- Joined
- Apr 27, 2008
- Messages
- 97
I never really realized how long I have been keeping T's until looking at some pics recently. I got my first T when I was 13, so it's been 29 years. Wow. Time flies! Anyway, I had my first unexpected death earlier this week. Don't get me wrong, I have lost mature males before, but that's it. Early on, we did a lot of trading, so I never kept a female more than 5 or 6 years, so I never had one die on me. Currently, my oldest T is about 15 years, or perhaps a little more.
I have been buying slings throughout the year, slowly building my collection. One of my H. albostriata's went into a death curl earlier this week and never recovered. Like I said, it was my first unexpected loss. I'm not sure there was much I could do. It was not dehydrated, although it was a terrible eater, compared to others from the same sac. I know this may sound terrible, but I don't feel too bad about it. It didn't die from a lack of care, or from any negligence on my part. I hope to learn from it and that's about all I can do. This experience has got me thinking, however.
I love the hobby and I have kept T's all these years because I think they are one of the most interesting of all of nature's creations. I am not an emotional person in general, and I don't get emotionally attached to my T's. For the most part, I don't name them, and I don't really see them as "pets" in the traditional sense, like I do my dog. I have always cared for them with more a scientific approach. They fascinate me. That's why I keep them. I enjoy their different personalities, but not in an overly emotional way.
Am I in the minority here? FWIW, I am in no way criticizing anyone for taking more of an emotional approach to the hobby. I think it's great. It's just not me. I am simply wondering how others feel about this issue.
Are you an emotional collector, a "scientific student" or somewhere in between?
I have been buying slings throughout the year, slowly building my collection. One of my H. albostriata's went into a death curl earlier this week and never recovered. Like I said, it was my first unexpected loss. I'm not sure there was much I could do. It was not dehydrated, although it was a terrible eater, compared to others from the same sac. I know this may sound terrible, but I don't feel too bad about it. It didn't die from a lack of care, or from any negligence on my part. I hope to learn from it and that's about all I can do. This experience has got me thinking, however.
I love the hobby and I have kept T's all these years because I think they are one of the most interesting of all of nature's creations. I am not an emotional person in general, and I don't get emotionally attached to my T's. For the most part, I don't name them, and I don't really see them as "pets" in the traditional sense, like I do my dog. I have always cared for them with more a scientific approach. They fascinate me. That's why I keep them. I enjoy their different personalities, but not in an overly emotional way.
Am I in the minority here? FWIW, I am in no way criticizing anyone for taking more of an emotional approach to the hobby. I think it's great. It's just not me. I am simply wondering how others feel about this issue.
Are you an emotional collector, a "scientific student" or somewhere in between?
