what is the appeal in keeping tarantulas?

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triangulation

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web spiders vs tarantulas?

The Tarantula owners have posted many threads like this in the true spider category, so I figured I would post and ask too. What is the appeal in keeping tarantulas?

I think tarantulas are big and sloppy and very easy to kill. but web spiders like black widow, triangulate cobweb, false widow, etc are smaller and beautiful, can adapt through about anything and are very elusive and hard to kill.

they also unlike the tarantulas kill prey way larger than them, ive seen black widows kill tarantulas easy, big hornets, beetles, scorpions etc. and then lay the eggs around it. they are really amazing creatures. I like all spiders but I guess im just hooked to black widows and web spiders. cant see past them.

there isn't much anything more elegant than the true web spiders. quality over quantity imo
 
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Liquifin

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That's a bias point of view. :rolleyes:

But it's understandable to like somethings over others.
 

Andrea82

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web spiders vs tarantulas?

I think tarantulas are big and sloppy and very easy to kill. but web spiders like black widow, triangulate cobweb, false widow, etc are smaller and beautiful, can adapt through about anything and are very hard to kill.

they also unlike the tarantulas kill prey way larger than them, ive seen black widows kill tarantulas easy, big hornets, beetles, scorpions etc. and then lay the eggs around it. they are really amazing creatures. I like all spiders but I guess im just hooked to black widows and web spiders. cant see past them
You're in the wrong hood buddy... This is Theraphosidae hood, and OBVIOUSLY you're from the true spider hood! :vamp:
:troll:
 

Andrea82

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Im repping true spiders over here. I caught you guys slipping
I have no idea what you're saying... Dutch girl here... I was only joking in my previous post as indicated by the troll emoji. You put a dislike on a joke post?
 

triangulation

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you guys shouldn't complain about me making this thread when you tarantula fans made the same exact thread in our territory
 

chanda

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I still have not had 1 real answer yet. What is the appeal in keeping tarantulas?
Well, for one thing, they live a LOT longer than most of the true spiders! A female tarantula can live for 20+ years, while most true spiders like only a year or so (for orb weavers) or perhaps a few years longer for widows, recluse, and crevice weavers.

Also, despite the old saying that "size doesn't matter" - sometimes it does! As impressive as my Trichonephila clavipes and Dolomedes okefinokensis are, they're nowhere near as big as my tarantulas!
 

BoyFromLA

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The title says:

What is the appeal in keeping tarantulas?

web spiders vs tarantulas?

The Tarantula owners have posted many threads like this in the true spider category, so I figured I would post and ask too. What is the appeal in keeping tarantulas?

I think tarantulas are big and sloppy and very easy to kill. but web spiders like black widow, triangulate cobweb, false widow, etc are smaller and beautiful, can adapt through about anything and are very hard to kill.

they also unlike the tarantulas kill prey way larger than them, ive seen black widows kill tarantulas easy, big hornets, beetles, scorpions etc. and then lay the eggs around it. they are really amazing creatures. I like all spiders but I guess im just hooked to black widows and web spiders. cant see past them.

there isn't much anything more elegant than the true web spiders
However, honestly speaking, I see no appeal in any of your ‘to kill or to be killed’ approach of true spiders or tarantulas.
 

triangulation

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Well, for one thing, they live a LOT longer than most of the true spiders! A female tarantula can live for 20+ years, while most true spiders like only a year or so (for orb weavers) or perhaps a few years longer for widows, recluse, and crevice weavers.

Also, despite the old saying that "size doesn't matter" - sometimes it does! As impressive as my Trichonephila clavipes and Dolomedes okefinokensis are, they're nowhere near as big as my tarantulas!
thanks for the response.

and no need to project the spiders on your personal life. its just a fact of life. is the blue whale as dynamic and elegant as the great white? elephant as the lion?

the true spiders are so fascinating. I can watch them for hours. tarantulas seem basic and sloppy.

your tarantulas got size on my true spiders, but my true spiders got the quality.

The title says:

What is the appeal in keeping tarantulas?



However, honestly speaking, I see no appeal in any of your ‘to kill or to be killed’ approach of true spiders or tarantulas.
I thought it was interesting of how elusive true web spiders like the widows can be. and how they are built.. the way they battle and survive. so fascinating!
 
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Tortuga

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I keep both tarantulas and true spiders. They are both fascinating in their own different ways. IMO its not really a fair question. Its like asking a parent who's their favorite kid.
 

aarachnid

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I'm more afraid of true spiders than I am of tarantulas. I hear true spiders only live a couple of years at most (I don't know how true this is), and tarantulas can live decades. They're easier to see because of their size. I don't think they're better or worse, I just find tarantulas more appealing. I saw some beautiful local orb weavers at the Bug Fest at the Academy of Natural Sciences near me awhile ago, though. I do see why someone else would lean the other way!
 

chanda

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thanks for the response.

and no need to project the spiders on your personal life. its just a fact of life. is the blue whale as dynamic and elegant as the great white? elephant as the lion?

the true spiders are so fascinating. I can watch them for hours. tarantulas seem basic and sloppy.

your tarantulas got size on my true spiders, but my true spiders got the quality.
I don't even know what you mean when you say "no need to project the spiders on your personal life."

You say that you are curious about our opinions on the appeal of tarantula keeping - and then go hitting the "disagree" button on the answers that you get? Honestly, that seems pretty rude. Or perhaps you disagree with the facts that tarantulas are generally longer lived and larger than true spiders?

I happen to keep both tarantulas and true spiders - as should have been obvious from the phrase "*my* Trichonephila clavipes and Dolomedes okefinokensis" - and I love both of them. I am not putting down true spiders, nor am I trying to say that tarantulas are superior to true spiders. I was merely stating that their longer life span and larger size do make tarantulas more appealing to people who happen to like those qualities.

I have to wonder, based on your responses to everyone here, if you are really at all interested in why we find tarantula keeping appealing - or if you are just trying to cause trouble. It isn't an all or nothing proposition, and many of us who find tarantulas appealing also find true spiders appealing and keep them as pets, too.
 

Theneil

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I think for a lot of people the size, an probably kore importantly the fluffiness of tarantulas helps make them less intimidating. Also, many of the “iconic” species like G. pulchra are known for their slow, deliberate movement. Also helping people be less bothered by them. Next there is the novelty of them. Its not a spider its a HUGE spider. Its a tarantula. they have their own class/catagory/group that makes them special.

There is also the lifespan that many consider.

as an extra, BECAUSE they are more popular, there is more information and availability, which in turn makes them even more popular.
 

triangulation

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I'm more afraid of true spiders than I am of tarantulas. I hear true spiders only live a couple of years at most (I don't know how true this is), and tarantulas can live decades. They're easier to see because of their size. I don't think they're better or worse, I just find tarantulas more appealing. I saw some beautiful local orb weavers at the Bug Fest at the Academy of Natural Sciences near me awhile ago, though. I do see why someone else would lean the other way!
thank you for the response!!

I don't even know what you mean when you say "no need to project the spiders on your personal life."

You say that you are curious about our opinions on the appeal of tarantula keeping - and then go hitting the "disagree" button on the answers that you get? Honestly, that seems pretty rude. Or perhaps you disagree with the facts that tarantulas are generally longer lived and larger than true spiders?

I happen to keep both tarantulas and true spiders - as should have been obvious from the phrase "*my* Trichonephila clavipes and Dolomedes okefinokensis" - and I love both of them. I am not putting down true spiders, nor am I trying to say that tarantulas are superior to true spiders. I was merely stating that their longer life span and larger size do make tarantulas more appealing to people who happen to like those qualities.

I have to wonder, based on your responses to everyone here, if you are really at all interested in why we find tarantula keeping appealing - or if you are just trying to cause trouble. It isn't an all or nothing proposition, and many of us who find tarantulas appealing also find true spiders appealing and keep them as pets, too.
I think you edited your first response and made it sound differently. I was just responding to what you said in first response

and okay I understand thank you for that.

I think for a lot of people the size, an probably kore importantly the fluffiness of tarantulas helps make them less intimidating. Also, many of the “iconic” species like G. pulchra are known for their slow, deliberate movement. Also helping people be less bothered by them. Next there is the novelty of them. Its not a spider its a HUGE spider. Its a tarantula. they have their own class/catagory/group that makes them special.

There is also the lifespan that many consider.

as an extra, BECAUSE they are more popular, there is more information and availability, which in turn makes them even more popular.
thanks
 
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