How do people react when you say you have pet tarantulas?

[Andrew Ferguson]

When I first told family and friends I was planning on getting a tarantula, some were horrified. My nephew said he wasn't going to come to the house so as not to be eaten (waaay too much TV!). Mu sister in law said "I shouldn't be so stupid, especially with a baby on the way!". This from a person who bought a dog knowing all too well her sister (my wife) has a really bad allergy to dog hairs! A very close friend said she wouldn't come to our house any more. So far we haven't told her
When I've told work colleagues (I often work with a different person each day) everyone has been totally fascinated and we end up talking in depth about them for some time. Only one person wanted to know did I keep an anti-venom at home!
On the whole, most people are interested and don't find it at all weird. Most will listen to what I have to say and look at the photos I have on my phone, all with serious interest. Maybe not in owning one, but at least they are more informed about our eight legged friends.
Its a shame though that some people are so ignorant to the fact that nearly all spiders, big or little, are more afraid of us, than we are of them. Even my son (who is almost 4) knows more about spiders now than most adults. Even so far as seriously telling someone off for crushing a Money spider!

So there you go, my encounters of people who have encountered a tarantula owner for the first time. Anyone else wish to share their stories?

[Rebecca Norris]

I get one question... WHY????? lol!

[Peter Lacey]

My daughter has already made plans to stay at her grandmothers if one of the Ts escapes! LOL

[James Box]

lol...well my colleagues at work think i'm a bit odd, though they're getting used to it slowly.
my friends i think are getting concerned because i'm clearly addicted haha! i may get an "intervention" soon
actually most of my friends think i'm pretty cool, though i do hear that i might be single because of the animals! as if for one, i like my independence, and secondly, there are loads of great girls not scared of spiders and snakes if i wanted a change!
but then my friends may be winding me up

[scotttaylor]

my T has sorted out my sis kids problems with spiders ( got it from my siss)
but most of it is why and wont you be killed if it bites you i laff and say no i get to clime walls for 2 days after

[Kate Arbon]

There seem to be a standard set of questions...

- Why do you want to keep spiders?
- What do they do?
- Are they poisonous? (No... they're venomous!)
- Have they been de-venomed?

A lot of people seem quite interested and I like being able to teach them some stuff and help put spiders in a less demonised light. Some people are automatically "eww!" about it, but if they ever come round my house they always eventually want to see them, and they never find them as gross as they expect to


After I'd been keeping T's for 2 years I decided I wanted some more active pets so I got some mice. Absolutely without fail, EVERY single person I've told that I got some mice has immediately said "Why, to feed to your tarantulas??"

[James Box]

lol i get the "why" sometimes...and i always have to correct people on the fact they're venomous not poisonous!
not only that...but of COURSE T's are venomous! all spiders are! just rather less than dangerously so.

[scotttaylor]

i have found as soon as they sit there and see you dont freek around the Ts they carme down and woch them and get intersted my siss kids are fighting with my siss to have 1

[mary walters]

My new boss and her partner and children came to see them, a collegue has been and another is currently sorting out when she can get over to see them.
Some of my customers are appalled, some have said they know me from tv programmes I have been on.

[Richard Shah]

When I first told family and friends I was planning on getting a tarantula, some were horrified. My nephew said he wasn't going to come to the house so as not to be eaten (waaay too much TV!). Mu sister in law said "I shouldn't be so stupid, especially with a baby on the way!". This from a person who bought a dog knowing all too well her sister (my wife) has a really bad allergy to dog hairs! A very close friend said she wouldn't come to our house any more. So far we haven't told her
When I've told work colleagues (I often work with a different person each day) everyone has been totally fascinated and we end up talking in depth about them for some time. Only one person wanted to know did I keep an anti-venom at home!
On the whole, most people are interested and don't find it at all weird. Most will listen to what I have to say and look at the photos I have on my phone, all with serious interest. Maybe not in owning one, but at least they are more informed about our eight legged friends.
Its a shame though that some people are so ignorant to the fact that nearly all spiders, big or little, are more afraid of us, than we are of them. Even my son (who is almost 4) knows more about spiders now than most adults. Even so far as seriously telling someone off for crushing a Money spider!

So there you go, my encounters of people who have encountered a tarantula owner for the first time. Anyone else wish to share their stories?

My friend says she isn't coming around anymore, but I know she is talking rubbish; others ask "Why?" some are fascinated but would never have a T. themself and the rest of my friends are like "Why would you want a T.?"
My sister thinks it's cruel, as does her bf - but cuz he wants it brought up in a decent environment he's buying me an exo terra terrarium!
My bro thinks it is sick (kl)!
I haven't told my other sister or her two kids yet!

[James Box]

i'm sure your sis's bf means well...but a "decent environment" for a T is not exo terra. they're nice enough for US, but the T doesn't give a fat rat's bottom about it. all a T cares about is security, heat, food, water and security.
it doesn't care about a fake rock background, it doesn't care about the locking mechanisms, it doesn't care about the screen.
it's really easy for people to anthropomorphise (i LOVE that word) a tarantula, but there's no way to do that in any meaningrful way, as a tarantula has a completely different set of needs and preferences that have little or no correlation with a human's needs and preferences.
in short: a tarantula in a shoebox will be as happy (if not more so!) then a tarantula in a glass display viv as long as its basic needs are met.

now for the rant: what makes it cruel? sorry, but the destruction of an animal's environment is the cruelest thing that humans are doing. us lowly keepers and potential breeders are quite possibly all that stand between many species of tarantula surviving and their utter extinction.
would it be better in general for them to remain in the wild? of course! but that's becoming less and less an option for them and MANY other animals.
thank God for the "cruelty" us keepers are visiting on these beautiful animals, trying to give them secure homes and hopefully save them from extinction.
sorry, it's just well-meaning people who really don't know the facts shouldn't judge.

[Richard Shah]

i'm sure your sis's bf means well...but a "decent environment" for a T is not exo terra. they're nice enough for US, but the T doesn't give a fat rat's bottom about it. all a T cares about is security, heat, food, water and security.
it doesn't care about a fake rock background, it doesn't care about the locking mechanisms, it doesn't care about the screen.
it's really easy for people to anthropomorphise (i LOVE that word) a tarantula, but there's no way to do that in any meaningrful way, as a tarantula has a completely different set of needs and preferences that have little or no correlation with a human's needs and preferences.
in short: a tarantula in a shoebox will be as happy (if not more so!) then a tarantula in a glass display viv as long as its basic needs are met.

now for the rant: what makes it cruel? sorry, but the destruction of an animal's environment is the cruelest thing that humans are doing. us lowly keepers and potential breeders are quite possibly all that stand between many species of tarantula surviving and their utter extinction.
would it be better in general for them to remain in the wild? of course! but that's becoming less and less an option for them and MANY other animals.
thank God for the "cruelty" us keepers are visiting on these beautiful animals, trying to give them secure homes and hopefully save them from extinction.
sorry, it's just well-meaning people who really don't know the facts shouldn't judge.

The reason I told him the exo terra would suit a Tarantula is cuz it is fairly cheap, has plenty of space for the T when it reaches its full size, ventilation is sorted out before-hand so nothing to worry about there, and there is the added bonus that it looks nice for me (like you said has nothing to do with the T.)!
Now the cruelty part, I totally understand your POV of the argument, and I share it with you, but his opinion, my sister and my form tutor's (I told her too!) opinion is based on the fact that they should have freedom to do what they want and live free! I understand both POV and see the truth in both, but I see more truth in what you said.

[Andrew Ferguson]

I totally understand your POV of the argument, and I share it with you, but his opinion, my sister and my form tutor's (I told her too!) opinion is based on the fact that they should have freedom to do what they want and live free!

The same can be said about any animal. I personally think keeping birds indoors is cruel. Birds of all the creatures should have the most freedom. Hence the saying "free as a bird!" And anyone that keeps a large dog in a small house with little exercise is extremely cruel, but that's just my £0.02 worth!

But to get back to the original topic, I feel it is our duty to inform people of these facts whenever they find out we keep tarantulas as pets. That way they can understand (even if ever so slightly) that tarantulas are delicate, endangered (some) and not at all like the movies would make them out to be. Even if you feel James Bond and Indiana Jones are your favourite films

[Chris Golen]

Yeah I usually get the "why" response.
I always take that moment to educate them a little bit.
Sometimes they still have a look of horror on their face and other times they actually seem interested.

[Colin D Wilson]

On the original topic.....( ascertive eh? )

When people ask me why i keep spiders.......I ask them why they don't

Try it, they're stumped for a serious answer most of the time.