are tarantulas boring?

[mariemaria]

No offense to everyone,


but my friends have asked me what's intresting about tarantulas. All i said
was it's color, how it crawls, how their exotic...

and that's all i ever say! :/
today they asked if tarantulas can do tricks...
mind my stupidity,
but what can t's do ...but sit in their tanks all day, and then...u pick them up and stuff LOL
im really sorry.

 

[Triggerman73]

No offense to everyone,


but my friends have asked me what's intresting about tarantulas. All i said
was it's color, how it crawls, how their exotic...

and that's all i ever say! :/
today they asked if tarantulas can do tricks...
mind my stupidity,
but what can t's do ...but sit in their tanks all day, and then...u pick them up and stuff LOL
im really sorry.

some burrow, they attack prey( and in all reality, nobody can deny they love to see that and other forms of violence) they can be handled, they molt, they are some what low maintenance, they have huge fangs, they are very, VERY diverse, they are great for collecting, can have more than one at a time in a house (dogs will fight sometimes) dont eat that often, and some stridulate. As for tricks, the day somebody teaches a T to do a backflip when it sees a cricket or dubia is the day i will lose a million dollars of my own money

 

[Dreamslave]

Its not even a question to ask! A tarantula doesn't do tricks or anything they are just tarantulas and thats way enough to make them awesome pets. All so different in shape, colors and behavior! Personally, just by asking the question i wonder why you got yourself a t?!?!?

 

[rd_07]

well, its hard to describe their beauty
just by looking at them it makes my heart warm they make me stare at them and before i knew it its been 3hrs!
they are such a beauty and have their own personality
esp those huge Ts and with big butts haha! (hope my wife is not looking... )

 

[Miz]

Some make killer webs. Some will burrow and make really cool tunnel systems. Most have stunning colors and defensive ones will give you threat displays that, IMO, just look cool. Some don't do anything. They just sit around and are....well just boring. But we keep them anyways because they are awesome....Keeping something like a tarantula shouldn't need an explaination...they are just simply amazing creatures.

My personal favorite so far is the OBT. Awesome colors, really awesome web tunnels, and when mine gets REALLY angry, it will stiffen up and turn over on it's back waving it's fangs and dripping venom.

They do all kinds of stuff, but unless you keep them and experience it first hand, you really just won't ever have a good idea of how cool they really are.

 

[ExoticMangos]

If your friends and yourself cant find a way to justify owning tarantulas check these random vids out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnrbY_zl7qI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUbckLuhkQk

Their speed and playfulness can be inspiring~!

 

[xhexdx]

Personally, just by asking the question i wonder why you got yourself a t?!?!?

I have to agree.

 

[cacoseraph]

so instead of answering a question or being useful we are going to get snarky? man, i NEVER saw that coming!




instead of saying tarantulas are boring i would say then tend to be more cerebrally stimulating, rather than viscerally stimulating (unless you have a rogue Poecilotheria on your head... that gets your guts going!). most of my tarantulas tend to sit still for LOOOONG periods of time doing exactly nothing. that, without a little imagination, can be considered boring by quite a few fair minded individuals

however... all the waiting and anticipation makes it all that much cooler when they are actually doing something, in my opinion. the first time you get to watch a whole molt start to finish? for get about it! you won't ever think they are boring again!

and... though this doesn't sound like a good idea from reading the basement thread... when you have more than one you really up the chance that someone is doing something interesting

 

[batest]

Extremely complex behaviors, diversity of species, diversity of habitats, Beauty and you get to have a piece of another continent or country in your office. If you can't look at a T in awe at it just "being", then you really need to get in touch with the kid in you again. Another one of God's amazing creatures!
Witness a molt and then ask if T's are boring.

 

[Laba-Laba]

I think it's a language thing. I think what mariemaria is saying is that she likes and enjoys T's, but is having trouble explaining why to friends who don't understand it and question her. They are asking her what tricks they perform etc trying to understand what mariemaria’s fascination is. I have had lots of similar questions, as i am sure others have. And most people remain unconvinced that T's are diverse, and colourful and fascinating, no matter how compelling your argument, because for them to see that, they have to open their own minds to that possibility.

At least that’s my understanding of the post; it would make more sense to me than someone who has a T, asking what's so good about them.

 

[blix]

No offense to everyone,


but my friends have asked me what's intresting about tarantulas. All i said
was it's color, how it crawls, how their exotic...

and that's all i ever say! :/
today they asked if tarantulas can do tricks...
mind my stupidity,
but what can t's do ...but sit in their tanks all day, and then...u pick them up and stuff LOL
im really sorry.

Of course they can do tricks. In fact they can do plenty of tricks. They can make roaches disappear, they can play dead, they can roll over to molt, they can trick you into thinking its ok to handle them and then proceed to prove that wrong by sinking their fangs into your hand, some even make Houdini looks like an amateur when it comes to escape. So yeah, lots of cool stuff.

 

[G. pulchra]

I have a pulchra that can juggle!

 

[cacoseraph]

i just thought of something funny, from what blix said - good answer by the way

i get to man my local club's booth at various bug and reptile shows. some of the shows have very general public attendance. most of the time i am wrangling some bug or another for hours at a time, doing little mini-talks about whatever it is i am handling at them time

i used to have this sweet sweet tarantula named Chocolateface (local aphonopelma species). i would either be free handling her or let her walk around on the table in front of me. when ppl were watching and Choc was walking around, i would reach out and gently push down on her front legs while telling her "stay!". most of the time she would play along perfectly and sit still for minutes at a time. ppl watching my little show honestly thought i had a trained tarantula hehehe. of course, i would explain that it is the pressure on her legs and not the voice command that was directing her behavior... but it raised some eyebrows before i spilled the beans

 

[beanb142002]

some burrow, they attack prey( and in all reality, nobody can deny they love to see that and other forms of violence) they can be handled, they molt, they are some what low maintenance, they have huge fangs, they are very, VERY diverse, they are great for collecting, can have more than one at a time in a house (dogs will fight sometimes) dont eat that often, and some stridulate. As for tricks, the day somebody teaches a T to do a backflip when it sees a cricket or dubia is the day i will lose a million dollars of my own money

You have a million dollars to lose?:?

 

[gvfarns]

Tarantulas do not have particularly interesting behavior, which is what it sounds like you are talking about. They eat, they molt. Not much more than that on the interesting side.

The thing is that people come over are always interested in them, for at least a minute, which is more than you can say about your fish or dog or whatever.

The fact that they are boring in the sense of interaction is actually a feature. It's the flip side of low maintenance. They are almost like household decorations if you only have a few. Only they are more interesting than almost any normal decoration. And they are cooler to raise than other low maintenance things, like plants.

They offer a lot, considering what they demand. If they don't offer enough, we make up for it by getting lots of them.

 

[Dave]

People tend to "humanize" their pets. By that I mean we are attracted to traits in a pet that we can associate with, like saying, "oh, aren't the puppy's big eyes cute?" Or, "I taught my dog to sit, stay, beg, roll over, etc." All things that we do as humans. Most pets have "human" characteristics as well like 2 eyes, a nose, a mouth, 2 ears and also do things FOR us like fetch the paper, carry a load, protect, do tricks, etc.

I was originally attracted to spiders because I realized I shared NOTHING in common with them! It was like an alien being! This intrigued me like I'm sure it has for most everyone on the AB at some time or another. I read every book I could get my hands on just to learn more about this alien creature.

The interesting thing was that at first, although I had this obsession with learning more about T's, something in me rejected the concept. It took some time to get over the stereotypes we've all been taught about "bugs" and spiders by a scared family member when we were little, but the fascination was stronger than tradition for me!

At first, a very still tarantula in a cage may appear "boring" to some, but "still waters run deep" as they say. Once you can understand life from a spider's hidden perspective, you begin to realize how exciting they become! And with each new species acquired, a whole other little world is opened up to explore through observation.

At first glance, it would seem tarantulas do nothing "for" us, but it's evident by so many people interested in the hobby and by so many amazing collections of T's, that the excitement gained does quite a bit for us!

And lastly, T's are kind of like potato chips - you can't have just one!
-Dave

 

[Lennie Collins]

No offense to everyone,


but my friends have asked me what's intresting about tarantulas. All i said
was it's color, how it crawls, how their exotic...

and that's all i ever say! :/
today they asked if tarantulas can do tricks...
mind my stupidity,
but what can t's do ...but sit in their tanks all day, and then...u pick them up and stuff LOL
im really sorry.

If you pay close attention...they can make cash and crickets disappear!

What tarantulas do and what they don't
What tarantulas will and what they won't
What tarantulas can and what they can't
After all that is said and done
Tarantulas still make some people run
Da Da Da
Da Da Da tarantulas don't love you, they don't love me
Da Da Da

 

[Sky`Scorcher]

After reading through the whole thread, I suddenly want to visit my T room again.

They're absolutely NOT boring but thats just a matter of opinion.

So if you'll excuse me, I'll be spending another hour gawking at my T's.

 

[BrynWilliams]

I totally agree with these parts of what Dave said, to a friend who comes over and asks to see my Ts and when we get up to see them they're all just sitting around, and the chromatus juvenile is nowhere to be seen because it's the day. They often ask 'how possibly are these interesting'. I try and explain always that they become fascinating when you see them regularly and observe their behaviour and get a feel for their 'personality'. It is then that they really begin to become fascinating because not only do you feel you can understand them a little better, but the exclusivity of that knowledge is in the appeal as well. I would be super cautious with someone else's pokie if I was looking after it but might be more relaxed around one I've raised from a sling. To draw a long analogy

As far as owning one goes, you can't. It's that simple. Anyone that only owns one either can't afford more or someone won't let them have any more or they are furiously trying to get more.

At first, a very still tarantula in a cage may appear "boring" to some, but "still waters run deep" as they say. Once you can understand life from a spider's hidden perspective, you begin to realize how exciting they become! And with each new species acquired, a whole other little world is opened up to explore through observation.

And lastly, T's are kind of like potato chips - you can't have just one!
-Dave

 

[Tapahtyn]

The first thing I do when I come home from work is look at my Ts. I came home one day and 3 had molted I love just watching them clean their fangs, catch crickets, and just plain ole' look at them. The fun is watching them do things you couldn't see in the wild. I never knew they were such interesting creatures!!