I don't quite agree with this. You can read, watch, research, etc. all you want, but unless you have experience, it isn't going to matter. Researching doesn't equate to experience. That doesn't just go for Ts, that goes for any animals in any of the hobbies. It's much better to get experience first, research and then start moving up.
If you would’ve read I said I researched, but nothing compares to hands on... the only way you learn is by doing...
Whoops I was on my phone and walking and I read through it too fast, I apologize for that.
no worries
Exactly you learned by doing...
Those are not old worlds, that's P. irminia. Psalmopoeus are recommended often as a bridge between new world and old world because they're quick, have venom on the milder side and as such can be used to prepare you for the care and attitudes of old worlds.
I wasn’t saying his were... I was referring to mine... and saying in general about them.
Yeah, with new worlds.
But again you learned by doing... exactly my point... didn’t say from NW or OW
Also you never answered my question
I’m guessing they learned from working with NWs. Working with NWs gives you a MUCH better idea of how fast OWs are going to be and their behavior. It’s better to learn from them then just jumping in as making a mistake (getting bit mainly) with NWs is much more forgiving than making a mistake with OWs.
I disagreed because no amount of researching on the internet can prepare your reflexes to appropriately respond to a fleeing old world that gets tired of running and suddenly goes full threat posture, biting at air and ready to tear you a new one. No amount of research will prepare your brain from knowing how to react when during a rehouse it decides instead of going in the new enclosure it much rather climb up your arm and come straight at your face. Research is not a good substitute for first hand experience when dealing with wildly unpredictable venomous animals that couldn't give a rats
as to what you're doing poking around in its enclosure, it wants you out and it wants you out NOW.
I did, but I certainly wasn't clear.
In the post to which I disagreed, you quoted coldblood and his statement that dealing with other exotics does not prepare one for a tarantula. You stated that you disagreed with his statement. I disagreed with what you said because coldblood was spot on there: no amount of working with non-tarantulas will prepare you for a tarantula.
Yes of course, you can research all you with any species, and wasn’t saying you won’t have any problems if you did all the research you possibly could’ve done. You basically then agree of what I said that research and hands on are just as important, just because say a Docile T that someone else has doesn’t mean yours will be the same, researching to get an idea of how it could be expected to be how to keep it etc. like my Balfouri has the attitude of a Haplopelma Minax, and my Newest T Chromatopelma Cyaneopubescens has zero attitude whatsoever. I was expecting her to be somewhat feisty, quick, and little defensive... Nope... why I like to do research to get the idea of what I am about to keep, but then once I receive the T, I go in with the expectation of this is not what I read about or what my friend has... his Balfouri’s are chill with little attitude. Mine needs an Anger Management course.I disagreed because no amount of researching on the internet can prepare your reflexes to appropriately respond to a fleeing old world that gets tired of running and suddenly goes full threat posture, biting at air and ready to tear you a new one. No amount of research will prepare your brain from knowing how to react when during a rehouse it decides instead of going in the new enclosure it much rather climb up your arm and come straight at your face. Research is not a good substitute for first hand experience when dealing with wildly unpredictable venomous animals that couldn't give a rats
I particularly disagreed with your opinion that as long as someone does research they won't have any problems. Thus the disagree rating. I thought that was pretty straight forward. For somebody who "could care less", pretty funny you still felt it necessary to @ me not once, but TWICE when you could have posed the question in general to everyone watching this thread.
I learned from a mix of research AND from experience. You can get this experience by getting Ts that'll give you an idea of what you're wading into on the deep end of the hobby. Raising up more intermediate NWs (i.e., Psalmopoeus, Ephebopus, etc.) caring for what could technically be described as an OW with training wheels (similar behaviors without the consequences of venom that'd land me in the hospital if I got tagged) prepared me for what it's like to regularly do maintenance, feed, and rehouse something that can move faster than the eye can track or will try to scare me off for breathing in its presence with fangs bared and dripping. Stuff like this is enough to make less experienced keepers afraid of the T, to the point that they're too scared to open the enclosure and properly care for it, and that's just not fair to the T. That'd also be a bit of a damper on the keeper's enjoyment of the hobby. It isn't fun to have an animal you're afraid of.
This thread is old, but details exactly what can go wrong if someone gets in over their head. There are people in the thread that doubted the authenticity of the poster's story, but I find myself dubious that the OP was trolling.
Of course someone needs to do their research before acquiring ANY T, but as the saying goes, "Knowing is only half the battle."
Yes of course I’m not saying doing only research, and then going to get the fastest most aggressive OW there is... I’m saying
I said you need both, and said what I LIKE TO DO before getting a T I know nothing about.
That is not what you said here.
The reputation of a species is generally acrewed by the common experiences keepers of said species have with it, but it'd be rather prudent to assume that your T will follow that species guideline to a.... 'T'.
Those can definitely play a factor in a tarantula's behavior. A T that is given inadequate housing may feel unsafe and be more prone to bolting, flicking hairs, or posturing, and the same goes for a tarantula being harassed on the regular by its keeper. But again, there are just some individuals out there more defensive or placid in nature. I keep all three of my G. pulchra slings the same way, and all three exhibit different behaviors from one another. One of them is the classic pulchra - out all of the time and seemingly unphased by anything, crawling out to see what's going on when I'm opening the lid of the enclosure. One of them is a little more skittish, but will settle down after a moment. And the third bolts around like a squirrel on crack, hiding and running and hiding again even after I've stopped touching the enclosure. Sometimes, Ts are just weirdos, and it's something EVERYONE should keep in mind. That's why I always cringe when I see someone who says "oh hey person new to the hobby don't worry about all of these people warning you away from getting an OW as your first T/before you're ready they're all just scare-mongering I have the T you're wanting and mine is a complete doll
".Perhaps you meant something entirely different by this, but Ts don't have Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics. When slings are together, some of them grow faster and others grow slower, which causes a power disparity between them on how easily they can take down prey and how much. It's hardly that one is "considered an Alpha" in the sac, the larger siblings are just stronger. This also has no baring on how they'll act when kept individually.
Research being a necessity was never subject to question. There are way too many posts that say "Hey I just got (insert T) can ya'll tell me how to take care of it???" and they pop up on the forum on a near daily basis. What IS important is that you have some relative experience that can adequately prepare you for the tarantulas you're looking to get. I would not recommend someone who only owns NW terrestrials get a Poeci as their first arboreal, since the behaviors and reactions/reflexes between arboreal and terrestrial are different enough in itself, and the risk is amplified when taking into account the general speed, defensiveness, and venom potency of OW Ts. You seem to have been made aware of this with your M. balfouri, just how nasty these guys can be. I could give more examples, but this post has rambled on enough, so let's wrap it up.
Again, that was not the conclusion I and apparently several others made from your initial post, where you stated that as long as they did a LOT of research they won't have issues. If that is not what you meant, then perhaps that is not what you should have said. For your sake, though, I'll just chalk it up to an oversight in your wording since it seems based on the post I'm responding to that we're now on the same page.
I'm particularly a fan of that last image.
