Tarantulas are truly amazing. They are all beautiful no matter what, their webs are extremely complex, they molt in such a strange way. It seems that we almost have all we know to generally keep a T, but know barely anything about a T. And yet, they are kept as domesticated pets. What makes them so addictive, though? NEVER would I keep even 20 dogs. Although tarantulas take up much less room, they are still given so much attention and are, for the most part, pet rocks or pet holes. And tons of money is spent on cages and the tarantulas themselves. Some have horrible bites, but it seems like those are the most beautiful. Personally, I think a bond has formed between me and my Pulchra. I get him/her. Very calm and curious, will look through every nook and cranny in an enclosure but will eventually settle on the wall. Will move slowly if nudged, but becomes skittish after a meal. It's not like these animals are freaks of nature- they're not Venus Flytraps. They are furry little arachnids that even people with arachnophobia will go "Aaaawwwww" to. Although I love all my pets equally, the tarantulas always leave me wondering and curious.
A Real Chat Topic...Tarantulas. Are. Awesome.
- Thread starter GPulchra
- Start date
Sodaboy1978
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2010
- Messages
- 8
All it took is one spider, a wife wanting to keep one for a pet. And well both of us going dude these are awesome looking.
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2005
- Messages
- 281
"Freak of nature" is relative. We're the 20,000 year old fleshy animals with an excess of intelligence after all. They're 250 million years old and found a bodyplan that lasts. If anything is a freak of nature, it's us, not them, nor flytraps, nor much of anything else. Sometimes I try to tell people that perspective on this, and they think I'm a self-hating arachnophile, so then I revert to comparing tarantulas to 8-legged mice and it's all good.
What makes them addictive to me is that their care is simpler than a houseplant's. They're easier to anthropomorphize than plants too, so that might have something to do with it.
What makes them addictive to me is that their care is simpler than a houseplant's. They're easier to anthropomorphize than plants too, so that might have something to do with it.
i 2nd that
I said that they weren't freaks of nature :? .
+1. Very easy to care for compared to others.
- Joined
- May 2, 2009
- Messages
- 1,956
I love my taratnulas. I have no disillusions about them liking me the same. Probably appreciate being fed but that's probably it.
They are still very misunderstood. If you think about it, lots of them do have the ability to cause us discomfort but people have dozens sometimes hundreds without getting bitten. They do not bite because they can like some arachnophobes seem to think. Venomous doesn't automatically mean it wants to bite you. They will defend themselves just as much as any other animal (even plants will) when they need to. They are no worse than dogs, cats, horses, etc.
They're very fascinating creatures that I will never become disinterested in. Every molt is like a birth of a new T. When they look or do something abnormal, you are concerned for it as any pet. I can't wait to experience breeding and seeing their little ones.
They aren't a domesticated animal and that's perfectly fine. Being a spider is all they ever should have to be.
They are still very misunderstood. If you think about it, lots of them do have the ability to cause us discomfort but people have dozens sometimes hundreds without getting bitten. They do not bite because they can like some arachnophobes seem to think. Venomous doesn't automatically mean it wants to bite you. They will defend themselves just as much as any other animal (even plants will) when they need to. They are no worse than dogs, cats, horses, etc.
They're very fascinating creatures that I will never become disinterested in. Every molt is like a birth of a new T. When they look or do something abnormal, you are concerned for it as any pet. I can't wait to experience breeding and seeing their little ones.
They aren't a domesticated animal and that's perfectly fine. Being a spider is all they ever should have to be.
It depends on how you look at the word domesticated. An official definition is, "To adopt or make fit for domestic use or life." Isn't that what we've done? But everyone has separate opinions.
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2009
- Messages
- 2,208
We haven't changed, bred or adopted them for domestic life/use... yet. They're still as "wild" as any of their counterparts you'd find in a burrow outdoors. Since they have really slow maturation times, it might be a good long while before we start to see "domesticated" tarantulas, and ...ugh... breeds.
I also agree that they are not domesticated. You can keep a tiger in a cage, and feed it, but its still dangerous and far from domesticated.
As for why we like them, I think it just boils down to their size and rarity. Think about it. There are spiders all over the world. I bet I can find a hundred different species of spiders living in my house alone, from Daddy Longlegs, to Junpers, to Wolf Spiders. Some pretty big, others so small you can barely see them. Do I want to catch them and keep them? No. I find just passing interest in them. But show me a T, and I am fascinated, because they are big, and they are not native to where I live.
As for why we like them, I think it just boils down to their size and rarity. Think about it. There are spiders all over the world. I bet I can find a hundred different species of spiders living in my house alone, from Daddy Longlegs, to Junpers, to Wolf Spiders. Some pretty big, others so small you can barely see them. Do I want to catch them and keep them? No. I find just passing interest in them. But show me a T, and I am fascinated, because they are big, and they are not native to where I live.