I don't... "get" Tarantulas.

CommanderBacon

Arachnobaron
Joined
May 21, 2018
Messages
498
If you think keeping tarantulas is boring you’ve never kept one. Sure, a lot of the time there’s little to no interaction, but that 2% of the time your Poecilotheria spends in your shower curtain is anything but boring.
Too much interaction. TOO MUCH.
 

Benson1990

Arachnoknight
Joined
Sep 3, 2020
Messages
164
I think it's a waste of time trying to convince someone of their worth, value or beauty, all I do if someone asks me about them or why I keep them is try and give as much info as I can about them, but at the end of the day why does anyone do anything? why do people climb mountains? why do people race motorbikes, jump out of planes etc etc...people are into different things, what tickles my fancy may not tickle yours.

I don't expect or want anyone to love T's or any animal as much as I do, but I do insist on people respecting them just like they would any other animal.
 

xulixzo

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 28, 2021
Messages
20
So, to those of you who actually took the time to answer, (Xharyel, The Grym Reaper, Woolie, ect) thank you for the insight!

To those of you who decided to write sarcastic comments, snark & insults rather than anything constructive... well, let's just say I'm starting to understand why people complain about the elitism of this website. My personal favorite is CommanderBacon saying "if you have to ask, you will never understand" and then proceeding to write a large block of text trying to convince me otherwise.
 

Doodlebird

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 29, 2021
Messages
224
I personally don't plan on getting any T's anytime soon, but I definitely see the appeal. Creating tiny beautiful ecosystems is really fun, and you have a stunning centerpiece animal to put in it. Tarantulas might not be for everyone, but I think that they can make amazing pets for the right people.
 

8 legged

Arachnoprince
Joined
Nov 25, 2020
Messages
1,069
I mean its an observational pet...one its keepers dont need to handle or generally interact with. The people that keep them, do so because they like watching the fish...same here.
Please don't take me seriously, I'm just doing nonsense, the opener didn't deserve anything else here.
 

Doodlebird

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 29, 2021
Messages
224
So, to those of you who actually took the time to answer, (Xharyel, The Grym Reaper, Woolie, ect) thank you for the insight!

To those of you who decided to write sarcastic comments, snark & insults rather than anything constructive... well, let's just say I'm starting to understand why people complain about the elitism of this website. My personal favorite is CommanderBacon saying "if you have to ask, you will never understand" and then proceeding to write a large block of text trying to convince me otherwise.
I understand your perspective, but what did you expect when you went onto a mostly tarantula site and criticized everything about the hobby? If you where legitimately curious about why people keep T's there are much better ways to word it.
 

CommanderBacon

Arachnobaron
Joined
May 21, 2018
Messages
498
So, to those of you who actually took the time to answer, (Xharyel, The Grym Reaper, Woolie, ect) thank you for the insight!

To those of you who decided to write sarcastic comments, snark & insults rather than anything constructive... well, let's just say I'm starting to understand why people complain about the elitism of this website. My personal favorite is CommanderBacon saying "if you have to ask, you will never understand" and then proceeding to write a large block of text trying to convince me otherwise.
You came into my house and told me my favorite things were ugly and expect hospitality?

Nah, bro.
 

xulixzo

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 28, 2021
Messages
20
This thread is starting to smell vaguely of bait.
So this started out as an actual question that I posted before bed, structured as "I don't understand Ts, here is a list of perceptions I have that would make me think they are bad pets so that people with experience can easily understand and address each point"

Then it devolved into a "NOOOOO MY FUR BABY IS MAJESTIC YOU'RE STUPID! :mad:" Circlejerk very quickly. There were people who took the time to properly answer, but a majority of the posters here seem more interested in white-knighting arthropods for validation than actually trying to fathom that the hobby has negatives.
 

ConstantSorrow

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 21, 2020
Messages
129
So this started out as an actual question that I posted before bed, structured as "I don't understand Ts, here is a list of perceptions I have that would make me think they are bad pets so that people with experience can easily understand and address each point"

Then it devolved into a "NOOOOO MY FUR BABY IS MAJESTIC YOU'RE STUPID! :mad:" Circlejerk very quickly. There were people who took the time to properly answer, but a majority of the posters here seem more interested in white-knighting arthropods for validation than actually trying to fathom that the hobby has negatives.
Ok, dude.
 

Ripa

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jan 17, 2015
Messages
341
So, this is something I've never understood, and after having spent some time reading through the boards, the stance is only reinforced in my mind.

What is the appeal of tarantulas?

I don't want to insult your hobby (he says before insulting your hobby) but... It just seems boring. You can't really handle or interact with them, They're extremely finicky & dumb (I've seen so many stories on here of Ts killing themselves because they tried to climb away from suboptimal substrate & falling, or trying to burrow towards a heat mat and dying, or having slightly off humidity and deathcurling, etc.), and you can't form any sort of meaningful bond with them since they're only capable of seeing you as "food, threat or perch." It seems like you're spending years of your life catering to the exact needs of a one-sided relationship. Why?

For reference, I keep jumping spiders. They're relatively easy, they're fun to watch & handle, and they're not a massive time investment. Kind of the opposite of Ts. To me, the only two things Ts have over jumpers is lifespan and size. Oh, and this is a completely subjective low-blow, but 99% of Ts I've seen are just... ugly.

So what's the point?
To me, they are like aquarium fish to us. Why do people like aquarium fish? I had both aquariums and tarantulas, and the feeling of having a gallery of animals in beautiful habitats to look at is appealing to me. I post one of my beauties
 

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8 legged

Arachnoprince
Joined
Nov 25, 2020
Messages
1,069
So this started out as an actual question that I posted before bed, structured as "I don't understand Ts, here is a list of perceptions I have that would make me think they are bad pets so that people with experience can easily understand and address each point"

Then it devolved into a "NOOOOO MY FUR BABY IS MAJESTIC YOU'RE STUPID! :mad:" Circlejerk very quickly. There were people who took the time to properly answer, but a majority of the posters here seem more interested in white-knighting arthropods for validation than actually trying to fathom that the hobby has negatives.
With all due respect, there are some questions you don't have to ask! Sometimes thinking is enough! And if that is not enough, read 10 minutes on this page to understand why we deal with these animals. Stupid questions - stupid answers. No need to cry now!
 

xulixzo

Arachnopeon
Joined
Apr 28, 2021
Messages
20
I understand your perspective, but what did you expect when you went onto a mostly tarantula site and criticized everything about the hobby? If you where legitimately curious about why people keep T's there are much better ways to word it.
If I come here and lay out the parts that I perceive as negative, that makes it easy for you to address each point, does it not?
 

Liquifin

Arachnoking
Active Member
Joined
May 30, 2017
Messages
2,110
It's honestly just preferences in what you find interest in. If you're not into tarantulas then that is fine as everyone has their own interests. I don't expect everyone to like the same thing all-together. So nothing wrong with your opinion and nothing worth triggering over about it.
 

Hakuna

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 20, 2020
Messages
210
So this started out as an actual question that I posted before bed, structured as "I don't understand Ts, here is a list of perceptions I have that would make me think they are bad pets so that people with experience can easily understand and address each point"

Then it devolved into a "NOOOOO MY FUR BABY IS MAJESTIC YOU'RE STUPID! :mad:" Circlejerk very quickly. There were people who took the time to properly answer, but a majority of the posters here seem more interested in white-knighting arthropods for validation than actually trying to fathom that the hobby has negatives.
If you went to a forum for any other animal and asked the same questions, you get the same blowback. Not sure how it’s mysterious to you that there are highly spider-passionate people on a spider forum. Duh.

Not the sharpest set of fangs on the shelf. Especially when you’re the one getting all b***hurt.
 

Chris LXXIX

ArachnoGod
Joined
Dec 25, 2014
Messages
5,845
Muahahaha, 'finicky' is a word that cracks me up - I mean, the way it sounds, to mine non English amazing ears for that I don't even know what 'finicky' means and I'm even too lazy for Google that :)
 

Doodlebird

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 29, 2021
Messages
224
If I come here and lay out the parts that I perceive as negative, that makes it easy for you to address each point, does it not?
That's reasonable, although it does kinda come off as just insulting the hobby. Going on a forum for dogs and saying that almost all dogs are ugly would come off as very rude and unneeded, and the same goes for T's. The way you wrote your original statement is almost begging for conflict, yet you are surprised when you see it?
 
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