Tarantula Myths

[MizM]

How-dee y'all! I'm writing a book, wellllll, o.k. it's a bookLET, well, pamphlet! I'm going to use it to educate the ADULTS when I do presentations. I need your help. I want to dispel the myths about Ts and am taking a survey. In YOUR experience, what are the 5 most common myths about Ts? List them in order of most b.s. to least b.s! (I'm getting SO sick of people asking me why on earth I would keep deadly creatures in my home!!)

In return for your help, I will list all who respond in the credits when my pamphlet is filmed for the made-for-t.v.-movie-with-fewer-commercial-interuptions!

 

[invadermike]

Here's what i have heard people say before, which is all BS.

1) they can kill you.
2) you can get them de-fangged (that's a big one)
3) they attack anything and anyone.
4) they are ugly (NOT TRUE!)
5) that they are just brown or black hairy spiders.(they are lots of different colors!)
6) You can get their venom taken out.
7) they live in webs like true spiders.

That's all i can remember right now, i'm sure you heard alot of them, maybe all of them but oh well i tried!
-Mike
PS- Check your e-mail! I wrote you back!

 

[Mendnwngs]

Lets see:

1) Can give you a disease.
I dont think so

2)Hard to care for
Some are more difficult than others, yes. But Rosies, for instance can go a year or more without eating, Yada, Yada

3) Gross.. You have to feed live food
Not always Some spiders will eat Beef heart, frozen crix, etc..

4) Escapee will breed under the house, and flood the house with thousands of babies.
Not bloody likely. Too cold / hot / dry / wet / no mate, etc..

Im sure i can think of more..

-Jason

 

[MizM]

MMMM, I forgot to list the top 5 that I myself am sick of hearing:

1) They are deadly to humans
2) They actively attack humans
3) They're ugly monsters
4) They're going to escape and run all over my house
5) There's NO SUCH THING as a blue tarantula

 

[Charlie]

Myths

I heard this one from my unlce.....


Stand back Charlie! Them suckers can jump 5 feet!


Poor old uncle dickie....


-Charlie

 

[Longbord1]

Tarantulas always eat their mates

birdeaters catch and eat birds regularly

will come for revenge

they go for the eyes when they strike

Are communal and hunt down large prey together like wolves

 

[Frostbyte]

1) That Tarantulas have been known to breed inside cactus'

2) Tarantulas can be defangged / devenomed

3) Tarantula bites are lethal

4) Tarantulas always attack people

5) Only "weird" people have them as pets <----- this maybe true

 

[Mojo Jojo]

Believe it or not, one of the ones that I hear alot is:

I thought tarantulas WEREN'T poisonous.

or

Aren't some of them not poisonous?


(Of course to the best of my knowlege, no tarantula is poisonous. Venomous on the other hand, they all are.)

I do have a the occaisional "can you get them defanged?"

Hmm...

Well, for you pamplet, I suggest making sure you list the "bad" as well as the "good".

Such as "All tarantulas are vemomous." "The difference between vemom and poison is that venom affects through injection and poison affects through ingestion"

Good Luck

Jon

 

[skadiwolf]

1. tarantulas are all aggressive and bite actively.
2. they aren't venomous OR they're defanged as pets.
3. you shouldn't handle them at all.
4. they're prickly and hard.
5. they always kill mates.

i think the main things that should be stressed is that there are many docile Ts capable of being excellent pets that are hardy and easily cared for...some slightly harder ones are even beautifully colorful.

also, their fragility is such an extreme that i do not feel they make good pets for children. i've seen perfectly intelligent (though highly negligent) children kill dwarf rabbits by dropping them when they struggled, squeezing too hard. i've seen kids try to fling a baby ball python from their hand (to their death most likely) when it pulled its head back b/c it was shy to the touch. :/

kids shouldn't have pets unless adults are supervising their care...period. if the kid knows more than the adult...that's just sad.

 

[skadiwolf]

oh yeah...one thing we're kind of guilty of is saying 'aggressive' when many are actually just 'highly defensive' which is very different.

i think this is an important distinction. most 'aggressive' Ts won't actively leap out of their tanks to come after you. they just don't appreciate you messing with their stuff.

 

[luther]

*How poisonous is that tarantula?

I don't know, I've never eaten one.

*What if it escapes?

I think it'll be OK.

 

[skadiwolf]

that's like people (idiots) who free ball pythons in their backyards. arrrgh! some people make me just CRAZY with rage.

 

[Iktomi]

I think you should dedicate a section of the pamphlet to the question I ALWAYS get, even though it isn't a myth.

"WHY?"

Tell 'em why we love 'em!

 

[MizM]

Originally posted by luther
*How poisonous is that tarantula?

I don't know, I've never eaten one.

*What if it escapes?

I think it'll be OK.

I always tell my guests to be quiet near the enclosures... I don't want THEM to scare my TARANTULAS!!

ALWAYS KILL MATES!!! Yeah, I forgot about that! Thanks. I'm getting some great stuff here guys, keep it coming!

 

[nocturnalpulsem]

I've heard all of those listed more times than I'd like to remember. So mine are the same as the afore mentioned.

However, I may suggest at least a page of myths/stupidity/didn't-know-better regarding how to keep them (i.e. NO, don't use aquarium gravel, etc.).

And on the venom issue, why not throw in good examples of the best and worst cases of bites? There's a ton of info that I've seen on the subject lately.

N.

 

[MizM]

Thanks for all the feedback guys! As far as care goes, I'm not writing anything about that. It's just about the truth! I'm going to put a word in directing those who are interested in KEEPING them to read Sam Marshall and the Schultzs'. They ARE care experts! This is more for people to come over to my booth to find out about tarantulas... the uninformed layman!

 

[MizM]

I'M FINISHED. The ATS is proofreading it for me to make sure I don't spread fallacies about my little Ts! I e-mailed it off today and can't wait to get it back. I'm sure I will have LOTS of rework to do!!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR INPUT... I had forgotten the cactus story! I'll let you know when it's proofed, edited and C-O-M-P-L-E-T-E!!!

THANK YOU EVERYONE! YOU ARE 'DA BOLUS!

 

[Longbord1]

so who u gonna put in the back of the book for credits to thank for info

hugh! hugh!
hint! hint!
=D =D =D

 

[Bob the thief]

Tarantulas are the devils messengers.


Yes I am sirious

 

[skadiwolf]

wow, that's a huge relief. for a minute there i was worried that you were serious.

whew.