# Pros and cons of popular tarantula YouTubers?



## Asgiliath (May 17, 2019)

I was just browsing YouTube and because I regularly watch T related content, I always have folks like Exotics Lair, The Dark Den etc. show up on my suggested and it made me think — I’ve watched content like theirs and they have some problematic husbandry advice or none at all (side-eyeing Exotics Lair) BUT I do think that influencers like them have helped people see tarantulas and keeping them in a “different” or more positive way, if nothing else.   Exposure itself is important.  I’m not a fan of click bait video titles and the drama and whatever else but sometimes a little campiness can soften people’s views. 

Of course, entertainment focused YouTubers like these shouldn’t be seen as 100% knowledgeable (side-eyeing The Dark Den for his pairing mistakes) BUT all the same — thoughts on folks like these and the pros and cons of their influence within the hobby?

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 2


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## Minty (May 17, 2019)

For me personally,

Pros: Entertainment. Visual representation of other husbandry methods. 

Cons: It all eventually becomes a little repetitive. Handling seems common.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 5


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## Asgiliath (May 17, 2019)

Minty said:


> For me personally,
> 
> Pros: Entertainment. Visual representation of other husbandry methods.
> 
> Cons: It all eventually becomes a little repetitive. Handling seems common.


Definitely repetitive. Feeding and rehousing.


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## Liquifin (May 17, 2019)

This answer is a controversial one. A good majority of new T. hobbyist are brought in by Youtubers like the Dark Den and Exotics Lair, which is a somewhat good thing. Everything else is almost a negative from there on. More hobbyist equals more demand of T.'s resulting in price inflations due to supply and demand issues and many more.

These people are trying to make T.'s entertaining to lower the fear in arachnophobes, which is a good thing. But Youtube is a double-edged sword in terms of this hobby. Exotics Lair and The Dark Den are entertainment tarantula Youtubers that want to help people out. But in return, fans worship them like literal gods. Logically, they are swaying this hobby into a new course. Either good or bad, it's up to how you see it.

The Dark Den is entertaining and I'm subscribed to his channel because it's fun and entertaining (I can admit this). But then again when a young enthusiasts person watches this, they instantly think this hobby is all rainbows and sunshine. Which in reality, there is also drawbacks and people who are really desperate to start with a cool dangerous OW T. than rather starting with a NW in this hobby. I like the Dark Den, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with everything he does, which is not a bad thing. Every keeper has their way of doing things, but they shouldn't encourage or show it to the audience on a normal basis like handling (in general) for example. Look, at the end of the day don't watch, but learn, research, and care for T.'s yourself to get your own personal taste on this hobby and not rely on one or two Youtubers to save you.

Exotics Lair is wayyyyyy tooooo overrated. His enclosures are small, his ventilation is poor in his terrestrial enclosures and his explanations are wayyy too vague. I'd rather watch the Dark Den over Exotics Lair if I had to choose between the two. Exotics Lair should be called Exotics West Coast Exotics Jr. Not trying to be mean, but his enclosures are too small. Sure, they can do fine in them, but it's not an ideal enclosure for any T. He's so vague and uninformative on info. All he does is scratch on the bare basics on things. The only thing in depth he ever did was his dubia roach care video regarding animals. If I compare any bad youtuber (Deadlytarantulagirl,West Coast Exotics) to Exotics Lair, I can see how similar there enclosures can compare very closely. Poor levels of substrate, small or tight enclosures, flexing, and depressing. Now that I think about it, West Coast Exotics and Exotics Lair have about the same amount of substrate levels. Do I like Exotics Lair? Mostly no, even his T.'s don't like him that's why almost all rehouses results in bolting. In this case scenario, i'm cheering for the T.'s to escape from Exotics Lair and be free rather than being forced into a barely suitable enclosure. I'm pretty certain he's getting to a level where PETA is going to get involved.

Reactions: Like 9 | Agree 6


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## FrDoc (May 17, 2019)

I believe once you become engaged in the hobby, and by this I mean serious about knowing and learning about spiders, not thinking they’re cool, desiring to show your friends how fearless you are by handling, etc..  I think you find yourself less and less paying attention to many of the personalities identified above. One serious about the hobby knows how to rehouse, and use various husbandry techniques that have been learned and adapted to work well with their collections.  They also know the resources to which to turn when they do have a question (shameless shout out for AB!).  Many of us not only use the boards generally, but speaking for myself, I have gone to individuals here whom I know keep certain genera and/or species that I truly respect, for guidance and opinions.  However, to get back to the specific context of this thread, there are YT channels that are very well done, and should appeal to the serious hobbyist.  The one that takes first place in this category for me is birdspidersCH.

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 9


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## Garetyl (May 17, 2019)

The Dark Den and Exotics Lair are kinda the two guys who got me into the hobby, so I can see the positives of them. Still watch Petko, EL not so much. Mind you, I'm almost 30 here, so I'm not a kid, and what I took away from EL's stuff ain't the same as what a kid would take away. His animals are so freaking patient and tolerant of the stuff he pulls that it's ridiculous.

Watching them deal with so much before threat posturing and """attacking him aggressively""" kinda made me go "Huh, so if I just don't flail my hands wildly and try to provoke them, they're generally chill (for the most part)". It made them seem less scary, really. I wish he'd stop, though. That time when his T got her fangs tangled with fishing line because he wanted to show how "aggressive" she was was too much.

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 1


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## nicodimus22 (May 17, 2019)

The only one with much credibility to me is Tom Moran. He's more educational than he is clickbaity, so he probably gets a lot less views.

Reactions: Like 7 | Agree 33 | Love 1


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## cold blood (May 17, 2019)

pros:  They bring people into the hobby

cons:  new people tend to think way too highly if them and at times ignore better advice because of the pedastal they put these people on.

General rule....the best, most expereinced keepers really dont do you tube vids.

Reactions: Like 4 | Agree 11


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## Jim Cricket (May 17, 2019)

Watching these “All Stars” gave me confidence to make my first purchase. I mean if these wing nuts are keeping Ts.....

I also think they set up new keepers for disappointment. Watching countless feeding and rehousing vids sets the bar pretty high. Then when the first tiny sling is purchased Its activity is lackluster, could make for a lot of turnover in the hobby.

I also like Tom Moran, you can tell he’s a teacher.

Watching DTG chase here Ts with a fish net makes me cringe.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 5 | Funny 1 | Wow 1


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## Paul1126 (May 18, 2019)

Liquifin said:


> Exotics Lair is wayyyyyy tooooo overrated. His enclosures are small, his ventilation is poor in his terrestrial enclosures and his explanations are wayyy too vague.


The best part about this is when he gets mould in the moist enclosures with crappy ventilation he acts all surprised it happened.

Reactions: Funny 3


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## Arachnophoric (May 18, 2019)

A lot of people really hit on all the points i'd make myself. Something I'm afraid of is that people will see these guys with pretty big followings like Petko and Exotics Lair and as a result think "hey, if I do what they do I can become a popular youtuber too!" They get into the hobby for the wrong reasons, buying Ts they're definitely not ready for and provide improper care due to their lack of knowledge/experience.

I've already seen people who have taken video of them harassing their Ts for entertainment after the "teasing tarantula" videos came out, citing the popularity of EL's video as to why they were going to try it. Monkey see, monkey do.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3


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## Rhino1 (May 18, 2019)

I like terrarium builds on YouTube but I could look at enclosure builds all day.
I liked the dark den a lot more until I saw the toe biter episode, no need to pick the poor fella up with tongs like that, lm aIso not a fan of "mystery animal" unboxing, I don't think it promotes responsible pet ownership at all.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3


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## Vanisher (May 18, 2019)

Spiderengineer- Pros I like him best, cos he is the one i have seen that kept his tarantulas the right way!

Cons- He doesnt upload anymore

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1 | Helpful 1


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## Enrgy (May 18, 2019)

Vanisher said:


> Spiderengineer- Pros I like him best, cos he is the one i have seen that kept his tarantulas the right way!
> 
> Cons- He doesnt upload anymore


i too watch him. along with tom and jon3800

Reactions: Dislike 1 | Agree 1


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## Asgiliath (May 18, 2019)

Liquifin said:


> This answer is a controversial one. A good majority of new T. hobbyist are brought in by Youtubers like the Dark Den and Exotics Lair, which is a somewhat good thing. Everything else is almost a negative from there on. More hobbyist equals more demand of T.'s resulting in price inflations due to supply and demand issues and many more.
> 
> These people are trying to make T.'s entertaining to lower the fear in arachnophobes, which is a good thing. But Youtube is a double-edged sword in terms of this hobby. Exotics Lair and The Dark Den are entertainment tarantula Youtubers that want to help people out. But in return, fans worship them like literal gods. Logically, they are swaying this hobby into a new course. Either good or bad, it's up to how you see it.
> 
> ...





Jim Cricket said:


> Watching these “All Stars” gave me confidence to make my first purchase. I mean if these wing nuts are keeping Ts.....
> 
> I also think they set up new keepers for disappointment. Watching countless feeding and rehousing vids sets the bar pretty high. Then when the first tiny sling is purchased Its activity is lackluster, could make for a lot of turnover in the hobby.
> 
> ...


she does WHAT???


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## Enrgy (May 18, 2019)

Asgiliath said:


> she does WHAT???


lol uses a fish net in place of a catch cup

Reactions: Funny 1 | Sad 1


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## Asgiliath (May 18, 2019)

Enrgy said:


> lol uses a fish net in place of a catch cup


Well, that sounds...umm....”safe” smh

Reactions: Funny 1


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## SmolBat (May 18, 2019)

As someone who was drawn into the hobby by Exotics Lair (and a dear friend constantly giving me updates on his own T's as he got back into the hobby), I do believe that the entertainment channels serve a purpose. They're kind of a "highlight reel" of just how interesting tarantulas can be. Granted, I knew that I was basically signing up for a pet rock that can make butt rope and flick urticating bristles ;P

I did realize right out of the gates (before the friend even caught on that I was interested in owning T's) that EL didn't provide a ton of husbandry advice, but that was okay, I was still enamored with the idea of a shelf of tarantulas. I went and asked my friend for advice on good beginner T's and what sort of tips for husbandry he could share. He immediately offered the advice that keeps me from panicking every time I see one of the T's in a weird "spider yoga" position or notice they've burrowed a bit out of sight from the edge of their enclosure. "They've been at this spider thing longer than humans have been around, just keep an eye on them and trust them to do what is best for them". He also hastily directed me to Tom Moran's videos and website. That was where I got most of my actual advice for the enclosure setups and learned "if you get an Avic species or a former Avic species, don't mist the enclosure all the darn time". 

So yeah, I am in the firm camp that the youtubers have a place that is beneficial to the hobby. I know I can't be the only newbie that was drawn in by seeing the highlight reel and then going "I'll do homework on this!"

Reactions: Like 4 | Agree 5


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## Goopyguy56 (May 18, 2019)

If I want to be entertained I will watch the dark den. If I want education, I watch tom Moran. If I want to cringe I watch that deadly tarantula girl.

Reactions: Like 5 | Agree 2 | Funny 7


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## EtienneN (May 18, 2019)

I hate, hate, hate and despise how some of these people only seem to care about their tarantulas in terms of them being the latest and greatest 'props' for their videos. I used to like Tarantula Kat but then she started doing the same. Now I sometimes still watch Petko or Tarantula Dan and I just listen to Tom Moran's podcast.

Reactions: Like 2 | Dislike 1 | Agree 3


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## Blonc (May 18, 2019)

Well...  If nothing else the tarantula crowd on youtube gives a bunch of people on here someone to look down on for whatever reason.

Reactions: Like 4 | Agree 3 | Funny 5 | Optimistic 1


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## Rigor Mortis (May 18, 2019)

Liquifin said:


> Exotics Lair is wayyyyyy tooooo overrated. His enclosures are small, his ventilation is poor in his terrestrial enclosures and his explanations are wayyy too vague. I'd rather watch the Dark Den over Exotics Lair if I had to choose between the two. Exotics Lair should be called Exotics West Coast Exotics Jr. Not trying to be mean, but his enclosures are too small. Sure, they can do fine in them, but it's not an ideal enclosure for any T. He's so vague and uninformative on info. All he does is scratch on the bare basics on things. The only thing in depth he ever did was his dubia roach care video regarding animals. If I compare any bad youtuber (Deadlytarantulagirl,West Coast Exotics) to Exotics Lair, I can see how similar there enclosures can compare very closely. Poor levels of substrate, small or tight enclosures, flexing, and depressing. Now that I think about it, West Coast Exotics and Exotics Lair have about the same amount of substrate levels. Do I like Exotics Lair? Mostly no, even his T.'s don't like him that's why almost all rehouses results in bolting. In this case scenario, i'm cheering for the T.'s to escape from Exotics Lair and be free rather than being forced into a barely suitable enclosure. I'm pretty certain he's getting to a level where PETA is going to get involved.


Agreed. I watch EL just for laughs but sometimes it does frustrate me that his husbandry could use some tweaking. Many of his enclosures don't include hides or are too shallow for burrowing species and he wonders why his spiders bolt on him constantly or always throw up threat postures like it's nobody's business. And at this point he knows he's a walking meme and seems to turn up the cringe factor on purpose, which is terrible.



EtienneN said:


> I hate, hate, hate and despise how some of these people only seem to care about their tarantulas in terms of them being the latest and greatest 'props' for their videos. I used to like Tarantula Kat but then she started doing the same. Now I sometimes still watch Petko or Tarantula Dan and I just listen to Tom Moran's podcast.


As for TK I watch her very infrequently. Some of her videos are okay and others just rub me the wrong way. I think it's the handling that bugs me. 

But anyway my two cents for the pros and cons, since I know everyone is needing the Rigor Mortis Two Cents.
Pros- Seeing people interact with tarantulas can help others get over their fear of arachnids (I see this often in YouTube comments) and introduces people to a hobby that they may not have considered before. (like me!)
Cons- Can sometimes glamourise parts of the hobby that aren't so great (like angering your medically significant OWs for a chuckle, handling your T. stirmi because holy crap huge spider) and depending on who you watch you won't get accurate enough information and people can end up getting spiders they were never prepared to care for.

Reactions: Like 1


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## cold blood (May 18, 2019)

People who watch these vids for entertainment all have one thing in common....not enough ts of their own.

Reactions: Like 3 | Thanks 1 | Agree 11 | Funny 4 | Love 1


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## Dandrobates (May 18, 2019)

YouTube is a mixed blessing. It can inform but more often than not it’s solely for entertainment. Admittedly I do watch my share of “reality tv” tarantula videos from time to time but on the whole most are vague, uninformative and on par with any other clickbait garbage. I wish it wasn’t this way but that’s how it is. Unfortunately, as far as younger people know, this is the way it is and will always be. And that’s just sad. 

I remember a time when public television and networks like animal planet and National Geographic regularly showed informative, exciting and educational documentaries without all the celebrity BS. Twenty five years ago that all went out the window though. With few exceptions (Such as Tom Moran) YouTube content is mostly junk food for the mind. 

My impression is that people watch with more interest in the host and his or her screen antics than the actual subject matter. When I became interested in keeping Ts I wanted to find current and accurate information regarding care. What I found (with a few exceptions) was lackluster at best. It’s like watching Dr Phil only with more legs.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Rigor Mortis (May 18, 2019)

cold blood said:


> People who watch these vids for entertainment all have one thing in common....not enough ts of their own.


Listen, I'm working on it!

Reactions: Love 1


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## Asgiliath (May 18, 2019)

Good thoughts ya’ll. I have my own judgements but I’m glad this thread didn’t turn into just crapping on the YouTubers because I feel that the pros  are relevant. T keeping shouldn’t be a pissing contest lmao

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1


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## basin79 (May 18, 2019)

The reason I started uploading videos to youtube was a way of having all my various videos in 1 place that didn't take up any space on my phone. 

With regards to animals/pets I watch videos of pets I'm unable to keep. It scratches an itch. Obviously not the same of being the owner of magnificent animals but having various videos of those animals is absolutely phenomenal.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## StampFan (May 18, 2019)

EtienneN said:


> I hate, hate, hate and despise how some of these people only seem to care about their tarantulas in terms of them being the latest and greatest 'props' for their videos. I used to like Tarantula Kat but then she started doing the same. Now I sometimes still watch Petko or Tarantula Dan and I just listen to Tom Moran's podcast.


I watched Tarantula Kat until she came on here for like one day and starting disliking posts.  She is *very* new to this hobby; there's nothing wrong with being new, but she lacks a level of humility that a @Tomoran absolutely has.



basin79 said:


> The reason I started uploading videos to youtube was a way of having all my various videos in 1 place that didn't take up any space on my phone.
> 
> With regards to animals/pets I watch videos of pets I'm unable to keep. It scratches an itch. Obviously not the same of being the owner of magnificent animals but having various videos of those animals is absolutely phenomenal.


And in case there is any doubt, @basin79 is one of the best in my book.  Short vids, amazing quality (I'd go out and buy a 4K HDTV just to watch his closeups), and every time he calls a creature sweetheart (trademark) it just makes me smile.  And this hobby should be all about joy.

Reactions: Like 5 | Thanks 1 | Agree 2 | Funny 1


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## Vanessa (May 19, 2019)

cold blood said:


> People who watch these vids for entertainment all have one thing in common....not enough ts of their own.


I had someone ask me why I never watched his hour long feeding videos.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 4


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## FrDoc (May 19, 2019)

StampFan said:


> I watched Tarantula Kat until she came on here for like one day and starting disliking posts.  She is *very* new to this hobby; there's nothing wrong with being new, but she lacks a level of humility that a @Tomoran absolutely has.
> 
> 
> 
> And in case there is any doubt, @basin79 is one of the best in my book.  Short vids, amazing quality (I'd go out and buy a 4K HDTV just to watch his closeups), and every time he calls a creature sweetheart (trademark) it just makes me smile.  And this hobby should be all about joy.


I don’t even categorize @basin79 with  most of the folks of whom reference has been made.  YTers cannot be lumped into a single bunch.  You’ve the hype folks (no names, they’re pretty obvious), truly instructional (Tom Moran, et al), and some (very few) posting extraordinary videos of specimens both captive and wild, e.g., Basin and birdspidersCH.  It’s interesting, I learn a ton from the latter category of posters, and also just enjoy seeing specimens I cannot keep due to space limitation, etc..

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 5


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## Minty (May 19, 2019)

Speaking of YouTube people, I met and chatted with Petko for a while, at the BTS expo today. An absolute gentleman with a good sense of humour. 
He was stood in the same spot from 11:45 until 16:00, chatting with/taking photos with fan after fan in a never ending massive queue. Say what you like about his channel (I’m a fan of it for reasons I mentioned in my first post) but he’s a decent bloke. Met him last year too and he was the same.

Reactions: Like 10 | Thanks 1 | Agree 2


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## SamanthaMarikian (May 19, 2019)

I think the same goes with any “unorthidox” pet keeping out there, bugs and reptiles especially. Its entertaining and gets people to like them and not kill on sight like squishing a spider or cutting a random snakes head off with a shovel. Sadly it also often gives people the idea that all or any are easy pets and leading to buying out of impulse or them killing their new said pet. Not to mention that some popular youtubers can often have improper care which may also vary by channel. Not to mention people only buying them because “a popular youtuber said theyre cool”

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Arthroverts (May 22, 2019)

Watching John3800 is what got me into the hobby and helped me through the critical phase of being new to the hobby and knowing zilch. His videos have been very helpful to me, and the videos of his collection do "scratch the itch" for me as @basin79 said.
However, clickbait stuff is something I just won't watch for any reason, as I have a problem with people using the hobby to fulfill their own ambition and thus don't portray keeping invertebrates in the best of light. We need true enthusiasts who know what there doing who will help teach new hobbyists the right way, and not just "their" way. You can tell a true enthusiast from someone just doing it for the fun of it by the passion they exude, a desire to provide their creatures with the right care and environment, a willingness to learn from others, and are willing teach those who don't know as much in a kind (but firm if necessary) way.
Just my two cents.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

Reactions: Agree 1


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## AphonopelmaTX (May 22, 2019)

Minty said:


> Speaking of YouTube people, I met and chatted with Petko for a while, at the BTS expo today. An absolute gentleman with a good sense of humour.
> He was stood in the same spot from 11:45 until 16:00, chatting with/taking photos with fan after fan in a never ending massive queue. Say what you like about his channel (I’m a fan of it for reasons I mentioned in my first post) but he’s a decent bloke. Met him last year too and he was the same.


These people actually have fans?   But, they don't really do anything differently from what anyone else who owns tarantulas do.  I wish the arachnologists (the practicing scientists) had YouTube channels where they explained and demonstrated the science of tarantulas, the impact of the pet trade on natural populations, and maybe a VLOG on what they are up to from time to time.    I've watched a few videos of some of the YouTubers mentioned in this thread and I don't see anything really worth talking about.

I guess the only pro would be seeing that tarantulas are far more adaptable to a variety of captive situations than what most give them credit for.  One would have to watch between the lines, so to speak, to get that though.  Most would rather criticize and put others down though so I would imagine that is lost on some people.  I haven't come across a YouTuber that presented anything new or particularly interesting regarding tarantula husbandry.  Watching the videos of some of these popular YouTubers is like watching the information posted here on this site.  Some of it is good, some of it is cring worthy.

To me though, it is all pretty much makes me cringe.  Especially the hyperbole surrounding the demeanor of some tarantula species such as our friend the Orange Bob (Pterinochilus murinus Usumbara orange variant).  Maybe I take tarantulas too seriously at times, but it is so frustrating to see a video using words like "evil", "nasty", "bad attitude", and so on just to see the Orange Bob run across a table when being rehoused.

The only YouTube videos I watch are the ones of tarantulas in the wild.  Those YouTubers are actually doing something by contributing new information on the natural history of tarantulas and have my respect.  I just wish some of them would cut it out with the Hollywood film making techniques though.  Stop with the long winded narrations, b-roll, arial drone footage, fancy graphics/ green screen, and editing is what I say.  Just give me the 3 minute version of a tarantula hiding in a hole in the ground or resting in a tree.

Reactions: Like 7 | Agree 4


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## Paul1126 (May 22, 2019)

AphonopelmaTX said:


> Stop with the long winded narrations, b-roll, arial drone footage, fancy graphics/ green screen, and editing is what I say. Just give me the 3 minute version of a tarantula hiding in a hole in the ground or resting in a tree.


No fun allowed

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3 | Funny 1


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## Minty (May 22, 2019)

AphonopelmaTX said:


> These people actually have fans?   But, they don't really do anything differently from what anyone else who owns tarantulas do.  I wish the arachnologists (the practicing scientists) had YouTube channels where they explained and demonstrated the science of tarantulas, the impact of the pet trade on natural populations, and maybe a VLOG on what they are up to from time to time.    I've watched a few videos of some of the YouTubers mentioned in this thread and I don't see anything really worth talking about.
> 
> I guess the only pro would be seeing that tarantulas are far more adaptable to a variety of captive situations than what most give them credit for.  One would have to watch between the lines, so to speak, to get that though.  Most would rather criticize and put others down though so I would imagine that is lost on some people.  I haven't come across a YouTuber that presented anything new or particularly interesting regarding tarantula husbandry.  Watching the videos of some of these popular YouTubers is like watching the information posted here on this site.  Some of it is good, some of it is cring worthy.
> 
> ...


Yeah, they have fans. I appreciate your view on this but for a lot of people it’s like being part of an online community, as well as entertainment videos. Like I said in my first post, it’s just a bit of entertainment for me. I don’t watch every video posted by every YouTuber, but there are channels I watch as it’s a fun way to kill ten minutes. Arachnologist videos would be incredible. 
I can understand your dislike of the video titles too, but sadly that seems to be how it works on YouTube, tabloid style headlines to grab attention. 
I like the wild videos too, but I don’t mind the filming techniques. I’m sure I’ve heard that YouTube demonetise videos under 10 minutes in length, so that would explain why you don’t get your 3 minute video preference.

Reactions: Like 3


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## basin79 (May 22, 2019)

Minty said:


> Yeah, they have fans. I appreciate your view on this but for a lot of people it’s like being part of an online community, as well as entertainment videos. Like I said in my first post, it’s just a bit of entertainment for me. I don’t watch every video posted by every YouTuber, but there are channels I watch as it’s a fun way to kill ten minutes. Arachnologist videos would be incredible.
> I can understand your dislike of the video titles too, but sadly that seems to be how it works on YouTube, tabloid style headlines to grab attention.
> I like the wild videos too, but I don’t mind the filming techniques. I’m sure I’ve heard that YouTube demonetise videos under 10 minutes in length, so that would explain why you don’t get your 3 minute video preference.


YouTube doesn't demonetise videos under 10 mins.


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## Minty (May 22, 2019)

basin79 said:


> YouTube doesn't demonetise videos under 10 mins.


Thanks for the correction, what I heard was clearly wrong then.

Reactions: Like 1


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## basin79 (May 22, 2019)

Minty said:


> Thanks for the correction, what I heard was clearly wrong then.


Aye. Although YouTube's algorithm is unfathomable with regards to them demonetising videos.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## StampFan (May 22, 2019)

AphonopelmaTX said:


> These people actually have fans?   But, they don't really do anything differently from what anyone else who owns tarantulas do.  I wish the arachnologists (the practicing scientists) had YouTube channels where they explained and demonstrated the science of tarantulas, the impact of the pet trade on natural populations, and maybe a VLOG on what they are up to from time to time.    I've watched a few videos of some of the YouTubers mentioned in this thread and I don't see anything really worth talking about.
> 
> I guess the only pro would be seeing that tarantulas are far more adaptable to a variety of captive situations than what most give them credit for.  One would have to watch between the lines, so to speak, to get that though.  Most would rather criticize and put others down though so I would imagine that is lost on some people.  I haven't come across a YouTuber that presented anything new or particularly interesting regarding tarantula husbandry.  Watching the videos of some of these popular YouTubers is like watching the information posted here on this site.  Some of it is good, some of it is cring worthy.
> 
> ...


There are some good YouTube channels out there.  Check out @birdspidersCH .  You will not be disappointed if you're looking for a little more science.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 4


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## viper69 (May 23, 2019)

cold blood said:


> People who watch these vids for entertainment all have one thing in common....not enough ts of their own.


And have way too much free time on their hands.

I find YouTube pointless and the word used to describe some as Influencers, plain stupid. A social media influencer —> a person with even more free time on their hands than their “fans”.2



Dandrobates said:


> YouTube is a mixed blessing. It can inform but more often than not it’s solely for entertainment. Admittedly I do watch my share of “reality tv” tarantula videos from time to time but on the whole most are vague, uninformative and on par with any other clickbait garbage. I wish it wasn’t this way but that’s how it is. Unfortunately, as far as younger people know, this is the way it is and will always be. And that’s just sad.
> 
> I remember a time when public television and networks like animal planet and National Geographic regularly showed informative, exciting and educational documentaries without all the celebrity BS. Twenty five years ago that all went out the window though. With few exceptions (Such as Tom Moran) YouTube content is mostly junk food for the mind.
> 
> My impression is that people watch with more interest in the host and his or her screen antics than the actual subject matter. When I became interested in keeping Ts I wanted to find current and accurate information regarding care. What I found (with a few exceptions) was lackluster at best. It’s like watching Dr Phil only with more legs.


Agree about National Geographic- now they show stupid “reality” TV shows.

Dr Phil is someone that abused his power with a very young woman who worked for him— he’s pure garbage, not too far from a pedophile.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## The Seraph (May 23, 2019)

I am not going to do the whole broken record, just wanted to point out someone who I believe to do really good educational videos; @EulersK, whom everybody seems to have forgotten existed. Otherwise, I agree with all the sentiments that have been expressed regarding tarantula youtubers.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Ztesch (May 23, 2019)

You guys that want to see the arachnologists in the field are sleeping on lovetarantulas. I believe it's Andrew Smith's channel. He has a bunch of documentary style vids of him and other arachnologists in the field. Check him out.

Reactions: Like 8 | Agree 3


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## Paul1126 (May 24, 2019)

viper69 said:


> And have way too much free time on their hands.


Watching a 10 min video = having too much free time? 



Ztesch said:


> You guys that want to see the arachnologists in the field are sleeping on lovetarantulas. I believe it's Andrew Smith's channel. He has a bunch of documentary style vids of him and other arachnologists in the field. Check him out.


What a show off! Look at him handling

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1 | Funny 2


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## u bada (May 24, 2019)

cold blood said:


> People who watch these vids for entertainment all have one thing in common....not enough ts of their own.


haha... yeah as soon I doubled my collection this year I really watch less youtube vids!

... but I just like to watch any sort of video of tarantulas, even 20 sec bad ones... I'm just never going to have the space to have more than I have right now and seeing them in videos is just more instructive than 2D pics, and I think videos put you closer to how they'd look and act if they were in front of you. 

I do wish there were more "educational" en situ vids out there... but one thing that needs to be acknowledged, believe it or not, is that making youtube videos or any videos is really a LOT of work- so much footage, so much editing, so much decisions to be made what goes in a vid, what doesn't, music editing etc., even for cringey vid makers, they put in work there, really is a full time job (and then you factor in watching all your statistics, the tech aspect, and dealing with youtube the company)... and most likely the "educational" arachnid specialists and other enthusiasts don't have it in them or certainly the funds to just shoot endless amounts of footage and make videos. 

Shout out to Tom Moran for sho, his videos I can watch and learn and not feel so guilty LOL


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## Vanisher (May 24, 2019)

I have a youtube video on my own. It turned out that i thought i was to bad with speaking english in public that i stopped upload!


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## viper69 (May 26, 2019)

Paul1126 said:


> Watching a 10 min video = having too much free time?
> 
> 
> What a show off! Look at him handling


1- no...watching frequently- Yes


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## Paul1126 (May 26, 2019)

viper69 said:


> 1- no...watching frequently- Yes


If I watch 2 I have too much time on my hands?
What if I work 8 hours a day and spend 2 hours at night on YouTube?

Reactions: Agree 1


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## velvetundergrowth (May 27, 2019)

Pros: I'm bored and like looking at spiders

Cons: These people usually seem to care about their YouTube status waaay more than the animal's welfare, which is sure to result in tragedy (for the animals)

Reactions: Agree 3


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## LurkingUnderground (May 27, 2019)

Asgiliath said:


> I was just browsing YouTube and because I regularly watch T related content, I always have folks like Exotics Lair, The Dark Den etc. show up on my suggested and it made me think — I’ve watched content like theirs and they have some problematic husbandry advice or none at all (side-eyeing Exotics Lair) BUT I do think that influencers like them have helped people see tarantulas and keeping them in a “different” or more positive way, if nothing else.   Exposure itself is important.  I’m not a fan of click bait video titles and the drama and whatever else but sometimes a little campiness can soften people’s views.
> 
> Of course, entertainment focused YouTubers like these shouldn’t be seen as 100% knowledgeable (side-eyeing The Dark Den for his pairing mistakes) BUT all the same — thoughts on folks like these and the pros and cons of their influence within the hobby?


Dark den. I hate his voice. Sadly exotic lairs is who got me into getting tarantulas.



velvetunderground said:


> Pros: I'm bored and like looking at spiders
> 
> Cons: These people usually seem to care about their YouTube status waaay more than the animal's welfare, which is sure to result in tragedy (for the animals)


I am starting a YouTube channel maybe I can be a voice for knowledge.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## velvetundergrowth (May 27, 2019)

LurkingUnderground said:


> Dark den. I hate his voice. Sadly exotic lairs is who got me into getting tarantulas.


Dark Den seems like a nice guy, but yeah his dialog in the videos can be irritating. I give him a pass tho because he's speaking a 2nd language. For me it's more that I don't enjoy "sensationalist" content, ie, "HANDLING HUGE DEADLY VENEMOUS TARANTULA"...

I wish you the best of luck with your YouTube channel, I'm sure you'll learn from the mistakes made by those before you

Reactions: Agree 1


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## LurkingUnderground (May 27, 2019)

velvetunderground said:


> Dark Den seems like a nice guy, but yeah his dialog in the videos can be irritating. I give him a pass tho because he's speaking a 2nd language. For me it's more that I don't enjoy "sensationalist" content, ie, "HANDLING HUGE DEADLY VENEMOUS TARANTULA"...
> 
> I wish you the best of luck with your YouTube channel, I'm sure you'll learn from the mistakes made by those before you


I was going to make a joke about snuggling your ts 



LurkingUnderground said:


> I was going to make a joke about snuggling your ts


I have some empty cages with moss and substrate in them that I could make a joke about not rolling around in your sleep. With a disclaimer of no spiders were filmed in the making of this video.

Oh yeah the one good thing I think exotic lairs has going for him was the watering videos. You get to see the Ts and the sound of the water filling the cup. Sounds like a bartender pouring you a beer.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Asgiliath (May 27, 2019)

LurkingUnderground said:


> I was going to make a joke about snuggling your ts
> 
> 
> I have some empty cages with moss and substrate in them that I could make a joke about not rolling around in your sleep. With a disclaimer of no spiders were filmed in the making of this video.
> ...


I’ll agree with that. The watering videos are very satisfying.


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## LurkingUnderground (May 27, 2019)

Asgiliath said:


> I’ll agree with that. The watering videos are very satisfying.


I am planning on doing that in my videos too. But my collection is a little small xD


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## CorCam (May 27, 2019)

Asgiliath said:


> I was just browsing YouTube and because I regularly watch T related content, I always have folks like Exotics Lair, The Dark Den etc. show up on my suggested and it made me think — I’ve watched content like theirs and they have some problematic husbandry advice or none at all (side-eyeing Exotics Lair) BUT I do think that influencers like them have helped people see tarantulas and keeping them in a “different” or more positive way, if nothing else.   Exposure itself is important.  I’m not a fan of click bait video titles and the drama and whatever else but sometimes a little campiness can soften people’s views.
> 
> Of course, entertainment focused YouTubers like these shouldn’t be seen as 100% knowledgeable (side-eyeing The Dark Den for his pairing mistakes) BUT all the same — thoughts on folks like these and the pros and cons of their influence within the hobby?


Petko of Dark Den, Tom of Tom’s Big Spiders, Alex of Tarantula Haven and Kat of Tarantula Kat have all helped me immensely.  I had been terrified of spiders my whole life and now we own 7 tarantulas!  The first time I did an unboxing by myself was scary, but I recalled all that I learned watching them that it went smoothly with my first three.  Whew!  I no longer watch Exotics Lair; stopped watching him months ago. His schtick is his hand which I find ridiculous.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3


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## basin79 (May 27, 2019)

I've seen some youtubers actually say the unboxing is awkward as due to filming they've only got 1 hand free. 

Well put the bloody phone/camera down then!!!!!!!! 

Is recording the unboxing more important than your pets well being? NO!!!!!!

Reactions: Agree 5


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## Chris LXXIX (May 27, 2019)

Jon3800 had always a nice assortment of fire alarms and lawn mowers vids, plus a vintage NES straight on the floor amidst T's and everything: it's beyond me that no one noticed that, nut nowadays everyone is focused only about 4K, aesthetics and whatnot


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## LurkingUnderground (May 27, 2019)

basin79 said:


> I've seen some youtubers actually say the unboxing is awkward as due to filming they've only got 1 hand free.
> 
> Well put the bloody phone/camera down then!!!!!!!!
> 
> Is recording the unboxing more important than your pets well being? NO!!!!!!


You should see my first video unboxing one handed

Reactions: Lollipop 1 | Face Palm 1


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## basin79 (May 27, 2019)

LurkingUnderground said:


> You should see my first video unboxing one handed


I don't understand the whole unboxing thing. Just show a box and then your new pet in the enclosure.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## Arachnophoric (May 27, 2019)

LurkingUnderground said:


> You should see my first video unboxing one handed





basin79 said:


> I don't understand the whole unboxing thing. Just show a box and then your new pet in the enclosure.


Or - use a tripod and go hands free!

Reactions: Like 1


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## LurkingUnderground (May 27, 2019)

Arachnophoric said:


> Or - use a tripod and go hands free!


Yeah later on in the year and a half of my first experience video. I finally did get a tripod for my cellphone xD
Ps I failed totally trying to Hold the camera. XDD


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## Phia (May 27, 2019)

Tarantula youtubers help normalize my hobby in the eyes of my friends and family, lol.  I refer them to Dark Den or Tarantula Kat or Exotics Lair and suddenly they're experts. 

Tom's Big Spiders is one of my favorites, but he's too dry for non-T people, lol. 

I do wholeheartedly agree that the sensationalist stuff is uncool. These people need clickbait to survive I guess. Views are the currency they deal in and everyone wants to watch something exciting and dangerous.

Reactions: Agree 4 | Funny 1


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## Minty (May 27, 2019)

LurkingUnderground said:


> Dark den. I hate his voice.


 How’s your Croatian?

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3 | Funny 3 | Love 2


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## LurkingUnderground (May 27, 2019)

Minty said:


> How’s your Croatian?


I don't mind the accent. I mean the complaining voice tone


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## Minty (May 28, 2019)

LurkingUnderground said:


> I don't mind the accent. I mean the complaining voice tone


Fair enough, I was being facetious anyway.


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## ccTroi (May 28, 2019)

Liquifin said:


> This answer is a controversial one. A good majority of new T. hobbyist are brought in by Youtubers like the Dark Den and Exotics Lair, which is a somewhat good thing. Everything else is almost a negative from there on. More hobbyist equals more demand of T.'s resulting in price inflations due to supply and demand issues and many more.
> 
> These people are trying to make T.'s entertaining to lower the fear in arachnophobes, which is a good thing. But Youtube is a double-edged sword in terms of this hobby. Exotics Lair and The Dark Den are entertainment tarantula Youtubers that want to help people out. But in return, fans worship them like literal gods. Logically, they are swaying this hobby into a new course. Either good or bad, it's up to how you see it.
> 
> ...


agree! exotics lair is overrated and exaggerates too much. only faking it for the patreon donations.


Jim Cricket said:


> Watching DTG chase here Ts with a fish net makes me cringe.


she should cover those spoiled melons too

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 3


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## Paul1126 (May 28, 2019)

basin79 said:


> I don't understand the whole unboxing thing. Just show a box and then your new pet in the enclosure.


Man, people will watch anything!
There is youtubers whose "content" is them reacting to TV shows and people donate to them! It's crazy!

Imagine paying someone to do tarantula videos when you can use that money to buy your own tarantula or better yet if you have spare money to just chuck away donate it to something that's actually good.

Reactions: Like 3


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## Scarge (May 28, 2019)

Paul1126 said:


> Man, people will watch anything!
> There is youtubers whose "content" is them reacting to TV shows and people donate to them! It's crazy!
> 
> Imagine paying someone to do tarantula videos when you can use that money to buy your own tarantula or better yet if you have spare money to just chuck away donate it to something that's actually good.



People watch other people play video games, when I was a kid that was your punishment for losing.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## petkokc (May 28, 2019)

Scarge said:


> People watch other people play video games


And also there are people watching other people playing sports like football, instead of playing it themself...what a crazy world!

Reactions: Like 5 | Agree 8 | Funny 4 | Award 1


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## LurkingUnderground (May 28, 2019)

Well I am hoping to earn some money from my YouTube channel as well as give more sound advice.

One thing I really like to watch is the happy "dance" they do while feeding.


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## Phia (May 28, 2019)

The happy dance is the best lol 

Y’all know one thing that always disturbs me about youtubers - they seem to always keep OBT without a solid hide like a cork bark tube or cork cave. They’re in a magnificent tunnel of their own web on sub. So when they open the container the OBT is startled and on the defensive. I guess this is entertaining lol but those same family members I refer these channels to ask me Omg do you have an OBT? They’re so aggressive! And I’m like Yeah. Cakes. Jaffa cakes is an OBT. You only ever see her spider paws and she never leaves her hide during the day. Maintaining her enclosure is a snap....

But that’s too boring, lol.


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## LurkingUnderground (May 28, 2019)

Phia said:


> The happy dance is the best lol
> 
> Y’all know one thing that always disturbs me about youtubers - they seem to always keep OBT without a solid hide like a cork bark tube or cork cave. They’re in a magnificent tunnel of their own web on sub. So when they open the container the OBT is startled and on the defensive. I guess this is entertaining lol but those same family members I refer these channels to ask me Omg do you have an OBT? They’re so aggressive! And I’m like Yeah. Cakes. Jaffa cakes is an OBT. You only ever see her spider paws and she never leaves her hide during the day. Maintaining her enclosure is a snap....
> 
> But that’s too boring, lol.


My B. Albopilosum has a cork hide. I am not sure how I am going to fit one for the P. Irminia as it is only an inch.


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## Phia (May 28, 2019)

LurkingUnderground said:


> My B. Albopilosum has a cork hide. I am not sure how I am going to fit one for the P. Irminia as it is only an inch.


Haha I was talking about OBT specifically, since they’re famous for aggression. P. irminia do well with just a little corner cork or a cork spire they can make a web tunnel with. My gripe is youtubers don’t utilize a simple fix for their OBT’s general insecurity because it isn’t entertaining. You can’t open the enclosure and get a threat posture from a bright orange tarantula lol if the tarantula can just turn tail and hide

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Liquifin (May 28, 2019)

Phia said:


> I was talking about OBT specifically, since they’re famous for aggression.


Overrated on threat postures, I own 3 of them and almost never get threat postures from any of them.



Phia said:


> You can’t open the enclosure and get a threat posture from a bright orange tarantula lol if the tarantula can just turn tail and hide


Agree, but actually more substrate for burrowing are better for them. If you give a OBT a lot of substrate, it's going to be a pet hole for most specimens, and no threat postures as people make them to be.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Phia (May 28, 2019)

Liquifin said:


> Agree, but actually more substrate for burrowing are better for them. If you give a OBT a lot of substrate, it's going to be a pet hole for most specimens, and no threat postures as people make them to be.


Needs more sub


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## Amanda Myers (May 29, 2019)

I absolutely love The Dark Den, he genuinely loves his animals, he isnt afraid to admit his mistakes or show them. The difference between us most of them they share their T journey. Some I agree are more for show and less about their animals, but to place such dislike on the fact that they took their passion and made a living out of it seems like a lot of jealousy.  Imo if you dont like them dont watch but to talk about them is ridiculous. Thanks to many of them they made Ts not so creepy and showed people that they aren't creepy. Just my take on it.

Reactions: Agree 5


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## Serafeimink (May 29, 2019)

I don’t think Petko is in it for $$ or popularity. It’s just a hobby he loves to do. He also has a skateboard channel I believe

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## Amanda Myers (May 29, 2019)

Serafeimink said:


> I don’t think Petko is in it for $$ or popularity. It’s just a hobby he loves to do. He also has a skateboard channel I believe


He does it's all in Croatian but still cool to watch. Petko is a genuinely a good guy.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Ungoliant (May 30, 2019)

basin79 said:


> I've seen some youtubers actually say the unboxing is awkward as due to filming they've only got 1 hand free.


I'd never try to rehouse with one hand.  That's what tripods/stands are for!

I really wish more YouTube videos were stable.  I can't watch shaky videos for long without feeling nauseated.

Reactions: Agree 2 | Funny 1


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## basin79 (May 30, 2019)

Ungoliant said:


> I'd never try to rehouse with one hand.  That's what tripods/stands are for!
> 
> I really wish more YouTube videos were stable.  I can't watch shaky videos for long without feeling nauseated.


I'm guilty of shaky videos. NOT UNBOXING. I don't do unboxing videos. I don't like the restrictions of a tripod. I like to move around. I will absolutely admit though my vids aren't in anyway "professional". It's a case of you get what you get.


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## Ungoliant (May 30, 2019)

basin79 said:


> I'm guilty of shaky videos. NOT UNBOXING. I don't do unboxing videos. I don't like the restrictions of a tripod. I like to move around. I will absolutely admit though my vids aren't in anyway "professional". It's a case of you get what you get.


Yours are usually not too shaky for me to watch.

It's the ones that look like they were filmed in the left hand of someone with Parskinson's that I can't watch without getting sick.

Oddly enough, I have seen a lot of movies and TV shows using unstable handheld cameras even though they clearly have access to high-quality equipment and a professional camera crew.  I think someone in art school thinks the handheld camera makes the scene look more dynamic (and maybe less scripted in the case of fake reality TV shows).

Reactions: Funny 1


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## LurkingUnderground (Jun 13, 2019)

Phia said:


> Haha I was talking about OBT specifically, since they’re famous for aggression. P. irminia do well with just a little corner cork or a cork spire they can make a web tunnel with. My gripe is youtubers don’t utilize a simple fix for their OBT’s general insecurity because it isn’t entertaining. You can’t open the enclosure and get a threat posture from a bright orange tarantula lol if the tarantula can just turn tail and hide


Nova is busy In pre molt


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## Vorax29 (Jan 5, 2020)

I personaly watch youtube videos of tarantulas in the wild.
My favourite is https://www.youtube.com/user/Tarantupedia .
As other people mentioned it, I confirm BirdspiderCH is also very very cool ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbHE3xBkA2j5bMvtnI_46AA )
World of spiders have FANTASTIC wild videos too ( https://www.youtube.com/user/kumalo77 )
And no one mentioned the GREAT BugsNstuff channel with tarantulas found in their natural habitat (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH6vuQ-7bXM0ZeAklsF31mQ )

I can recommand this polish youtube channel where you can find tutorials to build 100% natural enclosures for various species (they give the names of the plants too!) :
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMZufaGb1mbfQ0Wzpdp6Ozg/videos

About the "entertainment" videos, I've discovered "Tarantula Kat"'s channel 2 days ago and I must admit I absolutely don't like these kind of youtube channels... I have nothing against the "newbies", but I'm often irritated by these newbies giving their opinion like it was an universal truth... They buy the most tarantulas they can, they review everything, they handle as much as they can, but most important, they keep their animals in very very poor conditions...
I like Dark Den's videos because he shows the bad things that can happen, not only the funny parts of the hobby.
Tom's big spiders is also a nice channel, more "serious" than the others.

Reactions: Like 4


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## Rudeman88 (Jan 5, 2020)

Richard from "The Tarantula Collective" is great to! I didn't see anyone mention him at all. He's a more "entertaining" version of Tom Moran (zero hate on Tom he's amazing). I watch Tom Moran and The Tarantula Collective for information and how to videos. While I watch Petko purely for entertainment and just always hearing the same rhetoric on how genuine of a person he seems to be. I think it's all on the maturity of the person knowing that Youtubers are people, they make mistakes and aren't always right. I definitely check everything I'm learning so when I do order my first T this year my mistakes are minimal so I can be the best Spider Dad I can be!

Reactions: Like 7 | Agree 3


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## W1CK3DWest (Jan 6, 2020)

Rudeman88 said:


> Richard from "The Tarantula Collective" is great to! I didn't see anyone mention him at all.


It's nice to see someone mention him. He's the first channel I came across and I really liked the positive energy and his professionalism. I'm barely getting started with this hobby and came to this thread to see if any of these YouTubers could be considered well informed and proper caretakers of their T's. I want to make sure I take care of my little T the best I can as a beginner.
This thread has given me a lot of insight on what to be careful for!

Reactions: Like 6


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## Moakmeister (Jan 6, 2020)

The Dark Den is still the best one imo, but it still bugs me how irresponsible he is about pairings since he's always trying to get a good shot of the action instead of having his hands ready to prevent the T's getting hurt.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1


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## thatdadlife619 (Jan 6, 2020)

Asgiliath said:


> I was just browsing YouTube and because I regularly watch T related content, I always have folks like Exotics Lair, The Dark Den etc. show up on my suggested and it made me think — I’ve watched content like theirs and they have some problematic husbandry advice or none at all (side-eyeing Exotics Lair) BUT I do think that influencers like them have helped people see tarantulas and keeping them in a “different” or more positive way, if nothing else.   Exposure itself is important.  I’m not a fan of click bait video titles and the drama and whatever else but sometimes a little campiness can soften people’s views.
> 
> Of course, entertainment focused YouTubers like these shouldn’t be seen as 100% knowledgeable (side-eyeing The Dark Den for his pairing mistakes) BUT all the same — thoughts on folks like these and the pros and cons of their influence within the hobby?


I, for one, got into the hobby watching these guys on YouTube. Since I was a kid tarantulas had always freaked me out and watching guys like ExoticsLair helped me not just overcome my fear but also be comfortable enough to start my own collection. Fast forward to today and I can see why these guys can come off as glamorizing more the heart racing side off the hobby than the husbandry and care for them. There are exceptions, two that come to mind right away are Toms Big Spiders and the_tarantula_collective. Both of them seem to center just about everything they put on YouTube around the right way to take care of them safely, not just for yourself but for your spider as well. I think that probably the worst thing that can come from a YouTube personality is handling OW’s carelessly on camera and someone just starting out thinking it’s TOTALLY fine to let an obt walk up your arm. I think it’s great what these guys are doing as long as beginners can sift through what’s smart and responsible and what’s not.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## donniedark0 (Jan 7, 2020)

I remember some time ago Jon3800 was like the top youtuber. This was like 10 years ago lol. Its weird to come back to the hobby and see much more high quality content being put out. Great cameras, lightning and production etc....


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## WaightZer (Jan 7, 2020)

During the late 90's in my late teenage years, i was so fascinated with bugs and especially ants, I could sit infront of ant mound and watch their small interesting activities all day long. Then, my interest branched out into spiders (even though they scared the crap out of me). Later I migrated to another country where it was illegal to keep spiders (tarantulas) and scorpions pets. I wanted to keep Trapdoors and Huntsman spiders. I could only watched videos, read about spiders and tarantulas. Decades later, back in my home country and my interest in bugs has faded.
Until a few months ago, out of nowhere, Petko's random video popped out in my youtube recommendations. After slowly watching his videos one after another, I'm hooked. My long lost hobby has surfaced again. Then I found out about, EL, Tom Moran, Tkat, Antscanada and so on. Forgot to mention my wife is an extreme arachnophobic, she literally could squeal and jump just by seeing a Trapdoor or tarantula photo. But now? she can sit beside me and watch The dark den with a grin on her face. Long story shot, I got a green light from her to keep a pet spider. So, last month I bought my first Brachypelma Vagans sling. And then I kept a huntsman spider I found at my mom's kitchen. And then I bought a Nhandu Chromatus sling.
The dark den video has reignited the love of spiders in me and ease the arachnophobia of my wife. I can say his videos are fun to see and very entertaining.  I sometimes watch Tom Moran, EL, Tkat, Basin79, Tarantula Haven videos too.  But when I decided to get a T myself, I did my homework hard to dig up all
information I could get by reading articles, notes, searching and viewing videos. Its like seeing a flashy Martial art movie and getting oneself into practicing, training art of hand to hand combat is two different things. I just enjoy the videos, learn what I can from them and avoid some flashy things like handling a nervous cobalt blue.
So, kudos to all channels I mentioned above especially Petko to spark my fascination with tarantulas.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Uial (Jan 7, 2020)

I frequently recommend people watch Tom Moran if they want to know more about T's. I do watch him and The Tarantula Collective for information. I watch The Dark Den and Exotics Lair for the Drama and all the hectic something is happening at all time either pairing or feeding or whatever vids. I also like Tarantula Haven, he seems down to earth and calm. Most other T YouTubers are so blatantly doing everything wrong that I can't really watch it. 

But I came into the hobby because of these videos, I didn't think keeping T's was an option before. I also didn't learn a ton of wrong information because I basically only keep NW terrestrials. They are pretty basic in care, so not many people screw their husbandry up, like people sometimes do with fossorials or arboreals. Then again I recently met someone who keeps their T's on gravel. So...

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Vanisher (Jan 7, 2020)

I think my youtube channel is absolut the best. Especially the picture and soundquality. I think its the best on youtube! (Sarcastic)

Reactions: Funny 2


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## StampFan (Jan 7, 2020)

There appear to be 3 types of YouTubers with tarantulas -- 1) those who are looking to promote products, sell merchandise, etc. 2) those looking to make $ off of YouTube views and viewers, 3) pure hobbiests.

@Tomoran will always be the best as he has no ulterior motives other than enjoying his hobby.  Same with @basin79.  @birdspidersCH is an unbelievable wealth of academic arachnid knowledge and needs more support and views so he keeps doing this.  No weird clickbait thumbnails for any of those 3.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 5


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## basin79 (Jan 7, 2020)

StampFan said:


> There appear to be 3 types of YouTubers with tarantulas -- 1) those who are looking to promote products, sell merchandise, etc. 2) those looking to make $ off of YouTube views and viewers, 3) pure hobbiests.
> 
> @Tomoran will always be the best as he has no ulterior motives other than enjoying his hobby.  Same with @basin79.  @birdspidersCH is an unbelievable wealth of academic arachnid knowledge and needs more support and views so he keeps doing this.  No weird clickbait thumbnails for any of those 3.


Tom is still the best for me. No nonsense and actually provides loads of helpful information. Like you typed doesn't use click bait titles either. It's criminal he doesn't have thousands more subs but sadly doing things right seems to do that.

I really hope Tom's channel blows up massively as it can only be a good thing.

Reactions: Agree 5 | Love 1


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## LucN (Jan 7, 2020)

StampFan said:


> There appear to be 3 types of YouTubers with tarantulas -- 1) those who are looking to promote products, sell merchandise, etc. 2) those looking to make $ off of YouTube views and viewers, 3) pure hobbiests.
> 
> @Tomoran will always be the best as he has no ulterior motives other than enjoying his hobby.  Same with @basin79.  @birdspidersCH is an unbelievable wealth of academic arachnid knowledge and needs more support and views so he keeps doing this.  No weird clickbait thumbnails for any of those 3.


While I do have a YouTube account, I don't have any videos as of yet. Once things start rolling though, I'll easily be lumped in the minute group that forms #3. Definitely don't have any gear to sell and wouldn't be in it for the views and popularity. When I do, expect a very simple channel like Basin79's. It'll be a mixture of education and "entertainment", but not to the expense of my pets' wellbeing and will definitely not make a fool of myself. Here's hoping I get something done before the first half of the year. 

For the record, aside Basin79, there's also Tom Moran and Jon3800 that I follow almost religiously, along with lovetarantulas (Andrew Smith's channel) to see tarantulas in their natural habitat. And then, if I want pure entertainment, I'll flock (See what I did there ? ) to Mr. Max T.V.


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## CommanderBacon (Jan 7, 2020)

basin79 said:


> Tom is still the best for me. No nonsense and actually provides loads of helpful information. Like you typed doesn't use click bait titles either. It's criminal he doesn't have thousands more subs but sadly doing things right seems to do that.
> 
> I really hope Tom's channel blows up massively as it can only be a good thing.


I love Tom's channel and go to it for husbandry information and to watch his rehousings, but I actually really love his podcast. I listen to it on Tuesdays on my drive to work.

Richard from the Tarantula Collective is like the nicest guy in the world. I like his videos, too. I feel like they have a little something for everyone.

Reactions: Agree 5


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## Amanda Myers (Jan 14, 2020)

CommanderBacon said:


> I love Tom's channel and go to it for husbandry information and to watch his rehousings, but I actually really love his podcast. I listen to it on Tuesdays on my drive to work.
> 
> Richard from the Tarantula Collective is like the nicest guy in the world. I like his videos, too. I feel like they have a little something for everyone.


Tom's Podcast is my go to! I listen on my way to work, on my way home from work, and at work. I have even listened to some of them several times. Tom is my go to! Very educational and has helped me evolve as a keeper. Some channels I go to for information and some for entertainment.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 2


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## AracnoDreams (Jan 15, 2020)

James and I both very much enjoy Martin from birdspidersCh...we find him both informative and very fun to watch .

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 4


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## FrmDaLeftCoast (Jan 15, 2020)

Came for Exotic Lair, stayed for Tom Moran. 

PS. I also enjoy Tarantula Haven, Tarantula Kat and a few more.



basin79 said:


> I don't understand the whole unboxing thing. Just show a box and then your new pet in the enclosure.


IMHO - Unboxings help those who are new to the hobby and are receiving some T's for the 1st time.



Paul1126 said:


> Man, people will watch anything!
> There is youtubers whose "content" is them reacting to TV shows and people donate to them! It's crazy!
> 
> Imagine paying someone to do tarantula videos when you can use that money to buy your own tarantula or better yet if you have spare money to just chuck away donate it to something that's actually good.


IMHO - The reacting of shows (GOT, The Boys, Cobra Kai, etc.) is a whole different ball game. If your a fan of a certain show, there's no better way to relive it than through the eyes of someone else. This wouldn't work with Tarantulas or sports.


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## basin79 (Jan 15, 2020)

FrmDaLeftCoast said:


> IMHO - Unboxings help those who are new to the hobby and are receiving some T's for the 1st time.


If they can't unbox a tarantula without needing a walk through I don't think tarantulas are the pets for them. But even if they do need a tutorial the 1's I've seen AREN'T that. They're just "look what I've got" unboxings that are absolutely pointless.

Reactions: Like 1


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## PanzoN88 (Jan 15, 2020)

I do follow all tarantula youtubers, but that doesn't necessarily mean I watch all of them. Sure I'll glance at a few videos here and there, but that's about it. With that said, I can give my stance on the subject.

Pros: 

Popular tarantula youtubers make it easy for new keepers to feel more confident about the prospect of owning tarantulas 

They make the videos entertaining, which in turn draws in prospective keepers.

In between:

They draw a lot of attention to the hobby, which can be both good and bad for the hobby. 

Cons: 

the advice could be subpar 

Stunts for views, which could cause new keepers to follow their lead. 

In conclusion popular youtubers can be bad or good for the hobby, I would not use these youtubers as a good source of information, with the exception of channels like tom Moran and in my opinion Erie arachnids (in my opinion, his channel is like Tom Moran's before the fancy opening at the start of all his videos).

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Brachyfan (Jan 15, 2020)

LucN said:


> While I do have a YouTube account, I don't have any videos as of yet. Once things start rolling though, I'll easily be lumped in the minute group that forms #3. Definitely don't have any gear to sell and wouldn't be in it for the views and popularity. When I do, expect a very simple channel like Basin79's. It'll be a mixture of education and "entertainment", but not to the expense of my pets' wellbeing and will definitely not make a fool of myself. Here's hoping I get something done before the first half of the year.
> 
> For the record, aside Basin79, there's also Tom Moran and Jon3800 that I follow almost religiously, along with lovetarantulas (Andrew Smith's channel) to see tarantulas in their natural habitat. And then, if I want pure entertainment, I'll flock (See what I did there ? ) to Mr. Max T.V.


I feel sorry for snoopy


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## LucN (Jan 15, 2020)

Brachyfan said:


> I feel sorry for snoopy


Ha ha, it's not his business with Snoopy that entertains me, tho the aftermath is always fun with the bunch of excited "Hi !" and chirping/flapping/squeaking brings a smile to my face every single time. It's the "imaginary" arguments between Dan and Max that has me almost rolling on the floor, laughing. 

I swear, Max couldn't end up with a better caretaker than Dan. He, unlike MANY cockatoo owners did his research, so he knew what he was getting into and you can clearly see that he's 100% dedicated to his well-being. Sure, there are others such as Gotcha, Pebble, Harley and Onni that have wonderful owners, but I personally feel that Max is the most entertaining of the flock.


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## Brachyfan (Jan 15, 2020)

@LucN  I may be biased but I like Pebble the best. Being born and raised there its funny to see that vid where they are walking around the city and I can pinpoint locations and whatnot. Plus Pebble just talks like the rest of us that lives/lived there. Mouth like a sailor ya know


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## basin79 (Jan 16, 2020)

LucN said:


> Ha ha, it's not his business with Snoopy that entertains me, tho the aftermath is always fun with the bunch of excited "Hi !" and chirping/flapping/squeaking brings a smile to my face every single time. It's the "imaginary" arguments between Dan and Max that has me almost rolling on the floor, laughing.
> 
> I swear, Max couldn't end up with a better caretaker than Dan. He, unlike MANY cockatoo owners did his research, so he knew what he was getting into and you can clearly see that he's 100% dedicated to his well-being. Sure, there are others such as Gotcha, Pebble, Harley and Onni that have wonderful owners, but I personally feel that Max is the most entertaining of the flock.


Dan was originally only looking after Max for his friend.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Brachyfan (Jan 16, 2020)

basin79 said:


> Dan was originally only looking after Max for his friend.


True! Then he cut a deal to acquire Max as the friend's husbandry wasn't up to snuff. Can't help but think the constant circling is some kind of ocd or something. Never kept birds but I know they can be bad with things like plucking.


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## basin79 (Jan 16, 2020)

Brachyfan said:


> True! Then he cut a deal to acquire Max as the friend's husbandry wasn't up to snuff. Can't help but think the constant circling is some kind of ocd or something. Never kept birds but I know they can be bad with things like plucking.


I think they all have their "ticks". Not sure if it's a calming thing for them. Pandora (my Senegal) bobs her head up and down and then turns it to the side really quick.

Reactions: Like 1


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## LucN (Jan 16, 2020)

Yes, initially. But before "rescuing" Max from his friend, he made the necessary research to understand how they act and all. He knows when Max is trying to be dominant and effectively puts him in his place... gently. And we can see that he learnt to have his feet off the ground when Max is playing on the floor and getting excited  He owned him for over 10 years, now ? So he likely knows most, if not all of Max's little quirks.


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## Minty (Jan 16, 2020)

I’m with @basin79 on unboxing. There is absolutely no need for video footage of someone opening a box. Uninteresting filler.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Swagg (Jan 16, 2020)

I think there are a lot of decent keepers on YouTube. There are also a lot of bad keepers and they all make mistakes. I make mistakes. Most of you on here make mistakes and if you think you don’t you aren’t being honest with yourself or anyone else here.
I think it is wrong and counter productive to assume people’s motives or intent for starting a YouTube channel based on your opinion of them. People like Tom Moran and petko got me into the hobby and I respect them. Hey have their way of doing things and I have mine and we can all nitpick at the “ideal” husbandry or practices all we want. At the end of the day putting people on blast for doing things differently than a lot of you do is counter productive, it breeds the idea of this place being full of elitist and it turns people off to a rewarding hobby and a board that has some of the best information available on tarantulas.

just my 0.02$

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 2 | Funny 1


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## Ron Fults (Jan 17, 2020)

I faithfully watch Tom Moran and The Tarantula Collective. I have found them a good source of information and they do interact with their viewers. 
I watch The Dark Den for entertainment. 
Yes I watch a lot of YouTube. I mostly watch at work to have something to do. I have a job with a lot of downtime, so it helps occupy my time. 
I quit watching Exotics Lair because he is just basically harassing his animals and I don't care for that. 
Tarantula Kat IMO gives the impression she is knowledgeable and she is not. She is a newer keeper herself and has little real knowledge of the hobby. I don't consider myself to be all that knowledgeable either, but I'm not portraying myself to be either. 
Honestly if it weren't for YouTube I probably would never have gotten in the hobby. But I'm glad I did. I really enjoy learning about my spiders and seeing them grow. But I try to keep a very hands off approach. Meaning I don't handle any of them. I know they don't want to be handled. So I don't. Besides feeding and watering, rehousing and enclosure maintenance I do not engage with them. 
I merely observe and enjoy.
Just my two cents.

Reactions: Like 2


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## magneto (Jan 19, 2020)

This video showed up in my recomended list on youtube today.






I have never seen videos from this guy before and the title and the overdramatic buildup and music was just anoying to begin with but I have to say that the guy's pure enthusiasm and passion for the hobby grew on me and I ended up grinning like an idiot for the second half of the video. Genuine passion, good showmanship and correct, if a touch dramatic, information given about the T

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1


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## Myers (Jan 19, 2020)

I usually watch - Mark's Tarantulas, Tarantupedia, Tom Moran.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Taysha (Jan 20, 2020)

Hey guys, I’ve read through some of the comments but was curious. My friend who is terrified of spiders recently mentioned watching Exotics lair.  Is there a better channel I could recommend specifically for someone who has a fear of them? I don’t want someone hyping her up and making her fear worse. She hopes to get over her fear one day and be able to keep a tarantula herself.


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## Swagg (Jan 20, 2020)

Taysha said:


> Hey guys, I’ve read through some of the comments but was curious. My friend who is terrified of spiders recently mentioned watching Exotics lair.  Is there a better channel I could recommend specifically for someone who has a fear of them? I don’t want someone hyping her up and making her fear worse. She hopes to get over her fear one day and be able to keep a tarantula herself.


Tom Moran (Toms big spiders) or The Tarantula Collective

Reactions: Like 1


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## SteveIDDQD (Jan 20, 2020)

Swagg said:


> Tom Moran (Toms big spiders) or The Tarantula Collective


TC after last weeks video?  Not a vid for someone scared of spiders to watch...
Was fairly surprised to see such a click bait title from him as I really enjoy the quality of his vids and he comes across as cool dude.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Swagg (Jan 20, 2020)

SteveIDDQD said:


> TC after last weeks video?  Not a vid for someone scared of spiders to watch...
> Was fairly surprised to see such a click bait title from him as I really enjoy the quality of his vids and he comes across as cool dude.


I agree, I was a little surprised too. But he’s also human and his work as a whole is pretty informative.


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## KaroKoenig (Jan 20, 2020)

Tarantula Haven isn't mentioned enough here. Love this guy. Fresh new video out after a little break he took, with awesome footage of an upright molt:

Reactions: Agree 1


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## StampFan (Jan 20, 2020)

Ronald Fults said:


> I faithfully watch Tom Moran and The Tarantula Collective. I have found them a good source of information and they do interact with their viewers.
> I watch The Dark Den for entertainment.
> Yes I watch a lot of YouTube. I mostly watch at work to have something to do. I have a job with a lot of downtime, so it helps occupy my time.
> I quit watching Exotics Lair because he is just basically harassing his animals and I don't care for that.
> ...


I agree about the Tarantula Kat assessment.  I unsubscribed from her channel for just that reason.  She also came on this forum for about a day, was sort of snarky, and then left.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Mbranconnier (Jan 20, 2020)

When I first pondered the idea of getting my first T, I binge watched the Dark Den's videos to get an idea of caring for them (water dish sizes, substrate moisture and enclosure types). I stumbled upon Exotics Layer and only found myself watching those videos for the cringe factor and to learn the "do not's" of the hobby. I feel like watching and observing your T's behavior is truly what you will use to refine your skills in the hobby.


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## Smotzer (Jan 20, 2020)

I’m not an experienced keeper by any means but what I find hard about all the different YouTubers is the wide array of scientific name pronunciations. I come from a background in horticulture and entomology and had to learn the way to pronounce names in Latin and they vary a lot on how each different person either correctly or incorrectly pronounces genus and species names.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Ron Fults (Jan 20, 2020)

StampFan said:


> I agree about the Tarantula Kat assessment.  I unsubscribed from her channel for just that reason.  She also came on this forum for about a day, was sort of snarky, and then left.


I never subscribed to her channel but I did watch it. The one thing that really put me off is when she did a video critiquing other people's enclosures. 
I was like who are you to be bashing someone else's enclosures when you yourself are a newbie. 
I think because she has a YouTube channel and has some followers that makes her some sort of expert or someone with lots of experience and knowledge. It doesn't. 
Having said that I don't mean to be judgemental and if I am I'm sorry. I do not like to pass judgement on anyone for anything. She may be the nicest person, I don't know. I'm just giving my thoughts on what I've seen. 
There are a few other channels I watch from time to time but not on a regular basis. And probably one channel I forgot to mention that I also watch regularly that I enjoy is Tarantula Haven.



Smotzer said:


> I’m not an experienced keeper by any means but what I find hard about all the different YouTubers is the wide array of scientific name pronunciations. I come from a background in horticulture and entomology and had to learn the way to pronounce names in Latin and they vary a lot on how each different person either correctly or incorrectly pronounces genus and species names.


I too struggle with the correct pronunciation of some Latin names myself.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## ThorsCarapace22 (Jan 21, 2020)

The first channels i watched on YouTube was tarantulaguy1976, Marilynn Moore, and Tom Moran. After watching them I decided to get my first tarantula almost 5 years ago!  When I was little I was in love with spiders, I would always draw pictures of them and hopefully catch any glimpse of them on the discovery channel. When I learned about YouTube I hit spiders up pretty fast. So thanks to you all for giving me that push into the hobby. And thanks to you guys on this thread for showing me some great YouTube channels.


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## Brachyfan (Jan 21, 2020)

Ronald Fults said:


> I never subscribed to her channel but I did watch it. The one thing that really put me off is when she did a video critiquing other people's enclosures.
> I was like who are you to be bashing someone else's enclosures when you yourself are a newbie.
> I think because she has a YouTube channel and has some followers that makes her some sort of expert or someone with lots of experience and knowledge. It doesn't.
> Having said that I don't mean to be judgemental and if I am I'm sorry. I do not like to pass judgement on anyone for anything. She may be the nicest person, I don't know. I'm just giving my thoughts on what I've seen.
> ...


I can see some of tbe criticism towards Kat being valid but I took her videos critiquing enclosures to be more focused on aesthetics as opposed to husbandry. But then again the first thing you learn is enclosures so even a newb could accurately critique most beginner species.

Trying to breed G pulchripes while the male had a mouthful of crickets was probably a bad error

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Vanisher (Mar 21, 2020)

I forgot about BirdspidersCH I watch him cos he makes alot if recordings of tarantulas in their natural habitat. I found this much more enjoyable and intresting than watching feeding and rehouse videos

Reactions: Agree 3


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## Mr Tea (Mar 21, 2020)

Tom Moran (+ his podcast) and Mark’s Tarantulas are the two that I frequently watch. Both are educational. Mark does an excellent job with the videography and his enclosures are stunning. 

I am not that experienced with T’s, but I recognized early on that  folks like DTG did not offer an example that I would want to follow.


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## Erica Clemente (Mar 21, 2020)

nicodimus22 said:


> The only one with much credibility to me is Tom Moran. He's more educational than he is clickbaity, so he probably gets a lot less views.


I am still pretty new to this hobby. My husband has kept a small collection for 20+ years so when I fell in love with my first t, an A. Avicularia I asked him if he would help me with her.  I bought her from work ( yea I work at Petco...side note that’s better for future T’s at my store as they at least get better treatment now)   We are older, I am 54 so we relied on what he know for his terrestrial and fossorial T’s to start and realized stuff was wrong to begin with.   Went to google care sheets and found ones with images of other types of Pink Toes as that was the only name I knew.  So that led me to reading and watching everything I could find.  Quickly saw that DTG was not doing things we thought were correct we did find Dark Den and EL and Tarantula Kat.   I will say that I did gain a lot of information.  that information did lead me to Tom Moran and here by the way.  The good thing about those videos for me is I did learn not to soak her tank and I did learn a lot of things.  Some I now agree with, some I didn’t.  
So here is where i have to say that posting questions here for me was very intimidating.  I am exactly what gets yelled at in beginner questions.  I bought a cute tarantula at Petco and learned later.  For that reason, it took me from October of getting her to posting here very recently for fear of being yelled at.   That made those videos easier to tolerate if not as a stepping stone.  I did listen when they discussed the difference between old worlds and new worlds and that handling wasn’t necessary to be a good keeper, in fact maybe dangerous to all and certainly not on the T’s happy list.  I did learn not to keep her under constant heat and swampy conditions and about cross ventilation.  I made many mistakes and right now I am morning her, but because of  the easy access to them I am here and listen to Tom Morans Podcast


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## thatdadlife619 (Mar 21, 2020)

Vanisher said:


> I forgot about BirdspidersCH I watch him cos he makes alot if recordings of tarantulas in their natural habitat. I found this much more enjoyable and intresting than watching feeding and rehouse videos


I just subscribed to that channel, the guy almost comes off as an entomologist

Reactions: Like 1


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## Vanisher (Mar 21, 2020)

thatdadlife619 said:


> I just subscribed to that channel, the guy almost comes off as an entomologist


You mean arachnologist.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## thatdadlife619 (Mar 21, 2020)

I stand corrected, you’re right. His videos are super entertaining though. I wish I had the money to travel the world looking for t’s in their natural habitat


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## KaroKoenig (Mar 21, 2020)

thatdadlife619 said:


> the guy almost comes off as an entomologist


The guy already did publish several arachnological papers. He's not a professional scientist, as far as I know. As in "not having a position at a research facility". Decent science nonetheless.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## Colorado Ts (Mar 21, 2020)

There was a time, that I had become a YouTube addict...watching hours of YouTube videos. I felt like slug, too much....ugh.

Now I watch the occasional video. Tom Moran, Dark Den and Tarantula Collective are the 3 that I watch most. Unless I'm looking for something specific...then I do detailed searches, or better yet...crack a book or try to find a PDF on the subject. I’m developing a fairly substantial digital documents library.

Reactions: Like 1


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## thatdadlife619 (Mar 21, 2020)

KaroKoenig said:


> The guy already did publish several arachnological papers. He's not a professional scientist, as far as I know. As in "not having a position at a research facility". Decent science nonetheless.


Yes very informative. Have you seen his video where he reacts to that garbage “Kings of Pain” video of the guy getting bit by “the biggest spider in the world” and it looks to be an aconthoscurria of some sort? It’s cringey to the max and birdspiders just rips it a new one


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## ColeopteraC (Mar 21, 2020)

Although channels draw people to the hobby it should be emphasised to spectators of the hobby or beginners that the clickbaity, Nat-geo style ‘junk food channels’ who focus and cherry pick the occasional excitement of an O/W going into a threat pose are simply highlights of the hobby and do not present it in a realistic manner.

It’s the same with pretty much all channels focusing on hobbies. Let’s take fishing for an example, you get the click bait style, background music, panoramic drone camera view channels with video titles such ‘tiny pond holds HUGE ANCIENT FISH THAT NEARLY BROKE MY ROD’that focus on the Adrenalin filled highlights whilst their technique of handling fish or their casting can be questionable at most. Or, you get informative, interesting and realistic channels that don’t attract with a shiny wrapper. It’s just the case.

Instead emphasis or greater support of channels such as Tom Moran or BirdSpidersCH as being realistic and more reliable whilst channels such as the dark den are unrealistic adrenaline fuelled highlights of the hobby. It’s like telling kids (and 20 year older kids ) that chocolate is tasty and exciting yet a  meal of scallops and thinly diced radishes is healthier and overall more wholesome.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1


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## ColeopteraC (Mar 21, 2020)

thatdadlife619 said:


> Yes very informative. Have you seen his video where he reacts to that garbage “Kings of Pain” video of the guy getting bit by “the biggest spider in the world” and it looks to be an aconthoscurria of some sort? It’s cringey to the max and birdspiders just rips it a new one


Oh my god, what is this you’ve just introduced me too. Reminds me of the ‘cringey tarantula videos thread’

Reactions: Funny 1 | Angry 1


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## Arachnoenthusiast (Mar 21, 2020)

I've watched dark den and exotics lair. I will still watch dark den, to see all the tarantulas and scorpions,  not really for any info. If I'm looking to learn a little something I go for Tom Moran.  One other that I enjoy is, the tarantula collective,  Richard's videos are always enjoyable

Reactions: Like 2


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## Nik2894 (Mar 21, 2020)

Watching the Youtube community got me over my fears of spiders so that is a big PRO. Con? my fiancee has to put up with tarantulas in the house . 

I did however do a lot of research into keeping T's and considered getting them for over a year before making a decision. I also looked into a lot of online research also. For educational, I like Tom Moran, The Tarantula Collective  and Mark's Tarantulas as they offer quite a bit of info on different species. For entertainment I like watching The Dark Den also. 

I have also learned what not to do i.e. teasing my tarantulas with a piece of grass. I enjoy watching videos on YT, however I may not agree with certain things that keepers do with their tarantulas. I am big on feeding, maintaining, admiring them and also then leaving them the heck alone lol.


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## Rhino1 (Mar 21, 2020)

Pros- information is readily available, entertainment value and it's nice to be able to watch hobby related vids.
Cons- Bad information, poor practice, poor attitude can be promoted.
Ok so I've had more time to watch some vids, I was recently shown that I can watch YouTube on our TV and have been watching all the full length arachnid/insect documentaries I can find as well
I still like DarkDen that dude is entertaining af and I like his vivarium builds plus my wife will watch these with me (she isn't into bugs n stuff)
I tried the Tom Moran vids as he is highly recommended by AB members, for me they are ok, very informative.
Exotics Lair *sigh* I've really tried with this guy but these are really bad vids imo, it doesn't promote anything worthy in the hobby.
Tarantula Collective- I like this guys attitude, very chill and sensible vids.
Jossers Jungle- this chick is a bit cute and has decent vids, my daughter's will watch these vids with me.
Any other worthy youtubers I should watch?

Reactions: Agree 1


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## thatdadlife619 (Mar 21, 2020)

ColeopteraC said:


> Oh my god, what is this you’ve just introduced me too. Reminds me of the ‘cringey tarantula videos thread’
> View attachment 337763


It’s just awful I know


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## ColeopteraC (Mar 21, 2020)

thatdadlife619 said:


> It’s just awful I know


The fact he looks to be howling in complete agony is even worse Invert and reptile misinformation always pushes my buttons. I have to endure the constant tabloid inspired frenzy of  ‘deadly false widow invasions’ constantly thanks to the sun, daily express and more.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## thatdadlife619 (Mar 21, 2020)

Same. Especially for something as petty as views or likes on YouTube. Necrotizing venom? I didn’t know if I should laugh or be mad it was so absurd


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## Swagg (Mar 21, 2020)

ColeopteraC said:


> Oh my god, what is this you’ve just introduced me too. Reminds me of the ‘cringey tarantula videos thread’
> View attachment 337763


The best part about this video is they got the species wrong

Reactions: Funny 2


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## thatdadlife619 (Mar 21, 2020)

Swagg said:


> The best part about this video is they got the species wrong


And the writhing in pain had me laughing too I’d have a lot more respect if they used any poecilotheria sp. or an obt

Reactions: Agree 1


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## viper69 (Mar 22, 2020)

Asgiliath said:


> thoughts on folks like these and the pros and cons of their influence within the hobby?


The Nazi parody videos sum up the problems on such things. The first one in particular.

As someone who deals in confirming if information is accurate or not- one always needs to consider the sources

There was a guy in the hobby, busy collecting species AND publishing all these new Avics. Well they are all a morphotype for now. Yet for over a decade were considered "new species". Consider your sources.


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## emminotte (Apr 6, 2020)

Thoughts on other Youtubers to recommend? I mostly just watch my local Youtuber when it comes to Tarantulas, alongside with Tom Moran. And well, I kept hearing about Exotics Lair and the Dark Den, but they don't seem to have a good reputation about Tarantula keeping, hahaha. Either way, are there any more Youtubers that you guys can recommend?


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## AphonopelmaTX (Apr 6, 2020)

There is a whole thread on this same subject.






						Pros and cons of popular tarantula YouTubers?
					

I was just browsing YouTube and because I regularly watch T related content, I always have folks like Exotics Lair, The Dark Den etc. show up on my suggested and it made me think — I’ve watched content like theirs and they have some problematic husbandry advice or none at all (side-eyeing...



					arachnoboards.com

Reactions: Like 1 | Thanks 1


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## emminotte (Apr 6, 2020)

AphonopelmaTX said:


> There is a whole thread on this same subject.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks a bunch!


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## viper69 (Apr 6, 2020)

Generally for YouTube = monkey see, monkey do  

There are some good things on it, but generally not.


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## WolvesInSpaceMarines (Apr 9, 2020)

The thread that AphonopelmaTx recommended is perfect. If you don't want to sift through, I'd recommend Tom's Big Spiders (which you already know, based on your post) and the Tarantula Collective. Richard is great for his cinematography and entertainment while also being educational and informative. The Dark Den is okay for entertainment, but like you said, I don't know if he's the best for husbandry advice. I can't watch Exotics Lair. I'm still a newb, so I'm far from the most informed person, but even I can tell that he makes a lot of bad mistakes for the sake of being entertaining. The first example was trying to separate his M. balfouri slings from the mother. It was awful.

I hear Tarantula Haven is also a good source of information, but I don't watch his stuff as much. Outside of those, I think viper said it best, they generally aren't great and I'm sure other beginners have followed their example for T keeping, which isn't necessarily good.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Arthroverts (Apr 13, 2020)

Nukamedia Exotics is a pretty cool channel in my opinion, though it hasn't been uploaded to in a while. Produced by an AB member too, trying to remember his username so I can tag him...

Thanks,

Arthroverts


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## eazy-lee (May 19, 2020)

I like dark den i think petko is getting better his set ups look great but big lack of water dishes, I absolutely cant stand exotics lair such a bad influence in the hobby for the younger gen small enclosures no dishes banging and sliding and spinning enclosures and just talking nonsense, i find the tarantula collection probably the best one

Reactions: Like 1


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## viper69 (Jun 10, 2020)

KaroKoenig said:


> The guy already did publish several arachnological papers. He's not a professional scientist, as far as I know. As in "not having a position at a research facility". Decent science nonetheless.


One of the world’s most respected and famous T experts is all self-taught. He is asked by governments to head up conservation plans.


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## Table (Jun 10, 2020)

I honestly think their doing nothing wrong, but I can see how some newbies could be mislead by some.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Garnet3942 (Jul 16, 2020)

Asgiliath said:


> I was just browsing YouTube and because I regularly watch T related content, I always have folks like Exotics Lair, The Dark Den etc. show up on my suggested and it made me think — I’ve watched content like theirs and they have some problematic husbandry advice or none at all (side-eyeing Exotics Lair) BUT I do think that influencers like them have helped people see tarantulas and keeping them in a “different” or more positive way, if nothing else.   Exposure itself is important.  I’m not a fan of click bait video titles and the drama and whatever else but sometimes a little campiness can soften people’s views.
> 
> Of course, entertainment focused YouTubers like these shouldn’t be seen as 100% knowledgeable (side-eyeing The Dark Den for his pairing mistakes) BUT all the same — thoughts on folks like these and the pros and cons of their influence within the hobby?


I don't think excotic lairs gives very good info mainly because people got mad at me in this just because I believed something he said that was not true, I don't like be scolded or hated just because I made a small mistake.. Using angry emojis won't give me the answer!  But that's not the point..  I have noticed he moves his arms around caressly while talking and I beleive it riles up his T's sometimes.  Other than him mentioning the scientific name of T's (which has helped me remember their names)  He is not that great of a T youtuber. I have seen some things that I do beleive were right on his channel but not everything so now if I watch him I watch with caution. He has gotten rid of fears and made some people buy T's and honestly I wanted a A. Chalcodes because of him but my dad was meh about that species because they can be moody.  (That usually goes with most beginner species all spiders have different moods sometimes)  I ended up getting a G. Pulchra because they look awesome and have a great "personality".


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## Moakmeister (Jul 16, 2020)

I hate Exotic Lair's almost disturbing commitment to doing everything with one hand and filming with the other. Like dude, if you just get a six dollar tripod and use both hands, your job would become about 650% easier, but he just won't do it. I've seen him struggle to do stuff because he's only using one hand AND looking through the camera at the same time, so he's not even properly focused.

Other than that hes cool.

Reactions: Like 1 | Funny 1


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## Cas S (Jul 17, 2020)

AphonopelmaTX said:


> There is a whole thread on this same subject.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


isnt that this thread?


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## ColeopteraC (Jul 17, 2020)

Moakmeister said:


> I hate Exotic Lair's almost disturbing commitment to doing everything with one hand and filming with the other. Like dude, if you just get a six dollar tripod and use both hands, your job would become about 650% easier, but he just won't do it. I've seen him struggle to do stuff because he's only using one hand AND looking through the camera at the same time, so he's not even properly focused.
> 
> Other than that hes cool.


May be for the ‘theatrics’ or to spread the time on his videos. YT does punish their creators if videos are too short. Could just be the invert world equivalent of a 4 minute intro of brain dead rambling...


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## purplephilia (Jul 17, 2020)

Cas S said:


> isnt that this thread?


AphonopelmaTX was probably posting on a thread that was originally its own thread but got merged here by a moderator.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Cas S (Jul 17, 2020)

purplephilia said:


> AphonopelmaTX was probably posting on a thread that was originally its own thread but got merged here by a moderator.


oh ok


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## Minty (Jul 18, 2020)

So what I’ve found is that I’ve completely lost interest in watching tarantula youtube videos. Unless it’s a look at a newly discovered species, there’s nothing else a youtuber can do to excite me now.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Magicis3 (Jul 18, 2020)

Tom Moran is they way to go IMO. He makes everything simple for the viewer while educating them. I found myself often binge watching his video

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Seemannnni (Jul 18, 2020)

I keep up with Petko's videos and watch whatever Tom Moran releases. TTC is overly cinematic for me, but I do enjoy his personality and his care for the tarantulas in his collection.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Piek (Jul 18, 2020)

Liquifin said:


> This answer is a controversial one. A good majority of new T. hobbyist are brought in by Youtubers like the Dark Den and Exotics Lair, which is a somewhat good thing. Everything else is almost a negative from there on. More hobbyist equals more demand of T.'s resulting in price inflations due to supply and demand issues and many more.
> 
> These people are trying to make T.'s entertaining to lower the fear in arachnophobes, which is a good thing. But Youtube is a double-edged sword in terms of this hobby. Exotics Lair and The Dark Den are entertainment tarantula Youtubers that want to help people out. But in return, fans worship them like literal gods. Logically, they are swaying this hobby into a new course. Either good or bad, it's up to how you see it.
> 
> ...


I’m a newbie at tarantula care and the like, I’m doing my HW for my first new world. What did Deadly tarantula girl do wrong? I don’t watch her content often, but I’ve seen her sometimes on YouTube.

This is also coming from someone who is more knowledgeable on reptiles then tarantulas, but his enclosures and care for his snakes is poor.


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## Liquifin (Jul 18, 2020)

Piek said:


> I’m a newbie at tarantula care and the like, I’m doing my HW for my first new world. What did Deadly tarantula girl do wrong? I don’t watch her content often, but I’ve seen her sometimes on YouTube.


Just note that some of my opinions have changed since my initial post, but The Deadly Tarantula is one that hasn't. Keeping tarantulas on just vermiculite as a base substrate alone is not a common nor recommended practice anymore as that method of keeping tarantulas was something from the 90's. In modern times now, tarantula keepers and hobbyists have improved on care significantly, which plain vermiculite as a base substrate is now consider poor/bad practice as we have learned that tarantulas prefer more loose and softer substrate such as coco-fiber and top soil. Vermiculite is now just an additive to a substrate but not used as a substrate base itself, meaning you can add vermiculite to topsoil or coco-fiber for better/stronger burrows, but it's not recommended to use it alone as a single substrate. The Deadly Tarantula Girl uses and still practices outdated and unapproved methods by today's standards. Keeping tarantulas with just vermiculite is like walking on nails for tarantulas.



Piek said:


> This is also coming from someone who is more knowledgeable on reptiles then tarantulas, but his enclosures and care for his snakes is poor.


Who is this referring too?


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## Piek (Jul 18, 2020)

Liquifin said:


> Just note that some of my opinions have changed since my initial post, but The Deadly Tarantula is one that hasn't. Keeping tarantulas on just vermiculite as a base substrate alone is not a common nor recommended practice anymore as that method of keeping tarantulas was something from the 90's. In modern times now, tarantula keepers and hobbyists have improved on care significantly, which plain vermiculite as a base substrate is now consider poor/bad practice as we have learned that tarantulas prefer more loose and softer substrate such as coco-fiber and top soil. Vermiculite is now just an additive to a substrate but not used as a substrate base itself, meaning you can add vermiculite to topsoil or coco-fiber for better/stronger burrows, but it's not recommended to use it alone as a single substrate. The Deadly Tarantula Girl uses and still practices outdated and unapproved methods by today's standards. Keeping tarantulas with just vermiculite is like walking on nails for tarantulas.
> 
> 
> Who is this referring too?


Oh it’s about exotic lair. His snake care is awful.

Reactions: Sad 1


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## Liquifin (Jul 18, 2020)

Piek said:


> Oh it’s about exotic lair. His snake care is awful.


Snakes are not my strong suit, but it's sad to hear that his snakes are kept in less than ideal conditions.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Piek (Jul 18, 2020)

Liquifin said:


> Snakes are not my strong suit, but it's sad to hear that his snakes are kept in less than ideal conditions.


I did not like how he cared for his boa constrictor, I felt like the enclosure was small.


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## vurzachee (Aug 2, 2020)

Just saw an exotics video where he’s ripping the cover webbing off the burrow & throwing roaches down the den, keeping arboreal species terrestrially, & his c lividum has like an inch of sub and he’s surprised that he’s getting snapped at.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Royalty (Aug 2, 2020)

Piek said:


> I did not like how he cared for his boa constrictor, I felt like the enclosure was small.


His fishcare is pretty sad too. It looks like it is too big for the tank now and the whole thing is barren.


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## moricollins (Aug 2, 2020)

Can I just say here that I've NEVER watched a tarantula YouTube video?


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## Craig73 (Aug 3, 2020)

I watch a lot of the popular channels.  I started initially as I started to consider owning T’s.  The videography is good and topics in general are interesting, although some may question my taste in general as questionable at best.

I was, and am, currently only interested in seeing the T’s on YT.  I can’t say I’ve ever relied on husbandry guidance from any channel though.  I prefer forums where info is much more accessible in terms of communicating with the masses that keep the species and feedback is quick; there may be different perspectives but at least there’s a dialogue to make informed decisions.


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## bobbibink (Dec 19, 2020)

Tom Moran is fantastic!  Such a great teacher and he’s goes into depth with information. I also like The_Tarantula_Collective— I mean, the guy puts so much time and effort into his videos.  So enjoyable to watch.  I think he’s also great for new folks coming into the hobby.  
Another one I like is Tarantula Haven — he’s very entertaining and you can tell he’s passionate about sharing information.  All of these guys are IMO.

I stopped watching Exotic Lair when he was purposely prodding his tarantulas to get a threat pose.... no wonder those poor T’s don’t like him.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Arachnophobphile (Dec 19, 2020)

There is really only one legit person that does educational videos on husbandry and that's Tom Moran.

There is another person that does videos of tarantulas in their natural habitat and that is Guy Tansley of bugsnstuff.

I highly recommend both of them.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## LucN (Dec 20, 2020)

Ok, I feel I can update my views on certain Youtubers.

The absolute best for the hobby aspect are Tom Moran, Dave's Little Beasties, basin79, The Tarantula Collective and Tarantula Haven.

I'd throw in Jon3800, but he rarely uploads nowadays, which is a shame. I really enjoyed his vids when I started off over a decade ago.

Exotic's Lair is pure garbage, no reason to return there.

As much as Petko is passionate about his Ts, often I find his videos cringy. Same goes for Tarantula Kat. Sorry, but no thanks.

For the natural aspect of Ts, Andrew Smith and Guy Tansley are the best. Honourable mention to Birdspiders.ch.

And to scratch my Birb itch, Mr. Max TV is still the best. Another I got into recently is Pet Goose George. I can understand many would have issue with Bob's voice and ramblings, but you can tell his heart is in the right place. 

That's it for now.

Reactions: Like 3


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## bobbibink (Dec 20, 2020)

I like Dave’s Little Beasties too—

Reactions: Agree 2


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## basin79 (Dec 20, 2020)

LucN said:


> Ok, I feel I can update my views on certain Youtubers.
> 
> The absolute best for the hobby aspect are Tom Moran, Dave's Little Beasties, basin79, The Tarantula Collective and Tarantula Haven.
> 
> ...


Cheers ears but I wouldn't put myself in the same category as Tom. He genuinely offers advice and makes really helpful vids for those that need them. 

All I do is upload feeding vids, the odd update and a pic vid now and again.


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## Robert Marley (Dec 20, 2020)

bobbibink said:


> Tom Moran is fantastic!  Such a great teacher and he’s goes into depth with information. I also like The_Tarantula_Collective— I mean, the guy puts so much time and effort into his videos.  So enjoyable to watch.  I think he’s also great for new folks coming into the hobby.
> Another one I like is Tarantula Haven — he’s very entertaining and you can tell he’s passionate about sharing information.  All of these guys are IMO.
> 
> I stopped watching Exotic Lair when he was purposely prodding his tarantulas to get a threat pose.... no wonder those poor T’s don’t like him.


I found him by stumbling


basin79 said:


> Cheers ears but I wouldn't put myself in the same category as Tom. He genuinely offers advice and makes really helpful vids for those that need them.
> 
> All I do is upload feeding vids, the odd update and a pic vid now and again.


 I had stumbled on Tarantula Haven videos and he talked really highly of Tom Moran. So I sought out his content and immediately got the impression that he’s a wealth of correct information. Found out he has a podcast, which I enjoy the most. So most of my drive time and activities are accompanied by me absorbing his previous episodes. You can tell he’s a great teacher and as a noob, helps to ease my concerns. Plus I’ve only asked one stupid question on here. Had I found him sooner, I wouldn’t have asked any...

Reactions: Like 2


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## basin79 (Dec 20, 2020)

Robert Marley said:


> I found him by stumbling
> 
> 
> I had stumbled on Tarantula Haven videos and he talked really highly of Tom Moran. So I sought out his content and immediately got the impression that he’s a wealth of correct information. Found out he has a podcast, which I enjoy the most. So most of my drive time and activities are accompanied by me absorbing his previous episodes. You can tell he’s a great teacher and as a noob, helps to ease my concerns. Plus I’ve only asked one stupid question on here. Had I found him sooner, I wouldn’t have asked any...


If I'm asked a question regarding "what's the best beginner tarantula" or something similar I always advise them to watch Tom. And 1 of the great thing about his vids is he'll cover a tarantula or tarantulas throughout their lives. Housing and rehousing slings up to the adults. 

And I've typed this before but it can only be a good thing if Tom's channel gets massive. Because it's likely more and more will find his videos rather than some of the others.

Reactions: Like 2


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## YoungBrowner (Jan 7, 2021)

I'm a bit late to this party, in fact, I'm late to this site in general, especially considering I've been in the hobby since 1994. This thread popped up during a google search, and I had to join the forum in order to put my 2 pence worth in, so, here I am. In answer to the question, I do believe certain YouTube personalities do the tarantula keeping hobby a good service. 

Tom Moran - has already been mentioned several times, and I can only offer that I highly agree. He is an extremely knowledgeable keeper, offering really good production value to his followers. He explains everything so thoroughly, from enclosures and feeding, genus reviews, all the way through to rehousings and general notes. I can't recommend him highly enough.

Basin79 - I'm a huge fan of his channel. His tarantula husbandry is first rate in my opinion, his videos are entertaining, plus he includes some exceptionally good photography runs on his collection, something I really rate him for being a photographer myself.

Arachnotube - I do enjoy Gar's videos, he's knowledgeable, has a lot of time served in the hobby and has some great insights.

TarantulaDan - Another great YouTuber, passionate about the hobby and knowledgeable. He does tend to come and go quite a lot however which is a shame as he does put some great content out there.

The_Tarantula_Collective - I think his work speaks for itself and the production quality he puts out there is really something special. You can tell he puts an awful lot of time and effort into his videos, which is always appreciated.

There are a number of other T oriented YouTube channels that I rate, but I'll keep it to my favourites, as listed above. However, a few who are also worth checking out are; PetRockNRoll, The Tarantula Cave, Dave's Little Beasties. If I can think of any more off the top of my head, I'll come back and add them in an edit.

Now, for the downsides and the YouTubers who are not for me.

Exotics Lair - He may have a huge fan base, most notably from among the younger generation. I couldn't tell exactly how old most of them are, but judging by the looks, I'm thinking early mid teens and up. This could be viewed as a good thing as it increases the curiosity of youngsters to learn what these fascinating invertebrates are all about. However, it also worries me that these youngsters then get the idea that it's just a cool thing to keep Ts, and worse still, that they may 'ape' his example and start keeping their own captives in the same conditions; i.e cramped enclosures, poor ventilation, inadequate substrate depth for fossorial species and so on. Many of his pairing videos end in disaster. I know there is an inherent risk of cannibalisation when attempting a pairing, but I somethings get the impression that something is not quite right, since to my mind most of his pairings end in disaster. 
Lastly, I believe he's in this for the money and the views, or vice versa, one leading to the other. A lot of clickbait titling, shouting and unnecessary riling up of his spiders - e.g waving his hand around as hard and erratically as possible in front of a Cyriopagopus lividus and then yelping "whoa what is wrong with you?" when it rears up and starts slapping. That may have something to do with the fact you've just riled it up mate by waving your hand around in front of it, deliberately trying to get a reaction to boost your views.

The Dark Den - I hate to say this, because I do find some of his stuff entertaining, however I feel he's been swept up in the 'Exotics Lair' whirlwind. I could be wrong, but it certainly appears that way. He does appear to have some questionable husbandry issues as well here and there.

I'll leave this here for now, though there are others on YouTube who could be worth a mention in the 'not so good' list, but I'll cut this short for brevity as my reply has already droned on. 

Thanks.

Reactions: Like 2 | Thanks 1


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## 8 legged (Jan 7, 2021)

I can only repeat over and over again being a supporter of Dave's little beasties. You can tell that he doesn't do this YouTube thing to be the center of attention, but he is a credible representative of the hobby! It shows that spider posture is quite demanding and that you don't have to be absolute chaos to enjoy it. With him the animal is clearly in the foreground and not a need for recognition!
In this sense: "Be calm, be gentle and love your spiders!"

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 2


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## Help Me (Jan 31, 2021)

magneto said:


> This video showed up in my recomended list on youtube today.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That guy does ants most of the time and other animals sometimes.


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## Iamconstantlyhappy (Feb 1, 2021)

8 legged said:


> I can only repeat over and over again being a supporter of Dave's little beasties. You can tell that he doesn't do this YouTube thing to be the center of attention, but he is a credible representative of the hobby! It shows that spider posture is quite demanding and that you don't have to be absolute chaos to enjoy it. With him the animal is clearly in the foreground and not a need for recognition!
> In this sense: "Be calm, be gentle and love your spiders!"


Him and Tom Moran are the only ones that I will watch.  In some sense, I prefer him to Tom Moran (Tom, if you see this, no offence).  He covers everything related to the hobby including breed feeders, building enclosures, shelving etc.....


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