Naming your Tarantulas?

[Benzen]

I personally don't name them and just keep the scientific names when referring to my Ts. Always thought it's pointless to name your T, since there's no bonding. They will never react when you call them by their name...so..why? Same reason why i would never name my fish, if i would keep any fish. But...to each their own.

 

[birdonfire]

The plight of Dr. Frankenstein's creation.

 

[AlbaArachnids92]

Honestly......I have no idea has that stopped me naming nearly all 40? Nope.
It is a bit redundant but also a little fun. "Jesus! Linda (our LP), did you need to fill in your waterdish again this week?"
My partner has zero intention of learning the binomials but can list you off all their 'pet' names. I found that if I direct her to names like Genny for our A. geniculata, then she can use the pet name and I'll still know which species she is referring to.

 

[ladyratri]

Always thought it's pointless to name your T, since there's no bonding. They will never react when you call them by their name...so..why?

For us, it's mostly so I can easily refer to them when talking to my kid about what one of them is doing, who's hungry etc. and if there's a point where I get a couple slings of the same species it'll help disambiguate. The names are also much easier for my non-T-keeping family to remember.

Then again, I also name my cars, and they don't form a bond or come when I call...

 

[Cmac2111]

I suppose it can be a form of attachment for keepers... certainly no actual point to it as far as the tarantulas are concerned. If it allows people to fulfill the deep-rooted 'need' to bond with one's pet that seems to exist within the human psyche, and if it becomes a substitute for an actually harmful act like handling, then I'm all for it. So long as it stops at that and does not lead on to unnecessary action of course... then it has certainly become something negative. Can go both ways I guess. Also could help people remember them more easily, just depends on the person.

 

[Smotzer]

Maybe they are just objects to you to collect and not form attachment to, but I have quite fond feelings towards all living animals I keep and have cried when loosing any animal. Why does it matter if some people love their animals and name them, have a little fun in life. This post comes off quite pointless and just odd and grumpy

 

[AlbaArachnids92]

if it becomes a substitute for an actually harmful act like handling, then I'm all for it. So long as it stops at that and does not lead on to unnecessary action of course... then it has certainly become something negative.

I'm not sure anyone intending to hold their T has ever thought "ach, you know what, I'll just name them something instead". They seem to fall foul of a more serious issue......common pet store names! Tends to go hand in hand from what I've seen.

e.g. "look at Petunia my red rump who loves to come out for cuddles", a trifecta of nonsense commonly seen on WasteBook.

 

[ThatsUnpossible]

I thought of names for mine before I got them (Dino & Mildred), but when they arrived the names felt a bit redundant and I've never used them. I just refer to them as He and She. Now I've got a third one, I call her the LP.

I think it's cute when other people name them, though..

 

[Jonathan6303]

I stopped naming after one. I named my first Rose and I got a name suggestion from someone which was Ranchy and that was it. Now I just use scientific names.

 

[Charliemum]

All of mine have names, they might not bond to me or answer to it but I bond to them so they get names, my little boy enjoys helping name them too
Plus creatures so spectacularly awesome should get a name imo

Well at least one I can pronounce... my Latin isn't the best

 

[ChaniLB520]

As others have also said, I just enjoy naming all of my pets, yes even including fish (I mean, I name stuffed animals too, like I'm still a little kid even though I'm approaching 40, so... lol). I am aware that they have no real connection to me, but if naming them gives me good feelings and a connection to THEM, why not? The feelings I have are real, even if the Ts do not reciprocate. In my mind, that forms some kind of connection. I would never go so far as to claiming that they feel any particular way towards me, though. It doesn't affect my keeping, it's just a personal thing. To each their own.

Adding to that, as a biologist I see the scientific literature reporting more and more as of late that some invertebrates have more complex behaviors than we used to think. That has not been shown yet for tarantulas and it may not ever be - as lie-in-wait predators, there is probably less need for complex behavior, so I wouldn't assume or claim anything without evidence. But it's food for thought. At the very least, it means I might have a "reason" (still is personal preference, either way) to name some of my other invertebrates - and if I'm naming some, why not name them all? I like to be consistent.

 

[Benzen]

Genny for our A. geniculata

That's the only thing close to naming i considered.
Genny for my A. Geniculata
Brachy for my B. Hamorii
and Grammy for my G. Pulchripes

It turned out way too original for my taste, so i ditched that idea.

Maybe they are just objects to you to collect and not form attachment to, but I have quite fond feelings towards all living animals I keep and have cried when loosing any animal. Why does it matter if some people love their animals and name them, have a little fun in life. This post comes off quite pointless and just odd and grumpy

Wow...quite the assumptions there buddy. Don't be offended just because you name your Ts. It's okay - not my thing though.

Just because some people don't bond in an emotional way with certain animals, doesn't mean these people are objectifying Ts and don't care about them conscientiously.

 

[AlbaArachnids92]

That's the only thing close to naming i considered.
Genny for my A. Geniculata
Brachy for my B. Hamorii
and Grammy for my G. Pulchripes

It turned out way too original for my taste, so i ditched that idea.

Have some fun with it, we have a E. cyanognathus called Bluetooth after the Norse god, Kushy the Kaeng Krachan, Sassy the sazimai etc etc

My not even 2y/o always asks to see "piders" or "Tilli" our T. albo

 

[Cmac2111]

I'm not sure anyone intending to hold their T has ever thought "ach, you know what, I'll just name them something instead". They seem to fall foul of a more serious issue......common pet store names! Tends to go hand in hand from what I've seen.

e.g. "look at Petunia my red rump who loves to come out for cuddles", a trifecta of nonsense commonly seen on WasteBook.

This is very true. I just personally found that, as someone who approached the hobby with the intention of handling before eventually realizing its downsides, naming my T's allowed me to connect with them in a humorous way that didn't put them in any danger, even if its one-sided. Shouldn't assume that others think exactly the same though, apologies!

 

[NMTs]

I've found that naming them makes them more acceptable to my wife, because then they're actual pets and not just a bunch of boxes full of spiders! My young son couldn't tell you which is which if you asked him the binomial names, but if I ask him to check on Saturn (our C. darlingi) to see if she's molted yet, he knows exactly which one to look at and report back on. So, naming them has it's benefits in some cases...

 

[Vulash]

I haven't named mine yet, but I plan to. My wife also wants names because she isn't going to learn the binomial names and with fun names, she'll know which I'm talking about. I have a 2-year-old that will also want to learn fun names. Also, if you have a bunch of a particular species the binomial name isn't very helpful when referring to them.

And I don't think Smotzer made a bunch of assumptions, that is how your OP came off.

 

[Turnthelightsoff32]

i always give mine names, i feel it personifies them and makes guests more comfortable ^w^ sometimes i'll let friends name them too

 

[Vulash]

Honestly, I'm stuck coming up with the style of names I want. I have mostly slings, do I wait to name them? Do I give them neutral names? Do I just not care and give them names as I see them and let it be funny later? I haven't decided yet. I've considered using themes like obscure characters from books I like, or old school rappers, I'm just not settled on it yet.

 

[AlbaArachnids92]

Honestly, I'm stuck coming up with the style of names I want. I have mostly slings, do I wait to name them? Do I give them neutral names? Do I just not care and give them names as I see them and let it be funny later? I haven't decided yet. I've considered using themes like obscure characters from books I like, or old school rappers, I'm just not settled on it yet.

If you have a Davus pentaloris it's required by law to be called Dave regardless

Naming in our household normally takes place over a period of days, weeks and on occasion months. You'll find one that either sticks or fits eventually.

 

[Wolf135]

I name all of my Ts. It seems kinda weird to have a pet and to not name them.