When did people start keeping tarantulas?

[viper69]

They were in pet stores in the 1980s, but I don't know how much earlier T keeping goes.

Earlier

 

[Charliemum]

I like this inquiry! Us in general or the history of T-raising?
Me and my Ts? I just finally got stationed somewhere that isn't going to change for a while, so I started raising T pals of my own just at the start of summer.
My mum? She recalls having a little mysterious arboreal tan fellow as her roommate in China circa 1950s.
My grandmother? It has been a cultural/ethnic traditions to dig burrows around one's home in her ancestral village and deposit 'longevity tarantulas' within them. She saw her family's Ts there in the 1920's.
My grandmother's grandmum? She told my grandmum a story about her own grandmum being bitten by one of the 'longevity tarantulas' and passing out in a canal for a whole day. This would be around the mid to late 1700s when she was bitten.
Since I'm in the military and only recently settled, my T story is short. I have had my very own friends (not borrowed from neighbors or mum) since only around May. As for the Chinese tribal people on my mum's side of the family, I suppose we've had tarantula companions for hundreds of years or maybe more. It's in our blood!

Did you ever find out what sp the 'longevity tarantulas ' were and is there any chance you know if they collected the tarantulas or bred them theirselfs?

I am trying to find out the history of breeding tarantulas and was directed to this thread and your history made me curious

 

[Wolfram1]

I like this inquiry! Us in general or the history of T-raising?
Me and my Ts? I just finally got stationed somewhere that isn't going to change for a while, so I started raising T pals of my own just at the start of summer.
My mum? She recalls having a little mysterious arboreal tan fellow as her roommate in China circa 1950s.
My grandmother? It has been a cultural/ethnic traditions to dig burrows around one's home in her ancestral village and deposit 'longevity tarantulas' within them. She saw her family's Ts there in the 1920's.
My grandmother's grandmum? She told my grandmum a story about her own grandmum being bitten by one of the 'longevity tarantulas' and passing out in a canal for a whole day. This would be around the mid to late 1700s when she was bitten.
Since I'm in the military and only recently settled, my T story is short. I have had my very own friends (not borrowed from neighbors or mum) since only around May. As for the Chinese tribal people on my mum's side of the family, I suppose we've had tarantula companions for hundreds of years or maybe more. It's in our blood!

t royalty basically, of the old blood

and now you got your own longevity tarantulas, have you felt the effects yet XD

anyway, my dad used to tell me about someone he knew growing up that would make trips to brazil, about 1970/80s and fill his suitcase with spiders, scorpions, snakes etc. anything he could get his hands on collected by locals that he would then take back to europe to sell

back then there were hardly any regulations and it was probably how most of the cheap wc spiders first got here

he eventually got robbed and i dont know how things ended, still the story always fascinated me, probably easy money back then

 

[Kada]

In se Asia, probably millenia. Albeit for vastly different intentions

 

[HooahArmy]

Did you ever find out what sp the 'longevity tarantulas ' were and is there any chance you know if they collected the tarantulas or bred them theirselfs?

I am trying to find out the history of breeding tarantulas and was directed to this thread and your history made me curious

Good day! My family has never found out what species the odd brown Ts might be since we have little contact with the modern world within that village. I kind of want to guess Cyriopagopus schmidti or Chilobrachys guangxiensis, yet its hard to gurantee since the Ts are almost always in their burrows and have the most nondescript 'basic brown T' look imaginable. The villagers used to gather the tarantulas in the wild to be placed around homes, yet I'm certain they reporduce and there's less of a need to wild-collect from the nearby bush. Folks mostly now just dig holes around new homes and the Ts migrate from one house to the available burrows at another house. The bites hurt like mad and accompany swelling, fever, and all the fun an old world bite brings, so I'm glad the villagers don't go out hunting!

 

[Charliemum]

Good day! My family has never found out what species the odd brown Ts might be since we have little contact with the modern world within that village. I kind of want to guess Cyriopagopus schmidti or Chilobrachys guangxiensis, yet its hard to gurantee since the Ts are almost always in their burrows and have the most nondescript 'basic brown T' look imaginable. The villagers used to gather the tarantulas in the wild to be placed around homes, yet I'm certain they reporduce and there's less of a need to wild-collect from the nearby bush. Folks mostly now just dig holes around new homes and the Ts migrate from one house to the available burrows at another house. The bites hurt like mad and accompany swelling, fever, and all the fun an old world bite brings, so I'm glad the villagers don't go out hunting!

Thank you for answering that is quite amazing and great info thank you ! And can I just say your family rocks not only do they have guard t's but their/your tradition is probably one of if not the coolest tradition I have ever heard of ! Everyone should have guard t's that bring long life and luck
Do the t's really move houses with your family? Makes me very happy to think that generations of these longevity tarantulas have lived and moved with generations of your family! Almost like your family's version of spirit animal/ familiar .... I like this idea

 

[HooahArmy]

Thank you for answering that is quite amazing and great info thank you ! And can I just say your family rocks not only do they have guard t's but their/your tradition is probably one of if not the coolest tradition I have ever heard of ! Everyone should have guard t's that bring long life and luck
Do the t's really move houses with your family? Makes me very happy to think that generations of these longevity tarantulas have lived and moved with generations of your family! Almost like your family's version of spirit animal/ familiar .... I like this idea

I don't spiders move with the families if they move houses since the burrows are too well settled; the people also wouldn't be likely to disturb the Ts. Additionally, the homes are just mud-brick huts with thatched roofs, quite simple really. Some families have lived in those homes for generations and have had Ts around the buildings for who knows how long!
Come to think of it, the spiders are quite adept at their roles. I've never seen a single rat, roach, or lizard in the homes I've visited despite the doors being just a curtain where any critter might enter!

 

[Charliemum]

I don't spiders move with the families if they move houses since the burrows are too well settled; the people also wouldn't be likely to disturb the Ts. Additionally, the homes are just mud-brick huts with thatched roofs, quite simple really. Some families have lived in those homes for generations and have had Ts around the buildings for who knows how long!
Come to think of it, the spiders are quite adept at their roles. I've never seen a single rat, roach, or lizard in the homes I've visited despite the doors being just a curtain where any critter might enter!

That is possibly one of the coolest things I have ever heard of! generations of family with generations of t's living together to the benefit of both , keeping pests away for the family and in turn the family attracting the pests for the t's to live on . I wish more people had the same respect for these amazing creatures we love so much. Thank you for answering you have definitely given me food for thought

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

This is absolutely amazing. Thank you for sharing, @HooahArmy

 

[HooahArmy]

That is possibly one of the coolest things I have ever heard of! generations of family with generations of t's living together to the benefit of both , keeping pests away for the family and in turn the family attracting the pests for the t's to live on . I wish more people had the same respect for these amazing creatures we love so much. Thank you for answering you have definitely given me food for thought

My people have interesting folk affiliations with assorted creatures due to their cultural significance. Keeping certain animals seems to imbue individuals with health, fortune, or luck.
Spider: Longevity and health
Gecko: Patron critter of theives. Proverb: "Gecko hand sticky" (Bee-hoo sou nian), meaning 'Beware of thieves'.
Mouse: Indominability. Warriors who keep mice can never be defeated. They are knocked down but always keep coming back like populations of mice who endure wars, fires, and famines.
Millipede: Medics and doctors. Comes from the folktale that the milipede was the world's first doctor.
Scorpion: Patron critter of navigators/explorers. These always seem to know where they're going.
Mantis: Patron critter of boxers and fighters.
Dog: Mental wellness. It is said that a dog exudes positive Chi and brigtens the lives of those who live with them.
Cat: Spiritual wellness. Cats frighten evil spirits away and bring good karma.

 

[Charliemum]

My people have interesting folk affiliations with assorted creatures due to their cultural significance. Keeping certain animals seems to imbue individuals with health, fortune, or luck.
Spider: Longevity and health
Gecko: Patron critter of theives. Proverb: "Gecko hand sticky" (Bee-hoo sou nian), meaning 'Beware of thieves'.
Mouse: Indominability. Warriors who keep mice can never be defeated. They are knocked down but always keep coming back like populations of mice who endure wars, fires, and famines.
Millipede: Medics and doctors. Comes from the folktale that the milipede was the world's first doctor.
Scorpion: Patron critter of navigators/explorers. These always seem to know where they're going.
Mantis: Patron critter of boxers and fighters.
Dog: Mental wellness. It is said that a dog exudes positive Chi and brigtens the lives of those who live with them.
Cat: Spiritual wellness. Cats frighten evil spirits away and bring good karma.

That's so cool! I knew about the cats bringing good and warding off bad but I didn't realise there were others ! The more I hear about your family/culture the more I am in impressed , not only do you/they have a deep and rich history (being able to trace your way back to 1700 is more then 99% of us can do) but you have spirit animals and live in balance with them to! You and your family are a very cool people HooahArmy, it makes me smile

It also makes me wonder if your people could be the first official tarantula keepers and how far back longevity t's go if you can trace stories back to 1700.

This is one of the many bonuses of ab i love, obviously tarantula info first but I get to learn alsorts of amazing things about other people and their culture that I otherwise would never have had access to ! Thank you so much for choosing to share a very cool part of your history/life with me , it is very much appreciated

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

I find people’s views of understanding the world and their place in it to be fascinating. Hmong?

 

[HooahArmy]

I find people’s views of understanding the world and their place in it to be fascinating. Hmong?

Tribal Chinese from the Guizhou region. My peoples call themselves 'Er Puh'; no idea what the meaning of the name is and I can never find a thing on Google.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Tribal Chinese from the Guizhou region. My peoples call themselves 'Er Puh'; no idea what the meaning of the name is and I can never find a thing on Google.

There’s a Pu’er City, but it’s in the Yunnan Province just to the southwest. It looks like it was largely abandoned in the 1950’s. Maybe some of the survivors migrated east? Just ignorant speculation. Jstor is a good place to search for scholarly articles if any anthropologists visited them. Or missionaries.

 

[HooahArmy]

There’s a Pu’er City, but it’s in the Yunnan Province just to the southwest. It looks like it was largely abandoned in the 1950’s. Maybe some of the survivors migrated east? Just ignorant speculation. Jstor is a good place to search for scholarly articles if any anthropologists visited them. Or missionaries.

I know about Pu'er! They're quite famous for their tea in that region. My folks have been in the Guizhou province for as long as they can remember, yet we used to live lower in the valley before the Imperial Japanese made a push inland in China. I've searched everywhere for the history of my people, yet have found nothing, even on Chinese sites. China refuses to recognize our people as a tribe since we adopt so many outside children and hence are a 'bastard race'. We beleive that adoption is more kind than reproducing, so we take in anyone from anywhere, something that grinds on the Chinese status quo. We are also matriarchal, another reason why the Chinese government refuses to acknowledge us.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

I know about Pu'er! They're quite famous for their tea in that region. My folks have been in the Guizhou province for as long as they can remember, yet we used to live lower in the valley before the Imperial Japanese made a push inland in China. I've searched everywhere for the history of my people, yet have found nothing, even on Chinese sites. China refuses to recognize our people as a tribe since we adopt so many outside children and hence are a 'bastard race'. We beleive that adoption is more kind than reproducing, so we take in anyone from anywhere, something that grinds on the Chinese status quo. We are also matriarchal, another reason why the Chinese government refuses to acknowledge us.

Ethnocentricity strangles growth. And in your case, robs you of your familial history. I’ve never understood people who want to be rooted to the ground, stunted. That’s a very noble practice to accept others and bring those children in need of homes into your care and community. It also increases your gene pool, unlike “pure blood”, lol. There are many indigenous cultures/tribes where women hold a much higher status. I’ve recently been studying the Kuna/Guna who follow matrilineal kinship. Have you been able to visit your family there?

 

[HooahArmy]

Ethnocentricity strangles growth. And in your case, robs you of your familial history. I’ve never understood people who want to be rooted to the ground, stunted. That’s a very noble practice to accept others and bring those children in need of homes into your care and community. It also increases your gene pool, unlike “pure blood”, lol. There are many indigenous cultures/tribes where women hold a much higher status. I’ve recently been studying the Kuna/Guna who follow matrilineal kinship. Have you been able to visit your family there?

I visit my family there once every 8 to 10 years, usually because it is so difficult to get out there. The trip alone requires three plane rides, hours on a train, then hours on a bus, hours in a jeep, then hours on mules... then I'm there! The mountainous region is nearly impassible during the monsoon season or during the winter, but the trip is worth the natrual beauty and pristine condition of the remote location. The wildlife in the region is very unique, yet unfortunately not untouched by pollution and other changes in the world. My last few trips have seen changes in the wildlife, especially in the tarantula population:
+ Whereas there once were many tarantulas, there now are notably less. The rainy seasons are shorter, so with less grasses come less insects the tarantuals feed on. The rain sometimes also has a curious chemical smell. That's China for you.
+ The winter season is longer and colder than usual. The Ts usually burrow deep to keep from freezing, but sadly as our winters grow far below freezing at night, the Ts don't do as well. Sometimes the people sacrifice warmth in the winters to cover the burrows with their own clothing or blankets, or even surround them with goat wool.
+ The river that runs down from the high mountains is usually 'ten persons wide', or so the people say. Now it's like 5 and a kid. What happened to our river?! We beleive it's being diverted somewhere upstream.
+ There's a new rat in town. 20 years ago, there weren't these little short-tailed vole-looking critters. Now they're found left and right and they eat our Ts' slings. Majority of the plants in my region grow tubers below ground. These creatures burrow deep and eat the tubers, surviving when grass-eating insects do not.
+ Snakes a' plenty. Those little vole fellows also increase the snake population which in turn compete with the Ts for real estate as they like to take over T burrows.
+ A mountain range over near where the Miao people live, there's some serious mining going on. We see black plumes of smoke in the sky.

 

[Charliemum]

I visit my family there once every 8 to 10 years, usually because it is so difficult to get out there. The trip alone requires three plane rides, hours on a train, then hours on a bus, hours in a jeep, then hours on mules... then I'm there! The mountainous region is nearly impassible during the monsoon season or during the winter, but the trip is worth the natrual beauty and pristine condition of the remote location. The wildlife in the region is very unique, yet unfortunately not untouched by pollution and other changes in the world. My last few trips have seen changes in the wildlife, especially in the tarantula population:
+ Whereas there once were many tarantulas, there now are notably less. The rainy seasons are shorter, so with less grasses come less insects the tarantuals feed on. The rain sometimes also has a curious chemical smell. That's China for you.
+ The winter season is longer and colder than usual. The Ts usually burrow deep to keep from freezing, but sadly as our winters grow far below freezing at night, the Ts don't do as well. Sometimes the people sacrifice warmth in the winters to cover the burrows with their own clothing or blankets, or even surround them with goat wool.
+ The river that runs down from the high mountains is usually 'ten persons wide', or so the people say. Now it's like 5 and a kid. What happened to our river?! We beleive it's being diverted somewhere upstream.
+ There's a new rat in town. 20 years ago, there weren't these little short-tailed vole-looking critters. Now they're found left and right and they eat our Ts slings. Majority of the plant in my region grow tubers below ground. These creatures burrow deep and eat the tubers, surviving when grass-eating insects do not.
+ Snakes a' plenty. Those little vole fellows also increase the snake population which in turn compete with the Ts for real estate as they like to take over T burrows.
+ A mountain range over near where the Miao people live, there's some serious mining going on. We see black plumes of smoke in the sky.

That is so sad not only that you don't get to see your family often but that things are changing your home. Your people have clearly lived a long time in balance with their surroundings and now because of other people's actions, (diverting water, mining) the balance has been shifted. I can't think of anything to say but I am sorry, others should be learning from your culture not destroying it.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

That sounds absolutely fabulous and totally worth the efforts to get there. Remote cultures really experience the changes in the climate in a much more direct and apparent way than we who adapt our environment to us. Unfortunately, it seems destruction in the name of progress is the human default, with no regard for whom it hurts.