My Collection :)

[Neil Ashby]

Hi , this is my collection

Sorry about the quality of some of the pics !!

[Nicola Dolby]

pictures

What an absolutely beautiful collection and setup! Be proud of yourself Neil, very proud. Oh and there's nothing wrong with the picture quality (not when you've seen some of mine!!!).

[Glen Feasey]

Really nice collection there mate! The display cabinet looks great as well, is it home made or a purchase?

[Neil Ashby]

Thanks Nicola that kind of you , i am proud of it and i love every one of them ! ..... although my favorite has to be my Curly hair , she is soo timid at times for such a large chunky spider

Yes Glen , all my own work mate ! . I have built the enclosure around heating pipes at the back which gives a certain amount of heat . This is helped by a tubular greenhouse heater at the back which is thermo controlled . The lights do give extra heat when on but as they are only tubes it isnt much

Its in the corner of my lounge , i think i spend more time looking at it than the TV !!!

The two top tanks will eventually house my two Goliaths and im hoping for a Cobalt Blue and a Goliath Pink Toe to complete my collection

[Colin D Wilson]

Very nice, i'm a big fan of the wooden enclosure type myself.

If you've got em...display em.

Saying that, after prospective purchases at the BTS show i may not have the room to show them all off

[Neil Ashby]

Just for the record , ive just taken in my friends P Murinus , orange baboon , who i swear is identical to my other one

[Mark Lynes]

Not to be a party pooper, but is there really any point in keeping these animals just for display? You may as well just collect Wedgewood china.

No offence meant & I hope none taken, but we are talking about animals which are often ( and certainly originally ) removed from the wild and therefore a depletion of the gene pool if they are not bred.If we are to take spiders from an ever vulnerable wild stock then surely we have a resposibility to at least attempt captive breeding , this may of course be Neil's intention, however it doesn't appear so on the face of it.

Flame on......

Mark

[Adam Smith]

some people in the hobby may just want a few tarantulas in a nice display and no intention of breeding them. That display looks a lot nicer than seeing cricket tubs and small deli pots stacked on top of each other. having a set up display like that is no different to someone having a couple of stack vivs with a few snakes in.

[Neil Ashby]

" is there really any point in keeping these animals just for display? "

im sorry but im a little miffed at this comment for a few reasons .....

1 i think ive given them a better home than a grotty old tub or sweet jar
2 i can view all my T`s without disturbing them by constantly having to unscrew the top or unclicking the lid !! , which must be unsettling for the T .
3 if i didnt keep them in a nice display , i certainly wouldnt have them in my lounge where i can keep an eye on them constantly
4 i have tried breeding , i tried with a pair of Salmon Pinks , the female twice produced an eggsac then destroyed it both times !! The second mating resulted in her killing the male ! .I have also reared about 20 baby leopard geckos .
5 People are a lot more interested in them because of the display , and this has resulted in a few people starting their own collection . Had they been in tubs/plastic boxes , they probably wouldnt have been as interested.

If people want to make an effort then they shouldnt be criticised . I keep T`s because they fascinate me and give me hours of pleasure , i dont keep them to show off !

[Robin Johannessen]

Nice collection Neil

[Kain Prestwood]

I am hoping myself for setups like this eventually.

At the moment my spiders are in 'grotty old sweet jars' and dehli tubs (I was abit miffed at your discription of that Neil...)

However mine are not grottydelidescription or old, I bought them brand new and unspoiled. Once my T's reach a more adult size, I will house them in a better display terrarium.

Everyones hobby is different, and there goals and hopes vary, slagging people off because there idea of the hobby is different to someone else's is abit much.

I would like to breed one day, but not until I have become a more experienced T keeper.

Kain

[Daniel Carpenter]

Agreed ....same here bout breeding wait a while til i do ...but that is my top goal.
Dan.

[Richard Simmonds]

Good for you Neil, Nice collection and as they say " from small acorns" eh mate. Just started myself, and i am having an oak and glass cabinet made, to house my growing collection. Hopefully, one day i will try breeding also. Nice setup and good T,s mate.

[BarryL]

nice collection, nice display cabinet as well, nothing wrong in displaying them for you or others to see. take no notice of anyone that comments otherwise lol.

just jealous of your display

hope to see more pics at some point as your collection.

[Barbara Gittings]

"Is there any point"

Hi Neil

I am not surprised you were a little miffed! I was a little miffed when I read this as well.

I think your collection and display are something to be proud of, it looks really lovely in your lounge. It must be nice to watch them whilst relaxing.
I only have one T at present but am thinking about getting another, I myself am not interested in breeding I just want to give them a good home and enjoy them. We can not all be interested in breeding, and I don' think those of us who just like to display our T's should be criticised. If having a T meant we all had to breed, then I would never have found the joy of having a T in the first place.

I may only be new to this hobby but have found I am becoming quite passionate about T's

Barbara