently only men and really scary women are allowed to have T's. If I hear "But you're such a nice girl" from anyone else I might scream!
 

Sequin

Arachnobaron
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Apr 18, 2004
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Dragoon said:
With me, its the odd notion that tarantulas run loose in my apartment.
I always say Yes, I have tarantulas, 55 of them in fact.
And the FIRST reaction is always
'Just running around?'
'Aren't you afraid you'll step on one?'
'Won't you lose one?'
'Aren't you afraid one'll bite you!?'

Cages, people, cages! Why on earth does everyone think pet spiders run free? Has anyone else been asked this?
hahaha, and yeah, I get the regular questions, too.
'Won't they bite you?' is the second most popular.
D.


haha i get that every time someone finds out i own some...
a couple days ago i heard "so do you keep the lizards and tarantulas all together?"
"ya a big pow wow, i just leave the scorpion in charge of things"
"really?"
"no"
hahaha... and everyone also always asks.. who would win between *blank* and *blanK* and they'll go through the whole list of animals i own...
~Meagan~
 

Cirith Ungol

Ministry of Fluffy Bunnies
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Dec 22, 2004
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Devenomizing for $40.00

Hm... I've never seen this in Sweden.. yet. But one thought springs to mind:
Let them devenomize - bring spider home - provoke a bite - quickly take a sample of the fluids with a syringe - take pictures - go to doctor, describe symptoms - sue pet shop - get lots of money - BUY MORE TS! ;P
 

jeffh_x

Arachnobaron
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Oct 23, 2004
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watched an old movie showing this girl in a space-like suit supposedly to protect her from a bunch of rosies all around her from getting bitten, and another guy threatening to kill himself by letting a smith run on his chest..the T then...(computer generated) bit him and immedieately he fell on the floor dead...after the girl was bein rescued, they told her to go to the ambulance to get an antivenom..god...
 

becca81

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LPacker79 said:
And apparently only men and really scary women are allowed to have T's. If I hear "But you're such a nice girl" from anyone else I might scream!
Yeah, I've gotten this one before. I also had someone ask me, "What kind of tattoos do you have?"

I told them that I didn't have any and they said, "I thought that all people who own Ts would have tattoos of them and other weird things on their body."

Yeah, whatever.

I just usually say, "I'm a science teacher." People seem to think that allows me to be a little "different" and so it's no big deal.
 

shogun804

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Oct 5, 2004
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last week when i was buying crix the woman asked me what i was feeding.....i told her: she replies "yeah i owned a the black vulture eating Tarantula"...i just started to laugh and asked her how big it was she replies "well it was about 7 inches but the fangs were as big as its body" " I had to replace her tank so many times becasue the T bit through the glass" :rolleyes: ....thats when i turn and say have a nice day laughing all the way to my car.
 

PapaRoacher

Arachnoknight
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Sep 30, 2004
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One really ditzy girl in my class said something truely rediculous...

I had brought a molt to class, and everyone was, like, "Wow! Cool!", y'know?

But, then this one girl's like, "Tarantulas shed their skin? Like Snakes?", and responded with a simple "Yes"... (this next part is gold) Then, she says "Ohhhhhh, yeah, I remember, I watched something on Tarantulas on TV once, yeah, they turn into beetles after they shed their skin"...

This statement was so rediculous, I didn't even respond, I felt trying to educate her would of been futile, and pointless, so, I just turned my head and acknowledged the other people whom were interested...

I'll never look at her the same way again, how dumb :rolleyes:
 

druid8783

Arachnosquire
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Dec 22, 2004
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You know what would be great? If we put all these people in a room with a few tarantulas and mic'd it. I would love to hear the coversations.

Jeff: what movie was this? I'd like to see it..lol

A tarantula turning into a beetle....oh boy. Could you imagine if an OBT turned into a beetle? The world would be done for.... {D
 

Sting Crazy

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Sep 15, 2004
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I heard that if you get them wet they multiply, and you must never, ever feed them after midnight. :}
 

NYbirdEater

Arachnobaron
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May 25, 2004
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haven't heard many since people around here are completely clueless including the pet store people. Most call them POISONOUS though, everyone who comes in my house asks if my Tarantulas can GET OUT, and they usually look over their shoulders alot as if one will smash through the glass of the tank and attack them. Besides calling me crazy.

Well this guy at a petstore who seems to think he's the god of pet owners tried convincing me Avicualaria were desert tarantulas because I was bitching he had it on sand in bright light with no water inside an iguana tank in a critter keeper. Besides the fact he had Avic avic labeled as ROSEHAIR. Same guy also showed up one day with T blondi bite marks in his arm, bites from a snake, and other bruises he couldn't recall were from which pet. He's like the Goerge of the Jungle of petstores around here.

this aint really a myth, but a book I got for my son that "starring" a tarantula had some pretty rediculous facts, and it was sponsored by national geographic no less. Not only did it say they were POISONOUS, it had the tarantula kicking hair forward amongst some other abominations I can't even remember. I'll start a thread about faulty T info when I find the book.
 
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