How do you decide what care information to follow?

[Pauli]

I realize that this isn't an exact science, that a lot of care sheets are garbage, and that a lot of forums have as many opinions as they do posters. I have a few sources I trust for care sheets (Tom Moran & Mike's Basic Tarantula), and when I read a forum, I tend to pay more attention to the people who post the most detailed information and have the most posts on the site and then I try to take everything with a grain of salt and average out all the other information.

But a lot of it feels like guess work, and I was wondering how people decide how good their source of information is?

 

[CommanderBacon]

Personally, I try to find Mike's and any husbandry info from Tom Moran. Then I will check other Tubers' videos, but I always try to look up the region that my spider lived in, the weather patterns in that region, and see if I can find videos of them in their natural habitat.

From there, I usually just set them up as fossorial, terrestrial, or arboreal and toss in an appropriate amount of moss and cover and that usually takes care of it for mine. The husbandry videos and care sheets usually tell me what to expect, behaviorally, but from there I mainly establish my own observations.

 

[cold blood]

Tom moran...great...mikes...not so much...that guy stresses specific temps and humidity, neither of which are important....his site is good for seeing pics of species you may not know about, and thats about it IMO.

Youre right, virtually all care sheets are about as valuable as a bag of dog poo and should be ignored. Care sheets are for entertainment purposes, not educational purposes.

Get your info here, from real people that actually keep, and even breed the species you are wondering about.

But more importantly, one needs to realize that there are only a handful of ways to keep tarantulas. First you have tarantulas that can be kept bone-dry. Next you have the tarantulas that can be kept partially dry or partially damp if you will. Then there are those tarantulas that need to be kept on damp substrate.

From from there there's also only a few styles of housing. First there's your basic terrestrial, then there's your fossorials that require virtually the same set up as a terrestrial, with the exception of much deeper substrate.

Arboreal are housed in one of two ways. Avics and their relatives should have the ground free of clutter with the plant life surrounding elevated wood. All other arboreals should be housed in a similar manner as the avics, with the notable exception that the plants should be on the ground and not elevated.

If you understand this you will understand that housing any tarantula or learning any tarantulas needs is very basic, very simple, and very across-the-board. Different tarantulas almost never need specific things different from others like themselves.

 

[Thekla]

I always trust experienced keepers here on these boards and Tom Moran. That's all I need.

 

[CommanderBacon]

Tom moran...great...mikes...not so much...that guy stresses specific temps and humidity, neither of which are important....his site is good for seeing pics of species you may not know about, and thats about it IMO.

He talks about temps and humidity, but I don't find the rest of his care sheets value-less. I just ignore those parts XD

 

[Pauli]

He talks about temps and humidity, but I don't find the rest of his care sheets value-less. I just ignore those parts XD

I generally use his temps and humidity information as a rough gauge, like "keep it warmer, keep it fairly dry" which is what I do with most sources of info - Getting too wrapped up in specific numbers is a great way to drive yourself crazy for no good reason.

 

[NYAN]

In my opinion, it can be just as, if not more important to know where not to get information from rather than where to get it from. Examples of such places are most pet stores, many care sheets, many YouTube videos, and reptile sellers. Once you’ve eliminated these sources it’ll be easier to recognize good information.

This leads to a second thing to consider. Who is it that is suggesting something? Is the person experienced in the particular area? Have they kept and or bred the species or genus for a while? Do other people who are also experienced agree with them?

This leads to another thing that is important: consistency. If you see that a particular piece of information or advice is often repeated by experienced people then it is likely good information.

Finally, timing is important. You want your information to be as recent as posible. Care information from 10 years ago is different from what people may recommend today.

A lot of this advice is the same or similar to writing a research paper.

 

[cold blood]

generally use his temps and humidity information as a rough gauge, like "keep it warmer, keep it fairly dry" which

Its about as valuable as following someones temp and humidity requirements for their black lab...lol.....just sayin...its not info thats helpful to the keeping of ts.

 

[FrDoc]

I also question the value of information from someone who has apparently never seen a tarantula drink.

 

[vancwa]

I search scientific name + habitat. Search this website. Visit Tom Moran's website and listen to Cold Blood and the old timers.

 

[Tenebrarius]

you can find info here. if a mod said it, it's probably the sauce man. if an old timer said it, it's probably crazy boomer talk kidding. if a incredibly respected user said it then it is the word of god (e.g. Boina)

 

[Arachnophoric]

If it doesn't come from here, I compare with info from here.

I've said it several times and I'll say it again; Arachnoboards is quite possibly the BEST source of up to date info on tarantulas, with users of all sorts of backgrounds and experience with Ts from all over the world. If bad info is suggested, it usually isn't long before someone comes along to fix it.

 

[vancwa]

"probably crazy boomer talk". You obviously never had to walk ten miles in chest high snow to get to school.

 

[ThatsUnpossible]

"probably crazy boomer talk". You obviously never had to walk ten miles in chest high snow to get to school.

Thanks for sticking up for us Boomers, but you forgot to mention the journey was uphill both ways.

and OP, this site and Tom Moran is all you need.

 

[Colorado Ts]

When it comes to my spiders and my interests, I corroborate everything that is pertinent to my goals and aspirations. Never rely on one single source of information, verify through multiple sources.

And since this hobby has evolved and changed so much, especially in the last 7 or 8 years, determine when written information was published...old, out of date doctrine is best avoided. Some is still useful, so corroborate and verify.

Through social media, we now have amazing access to expert information at a rate that far exceeds any point in previous history. Find an expert, better yet, find two or three experts and follow them. I have several individuals that I personally deem as experts, I trust their advice and the information that they dispense.

If you ever come across something that you've never heard about before...do not reject it outright, this may be new information and new useful insight. If possible quiz the author to determine the veracity of the information, then compare this new information with your own accumulated knowledge.

The very best thing you can do is find an expert. A good reliable expert is a person that possesses a wealth of knowledge and is willing to share that information and nurture those who are just now entering the hobby. I have found several people that I would classify as experts, here on this site. Unfortunately for me, a couple of them no longer post here, or have gone dormant....but their posts are still here and their written expertise, insights and depth of knowledge is still accessible.

When I find someone on the internet, who seems to be knowledgeable, I click on their icon and follow them. Then when I have an hour or so, I read their old posts and go through their threads....it shouldn't take much longer than an hour or so to verify if they are truly knowledgeable or if they are something else....

I also question the value of information from someone who has apparently never seen a tarantula drink.

I remember the very first time I saw one of my pet tarantulas “drink”. It was so cool...totally amazed me.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

I don't follow any one person, or people's, advice. After years of trial and error with different techniques found in books and on websites (before YouTube), I was able to determine what works and what doesn't. Over the years my ability to interpret tarantula behavior grew as well. These days, with several YouTube channels featuring tarantulas in their native environment, we have the ability to see how they utilize their environment and compare to what is being done in captivity. For instance, I noticed from various websites and YouTube videos that species in the genera Grammostola and Brachypelma live in burrows next to large structures in the ground. After seeing these in the wild by way of YouTube videos, it started making sense why the majority of my "terrestrial" species where digging ditches in the corners of their cage.

So in captivity, I buried a yoga block in a large container of soil and dug out a burrow underneath it. First trying it with one individual of Grammostola pulchripes, which worked, then later with several different individuals of various Brachypelma species. They all started utilizing their pre-made burrows underneath the yoga blocks and expanded them to their liking. The outcome was that the species commonly known as "terrestrial" started living as a fossorial as they do in nature. You won't find that on any website or YouTube channel! Such a technique of housing "terrestrial" species by burying blocks in their cage and digging out a burrow for them started after I noticed wild Aphonopelma hentzi burrows were associated with tall vegetation and other structures in the ground. When YouTube came of age, it allowed me to see that the majority of ground dwelling species did the same thing.

When new to tarantula care, it is important to read and watch as much material as possible to find out what works for other people then actually try as many as possible. Observe what your tarantula does. If your ground dwelling species hangs from the ceiling of its cage, something is wrong so try something else. If your arboreal species is living on the ground, same applies.

The primary point I am making in this post is not to follow the leader. Learn about tarantulas in nature and think about how you can replicate it in a plastic or glass box. Try not to replicate nature, but instead think about how a tarantula is using its environment and replicate that.

 

[Colorado Ts]

I don't follow any one person, or people's, advice. After years of trial and error with different techniques found in books and on websites (before YouTube), I was able to determine what works and what doesn't. Over the years my ability to interpret tarantula behavior grew as well. These days, with several YouTube channels featuring tarantulas in their native environment, we have the ability to see how they utilize their environment and compare to what is being done in captivity. For instance, I noticed from various websites and YouTube videos that species in the genera Grammostola and Brachypelma live in burrows next to large structures in the ground. After seeing these in the wild by way of YouTube videos, it started making sense why the majority of my "terrestrial" species where digging ditches in the corners of their cage.

So in captivity, I buried a yoga block in a large container of soil and dug out a burrow underneath it. First trying it with one individual of Grammostola pulchripes, which worked, then later with several different individuals of various Brachypelma species. They all started utilizing their pre-made burrows underneath the yoga blocks and expanded them to their liking. The outcome was that the species commonly known as "terrestrial" started living as a fossorial as they do in nature. You won't find that on any website or YouTube channel! Such a technique of housing "terrestrial" species by burying blocks in their cage and digging out a burrow for them started after I noticed wild Aphonopelma hentzi burrows were associated with tall vegetation and other structures in the ground. When YouTube came of age, it allowed me to see that the majority of ground dwelling species did the same thing.

When new to tarantula care, it is important to read and watch as much material as possible to find out what works for other people then actually try as many as possible. Observe what your tarantula does. If your ground dwelling species hangs from the ceiling of its cage, something is wrong so try something else. If your arboreal species is living on the ground, same applies.

The primary point I am making in this post is not to follow the leader. Learn about tarantulas in nature and think about how you can replicate it in a plastic or glass box. Try not to replicate nature, but instead think about how a tarantula is using its environment and replicate that.

Perfect example of experimental research.

This is how discovery, new insight and advancement is made in the hobby.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

The answer to your thread title is simple: Just follow @Chris LXXIX's advices

@Chris LXXIX is a 'consortium' of very skilled/experienced users that loves to share their Extreme Wisdom arachnids-knowledge on their spare time. And one day even myself (the one typing at this very moment) will be like @Chris LXXIX.

- I've said

 

[Feral]

If you ever come across something that you've never heard about before...do not reject it outright, this may be new information and new useful insight.

This.
Thiiiiis.
Learning new things, being open to new methods, questioning old ways, reevaluating our standards, raising our expectations.
We're responsible for their lives, we owe them our very best.



But you need a foundation built first, before you can expand.

As a newb, I didn't yet have the necessary foundation of knowledge and experience to judge good information from bad information, or enough confidence with Ts to trust myself to accurately read the Ts and follow the signals they gave me. I think we were all like that in the beginning. It helped me immensely to have a couple of sources I knew I could trust for info until I had built up my foundation of knowledge and experience to where I could better ferret out the nonsense information and was familiar enough with my Ts and their natures to start following their lead. I think @AphonopelmaTX post is extremely valuable, but I think it may take some time to build up a little to it.

In the mean time, I think @cold blood's post is a great starting place. I too agree that AB (and its crowning jewel, the search function) and Tom Moran's/Tom's Big Spiders' website, podcast, and YT channel (but not the comments... not any YT channel's comments lol) are all you need to build up your foundation to where you can begin finding your own information, listening to your own inner voice, and hearing what your animals tell you.

 

[SonsofArachne]

He talks about temps and humidity

He also mentioned he has A spider room...? How does he achieve all these different temps/humidity in a single room? While there is a difference in both from floor to ceiling (as both heat and humidity rise) the difference is neither great nor very controllable.

Also, even the experts can learn new things from others, the open-minded ones anyway. For instance Tom Moran changed the way he was keeping his Pelinobius muticus - after watching a Deadly Tarantula Girl video. So keep an open mind and don't be afraid to push the envelope a little.