“Why a pet tarantula?”

[Elagabalus]

Ok, just a bit of fun ...so we’d love to hear your guys answers to this old (and boring) question...
“Why would you want to keep a pet tarantula?” ...

 

[Arachnoenthusiast]

They are beautiful and fascinating, plus super low maintenance. Win win

 

[spideyspinneret78]

Also, there are so many unique and beautiful species to choose from, and they are so low maintenance that it's no big deal at all to have several of them.

 

[Elagabalus]

They are beautiful and fascinating, plus super low maintenance. Win win

 

[Smotzer]

The most basic...

The reason any one keeps any pet....we love them a lot

 

[Coradams]

Certain relatives don't ask to "crash at your place" if they know they will have to sleep in a dark room full of giant spiders.

 

[EnigmaNyx]

Agreed on the beautiful and fascinating. Other great reasons we started:

1. No vet bills
2. No medicines needed
3. Very low cost to maintain relative to most other "traditional pets"
4. You can keep a lot in a relatively small amount of space
5. Very low up front cost
6. Awesome feeding videos
7. Wonderful way to teach kids about respect for observational animals

And lastly, and on a more personal note, they're generally much like my wife and I's business, so I have a soft spot for them. They follow an ideology that we teach called "The 3 M's":

Mysterious - Not many folks know too much about them, unless you're an avid keeper. Even then, sometimes we still don't quite understand what makes them "tick".
Misunderstood - 98% of the population believe that some/all of them can/will kill you. They only know what they hear, and FEAR IS TAUGHT. Our child will never know that fear, or fear of any other "creepy crawlies" because we won't allow it. He loves tarantulas, and cockroaches, and all animals/insects/etc because we choose for him to be informed rather than ignorant and afraid. Respect for animals in general goes a long way.
Misrepresented - Tarantula horror films show them all large, aggressive, and almost always some black or brown variant. They often get portrayed as aggressive and voracious killers, both a threat to crickets and humans alike. It's not uncommon that people fear spiders and specifically tarantulas, only because of what hollywood and misinformation has caused. Rather than be fearful of something, do a bit of research and find out why it scares you and maybe why it shouldn't. That goes for anything, not just T's.

 

[DomGom TheFather]

 

[Finikan]

Because I am a crazy dog lady already, why not add some variety to the mix?

 

[cold blood]

Because I am a crazy dog lady already, why not add some variety to the mix?

Dog people arent crazy...we are the normal ones

 

[Finikan]

Dog people arent crazy...we are the normal ones View attachment 373482

That dog is a solid unit! But in all honesty, I've been quite taken with the elegance of tarantulas my whole life. It's amazing that I am now able to observe some of the most beautiful creatures I've ever seen from the comfort of my own home. Yes dogs, that includes you guys too!

 

[jrh3]

I don’t keep tarantulas, they keep me. I know so because they stay at home all day while I go to work to bring them food and water when needed.

 

[Sterls]

It's like keeping fish but I don't have to deal with hundreds of pounds of water

 

[ConstantSorrow]

"My apartment's too small to keep a horse in and wolves are expensive to keep. I thought about getting an orca and keeping it in my bathtub but then I saw "Blackfish" and omg, have you ever seen "Blackfish?" It was so good.! I love documentaries! There's one called "The Imposter" that was just so freaky, I think it's on Amazon...."
And so on, until they forget what the question was and never ask again.
If you have to ask, you probably aren't my kind of person.

 

[Royalty]

I am apparently running a zoo at home so why not?

 

[BoyFromLA]

“Why would you want to keep a pet tarantula?”

So the question is, why would I want to keep a pet tarantula, when I can keep pet tarantulas instead, right?

 

[Iamconstantlyhappy]

Low maintenance living Jewellery.

 

[MrPole]

Not many "pets" also double as home décor.

 

[Matt Man]

why not?
because they are cooler than fish and waaaayyyyyyy less work

 

[Matt Man]

"My apartment's too small to keep a horse in and wolves are expensive to keep. I thought about getting an orca and keeping it in my bathtub but then I saw "Blackfish" and omg, have you ever seen "Blackfish?" It was so good.! I love documentaries! There's one called "The Imposter" that was just so freaky, I think it's on Amazon...."
And so on, until they forget what the question was and never ask again.
If you have to ask, you probably aren't my kind of person.

epic ADHD right there, well played