Just a thought.

mack1855

Arachnoangel
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Sep 5, 2016
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Got a question.Is there a point,when a person aquires so many T,s,that it becomes
blurred.
I need to get that new genus/species,then we lose track of the animals we have already?
I am getting close to my 1 year anniversary of keeping these animals.And I see so many
folks listing their current animals,and I want all of these.All the pics of huge collections
amaze me,really.

Does it interfere with the ability to keep your current collection heathy,and thriving.That
animal from last year,that you wanted so much,has faded from your fascination,and awe.
The newest and greatest,replaces the one G.porteri you have had for 10 years.

To be sure,i look at T lists,and read about new and cool T,s.And then I look over my current collection( 20 now).And think,OK,i need to appreciate the animals I have at the moment.

Please,this is NOT a critizism of anyones desire to get another T,.

But,i wonder when the animals we have in our care,take a back seat to the new and flashy.
:bored:.A friend comes over to see your latest and greatest,and says,do you have a G.pulchripes.
" beats the heck out of me,let me check.
 

CWilson1351

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jan 23, 2017
Messages
454
I'm sure that does happen with some people. Then again, if someone can keep over 100 Ts, I imagine they are organized enough to at least keep records of each one and the details of them. I believe most of us here are so into keeping tarantulas or other animals that it would take quite a bit to get to a place where we didn't appreciate the tarantulas on an individual basis though.
Quick example, I have 3 G. pulchripes. #1 is a skittish pet rock. #2 is a corner bulldozing goofball. #3 is a shy little one that attacks crickets like Lizzie Borden did her parents :mask::troll:
As for not taking proper care of them all... I really can't speak on that since I only have 7.
 

Walker253

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jun 12, 2016
Messages
554
I've been at this a bit over a year. I still give my first two (a L parahybana and an A genticulata) the same care that I give my newest one (an A chacoana). I label every enclosure and keep a list of latest molt dates. I keep a list of currents on my phone and my profile here. I keep a "Want List" on my phone too. While my collection isn't huge, it is pretty large. I'm in the mid 80's.
All this being said, I did sell a dozen and am giving a few away tonight. Some of them were "why did I buy that purchases, some were freebies, and some were just doubles I had no plans for. Every one I place elsewhere ended up with a happy owner receiving it.
I'll keep buying as long as I have room and can keep up. I'm getting way more selective now. I don't just buy because it's a good deal any longer. BTW, in the next 2 weeks, I have 26 coming in. But to be honest, 19 of them are slings that I am just looking for a female. I'll sell the rest when I find the female of each species.
 

14pokies

Arachnoprince
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Oct 25, 2014
Messages
1,735
Ehh. Not for me.. My collection holds my attention pretty well. I also don't tend to drool over species that I don't have/can't aquire either because of availability or finances.. To me P.irminia is just as beautiful as T.psychedelicus. I look to the future of my collection but I love and appreciate what I already have..
 

mack1855

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Ehh. Not for me.. My collection holds my attention pretty well. I also don't tend to drool over species that I don't have/can't aquire either because of availability or finances.. To me P.irminia is just as beautiful as T.psychedelicus. I look to the future of my collection but I love and appreciate what I already have..
Ok,thought I had seen a post from you earlier,about this subject,Ill try to find it.About the huge collections,where
the keepers ability to keep,and maintain animals in the best possible condition,was impacted by having,i.e,100 T,s.
 

cold blood

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,was impacted by having,i.e,100 T,s.
I tell you I have been over 100 for years...yet every time I do a check, am amazed at how little time it takes to check literally every t.....Seriously, sometimes I don't feel like I have a large collection at all. The only time things get time consuming is when I have 200-500 slings to feed from sacs on top of the general population...that's when wholesaling bunches comes in handy.

But even then, ts never get lost in the shuffle.
 

Abyss

Arachnoknight
Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
281
no

People ask that all the time...I'm like, nope, I know exactly what everything is and where it is without even thinking.
Agreed, i for the most part can even go back and list what i used to have from the 1st T ever to what all i just had to sell off due to current finances.

Side note*
My trick to avoiding the OP's question ever happening has always been to make a wish list (a real one) and stick to it. I dont buy anything not on my list when im in the market and dont accept any freebies unless they are on my list. This ensures your never "stuck" with T's you dont want :)
 

cold blood

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My trick to avoiding the OP's question ever happening has always been to make a wish list (a real one) and stick to it. I dont buy anything not on my list when im in the market and dont accept any freebies unless they are on my list. This ensures your never "stuck" with T's you dont want
My trick is to never ever under any circumstances...make a list...theyre too limiting...I only buy good deals and then get several of each if I can. A 5 dollar t that grows into a female might fetch $50-70...get a few females out of a cheap bunch and I have the $ for most ts in exchange.

Neither approach is right or wrong...its just different preferences.
 

mack1855

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I tell you I have been over 100 for years...
And you still appreciate every one of them?Wholesaling.Business versus Hobby I guess.
And please don't take that wrong.Im referring to the casual T keeper,who keeps on adding the new and
wonderful.
 

cold blood

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And you still appreciate every one of them?Wholesaling.Business versus Hobby I guess.
And please don't take that wrong.Im referring to the casual T keeper,who keeps on adding the new and
wonderful.
Yes, I appreciate them all, down to the last B. vagans sling...wholesaling is far from a business thing, its a terrible business proposition...its something breeders do for the hobby...selling ts to dealers for a fraction of their worth...where exactly do all these CB slings you see for sale at dealers come from?? They're buying most directly from breeders. :bored:

Breeding and wholesaling is more of a "give back to the hobby" than anything one can do in the hobby. Without us, you're buying mostly WC, which would have greater wild impact, less available species and higher prices.;)
 

viper69

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Dec 8, 2006
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17,851
Got a question.Is there a point,when a person aquires so many T,s,that it becomes
blurred.
For some yes, others no. I like all my Ts for different reasons, except when 2 species are very close in characteristics, such as my my E sp Yellow and E sp Red.
 

mack1855

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Thanks everyone.Great responses for a old guys ramblings.
Hope if I get to 30 plus T,s each is special,not just another spider .
 

14pokies

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Messages
1,735
Ok,thought I had seen a post from you earlier,about this subject,Ill try to find it.About the huge collections,where
the keepers ability to keep,and maintain animals in the best possible condition,was impacted by having,i.e,100 T,s.
Yea it does happen.. I've been in ( kind of still am) situations where life whips a fastball at your face and suddenly 100 Ts feels like a thousand.. It can happen.. A new more demanding job, another child etc..

I recently halted all breeding a few months back and parted with just about a third of my collection because of a move..I had to decide what I was willing to let go and what I wasn't.. It's about knowing your limits. Spiders suffer when people with a hoarders mentality start collecting.. Responsible keepers hardly become overwhelmed because they know when it's time to thin the herd..

Here is an example of when a small collection becomes to much very fast unexpectedly..

A few years ago when my Mother had a stroke and then my brother passed away a few months apart I left thirty Ts with my girlfriend at the time to either keep, sell or give away..I had to leave the state fast and I knew I was in for a long hard couple of years where my life had to be put on hold for the sake of my Mothers.. I love tarantulas but in a situation like that they aren't high on my list of priorities. Life happens and even one "pet" can be too much..

Also I'm alot like @cold blood I look for deals.. If I have to buy a collection of 50 Ts at $500 in order to get the four or five I wanted who's value equals or surpasses my original investment I jump on it..
I then sell, trade or give away the ones I don't want.. So at times my personal collection may be 100Ts but I may have 200 in my house most of which are for sale/ trade.. If I produce a sac or two or get a return on a breeding loan that number may triple but I generally know what I have and they are very well cared for..

Also as you asked of Coldblood whether he appreciates the slings he sells.. Well if he didn't he shouldn't be breeding..( To eliminate any confusion in my statement coldblood is a great keeper and breeder I'm not refering to him in a bad way) If a person is jumping into arachnids thinking they are going to get rich they're crazy.. People like him and I breed for the love of producing baby spiders not the money..

In my case personally I like the challenge also.. I find the whole process from the initial pairing to the suspence of whether or not a sac will be produced, pulling said sac and cutting it open and then raising the instars to little skilled hunters absolutely amazing. The only thing I may like more is the email, PM, text or call when the buyer gets there Tarantula and is ecstatic over there new T.. For me breeding is my ultimate expression of love for the hobby.. It encompasses every aspect..

Also from a small breeders stand point I agree with everything he said.. It's guys like us and many others producing sacs and wholesaling them or giving away MMs that we don't have mates for that are keeping things floating around here.. Do you really think these big time sellers have time and space to breed 70-100 different species, feed, water and house them while packing and shipping orders? Hell no. Lol.. They buy lots where they can, mark them up triple what they pay often more and then sell them.. They may breed a good chunk of what they offer but not all of it..

So in short responsible hobbyist breeders are a staple of the community as long as they can properly care for the slings they produce.
 
Last edited:

Jason B

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Sep 10, 2016
Messages
88
Back when my collection was in the high 50s in numbers I new every T I had and could find them in a matter of seconds, I did not however keep an accurate count of how many I had at any given time as I had multiples of many species. All got the same level of care I broke feeding down into groups, ie terestrials, arboreals, and slings. I didn't do this to make it easier I did it because it gave me the chance to interact with my collection more often. I recall spending 4-5 days on a custom enclosure on an Aphonopelma sp new river, to this day has been my most time consuming enclosure for a T.. and I only repeated it once which was for a Nhandu chromatus. Neither of which will ever fall into my top 10 list of tarantulas and I may never have those species again but I never treated any of my collection any less.

I had to part with my original collection do to circumstances irl and today facebook was celebrating a 7 year memory of mine, and it was a picture of that chromatus, and my reaction was 'aw my tarantula'.

As far as ordering Ts all of my purchases are done through the mail so I tend to go for the deals that give me the most bang for my buck. I might have a few species in mind when I start looking for an order but I go through every classified and website and decide where I can get the most for my money. Even if I was looking for a specific spider if I could only find it with one dealer and he didn't have anything else I wanted to go with it and someone else has 3 different species that are all on my mental someday list.. someday becomes that day. I will also grab the price is right deals on classified here for slings as well as its normally the cheapest way to get stuff.
 

nicodimus22

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Sep 26, 2013
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715
Not for me. I mean, I have a few species on my 'someday' list but I'm very much paying attention to and enjoying the ones I have. Using the red flashlight every night to see who is doing what. I'm easily amused.
 

kevinlowl

Arachnoknight
Joined
Aug 21, 2015
Messages
222
I've been at this a bit over a year. I still give my first two (a L parahybana and an A genticulata) the same care that I give my newest one (an A chacoana). I label every enclosure and keep a list of latest molt dates. I keep a list of currents on my phone and my profile here. I keep a "Want List" on my phone too. While my collection isn't huge, it is pretty large. I'm in the mid 80's.
All this being said, I did sell a dozen and am giving a few away tonight. Some of them were "why did I buy that purchases, some were freebies, and some were just doubles I had no plans for. Every one I place elsewhere ended up with a happy owner receiving it.
I'll keep buying as long as I have room and can keep up. I'm getting way more selective now. I don't just buy because it's a good deal any longer. BTW, in the next 2 weeks, I have 26 coming in. But to be honest, 19 of them are slings that I am just looking for a female. I'll sell the rest when I find the female of each species.
You have 80 something tarantulas?
 

Walker253

Arachnobaron
Joined
Jun 12, 2016
Messages
554
You have 80 something tarantulas?
I gave 4 to a friend tonight. The exact number right now is 80. However I'm expecting 14 Pokie slings tomorrow and in a couple weeks, 5 more Pokie slings and 7 sexed tarantulas. My number will be 106
 

AshS

Arachnosquire
Joined
Apr 21, 2017
Messages
50
Yea it does happen.. I've been in ( kind of still am) situations where life whips a fastball at your face and suddenly 100 Ts feels like a thousand.. It can happen.. A new more demanding job, another child etc..
This is why I don't want a massive collection. I am happy with my three.
Don't get me wrong there are so many more I would like, but I made an agreement with my wife, no more than three. After all we have two kids, jobs and a house, and with a large collection if something happened I wouldn't want to have to loose my spiders.
 
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