How much research did you do before getting your first T?

How much research did you do before getting your first T?

  • Nothing really, just asked the previous owner for tips

    Votes: 6 8.1%
  • Got my advice from the pet shop

    Votes: 8 10.8%
  • Looked for care sheets on the internet

    Votes: 13 17.6%
  • Got my advice from facebook / other social media

    Votes: 2 2.7%
  • Read everything I could find on the internet

    Votes: 38 51.4%
  • Read a book

    Votes: 16 21.6%
  • Joined AB and read everything / asked questions

    Votes: 25 33.8%
  • Read everything on tarantulas everywhere

    Votes: 19 25.7%

  • Total voters
    74

boina

Lady of the mites
Active Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2015
Messages
2,217
It amazes me again and again seeing threads were someone asks for help with his/her T and it's glaringly obvious that they don't have the slightest clue how to properly take care of their animals. So, how much research did you do before getting a T? Did you know beforehand how to take care of it or did you figure it out as you went along?

I may be a pretty extreme case of research, I guess. I read two books and a lot of internet sites before finally accepting 3 adult/subadult Brachypelmas from someone who was giving up his collection. Within the first month of keeping I had read three more books (overall three in German and two in English, including the TKG, and all from front to back) and quite a lot on the net - and of course I was completely confused because people kept contradicting each other. I finally decided to use common sense and some basic biology knowledge and it didn't go too badly in the end.
 

Kendricks

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 18, 2017
Messages
153
I haven't read a single book - but I plowed through the internet thoroughly, and it paid off big time.
Started research somewhere in November 2016, I think, and got my first sling 13 January 2017.

While there's always so much more to learn, I felt very confident and educated on the topic in general by the time my specimen arrived and experienced no issues.
It is rather infuriating to read about people walking into a pet store, buying an animal they know Jack about and when at home they start to ask "why is it on it's back, is it dead?"
Ugh.

It is simply irresponsible, and there's no excuse for that.
 

Tanner Dzula

Arachnoknight
Joined
Feb 29, 2016
Messages
190
i got my First T in early 2016, but before that, me and my Girlfriend had been doing a good several months of research. i had made an account on here prior to purchasing them, had spoken to previous owners and to local breeders, watched videos online about husbandry/feeding/making enclosures/ETC , and had spent a lot of time really thinking about if it was something that i would really want.

the ironic part is, since I've gotten them, I've consistently been doing even MORE research then ever before. this time though more on the variety of species, on taxonomy and the differences in the species, on breeding and import/exports and so forth.
 

sdsnybny

Arachnogeek
Joined
Apr 29, 2015
Messages
1,330
The poll will be a bit skewed. I started pre internet so books were all I had, that and the exotic pet store that carried T's. First was the hobby standard B. smithi WC about 4" female. I had here for over 17 years till she passed trying to molt.
 

nicodimus22

Arachnomancer
Arachnosupporter
Joined
Sep 26, 2013
Messages
715
I just started with a G. pulchripes sling in 2013, so beforehand I got TKG and also read a lot here for a couple of months.
 

EulersK

Arachnonomicon
Staff member
Joined
Feb 22, 2013
Messages
3,292
I got my initial information from the pet store with full intentions of doing more research later on. I came across this website almost immediately, and returned all the crap they sold me that same day... other than Ruby, my lovely G. porteri :kiss:

From that point, my knowledge (and collection) exploded. Even went as far as to take a couple classes in college.
 

Venom1080

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Sep 24, 2015
Messages
4,611
pet store hooked me up. and plenty of online stuff. mostly from tarantulas.com
EDIT: by plenty, i mean i read like two pages on the internet. i was 9. pet store wasnt that bad though.
 
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MGery92

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 21, 2017
Messages
64
I got my first T's in October, but I started to collect information about them in August. The Hungarian sites and forums are really dead and misinformed. Most of my knowledge came from here, and some better sites, like @Tomoran 's website. And of course, YouTube... I really like @petkokc 's and @EulersK 's channel. :)
 

Caseyface

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
57
I did extensive research before purchasing my first AF B. albopilosum back in February. I rather enjoy reading. Learning? Even more so. Now, add in something that actually interests me, or that I'm passionate about, and I cannot get enough. I started out looking for a good beginner species. The more I read, the more I wanted. :hungry:

Here I am a few months later, at 32 tarantulas. :kiss: I am still reading, still learning, and still wanting more.
 

houston

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 18, 2017
Messages
39
I did more casual research-- the first few months were just looking around forums at the pictures and threads people were posting. Once I had a source (a local expo) I definitely went full obsession on it, haha. I made sure I knew my stuff before getting them, but like others have said, we're all still learning :)
 

Nightstalker47

Arachnoking
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
2,612
I read extensively on tarantulas, especially on different species and their requirements and tendencies. It's a fascinating topic and was always appealing to learn more about them. I also watched a lot of youtube videos when I was getting started, as many of my Ts were slings and I wanted to see what the adults looked like.
 

The Grym Reaper

Arachnoreaper
Joined
Jul 19, 2016
Messages
4,835
Decided that I wanted a Tarantula, decided that I didn't want a G. rosea/porteri (because everyone I know who has a pet Tarantula has one of those and I wanted to be different), basically just went on a mad binge through "Best starter Tarantulas" lists/videos followed by care sheets/care videos of the species I was interested in, stumbled across this site and went on a yet another mad research binge through various threads and subsequently unlearned most of the stuff in the previous research binge, decided that a B. albopilosum was pretty much perfect and then ordered my juvenile female.
 

14pokies

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Messages
1,735
None.. I was like eleven. The internet barely existed and wasn't very affordable. I had read a book on tarantulas that belonged to my brother but my sp.( A .hentzi) wasn't covered. I trusted the word of the pet store owner. It was small adult male when I purchased it and it lived for 6-7 yrs years in my care. It only passed because it matured.
 

Moakmeister

Arachnodemon
Joined
Oct 6, 2016
Messages
741
For me, I had wanted a tarantula for so long that doing research became fun. I just liked seeing these things. Watching videos and reading stuff was as close as I could get to having one.
 

sasker

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 9, 2016
Messages
1,091
First a book on terrariums that also covered tarantulas, then YouTube, online care sheets, AB and my first purchase: a B. albo

I agree with OP. Even reading care sheets and watching two or three 'best beginner species' videos on YouTube would be enough to prepare you for the basics. Of course it would be better to do a little more digging, but you will know not to use wood chips as substrate, that it is normal that your G. rosea/porteri does not eat, that a sponge in the water dish is unnecessary and that a tarantula on his back is not dead.
 

Screamingreenmachine

Arachnosquire
Joined
Jun 30, 2016
Messages
65
About 2 months of constant questions and researching on here before I took the plunge! Jumped between scorpions and tarantulas several times before I finally decided on 2 fuzzy slings (C. Cyan and an A . Genic). The idea of urticating hairs used to worry me to no end which is why I bounced around so much and took a while to make up my mind. Decided the colors were worth the possible itch in the future!
 

CyclingSam

Arachnoknight
Joined
May 22, 2016
Messages
214
None. I was 11 or so. It crawled into my grandpa's backyard. I took it home and fed it moths. It died at the end of the season as a Mature male. It was an A. Iodius I believe.
 

Ungoliant

Malleus Aranearum
Staff member
Joined
Mar 7, 2012
Messages
4,096
So, how much research did you do before getting a T? Did you know beforehand how to take care of it or did you figure it out as you went along?
My first tarantula came as a complete surprise, so I had not done any research beforehand. However, I had been learning about and keeping true spiders for a while, and I had occasionally read a bit about tarantulas, as I was interested in getting one in the future.

For my 32nd birthday, while I was out of town, my mother bought a mature female Avicularia avicularia that she found on Craigslist. (She could have done a lot worse, not knowing anything about tarantulas.) I don't think it's a good idea to surprise people with pets as gifts, but at least the tarantula was not unwanted.

The only information I had was my mother's secondhand account from the previous owner that it was seven years old, and once a week, she would dump several crickets into the cage. I was not even told the species, though I recognized it immediately as a mature female Avic.

Once I brought her home, I began reading online, and I ordered The Tarantula Keeper's Guide. I figured out right away that the terrestrial setup she was in was inappropriate. (She was in a 10-gallon aquarium with coco fiber -- at least it wasn't wood chips -- and a log laid horizontally on the substrate.) I bought an Exo Terra Nano/Tall and set it up for an arboreal. She seemed much more comfortable in there.

She lived with me for another 3.3 years until, at the age of 10, she had a bad molt and passed away.
 

JoshDM020

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 24, 2017
Messages
356
I aggravated the guys around here until i felt i had everything i needed to start on learning first hand. Took a few weeks, then i got one T. He was doing good, so i got two more a couple weeks later. One of my posts actually had 8 questions in it even though the title said five. There was no hesitation. Now i find it easiest to learn by answering questions, which is interesting.
 

Ellenantula

Arachnoking
Joined
Sep 14, 2014
Messages
2,009
I spent an evening on the internet reading mostly subjective, useless and outdated information; and then I watched a bunch of youtube feeding videos. Satisfied I was now an expert, I placed my first T order. :angelic:

Thankfully I started with hardier Ts (G rosea and OBT) and found Arachnoboards before things could go too far south. lol
 
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