Is our hobby dieing?

[mickey66]

our hobby

All I know is this....8 months ago is when I got into this hobby and I found a dealer 5 mins away from me....it was great! I could go over to "The Reptist" apartment which was cramed full of box's,T's etc. and buy T's or just look....He was very nice to me as being a Noob then,one day he sold out and moved out of state cause he broke up with his girl friend then, I go to order online and I see all these online dealers closing up shop....is the hobby in trouble? I don't think so but times is tuff.

 

[WelshTan]

My local reptile shop seems to have stopped selling tarantulas now... and the other online store which i trusted got into "trouble" and hasnt recovered from the huge damage the media gave to the shop. Hence there is hardly any new stock/tarantulas for me to buy anymore. I seem to have got almost all the tarantulas I wanted bar one or two. And now have got into snakes seeing as the close reptile shop to me only sells snakes and lizards. I was also thinking about getting a snake for a while but got my first through a private sale. It seems to be much easier to get reptiles these days instead of inverts tbh

 

[Exo]

Also, the dealer that got popped has sent thousands of tarantulas in the mail. Did he get charged with a felony? He just got a 'cease and desist' type letter. If anyone got caught that's pretty much as far as it would go.

But if they caught him again, I'm sure they wouldn't be so merciful. My point is that if they find out, one way or the other, you won't be able to use them to ship spiders again. If somebody gets thrown in jail, I'm sure that they won't think I'm overeacting anymore......It's all a big joke untill somebody gets locked up or fined outa their mind over a frickin' bug.

 

[brian abrams]

Our Hobby

Although I've only been in the hobby for a short time, I now have many T's! And although I'm primarily fascinated in Ball Python morphs, my impression of the hobby is there is nothing easier to keep & maintain than a Tarantula! Almost like raising a plant...just keep the tamperature at a reasonable level, always provide water, an occasional cricket, & you're all set. Also, they are incredibly inexpensive compared to other exotic animals (such as ball python morphs). Who can't afford to buy a $10 or $20 sling? Also, kids will always love them. Can you think of anything fiercer of more awe-inspiring than a tarantula (especially a Goliath!). Maybe some of the large specialized breeders like Ken or Kelly, who can supply expensive & rare specimens to hard-core hobbyists may not be able to stay in business, but the more common species ( Rosies, Pink-Toes, Red Rumps, etc) will always be available via pet stores, reptile shows, small-time breeders, etc.

 

[BigHairy8's]

I don't think the hobby will die nor is it dieing. So far I don't see the government trying to eliminate any "dangerous" species or "large" species, because of a bunch of bad press. This hobby will always bring new people who develop a love for these critters. Some of these new people will get serious and become breeders, and so on. It may seem slower at times, but out of the mainstream it is still going. Support the hobby and buy more T's and scorps!! (As well as other unmentioned inverts as well.)

 

[redknee_freak]

I got out of keeping spiders for 4 years......and here I find myself once more!! It gets in the blood.

I know what you mean, i have been in the hobby for almost 7 yrs (before i found out about forums) and i jumped in headstrong and then about 2 yrs ago i slowed down some cuz i jumped into reef keeping. Never lost the love for the hobby, so now i am slowing getting back with adding new inverts.

Some of my friends were thinking i was getting out but all i was doing was getting up the things i needing for my reef tank

All and all, T's are in my blood. T's and scorpions aren't going anywhere.

 

[Moltar]

I think people may be confusing all the veterans leaving this site with leaving the actual hobby. I've only been here a few years but I can say with certainty that this place used to be a lot more serious, more information oriented than it has become of late. This place is like myspace now. People fight, troll, fuss, accuse, lie and just generally make big fat a$$-holes out of themselves. It's a fairly regular thing for a thread about getting an "aggressive" tarantula to degrade into a mean spirited argument about aggressive/defensive terminology. I'd say 30%-50% of threads are hijacked and turned into circuses now.

Add to that the huge number of noobs (a good thing) asking the same 10 questions over and over and over and over and over again (not a good thing) and this place becomes less and less pleasant to be. In fact, almost every day I wonder why I bother to log on anymore, then I remember I have a boring desk job that requires I waste several hours a day staring at the internet...

There are quite a few highly knowledgeable veterans with many hatchings under their belt and hundreds of T's in their house who just don't come here anymore. Talkenlate04, RobC, GoTerps, Cheshire, the list goes on. These are people who used to post all the time who now rarely even visit The Watering Hole and practically never post in the tarantula forums anymore. They've probably moved on to smaller, more respectful forums where the focus is still arachnids/inverts rather than ego, attitude and post counts. It's not the death of the hobby, it's the degradation of Arachnoboards. The hobby is fine.

 

[redknee_freak]

I think people may be confusing all the veterans leaving this site with leaving the actual hobby. I've only been here a few years but I can say with certainty that this place used to be a lot more serious, more information oriented than it has become of late. This place is like myspace now. People fight, troll, fuss, accuse, lie and just generally make big fat a$$-holes out of themselves. It's a fairly regular thing for a thread about getting an "aggressive" tarantula to degrade into a mean spirited argument about aggressive/defensive terminology. I'd say 30%-50% of threads are hijacked and turned into circuses now.

Add to that the huge number of noobs (a good thing) asking the same 10 questions over and over and over and over and over again (not a good thing) and this place becomes less and less pleasant to be. In fact, almost every day I wonder why I bother to log on anymore, then I remember I have a boring desk job that requires I waste several hours a day staring at the internet...

There are quite a few highly knowledgeable veterans with many hatchings under their belt and hundreds of T's in their house who just don't come here anymore. Talkenlate04, RobC, GoTerps, Cheshire, the list goes on. These are people who used to post all the time who now rarely even visit The Watering Hole and practically never post in the tarantula forums anymore. They've probably moved on to smaller, more respectful forums where the focus is still arachnids/inverts rather than ego, attitude and post counts. It's not the death of the hobby, it's the degradation of Arachnoboards. The hobby is fine.

well said, seriously

 

[paul fleming]

well said, seriously

Seriously,do you honestly think that people having a debate about aggressive/defensive T's is responsible for the decline of spider keeping and dealers shutting up shop ?I have heard it all now.
You could always start banning everyone you don't agree with.....that would be very good for the hobby.
It always slows down in winter time,over here anyway,due to people not being able to post spiders on another note.

 

[Moltar]

Seriously,do you honestly think that people having a debate about aggressive/defensive T's is responsible for the decline of spider keeping and dealers shutting up shop ?I have heard it all now.
You could always start banning everyone you don't agree with.....that would be very good for the hobby.
It always slows down in winter time,over here anyway,due to people not being able to post spiders on another note.

*Sigh* This is exactly the kind of crap i'm talking about. Are you even capable of responding to a thread without coming across like a complete jerk? Seriously, try discussing an issue instead of reacting to one for a change, maybe you'll actually make a friend or two. Not everything in life is a freaking battle. Why don't you save your crap attitude for people who may actually deserve a chewing out instead of just slinging your venom at everybody you can.

And yes, if I were a mod I would have banned you months ago for exactly this kind of behavior.

Besides, I didn't say these arguments had anything to do with shops closing. I said it had to do with experienced veterans leaving Arachnoboards. Maybe if you'd paid more attention to the actual words of my post instead of trying to come up with your most scathing reply you would have realized that.

 

[paul fleming]

Is it just me, or is the arachnid hobby in a state of decline? I know that there are more species avaliable than ever, but it seems as if many of the veteran keepers are giving up the hobby and many of the invert dealers are closing up shop. Has anyone else thought about this?

This is what I was referring to.....above
You can't just ban people because you don't agree them,think they are "trolls" or not good enough to be here.
where does it stop....who does not get banned......the people who agree with you ?
If I am am going to get banned because I don't agree with you........what's the point.

 

[Moltar]

It has nothing to do with whether you (and plenty of others, nobody's singling you out Paul) agree with someone or not, it has everything to do with the attitude you put forth. It is possible to disagree without starting a fight, a fact of life that you have apparently yet to learn. By the way, who's talking about banning you? Besides you I mean...

Here:

tact
Pronunciation: \ˈtakt\
Function: noun
2 : a keen sense of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others or avoid offense

Something that is in rather short supply here. You should try it sometime.

I'll say it again. This kind of BS attitude is why all the experienced veterans are leaving Arachnoboards. I'm off to find a board where people put the hobby ahead of their own egos. C-ya

 

[jayefbe]

Moltar - I agree completely with your post. Whenever I research a topic and read through old threads I'm amazed at the level of discussion that used to occur on this forum. I know there are a lot of knowledgeable users that still use this forum, they just don't post anymore.

Paul - this is exactly what I was talking about.

 

[paul fleming]

Moltar - I agree completely with your post. Whenever I research a topic and read through old threads I'm amazed at the level of discussion that used to occur on this forum. I know there are a lot of knowledgeable users that still use this forum, they just don't post anymore.

Paul - this is exactly what I was talking about.

people do not stay in the hobby forever.People just find different things to do......they also have other things which may take up their time (families etc.)......with me it is breeding boas and daschunds (not together of course)
Nobody forces anyone to come here.
It is like watching the TV....if you don't like the program,just switch it off........

 

[Xian]

with me it is breeding boas and daschunds (not together of course).

That would be a wicked combination however!


And to the OP, there's a big difference between people on the boards and people in the hobby! People come and go from the boards more than people come and go from the hobby. (Just My Opinion)

 

[WelshTan]

That would be a wicked combination however!

Lol i have seen Paul's boas and daschunds.... the doggies would definitely end up as dinner lol

 

[paul fleming]

It has nothing to do with whether you (and plenty of others, nobody's singling you out Paul) agree with someone or not, it has everything to do with the attitude you put forth. It is possible to disagree without starting a fight, a fact of life that you have apparently yet to learn. By the way, who's talking about banning you? Besides you I mean...

Here:

tact
Pronunciation: \ˈtakt\
Function: noun
2 : a keen sense of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others or avoid offense

Something that is in rather short supply here. You should try it sometime.

I'll say it again. This kind of BS attitude is why all the experienced veterans are leaving Arachnoboards. I'm off to find a board where people put the hobby ahead of their own egos. C-ya

"And yes, if I were a mod I would have banned you months ago for exactly this kind of behavior."


Actually,you were talking about banning me if you care to check your post again.

 

[Exo]

Wow, maybe I shouldn't post anymore, considering that somebody is just going to start a fight in my threads anyway.....I was just curious as to why things seem to be slowing down so much, thats all.

 

[Jilly1337]

This place has just as much drama, n00b questions and re-occurring debates now as it did back when I first joined in 2003. People flamed each other then over handling vs not handling or people asking questions that sounded naive or using vermiculite in substrate...that was a big one. It is and (hopefully) always will be a great site for information but it's never been free of drama, lol.

It's all the same.......only the names have chaaaaa-aaanged!!!

 

[Xian]

It's all the same.......only the names have chaaaaa-aaanged!!!

Bon Jovi reference, Nice!