I have noticed this as well. Its why I try very hard to word my posts so that they don't appear too judgmental. I'd still advise against handling any OW species, and I totally get the concern of some regarding the impact it could have on the hobby. At the same time though, you can't take away people's rights to be reckless and irresponsible. People will do what they want to do. No point in getting all worked up over something you have no control over.
And all this giving tarantulas and the hobby a bad rep, jeopardising the hobby, banning certain Ts which most likely will be OW Ts, which means in the end, death to the hobby..
In a perfect world. But we already have groups trying to ban all private ownership of wild animals, and politicians more than willing to grand stand and ban animals when they think it could get them some votes. We're a tiny minority, not like we have any political clout. Tarantulas can be banned overnight and there's not much we can do about it. We either try to self-police the hobby the best we can, or a high profile incident or two can give get the government involved. We need to be on our best behavior so that our children and grandchildren will be able to keep these animals.
I'll agree with you here, the only saving grace being that they are generally not lethal. She holds her OW, gets bit, gets sick, gets better, writes a bite report, and that's that. She knows what she's risking.
There are people just waiting for an excuse to give that some momentum. Do we play into their hands, and show them that yes, we can't be trusted to keep these animals responsibly. Technically anyone has the legal 'right' to ruin it for every one else. I don't want to lose my collection because of some fool that couldn't see beyond his own little world.
If it were only so simple. Handling greatly increase the odds of escapes. Just about everyone lives with family or friends, and/or has people over to visit. You handle, spiders teleports where you can't get it. Kid in the house gets bit a few days later. Or a neighbor or a playmate of theirs is over and gets bit by the loose spider. Kid in the hospital with an OW bite, on TV and the internet, and parents demanding action. That's what can go viral and trigger bans. But what the heck. It's worth it to get a rush handling big hairy spiders. Especially if you have a psychic connection with them and know their every move, in advance.
No, we as individuals can't, but governments can, and do.
But we do have some control over it. The government reacts to special interest groups, and there are a number of groups trying to ban private ownership of all wild animals. The more ammo we give them, the more they're able to pressure legislators. I don't subscribe to the theory that: 'Don't bother to say or do anything, we're helpless and some idiot's only going to ruin it for all of us anyways.'
The simple and easy answer to this entire solution is to educate. However that being said just because I choose to handle my tarantulas does not make what I'm doing incorrect. How do you know that I'm just not very good at it? How would I get good at it? Through handling the spider. You can take it for what it's worth but there has been one thing I have noticed the people who tend to get bit are the ones who do not handle their spiders. My tarantulas because I'm constantly in their cages with my own hands are not very defensive at all. I do not know how many bite reports I've read or somebody stuck their hand into water or give a prey item and they got bit in that manner. I have never had any of my spiders come at me while putting my hands in their enclosure. All I know is this they seem to do better with hands-on then they do if I were not to handle them. They are not as nervous and in general or more excepting of general maintenance due to my handling practices. You can disagree with me all you want to but this is personal experience. In earlier post you call me arrogant but my friend you have a definite attitude issue yourself. You have this attitude where you think you're opinion is a fact when indeed it is not. You come across like you have the right to tell others how they should handle their collection even if they do have experience. It's okay to offer help to those who may need it. That being said when somebody who's had a great deal of experience tells you they know what they're doing you need to leave it be. I could understand your attitude towards somebody who would never owned a tarantula before and decided to pick up a Singapore blue but somebody who's been in the hobby as long as I have you are quite insulting just to let you know
Agreed 100%. That was kind of what I was trying to get at. Thank you for wording that very simply. To begin with this entire thread was me honestly just showing off my beautiful tarantula in her new environment and that was all.
-sigh-
Thank you.
Yes I am fully aware of what you're talking about. The recluse bite happened in my home state of Tennessee. There's a big difference between a recluse and a tarantula. Apparently you need a little toxcicity lesson. The grammar close is the most data miss spider in North America.
Not quite. Stan Schultz has been bitten 2 dozen times from handling his docile Brachys and Aphonos. I haven't been bitten in over 40 years, because I don't handle any of my spiders. Apparently you've domesticated yours.
To us, not to the public, and the people that decide whether or not we can own tarantulas don't know anything about them.
That spider is my most docile tarantula in my collection. Your comment is amusing to me
Not even the carotid artery or jugular vein! A tarantulas fangs is very unsanitary so when you get bitten a lot of foreign objects enters your body, and each individuals immune system responds differs, but in that area causing a nasty infection, even toxaemia is possible from bacterial toxins or bacteria entering blood stream and since the carotid artery and jugular veins provides blood flow from an to the brain and both are huge vessels, even more so you could get nasty infection that could affect your upper respiratory tract, what if that T bolted onto her face and bit her there? She wouldn't be able to stay at home without medical treatments since a bite in the neck or face area could prove to be very dangerous and in case of infections she would need to seek medical attention.. what would she tell them if they asked her what happened?
I had a dendroaspis polylepis that was quite calm but I never free handled her because I knew she could kill me...your arrogance is only preceded by your ignorance. A good handler would never let any creature free roam on there body especially near there face or neck..I'm glad I ammuse you I put my red nose and clown shoes on just for this post. Good luck spider whisperer..
it is not about the potency of tarantula venom, what does that have to do with anything? But tell me do you consider tarantula fangs sterile and clean? It's about the foreign substances (bacteria) that enters your body and how your immune system responds to it, and by the why, a bite near the carotid artery or jugular vein, add bacterial infection to that considering those are both huge blood vessels, where they supply blood to, add the bacterial flora overgrowth, then the vessels transporting the substance to your heart and brain and back.. you get severe immune reaction, since those vessels provides blood to vital organs, medical attention is a must.. what do you tell them?
the op will never listen to reason....let Darwinism handle this one!