P. irminia

@AgnO I don't think you all your choices are poor, just some of them.

@viper69 I'll take that ! This is just like one of those political or religious debates where both parties are trying to convince each other of the opposite!

@AgnO Im not here to convince you per se. Just pointing out facts, you can reject/ignore facts all you want,

@viper69 Fact is that I handled my T and nothing wrong happened

"you forget my action involves on me, alone."

Not when you post them publicly.

This is one of the worst examples one can set publicly, and you did post this publicly. I will give an example of exactly how/why this is a bad example to set.

Last year @EulersK was contacted by a woman who wanted to get an H. mac for her young son...specifically to handle because she had seen handling vids/pics of the species. Despite his insistence that they were a bad t to handle, she was insistent because she had seen it done many times...he refused to sell to her, and she went elsewhere to buy one....3 weeks later she was selling it on face book, livid that she was sold such a dangerous species to handle....as her husband was promptly tagged and bed ridden for the week....all because of the bad example others set on public forums for all to see (and emulate).

"I have a P. regalis that I would never place my hand anywhere near"

Regalis is a significantly calmer, less defensive species, that's actually less likely to tag you than an irminia...which are one of the very most defensive species available in the hobby....don't become complacent because yours "seems" calm....its capabilities and species history say that will not last and should not be relied on.

"Just checking about other handling pictures in the gallery, and as far as I checked, I'm the only one receiving the 'moral talk"

Well most people don't argue the fact...those that do, get exactly the same response from others here. When a t known to be defensive or potentially dangerous is held and the holding is defended by the owner, people react accordingly. I have seen many handling pics end up exactly like this comment section. People here understand the importance of setting a good example for others to follow, because believe me, others will see it and follow your example...so make those examples good ones, not bad ones.

I found it odd that you post a pic of this being held, then a post of a Brachy, not being held while saying, you aren't gonna hold this one.

"This is just like one of those political or religious debates where both parties are trying to convince each other of the opposite!"

Nope, this is all about education.

@AgnO "Fact is that I handled my T and nothing wrong happened "

Well, I once drove drunk in college. Got home fine. Must mean it's perfectly safe.

A hyperbole of an example, sure, but the logic is exactly the same. That is, it is flawed logic.

@cold blood Because my B. boehmei has a very defensive attitude and is very 'fond' of flicking hair. How did I jump in that conclusion? Because when you get a pet, you like to interact with it, even the slightest, to know it better, to see how it reacts and behaves, because it is alive (otherwise, if it was just for watching, I would have bought a tarantula poster instead). That said, when my boehmei was grown enough (not a little slingy anymore), I would touch her hint legs with a long painting brush or poke her "butt". She would either flick hair immediately, or rotate and tag the brush. This attitude does not apply to all the species I have. Some just start moving forward or turn around and poke the brush back with their front legs.

Anyway, I understand your concern, yours and of the other members defending the cause. As Viper69 said, "Not everyone's reasoning is logical however. Not everyone who visits this forum actually knows what is safe and what isn't safe for their pet", so why not advice everyone against it, just in case.

Out of curiosity Cold Blood, do you have Ts and have you ever handled any of them?

@AgnO That's called luck, keep rolling the dice, sooner or later you'll end up with snake eyes.

@AgnO We do advise everyone against handling, at least those vocal about this issue . We treat them like fish. He hasn't held his Ts either.

You are either OK with getting tagged, and putting your Ts life at risk or you aren't. In this case, as an owner, you are.