I Don't Have Time for My Tarantula Anymore

[Jeff23]

I like how everyone reads a simple for sale posting and automatically knows another person's life. You don't know this person. Anything you might think you glean of their life based on a for sale post is just really just speculation. I see this all the time. I've often seen people read a FB posts and make judgments on other people as if they know everything the other person is facing. You don't know, I don't know. Making up some narrative to fit what you want to believe has happened is kinda lame.

When I was on the road for work it was often for weeks (up to 3) at the time. So, yes, I would have to get rid of my Ts were that to happen regardless of how much I enjoy keeping them. Lucky for me that is not likely to happen.

Yes, people often get pets only to find they are unwilling to care for them. I don't like it but it happens. I've ended up with several pets because their owners didn't want to care for them any longer.

As far as the price, if they are selling it with an enclosure and other things it's not unreasonable to ask for more than the T alone is worth. It's like any other listing on for sale sites. Everyone often places it priced higher and you work out a price using haggle skills. It's like this with everything (not just pets) and if you pay listing price for something on site like that you're kinda cheating yourself.

I think you are right in general. There are too many people who love to judge other people's lives without looking in the mirror. I think all of us are guilty at times.

But this is just for a single T. If they are having to travel for extended time periods I would hope they would give away the T if they can't take care of it properly due to not being present. It is also very possible that the individual is misinformed on care for their tarantula and is spending extra time trying to meet humidity and temperature precision levels that are on our favorite care sheet sites.

Edit* not sure how this got above my quote but it wasn't meant to be there

 

[Walker253]

You have some good points, but I am not exactly assuming anything. My original post was a rant over the fact that someone out there is rehousing a tarantula based on 'not having the time' and that is the lamest, most ridiculous, excuse ever when they take less than an hour a month to care of one individual. Where the conversation has led to doesn't change the original post and the reasoning behind it.
The ad clearly states the following...
"We are selling our tarantula as we do not have the time for him he is good with bei g handled and good with kids. We are not sure on what kind he is tho. He comes with tank and food."
Could they be lying to cover other circumstances for getting rid of the tarantula? Sure. But when the ad says we don't have the hour a month it takes to take care of one tarantula, and we didn't feel they were worth the effort to even find out what species he is, then it really doesn't leave room for too many assumptions.

Over half the pets on Craigslist are being flipped. The ad has such little information and most of it being wrong suggests a flipper. I hate CL anymore for anything. So many people found a new career flipping, in this case, at the animal's expense. Dog and puppy flipping on CL is out of control.
I wouldn't bail this person out or let them profit. You can't save the world.

 

[Trenor]

There are a lot of things that there is no way for anyone to know based on that listing.

A college friend of my Niece posted an ad on FB a few months back. The ad stated:
I have a small beagle puppy I can no longer care for. I'd like to get him a good home and am asking for X amount.

She got flooded by posts from a lot of people informing her that puppies grow up and if she was unwilling to care for one she should have not got the pet. Along with all kinds of other posts that were pretty much the same thing - about her being a bad owner not caring for for the poor animal.

What had actually happened was, like my Niece, she was working a full time job while attending college to pay for a place to live and food for her and the puppy. She lost her job and didn't know if she was even going to be able to remain in school much less be able to care for a puppy. All these people made judgments on her based on what they thought was a given. They were all wrong.

Is this the case with the above post? We don't know. Again, there is no way from a small post to know what someone's life is like. They are selling a pet not giving you their life history. If you feel they should give the pet away -- well that a different argument and ultimately up to them. Just like it is up to you whether or not to buy.

I'm not looking to get into some heated argument over this. Last time something like this post happened people got angry and feelings got hurt.

I just ask that people take into consideration that they don't know everything that is going on in other people's lives at any given moment.

 

[Bugmom]

I'd argue that someone working full time and attending school doesn't have time for a puppy and had no business getting one in the first place.

People make judgements all the time. That's how we navigate the world, how we decide where to go and what to do and who to trust.

People who don't want Internet strangers judging them shouldn't post ads online. Use word of mouth or ask friends/family for help. Just because the Internet exists doesn't mean it has to be used. People managed to rehome pets and do all manner of other things before the Internet.

 

[Walker253]

The price goes a long way in making judgement on the persons intent. When it looks like a big payday, ie 150 dollars for a 20 dollar tarantula, well it's easy to see "Flipper". I pass no judgement on your niece. People get in over their head, people's situations change. Stuff happens. Profits over the pet is my issue. If you love it, place it in a good home or at least try to use good judgement when doing do. It's off topic, but seeing mix breed dogs on CL for 100's of dollars is sad.

 

[clive 82]

You have got to be kidding me. Good with kids? This sentence is so idiotic im laughing histerically

I smiled when I read that bit too.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I love those kind of people, or their screaming 'Banshee' pissed off about T's Ladies. It's the reason why I always had even high priced T's for free and with a 'Thank You' as well. I need more of those here in Italy :-s

 

[chanda]

The price goes a long way in making judgement on the persons intent. When it looks like a big payday, ie 150 dollars for a 20 dollar tarantula, well it's easy to see "Flipper". I pass no judgement on your niece. People get in over their head, people's situations change. Stuff happens. Profits over the pet is my issue. If you love it, place it in a good home or at least try to use good judgement when doing do. It's off topic, but seeing mix breed dogs on CL for 100's of dollars is sad.

Yeah, payday is right! I live in tarantula country (SoCal) and every fall the mature males (Aphonopelma sp.) go out looking for a lady friend - and some of them end up offered on Craigslist for $25-$50 a pop. Anyone who knows anything about tarantulas will know better than to adopt these poor spiders - but you can bet there are some people looking for their first T's who will fall for it - and then be deeply disappointed and questioning their quality of care when the poor things end up dead a few months down the road, not realizing that they'd just reached their natural expiration date.

 

[Estein]

People who don't want Internet strangers judging them shouldn't post ads online. Use word of mouth or ask friends/family for help. Just because the Internet exists doesn't mean it has to be used. People managed to rehome pets and do all manner of other things before the Internet.

This seems like an unfair statement. Using an online platform shouldn't translate to giving permission for people to be rude or condescending. No one should have to limit their resources because they have to face people being judgmental.

I'd also suggest that advertising by word of mouth alone might have worked better before that exotic pet hobby had grown so much and more people were more familiar with what they could be getting. Even today, it's much easier to get someone to take your dog or cat than your tarantula or python. A coworker recently agreed to help find a new home for a friend's finch, and even with all the resources at her disposal, it still took four months to find a taker. If I need to get rid of an animal for whatever reason, I want it to be in a timely manner so that animal can get the care it needs.

 

[Jeff23]

This seems like an unfair statement. Using an online platform shouldn't translate to giving permission for people to be rude or condescending. No one should have to limit their resources because they have to face people being judgmental.

I'd also suggest that advertising by word of mouth alone might have worked better before that exotic pet hobby had grown so much and more people were more familiar with what they could be getting. Even today, it's much easier to get someone to take your dog or cat than your tarantula or python. A coworker recently agreed to help find a new home for a friend's finch, and even with all the resources at her disposal, it still took four months to find a taker. If I need to get rid of an animal for whatever reason, I want it to be in a timely manner so that animal can get the care it needs.

I think this is just one of the unfortunate things related to everything on the internet that likely will never change. If you are going to advertise online or even post in internet forums you need to have strength to withstand or plan to ignore any bad comments related to what you are doing. There are lots of people who are naive, ignorant, stupid, troll types, etc. online who will misjudge or purposely attack you. When posting anything online you should read your own ad (or forum comment) multiple times from different angles to insure it won't be taken the wrong way. If you are guilty of making a mistake, sometimes it is even better to stretch the truth a little in order to insure that you don't open a "can of worms".

 

[Vanessa]

The fact that this is an unsexed, unknown species, tarantula (from the photo it looks like a juvenile B.albo or B.vagans) that they are asking $150 for (the enclosure included is a used exo-terra that you can find online for about $50 max) tells me that it is more about the money than finding a decent home for a tarantula. Like I said, this is not the most affluent area of Ontario and an adult female avic, with enclosure, isn't selling for $100 - let alone $150 for this unknown juvenile. They couldn't even spend ten minutes online to search other ads to see what other people are selling them for either.
And why would anyone think that a good selling point is to tell people you don't have enough time for it? If you didn't have experience with tarantulas, that would completely turn me off and make me think that they needed this huge amount of time for their care when it is completely opposite.
I'm sure that the person posting the ad isn't around here to see me rant on about how irresponsible they are. I thought about messaging them telling them they have a slim to none chance of getting $150 for an unknown sex/species tarantula, but I didn't want to get into with them. I was annoyed enough already and have no intentions of driving out there to get them.

 

[Estein]

I think this is just one of the unfortunate things related to everything on the internet that likely will never change. If you are going to advertise online or even post in internet forums you need to have strength to withstand or plan to ignore any bad comments related to what you are doing. There are lots of people who are naive, ignorant, stupid, troll types, etc. online who will misjudge or purposely attack you. When posting anything online you should read your own ad (or forum comment) multiple times from different angles to insure it won't be taken the wrong way. If you are guilty of making a mistake, sometimes it is even better to stretch the truth a little in order to insure that you don't open a "can of worms".

I agree that this is something that happens on the internet. I think that condoning it or suggesting that it will never change sets us up for failure--if we say we can't change the culture of a place (or "place", as the case may be), we won't. My two cents: If the person who posts had a responsibility to put in extra effort so that their comments don't come across as ignorant, stupid, rude, whatever (and you're right--they should put in that effort), it should also be the responsibility of the reader to give the OP the benefit of the doubt and meet them in the middle.

I think this conversation itself shows that two people can disagree and still show respect for one another, even online. I think that, as an online community, that's what we should strive for.

 

[Trenor]

At this point I'm speaking more in general rather than about a for sale post...

People make judgements all the time. That's how we navigate the world, how we decide where to go and what to do and who to trust.

Yes, they do. Often those judgement are just as erroneous in real life day to day interactions as is thinking you have a grasp on what someone's intent based on a few words in a post. Very often, I've seen people toss out judgments based on what they think they know only later to mumble -- Sorry, I only heard the one part of that or -- I didn't know that part.

Which is why I try not make snap judgments based off things I can't know.

People who don't want Internet strangers judging them shouldn't post ads online.

That's like saying -- People complaining about get shot shouldn't come to a country that has guns. Or -- People complaining about getting hit by a drunk driver shouldn't have got on the road in the first place. Oh oh -- If she didn't want the creepy neighbor peeking at her she shouldn't have been swimming in the pool in her back yard.

In none of these cases do we place the burden of withstanding the offense on the the person in order for them to do something. You should be able to move around a country without being willing to take a bullet. You should be able to ride down a highway without being willing to be hit by a drunk driver. You should be able to go into your backyard to swim without being willing to have someone ogling you.

It is not unreasonable to expect certain considerations when interacting with other human beings. If you wouldn't put up with it during real life interactions then why would you think it's ok for online interactions? Rude behavior is rude behavior. It doesn't matter if it's done in person or when one is creeping around on the internet.

I think this is just one of the unfortunate things related to everything on the internet that likely will never change. If you are going to advertise online or even post in internet forums you need to have strength to withstand or plan to ignore any bad comments related to what you are doing. There are lots of people who are naive, ignorant, stupid, troll types, etc. online who will misjudge or purposely attack you. When posting anything online you should read your own ad or comment multiple times from different angles to insure it won't be taken the wrong way. Sometimes it is even better to stretch the truth a little in order to insure that you don't open a can of worms.

Or maybe make a post with what you need to say and have the expectation that people will treat you fairly like you would them. You know what is unfortunate? That people just accept that this is how it is and it will never change. Think about all the things that would never have changed for the better if we took that approach to everything in life....

 

[Jeff23]

I agree that this is something that happens on the internet. I think that condoning it or suggesting that it will never change sets us up for failure--if we say we can't change the culture of a place (or "place", as the case may be), we won't. My two cents: If the person who posts had a responsibility to put in extra effort so that their comments don't come across as ignorant, stupid, rude, whatever (and you're right--they should put in that effort), it should also be the responsibility of the reader to give the OP the benefit of the doubt and meet them in the middle.

I think this conversation itself shows that two people can disagree and still show respect for one another, even online. I think that, as an online community, that's what we should strive for.

I don't use Twitter, Facebook, etc., but do use the IMDb movie forums a lot in the past. That site is full of trolls and there is very little monitoring or action taken against anyone unless it is really extreme. There are people who will twist your words or create hateful messages just to hope for a reaction. They feed off of this. I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for things to change anytime soon. Luckily this forum has better monitoring which makes it a great place.

 

[Jeff23]

At this point I'm speaking more in general rather than about a for sale post...


......Or maybe make a post with what you need to say and have the expectation that people will treat you fairly like you would them. You know what is unfortunate? That people just accept that this is how it is and it will never change. Think about all the things that would never have changed for the better if we took that approach to everything in life....

I wish things could be better. I think there are three scenarios that primarily occur.

1) There are people who just love to be hateful because they can be anonymous.
2) There are also a lot of people who don't use grammar well or forget to add in extra expressions to show they are meaning what they say from a friendly standpoint. I know I have received emails, text messages, etc. that when read as written could be interpreted as being unfriendly even though it was never intended. I have also accidentally created them multiple times.
3) Emotions are contagious. Many people will join into the choir when they see a bunch of messages directed a certain way even though they don't know the facts. Just look at politics to know this one is true.

 

[Jeff23]

The fact that this is an unsexed, unknown species, tarantula (from the photo it looks like a juvenile B.albo or B.vagans) that they are asking $150 for (the enclosure included is a used exo-terra that you can find online for about $50 max) tells me that it is more about the money than finding a decent home for a tarantula. Like I said, this is not the most affluent area of Ontario and an adult female avic, with enclosure, isn't selling for $100 - let alone $150 for this unknown juvenile. They couldn't even spend ten minutes online to search other ads to see what other people are selling them for either.
And why would anyone think that a good selling point is to tell people you don't have enough time for it? If you didn't have experience with tarantulas, that would completely turn me off and make me think that they needed this huge amount of time for their care when it is completely opposite.
I'm sure that the person posting the ad isn't around here to see me rant on about how irresponsible they are. I thought about messaging them telling them they have a slim to none chance of getting $150 for an unknown sex/species tarantula, but I didn't want to get into with them. I was annoyed enough already and have no intentions of driving out there to get them.

I agree with you on the interpretation. If someone says they don't have time for it, my mental image is similar to what I might see in one of those generic pet stores that have a high price and terrible care for the T. I would expect an immediate discount to even consider driving to their location to see it.

 

[Matttoadman]

I've found the pet store to t's to be cheaper. Most are 30, no shipping cost lol. This is a classic case of what I bought is now more valuable because I had it.

 

[Trenor]

I've found the pet store to t's to be cheaper. Most are 30, no shipping cost lol. This is a classic case of what I bought is now more valuable because I had it.

That can be true depending one the species or if you're only buying one. The fix for this is to save up and buy a lot at the time. You get a much better selection and pricing is usually a lot better online than at pet shops or expos.

I think the last order I made had 11 Ts in it with 15 dollar two day LAG shipping. With no doubt as to what species any of them were.

So just buy a lot.

 

[Doghoop]

People are pressured all the time to mate their males with complete strangers. Not even established breeders who do have a network of people that they sell to that they have relationships with. Personally, I would rather have one life, that of my male, unfulfilled than 50 of his offspring die before they can even reach maturity.
And while I agree that trying to find your animals a good home sure does beat letting them die of neglect - trying to make $150 off an unsexed, unknown species, of tarantula is not doing what is in their best interest. One tarantula takes less than an hour a month time out of your day and that includes going to the store and buying some food for them. It is a negligible amount of time and it is shameful that a person can't find that time for a living creature who deserves it. A creature who they have a responsibility to and who relies on them entirely for every aspect of their well being.
I'm no spring chicken and I think about what will happen to some of mine... many of mine. I think about what I would do if, God forbid, I couldn't look after them anymore. Personally, I am lucky to have a handful of local people who I know somewhat and I would be giving them my collection for free.
I would rather do that than make a cent from selling them to strangers.

I understand this and all but don't you understand some people don't actually have the time "oh it's just 5 minutes" right to feed it but what about stocking food, well I'm going to have to keep buying food for the insects and the insects themselves, also for me personally it's space I have a tree dwelling tarantula that I absolutely love but guess what I understand that I'm not that good at taking care of my tarantula not neglecting it but always worrying if I am when I know I'm not. Also for me money is not it, space and time for me it's only 5 minutes, what about when I switch substrate, clean the tank depending on how big and aggressive the spider is that's a pain man, if you say it's not then idk man maybe I'm crazy. Not trying to be rude sorry if I am, just I think you should be a little more understanding, or don't just wanted to put this here because I feel its a little unfair. but that price that is stupid if he doesn't want it I'd say like 30 maybe 50. Btw no one asked but I have a 20 gallon octogon tank that's for animals that climb and yes absolutely tarantulas deserve to be cared for but maybe that's why he is doing it or probably because he just doesn't know what to do. Who knows don't knock the guy unless it's for the price lol

 

[campj]

I understand this and all but don't you understand some people don't actually have the time "oh it's just 5 minutes" right to feed it but what about stocking food, well I'm going to have to keep buying food for the insects and the insects themselves, also for me personally it's space I have a tree dwelling tarantula that I absolutely love but guess what I understand that I'm not that good at taking care of my tarantula not neglecting it but always worrying if I am when I know I'm not. Also for me money is not it, space and time for me it's only 5 minutes, what about when I switch substrate, clean the tank depending on how big and aggressive the spider is that's a pain man, if you say it's not then idk man maybe I'm crazy. Not trying to be rude sorry if I am, just I think you should be a little more understanding, or don't just wanted to put this here because I feel its a little unfair. but that price that is stupid if he doesn't want it I'd say like 30 maybe 50. Btw no one asked but I have a 20 gallon octogon tank that's for animals that climb and yes absolutely tarantulas deserve to be cared for but maybe that's why he is doing it or probably because he just doesn't know what to do. Who knows don't knock the guy unless it's for the price lol

I like these random necro posts because I get to see a bunch of users who used to post a lot but are gone now. I wonder how Chris LXXIX is doing, that guy was a trip.

Dude, this thread is from 2016 and you're giving advice to someone who hasn't logged in for a year