Caring for an animal ISN'T a hobby.

[Smotzer]

I love your posts, but today you are killing me...can't tell if you are serious or trolling us.

Still love you man...

I agree 100%

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Are you actually being serious? You're comparing growing vegetables to caring for a live animal because of a few words that define a "hobby"?

Strange.

Yes and no on the being serious part. Yes, I am being serious because there are many things caring for tarantulas have in common with caring for plants. For instance, both require being setup in a container of dirt only once and further activity is just to feed an water. Also, both tarantulas and plants don't give two flips about your existence and not even really aware they are being cared for. Therefore, referring to the care and maintenance of both is the hobby. No, I'm not being completely serious because I know exactly where you are coming from. As animal lovers, we develop an emotional bond with them and any term that insults or trivializes that bond stings a bit. It is hard to view the activity of caring for an animal objectively because of that emotional bond, but since some don't develop a bond with plants it is easier to refer to raising them as a hobby than it is to referring to the act of raising an animal as a hobby.

 

[Smotzer]

Yes and no on the being serious part. Yes, I am being serious because there are many things caring for tarantulas have in common with caring for plants. For instance, both require being setup in a container of dirt only once and further activity is just to feed an water. Also, both tarantulas and plants don't give two flips about your existence and not even really aware they are being cared for. Therefore, referring to the care and maintenance of both is the hobby. No, I'm not being completely serious because I know exactly where you are coming from. As animal lovers, we develop an emotional bond with them and any term that insults or trivializes that bond stings a bit. It is hard to view the activity of caring for an animal objectively because of that emotional bond, but since some don't develop a bond with plants it is easier to refer to raising them as a hobby than it is to raising an animal as a hobby.

I agree with this my Caudiciforms and bonsai That I have started from seed or had for over 10yrs I have just as strong if not stronger attachment than some of my inverts. They are just as much my babies as anything else.

 

[chanda]

Aye, like I typed I know what hobby means, it just isn't fitting. Showing dogs isn't the same as caring for them. And you wouldn't use the term hobby for having dogs.

"What are your hobbies?"

Oh I have dogs and a cat.

I just bloody hate the term.

While I would agree that "hobby" is not the appropriate term for keeping certain animals (at least for me) it has nothing to do with the fact that they are living creatures and everything to do with the way I commit time, effort, and resources it.

I have dogs and cats. They are not a hobby. They are companion animals. They live in my house. The cats sleep in my bed (when they're not sleeping with the kids) and the dogs sit next to me on the couch. We feed them, walk them, bathe and groom them, take them to the vet as needed, and make sure all their needs are met - but I do not devote significant leisure time to them, the way I would if they were a hobby. (That's not to say that I don't spend time on them - but let's be honest. Cleaning the litter box or feeding the dog is a chore that needs doing, not a relaxing activity that I do because I want to.) I don't read articles about new species (or breeds) of cats or dogs. I don't join online forums to debate the best brand of kibble or litter to use, or share pictures of them with other pet owners. I don't set out to "collect" specific breeds or debate the merits of one breed over another, nor do I save up my money to buy more cats or dogs or cat and dog paraphenelia. For someone else - such as someone who breeds or shows dogs - it could very well constitute a hobby - but for me, it is not.

Inverts, on the other hand, are very much a hobby for me. I enjoy spending my leisure time reading and learning about different species and looking at pictures of them online. I spend time on online forums like this one, discussing varies species of inverts, the best husbandry for each, and looking at other people's collections. I "collect" inverts in much the same way that other people might collect coins or stamps, because I appreciate the diversity of my collection. Granted, the level of commitment is much higher with a living collection - I am obligated to see that their needs are met and to keep them as healthy and "happy" as possible - but they are still just that: a collection.

Calling something a "hobby" does not trivialize it. Some people can be very serious - or even passionate - about their hobbies. All it means to call something a hobby is that it is something that is done regularly, for pleasure rather than for work or for pay. Invert keeping - for me, at least - ticks all those boxes.

However, as @Arthroverts asked, if you don't like tarantula keeping being described as a hobby, what alternate term would you prefer? We have to call it something.

 

[basin79]

I can assure you all I am absolutely serious. And yes @Venom1080 i absolutely 100% agree that I'd absolutely save my dog/parrot first I still think the term of hobby to an ANIMAL is cheap.

Now I'm not for an instance stating anyone doesn't love/take care of their tarantulas who call caring for them a hobby just that I hate the term hobby.

Not sure how I could be "killing" anybody with the fact I think tarantulas deserve more than being called a hobby though. That's literally stating I'm offending you for deeming tarantulas more important.

Ah well. This is my opinion. It'll NEVER change. Wanted to state my opinion and I have.

 

[DomGom TheFather]

Tarantulas cant even compare. Id step on my entire collection rather than lose my dog or cat.

They don't really appreciate or even really know me but my spiders have my attention. Spiders... Dogs... People... Same to me.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

There is literally no need to get feisty with each other over this, and I am quite surprised at how quickly this thread seems to have gotten fierce.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

Well...for some of us, getting fierce on here is kind of a hobby, so I wouldn't be too surprised.

 

[EtienneN]

Tarantulas cant even compare. Id step on my entire collection rather than lose my dog or cat.

Sure, I get you on this, but I could never step on my collection. So with facing the would you rather question, I'm being the contrarian and picking the third 'neither one' option. Thanks.

 

[jcmbibb311]

In a way, I do see where you are coming from, and I do like to refrain from using the words “collection” or “hobby” as other people who don’t own these animals see it in a way that puts the animal at a lower level of the care and appreciation than I actually have for them. However, if I’m being 100% honest, they are, in many ways, a hobby to me. When someone asks me “What are your hobbies?” I don’t have many answers other than saying “Well, I enjoy raising and caring for animals”. While I feel a bit weird saying that to someone, it’s the truth as it is what I spend the majority of my time doing in terms of an activity that I genuinely enjoy.

 

[Arthroverts]

Well...for some of us, getting fierce on here is kind of a hobby, so I wouldn't be too surprised.

The speed with which it developed over what should be (in my opinion) discussed calmly was surprising to me, even for this forum.

However, I cannot argue with the tarantula forum jokester...

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[Elytra and Antenna]

The speed with which it developed over what should be (in my opinion) discussed calmly was surprising to me, even for this forum.

However, I cannot argue with the tarantula forum jokester...

Thanks,

Arthroverts

You can call it Arachnoculture just as growing plants is no longer a hobby if you call it Horticulture.

 

[Smotzer]

You can call it Arachnoculture just as growing plants is no longer a hobby if you call it Horticulture.

Arachonculture it is then!! Hahaha that made me chuckle. I love it. That’s how I’m going to explain it to new people from now on.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

You can call it Arachnoculture just as growing plants is no longer a hobby if you call it Horticulture.

My name is AphonopelmaTX and my hobbies include horticulture and arachnoculture.

 

[Lucky123]

Tarantulas cant even compare. Id step on my entire collection rather than lose my dog or cat.

Do you mean murder? Or Lose? I’d consider all life forms about the same, with plants falling a little below animals, I would prefer if my dog and lizard did not die, but if they were going to die from natural causes and I had the option to save them if I killed all of my inverts who are going along through life normally and are completely inocent. I base all of my priorities off of how close I am, no how “important” the species is, I got teary when I accidentally stepped on a beetle.

 

[SonsofArachne]

Some may know I absolutely hate the term "hobby" for keeping live animals

I understand having a "pet peeve" over a term as I'm personally annoyed over the use of the politically correct term 'enclosure' instead of 'cage'. a cage is a structure designed to keep living creatures from escaping - enclosure just means an area that is sealed off - so cage is the correct term. If I'm being honest, probably what annoys me most is typing those extra, unnecessary letters.

But in the end, you just have to let it go. People are going to use the terms they feel comfortable with.

 

[Coradams]

Have we settled on an alternative term? To lighten the mood, may I suggest "tarantula wrangling"? I would like to be a tarantula wrangler!
Just kidding. I understand that to some a hobby is just a trivial pastime, easily swapped for another activity when one gets bored. But for others, it is long term commitment. Some will get a tarantula, lose interest in a short time and sell their pets on craigslist. But many of us will continue to provide appropriate food and habitat for all the years our tarantulas live. Their long life is our triumph!

Might I suggest for the first two (or maybe five?) years, keeping a tarantula may be considered a hobby but for those who show long term commitment, it deserves a stronger title. An avocation? An enthusiasm?
(I was only half kidding about tarantula wrangling. It is a cool term! )

 

[RezonantVoid]

Idk about you lot but im in the tarantula business

I mean will you find anyone more dedicated to their works than a hobbyist? For most hobbyists, they take their passion very seriously. Who else would sweat it out digging for 40 minutes under the hot sun just for a single trapdoor? I think people that refer to this whole thing as a hobby are usually conveying a sense of how important tarantulas truly are to themselves. And for that reason, i dont see a problem with it

 

[Smotzer]

Idk about you lot but im in the tarantula business

I mean will you find anyone more dedicated to their works than a hobbyist? For most hobbyists, they take their passion very seriously. Who else would sweat it out digging for 40 minutes under the hot sun just for a single trapdoor? I think people that refer to this whole thing as a hobby are usually conveying a sense of how important tarantulas truly are to themselves. And for that reason, i dont see a problem with it

Second this!

 

[Lucky123]

Hobby is an extremely trivialised term. That's why you see many use it to describe tarantulas but not cats, dogs, birds.

I think if enough people collected different types of dogs, replicated their natural environment and fed them live prey, their would be a “dog hobby.”

 

[Arthroverts]

You can call it Arachnoculture just as growing plants is no longer a hobby if you call it Horticulture.

This is exactly what I was looking for!

If only it applied to the "invertebrate hobby" as a whole, ay, there's the conundrum.

Thanks,

Arthroverts