Where do I go from here? Help

[cold blood]

I agree with most of what is mentioned here. But there are quirks about OWs that even fast NWs (like P. iriminia) will never teach you. They're just different spiders.

Also, keep in mind that keeping spiders doesn't involve you constantly messing with them (unless you're a breeder). Once you have a spider settled in, you only fill the water, give it food occassionally, and discard boluses..... until the next re-house. Not a ton of interaction, especially if they just hide whenever you open the enclosure (most OWs do). So really, the thought of getting an "intermediate" spider, at least in my opinion, serves little more than just prolonging the time period between now and the day you get the spider you actually want. And I agree, it's definitely not a race. But in the same way, you shouldn't necessarily feel so restricted, either. Keeping OWs is not actually as gnarly as it sounds..... they mostly just hide a lot

Do your research first, of course! And it's all dependent on your personal comfort level. Some people never keep OWs, and are perfectly happy. But if you're interested in them, I'd say just go for it

I completely disagree, aside from the not constantly messing with them...but that pretty much goes for any t.

Getting intermediate ts like Psalms does very much work to prepare you for old worlds, with less of the risk that an actual OW will present a person in learning stages of the hobby. People moving up slowly in stages almost always end up avoiding those mistakes those jumping in head first experience regularly.

"just prolonging the time period between now and the day you get the spider you actually want"

I hear this one a lot, and it always makes me laugh., 99% of people starting out, literally, have no clue what it is that "actually" want (despite their beliefs). More often than not, they end up finding these "stepping stone" ts to actually be not only more desirable than they originally thought, but often these become their favorite species altogether. Moving your way up not only gives you invaluable keeper experience, but also the proper experience with various ts that will eventually teach you what you actually prefer in the long run.

By passing on species like this, you are passing on potential favorites you never previously considered. This was my experience and I know I am not alone.

I never gave thought to psalms when I started out...I straight up disliked Avics...but here I am, 16+ years later and both of those genera have easily become my favorites...had I just went with what I thought I liked when I started out, my room would be filled with ts I now find much less desirable...as most of the ones I "thought" I liked when I started, are ones I wouldn't take for free or purchase now as an experienced keeper.....like so many new keepers, the ts I thought were the coolest when starting are far from those I enjoy now that I have a better understanding of the many species available.

 

[Andrea82]

I completely disagree, aside from e not constantly messing with them...but that pretty much goes for any t.

Getting intermediate ts like Psalms does very much work to prepare you for old worlds, with less of the risk that an actual OW will present a person in learning stages of the hobby. People moving up slowly in stages almost always end up avoiding those mistakes those jumping in head first experience regularly.

"just prolonging the time period between now and the day you get the spider you actually want"

I hear this one a lot, and it always makes me laugh., 99% of people starting out, literally, have no clue what it is that "actually" want (despite their beliefs). More often than not, they end up finding these "stepping stone" ts to actually be not only more desirable than they originally thought, but often these become their favorite species altogether. Moving your way up not only gives you invaluable keeper experience, but also the proper experience with various ts that will eventually teach you what you actually prefer in the long run.

By passing on species like this, you are passing on potential favorites you never previously considered. This was my experience and I know I am not alone.

I never gave thought to psalms when I started out...I straight up disliked Avics...but here I am, 16+ years later and both of those genera have easily become my favorites...had I just went with what I thought I liked when I started out, my room would be filled with ts I now find much less desirable...as most of the ones I "thought" I liked when I started, are ones I wouldn't take for free or purchase now as an experienced keeper.....like so many new keepers, the ts I thought were the coolest when starting are far from those I enjoy now that I have a better understanding of the many species available.

Definitely agree on the fact that you get a broader perspective of species, although i didn't really have only certain species I wanted. Aside from the A.versicolor .
I never thought I would own an E.murinus. Or a P.muticus. Or a T.violaceus. Or...well you get the idea

 

[Chris LXXIX]

You think boobs overreacting is sexy?

Yuk

You try dealing with them every month then.

Wish that <-- sad Butters face
but the only 'cup' I can touch is a cup of coffee. And thank God I'm not a Brit, otherwise imagine an ocean of tea :-s

Just kidding

me too, I live for jokes.

 

[Anoplogaster]

I completely disagree, aside from the not constantly messing with them...but that pretty much goes for any t.

Getting intermediate ts like Psalms does very much work to prepare you for old worlds, with less of the risk that an actual OW will present a person in learning stages of the hobby. People moving up slowly in stages almost always end up avoiding those mistakes those jumping in head first experience regularly.

"just prolonging the time period between now and the day you get the spider you actually want"

I hear this one a lot, and it always makes me laugh., 99% of people starting out, literally, have no clue what it is that "actually" want (despite their beliefs). More often than not, they end up finding these "stepping stone" ts to actually be not only more desirable than they originally thought, but often these become their favorite species altogether. Moving your way up not only gives you invaluable keeper experience, but also the proper experience with various ts that will eventually teach you what you actually prefer in the long run.

By passing on species like this, you are passing on potential favorites you never previously considered. This was my experience and I know I am not alone.

I never gave thought to psalms when I started out...I straight up disliked Avics...but here I am, 16+ years later and both of those genera have easily become my favorites...had I just went with what I thought I liked when I started out, my room would be filled with ts I now find much less desirable...as most of the ones I "thought" I liked when I started, are ones I wouldn't take for free or purchase now as an experienced keeper.....like so many new keepers, the ts I thought were the coolest when starting are far from those I enjoy now that I have a better understanding of the many species available.

But as humans, our desires change over time. I don't really think it's a matter of discovering that you actually like or prefer a species over another, as if that desire was already there in the first place. Rather, the preference begins when you actually have them because you find qualities about them that happen to be desirable. I don't regret any of my T purchases, and I know I'll always love the ones I have. And I have a long list of species that I still want. Now, can anyone predict whether that will change in the future? Hard to really make a generalization in regards to what you like or might start liking in the future. For instance, I've never owned a rosie, and probably never will. That doesn't mean I won't like one if I ever got one. I'm sure I would fall in love with something about it, and it could easily be the best T ever. But does that mean I have to force myself to acquire one just with that possibility in mind?

My whole point was really that getting that intermediate spider, you can't really expect a ton of experience pouring in from just that one. Because once you set it up, everything else you do with it is fairly minimal. You spend most of your time staring at it in its enclosure, rather than actively gaining experience with it. Now, that's different from someone gaining decades worth of experience with dozens of different species. Of course that experience does build up over time. True experience can only happen through years and years of owning as many species as you can get. And sure, perhaps I shouldn't have gotten my H. mac as early as I did. But hey, I learned from it. That first escape was experience. I got the chance to see it and think "Wow! These things are crazy fast! Impressive!"

Btw, just to clarify, I absolutely LOVE P. iriminia! I think they're some of the most uniquely gorgeous spiders around. So, I'm not trying to discourage the OP from getting one

 

[Venom1080]

. And sure, perhaps I shouldn't have gotten my H. mac as early as I did. But hey, I learned from it. That first escape was experience. I got the chance to see it and think "Wow! These things are crazy fast! Impressive!"

the whole point is to not have that happen. and if it does, its not a OW arboreal. Psalmopoeus venom wont put kids in the hospital or kill your dog.

 

[Anoplogaster]

the whole point is to not have that happen. and if it does, its not a OW arboreal. Psalmopoeus venom wont put kids in the hospital or kill your dog.

Lol.... well, I'm never the kind of person who pretends to be perfect and makes no mistakes. 20-year veteran police officers still get shot. They may have enough experience to minimize the potential. But in the wrong moment, no one can dodge bullets

 

[Andrea82]

the whole point is to not have that happen. and if iprobs, its not a OW arboreal. Psalmopoeus venom wont put kids in the hospital or kill your dog.

I actually get nauseated by thinking that the irminia who escaped would be an H.maculata. I also would
probably have been bitten...

 

[Jeff23]

I see multiple people mentioning a desire for particular OW tarantulas, but quite often I don't see what quality they say this tarantula is giving them. This makes me wonder if a few people simply want an OW so they can feel like they are at advanced level fast.

Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder so obviously all of us fall in love with the look of different tarantulas which is what makes all of us different in that respect. My problem is that every tarantula looks beautiful. If I was rich I would have a real problem with my attention deficit disorder. But from the angle of this beauty I really don't need that extra venom to make the beautiful hurt so much.

 

[Andrea82]

Just wondering....where'd OP go?

 

[cold blood]

But as humans, our desires change over time. I don't really think it's a matter of discovering that you actually like or prefer a species over another, as if that desire was already there in the first place. Rather, the preference begins when you actually have them because you find qualities about them that happen to be desirable. I don't regret any of my T purchases, and I know I'll always love the ones I have. And I have a long list of species that I still want. Now, can anyone predict whether that will change in the future? Hard to really make a generalization in regards to what you like or might start liking in the future. For instance, I've never owned a rosie, and probably never will. That doesn't mean I won't like one if I ever got one. I'm sure I would fall in love with something about it, and it could easily be the best T ever. But does that mean I have to force myself to acquire one just with that possibility in mind?

My whole point was really that getting that intermediate spider, you can't really expect a ton of experience pouring in from just that one. Because once you set it up, everything else you do with it is fairly minimal. You spend most of your time staring at it in its enclosure, rather than actively gaining experience with it. Now, that's different from someone gaining decades worth of experience with dozens of different species. Of course that experience does build up over time. True experience can only happen through years and years of owning as many species as you can get. And sure, perhaps I shouldn't have gotten my H. mac as early as I did. But hey, I learned from it. That first escape was experience. I got the chance to see it and think "Wow! These things are crazy fast! Impressive!"

Btw, just to clarify, I absolutely LOVE P. iriminia! I think they're some of the most uniquely gorgeous spiders around. So, I'm not trying to discourage the OP from getting one

Again, your entitled to your opinion, but I wholeheartedly disagree.


Just your H. mac example shows that deep down, you know I am right...had you had the proper experience, you almost certainly wouldn't have had your first escape (or OW learning experience) be a mac that got loose...this type of incident is precisely the situation we hope to help people avoid when telling them to take it slow and work your way up. I took it slow, and as a result, I have never had any OW escape or any single issue...simply because I was prepared, there is no other reason why my transition to advanced species was as buttery smooth as it was.

No one wants to, or should learn with an H. mac escape...those trivial errors should have been long since quelled before an H. mac was even a thought in a collection.

 

[Anoplogaster]

Again, your entitled to your opinion, but I wholeheartedly disagree.


Just your H. mac example shows that deep down, you know I am right...had you had the proper experience, you almost certainly wouldn't have had your first escape (or OW learning experience) be a mac that got loose...this type of incident is precisely the situation we hope to help people avoid when telling them to take it slow and work your way up. I took it slow, and as a result, I have never had any OW escape or any single issue...simply because I was prepared, there is no other reason why my transition to advanced species was as buttery smooth as it was.

No one wants to, or should learn with an H. mac escape...those trivial errors should have been long since quelled before an H. mac was even a thought in a collection.

Well, I'm just offering a different perspective. And we can agree to disagree then

Even the most advanced keepers can have an issue at any moment, perhaps with a T that just does something unexpected. It can always happen, regardless of experience level. It never happened to you, and I believe you (sort of). That's awesome to have such a perfect track record! Now, does that mean nothing will EVER happen? Well, one simply can't predict the future.

Btw, the H. mac escape was not a complete escape where I lost it. She got free as I was rehousing her, I cornered her and cupped her. And it was THAT experience that taught me to always rehouse in the bathtub from then on

 

[Anoplogaster]

I see multiple people mentioning a desire for particular OW tarantulas, but quite often I don't see what quality they say this tarantula is giving them. This makes me wonder if a few people simply want an OW so they can feel like they are at advanced level fast.

Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder so obviously all of us fall in love with the look of different tarantulas which is what makes all of us different in that respect. My problem is that every tarantula looks beautiful. If I was rich I would have a real problem with my attention deficit disorder. But from the angle of this beauty I really don't need that extra venom to make the beautiful hurt so much.

Well, I guess to me, it doesn't really matter whether it's an OW or NW. I like a lot of both If I like a particular species, and it happens to be an OW, I just don't let that stop me from getting it. I'm sure there are people out there who simply want a highly venomous animal.... to each their own. But that's never been my motivation. I don't like OW spiders because they are OW, I like them because they're pretty and neat to look at

 

[cold blood]

Well, I'm just offering a different perspective. And we can agree to disagree then

Even the most advanced keepers can have an issue at any moment, perhaps with a T that just does something unexpected. It can always happen, regardless of experience level. It never happened to you, and I believe you (sort of). That's awesome to have such a perfect track record! Now, does that mean nothing will EVER happen? Well, one simply can't predict the future.

Btw, the H. mac escape was not a complete escape where I lost it. She got free as I was rehousing her, I cornered her and cupped her. And it was THAT experience that taught me to always rehouse in the bathtub from then on

What it did was to teach me how to deal with and anticipate those bad things that happen, before they actually happen (like preventative maintenance)...which means theyre either avoided entirely (usually), or dealt with swiftly before they become a lets chase the spider issue.

Often the things that can cause issues are totally avoidable (usually when you see a vid of things gone wrong, experienced keepers can lay down a list of do and don't do's that would have prevented the situation, I'm sure we all know that feeling) with experience....this experience allows you to better predict and stop bad things before they happen by proceeding in a different way or just not proceeding. So not only are there a lot less "oops" moments, but an experienced keeper is able to deal with it in a manner that will prevent it from being even a minor incident.

We are fine disagreeing, I'm ok with that

I knew years before I ever had an OW that an open place like a tub would offer me an advantage...valuable info learned from lowly NWs.

 

[viper69]

I agree with most of what is mentioned here. But there are quirks about OWs that even fast NWs (like P. iriminia) will never teach you. They're just different spiders.

Also, keep in mind that keeping spiders doesn't involve you constantly messing with them (unless you're a breeder). Once you have a spider settled in, you only fill the water, give it food occassionally, and discard boluses..... until the next re-house. Not a ton of interaction, especially if they just hide whenever you open the enclosure (most OWs do). So really, the thought of getting an "intermediate" spider, at least in my opinion, serves little more than just prolonging the time period between now and the day you get the spider you actually want. And I agree, it's definitely not a race. But in the same way, you shouldn't necessarily feel so restricted, either. Keeping OWs is not actually as gnarly as it sounds..... they mostly just hide a lot

Do your research first, of course! And it's all dependent on your personal comfort level. Some people never keep OWs, and are perfectly happy. But if you're interested in them, I'd say just go for it

I see where you are coming from, not the only person on her to suggest the ladder system is nothing but a delay method.

Generally speaking most people simply aren't ready IMO.

A LOT of the potential OW keepers say they have X amount of Ts, have been keeping them "a while" and feel they are ready. Turns out, they bought 20 NW slings in the span of a few months (not impressed), and have owned their Ts for a year (not impressed). It's simply not a relevant amount of experience for the AVERAGE person.

People like me provide the AVERAGE answer because there's no way I may know the poster's abilities.

Why? Because I'm pretty confident the average owner that purchases a Poki will have a T that they can't deal with less than a few years, or less in some cases.

There's a reason why brand new pilots aren't qualified to fly a jet airliner full of people, the same goes for T owners GENERALLY speaking.

 

[Cheo Samad]

I use this for any exoctic pet that's a step above the rest. If you feel like you need to ask if you're ready, you might wanna think twice. When you're ready, you won't feel the need to ask, you'll just know you can handle it.

 

[Ungoliant]

I use this for any exoctic pet that's a step above the rest. If you feel like you need to ask if you're ready, you might wanna think twice. When you're ready, you won't feel the need to ask, you'll just know you can handle it.

The Dunning–Kruger effect begs to differ.

 

[Anoplogaster]

The Dunning–Kruger effect begs to differ.

Lol..... I assume the peak is when the inevitable bite occurs?

 

[Jeff23]

I see where you are coming from, not the only person on her to suggest the ladder system is nothing but a delay method.

Generally speaking most people simply aren't ready IMO.

A LOT of the potential OW keepers say they have X amount of Ts, have been keeping them "a while" and feel they are ready. Turns out, they bought 20 NW slings in the span of a few months (not impressed), and have owned their Ts for a year (not impressed). It's simply not a relevant amount of experience for the AVERAGE person.

People like me provide the AVERAGE answer because there's no way I may know the poster's abilities.

Why? Because I'm pretty confident the average owner that purchases a Poki will have a T that they can't deal with less than a few years, or less in some cases.

There's a reason why brand new pilots aren't qualified to fly a jet airliner full of people, the same goes for T owners GENERALLY speaking.

And I am the perfect example for your comment. I own 15 Psalms (no adults) in my half year of experience. So I still don't know what it is like to own a really fast adult T that has attitude. I am ahead of most other people with similar months of experience in caring for slings due to the quantity I own but that is it.

I am lucky in that my "unexpected" "freebie" OW H. gigas is pretty much a pet hole. I never see this tarantula but those giant crickets I put into the cup always disappear. I would swear I hear a burp come from that cup every once and a while.. So at some point it will be interesting whether I will feel like Bildo in the lair of the dragon after the 32 oz deli cup starts bulging on the sides.:wideyed:

 

[Cheo Samad]

Confidence because of ignorance, and confidence because of experience are two completely different things.

 

[Ungoliant]

Confidence because of ignorance, and confidence because of experience are two completely different things.

And there's the rub: people in Camp A (confident but incompetent) are highly likely to believe they are in Camp B (confident and competent). That's why it's not necessarily good advice to say "you'll know when you are ready."

People sometimes quip, "if you have to ask, you're not ready." I disagree. Recognizing the potential limitations of your own knowledge and asking more experienced people for feedback is a sign of good judgment. (And given that people tend to doubt themselves as they become more competent, the fact that someone is asking "am I ready?" does not automatically mean the answer is no.)