It's a Cheap Hobby

[Mack&Cass]

Don't forget though that there's two of us which makes it go by twice as fast. We also feed conservatively so there's really no need to do daily maintenance. We do maintenance and sling feeding about once a week and it doesn't take as long since it isn't just one person doing the job. I enjoy having a large collection and the time I put into it. Yes I sometimes don't realize that a T has molted until a day or two later, but unless it's a male's ultimate molt or a mature female's molt, and as long as all went well, then I'm fine with not catching a molt right away.

But like you said, everyone does it differently and its whatever works for that individual. This way works for us. I also have way too much of an addictive personality to set myself with a certain number, haha.

Cass

 

[gromgrom]

The hobby is as cheap as you want to make it.

I just bought a 40G breeder tank with a humidifier, dirt, moss etc..
$200 on the spot.

Again, as fancy as you want to go

+1

Hell, I stick more with scorpions, and my most expensive and rarest ones have costed me either a cheap trade, or 14 bucks a piece. Theyre mostly in KK's and Deli cups

 

[BlujayOnTheWing]

Even apart from cost and time, I get too emotionally invested to want dozens or hundreds of Ts! (Yes... I get emotionally invested in tarantulas. I get emotionally invested in EVERYTHING. It's kind of inconvenient actually ) I would LOVE the chance to poke around in a big collection and see all the cool, weird, interesting species, but then go home to a small collection of three or four personal favorites, all with names and memories attributed to them Not to mention, I wouldn't trust myself to have the attention span to accurately keep track of and properly maintain a very large collection. Some people are just really well organized... I'm not one of them ,___, Haha. At least I know my limits, I guess...?

 

[just1moreT]

i know one thing i want stop at 10 lol the more the merry for me . but hey good self control there if anybody here can stop on any set amount lol

 

[robc]

I wouldnt expect any less from you...



I wasnt being snippy... I didnt think I was atleast.. I was just making a point..

Which is.. Just because someone uses those plastic containers.. Doesnt mean they are just going to let their Ts sit around in a crap/bolus filled enclosure.. (Like Burntsnow is saying in his previous post..)

I also dont think someone using the fancy setup is stuck up.. I know alot of keepers that have fancy setups.. They are really cool folks..

.I will say something here, if you guys do a seach you will see the care tommy gave his ornata that was stuck in a molt and spent hours freeing him...most would have put him in the freezer...and I do believe tommy has some very nice enclosure but some may be just the common ones, but his care for his T's is 110% and I can guarantee you that!

 

[robc]

I preffer to have a reasonable number of tarantulas in great habitats with "optimun" conditions than to have 500 tarantulas in taperware boxes.I did the later and I didnt enjoy it. I dont know about you guys but to me fresh daily water is a must, as well as pretty much daily maintenance .
With 50 Ts I have to invest quite a lot of time, but when I had hundreds it was a 2nd full time job.

There are people who know exactly what , when and how the individual is eating and behaving and have record of the molts, and there are other people who just open a box and realize the T has molted.
Im one of the 1st example.

To each, his own

I agree fran, records are a must, I also judge by adomen size, I try to keep the T's abdomen the size or the carapace if a little bigger on "Most" T's. Keeping records also helps buy knowing a round about time when your t is going to molt, throwing crickets in each enclosure is not the way to do it......what if a T molts.....crickets get a great feast I am NOT accusing anyone in this thread of this.

 

[Chris_Skeleton]

This hobby has been pretty good for me. This is the hobby that I have really got attached to and spent the most time with. Most hobbies of mine don't stay hobbies of mine and I soon get out of them. But this is the hobby for me.

My first T was a G. rosea in a 10g with a water dish for $20
My second T was an 5" adult G. pulchripes for $20 (The pet store thought it was a "Zebra knee")
I got two juvie B. albos for $20 each because the pet store thought they were LPs.
I got a 6" G. pulchripes and 6" LP with their 10g's, hides, decor, and water dish, both for $70
And my most recent addition was a ~5" female A. seemani, 7" female LP, and a 6.5" P. cancerides with water dishes and hides in a reptile expo display case with four compartments, all for $150.
And I got two H. lividum slings for $15 from a member here.

The other G. roses and A. avic, I got for regular price from a LPS.

I have invested ~$500 in the spiders and everything I've bought for this hobby and I know my collection is worth WAY more than that because I have been lucky enough to get those great deals. That is one reason you should always check craigslist. My two best deals were off there from people no longer interested and getting out of the hobby.

I love this hobby. I share it with my girlfriend and 3 of the spiders are at her house. We love tarantulas and this hobby will always be close to our heart.

 

[Leviticus]

Great thread, I think as a whole this just goes to show that their is no right or wrong method of keeping your t's (aside from water and maintenance) and that many of us have different opinions. Personally I have a few nice enclosures that have great backgrounds and they are awesome, I love the visual appeal of them. On the other hand I have many storage style enclosures, that also look fairly nice but are not as pleasing to the human eye. I just love to admire the beauty of the species themselves. I mean there are so many stunning species with amazing colours, patterns, and interesting behavior. I mean cmon people we keep giant spiders in boxes in our homes, what more do we need to bring us together?

 

[Fran]

I agree fran, records are a must, I also judge by adomen size, I try to keep the T's abdomen the size or the carapace if a little bigger on "Most" T's. Keeping records also helps buy knowing a round about time when your t is going to molt, throwing crickets in each enclosure is not the way to do it......what if a T molts.....crickets get a great feast I am NOT accusing anyone in this thread of this.

You have the best of both worlds, Rob .

You have the space to do great enclosures with a really large amount of species. Thats the ideal, I guess

 

[Terry D]

I preffer to have a reasonable number of tarantulas in great habitats with "optimun" conditions than to have 500 tarantulas in taperware boxes.I did the later and I didnt enjoy it. I dont know about you guys but to me fresh daily water is a must, as well as pretty much daily maintenance .
With 50 Ts I have to invest quite a lot of time, but when I had hundreds it was a 2nd full time job.

There are people who know exactly what , when and how the individual is eating and behaving and have record of the molts, and there are other people who just open a box and realize the T has molted.
Im one of the 1st example.

To each, his own

+1 on that!! I don't see how collectors with over 50 t's take care of their collections without it being another full-time job. I realize that less frequent feeding helps alot on cage maintenance. What can I say?- I like to feed fairly frequently. It would be a nightmare doing bi-weekly bolus patrol on slings if I even had 20.

I do keep my t's in sterilite, which pretty much = tupperware, but the size of the enclosures, low profile, and somewhat opaque quality (which I believe add more to the privacy of indiv occupants) seem to fit my larger terrestrial subjects well.

This hobby has been pretty good for me.
I have invested ~$500 in the spiders and everything I've bought for this hobby and I know my collection is worth WAY more than that because I have been lucky enough to get those great deals. That is one reason you should always check craigslist. My two best deals were off there from people no longer interested and getting out of the hobby.

+ 1 again!! Imop keepers, especially such as new keepers who go from 1 to 30 overnite, shouldn't be in such a hurry to acquire their spiders. While certainly not downing spider dealers- which I've dealt with extremely fair ones and will happily do so again. Still, I hope y'all realize that you also have the option to SAVE your money and WATCH the boards, craigslist, etc!

Terry

 

[ZergFront]

First it started as one,then five.Then I told my wife "Tarantulas have eight legs so I should at least get eight.".After eight I said "Well my lucky number is eleven so of course I need eleven." Now At sixteen I've come to the realization that both of our children were born on the twenty second so.........................

I have 16 and still want about a dozen or more added. I'm trying to keep my self control until AFTER my Mom and I go on our Hawaii trip.

I want to have a flight booked already!! LOL!

 

[khil]

30 daddy long leg slings, 15 house spiders*, a couple cockroaches, and a mantis. All free, wild caught hehe

 

[AbraCadaver]

I love this hobby, but I wouldn't call it cheap,per se.. Enclosures are rather expensive up here, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. As long as I have money enough to keep myself and my dog and cat alive and healthy, and I have the cpacity to feed the T's when they should be fed, I'm gonna pull this one as far as it can go in this little tincan of a flat!

 

[Mattyb]

I keep many of my Ts in the shoe boxes from the container store. They all have plenty of substrate, a hide and water dish. No need for fancy plants.

 

[BlujayOnTheWing]

30 daddy long leg slings, 15 house spiders*, a couple cockroaches, and a mantis. All free, wild caught hehe

+1 b All my herps are wild caught, and I've been keeping jumping spiders, fishing spiders, mantids, and crickets for a long time, too (I even bred one of my favorite jumpers once, haha, wasn't hard to find her a male... not sure what the point of that project was, though. Once they hatched they were small enough to get out the air holes and disperse O__o;; lol). You can't beat free!

 

[Fran]

I keep many of my Ts in the shoe boxes from the container store. They all have plenty of substrate, a hide and water dish. No need for fancy plants.

Thats your personal choice, as "valid" as mine or anyone elses .

 

[robc]

I keep many of my Ts in the shoe boxes from the container store. They all have plenty of substrate, a hide and water dish. No need for fancy plants.

I have some in container store enclosures but most of my tanks do have plants and they do a lot more than nothing LOL!!

1. they provide oxegen (Not that a T needs it)
2. The actually clense the soil (still need to do maintaince LOL!! )
3. tanks hold humidity better
4. They can cushion a fall.

 

[Mattyb]

I have some in container store enclosures but most of my tanks do have plants and they do a lot more than nothing LOL!!

1. they provide oxegen (Not that a T needs it)
2. The actually clense the soil (still need to do maintaince LOL!! )
3. tanks hold humidity better
4. They can cushion a fall.

I meant the fake plants are pointless lol. If people have the time and money to make realistic enclosures then more power to them, but i just dont have time since i work 6 days a week lol.

 

[robc]

I meant the fake plants are pointless lol. If people have the time and money to make realistic enclosures then more power to them, but i just dont have time since i work 6 days a week lol.

I agree, fake plants are kinda a waste, but if it pleases the person with the enclosure...all power to them.....nothing wrong with that....I agree, natural tanks do take time, I understand what you are saying.

 

[kevin91172]

I agree, fake plants are kinda a waste, but if it pleases the person with the enclosure...all power to them.....nothing wrong with that....I agree, natural tanks do take time, I understand what you are saying.

I agree... I have fake plants in enclosures for now but got a few with real plants
time will till,I am going for real plants but to many T's at the moment to do all of them LOL!! So this is a pointless comment on my part.To each is own....