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

[Andrew Ferguson]

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

I have a young son, so it pays to be assertive

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

I often say I don't want a dog and I tend to kill goldsfish. That usually leaves them stumped!

[Louise~Nichols]

Hmmm...the strangest repsonses I've had are:

*Oh...tarantulas...but you're a woman!* lol

and:

*Ahh, but you are a goth, you're supposed to be weird*

So there you have it, on the one hand I have an excuse, on the other...how very dare I bring disrepute to women!! LOL I never justify my passions anyways...my usual response is *would you rather I walked down the road naked?* hehehe

[Richard Shah]

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

Indiana Jones used to be mine when I was younger, I cannot wait for the new film though! The meal in the Temple of Doom was rank lol!!!!!

He agrees with what you said too (I know this from whenI questioned him), and keeping a lot of animals are cruel, including dogs in the state you said. And what you said about birds, very true!
I'm sorry that once again I have taken you all off topic, and glad that Colin could bring back the OP's discussion!
Thanks,
Rich.

[Peter Lacey]

People's opinions are usually fuelled by ignorance and assumptions, they're rarely educated. However we were probably in the same situation once and probably are about a great many other subjects. We can easily dispel the myths and enlighten the listener but its part of our upbringing that we are scared of spiders and yet consider it bad luck to kill them. A spider in the garden is a useful ally against pests, in the home a way of helping to catch those flies and see a money spider and we can give ourselves some mythical wealth. Take a close look and most people and appalled and yet fascinated by the way spiders catch their prey and cocoon them. Increase the size of the spiders to that of the tarantula and the myth and abhorrence increases.
No wonder people ask why we wish to keep them, even after the brief education, many are dumbfounded by the fact we can't stroke them or take them out for walks, and yet the same is true of keeping tropical fish!

[Richard Shah]

People's opinions are usually fuelled by ignorance and assumptions, they're rarely educated. However we were probably in the same situation once and probably are about a great many other subjects. We can easily dispel the myths and enlighten the listener but its part of our upbringing that we are scared of spiders and yet consider it bad luck to kill them. A spider in the garden is a useful ally against pests, in the home a way of helping to catch those flies and see a money spider and we can give ourselves some mythical wealth. Take a close look and most people and appalled and yet fascinated by the way spiders catch their prey and cocoon them. Increase the size of the spiders to that of the tarantula and the myth and abhorrence increases.
No wonder people ask why we wish to keep them, even after the brief education, many are dumbfounded by the fact we can't stroke them or take them out for walks, and yet the same is true of keeping tropical fish!

True. I didn't know killing a spider is 'bad luck', but I don't believe in luck or superstitions, and I think some people use both to avoid facing that themselves in fact was the root cause of a problem to begin with, others need something to believe in; but that is just my ideology lol!
But yeah, I agree with everything you just said - I myself never thought it was necessarily cruel, but after hearing other people's views, I decided to look into it and immediately found out that the T. never strays far away from its burrow (thanks to the BTS!)
Cheers,
Rich

[jason holland]

the usual questions i get are why? and has it got its venom taken out?
one of my best mates refuses to come round my house now lol... luckily mu girlfriend doesnt mind at all, (as long as the lids on) and sometimes before even giving me a kiss hello etc, will go over to see my smithi first! lol.

i was actually gonna ask this myself recently, because one thing that i get alot of, is people telling me that if they lived near me, or if they saw it they'd squish it. ive also has some people telling me to burn my tarantula. which as its a pet (which dont get me wrong.. these are kind of pets) is kinda upsetting in a way.

it is nice tho, when people show an interest, and ask sensible questions etc. thats the upside. people actually taking an interest

[scotttaylor]

its all about people not nowing much about them and what the TV and famerly have sed to them.
EG. im a pagon and i get a lot of rubbish sed to me till they sit down and chat with me lol por gits.
i personly think that the flim arckerphobia was the werst thing to happen to Ts in a long time showing them as small killers were 1 bite will kill you quicker than paying your taxes.
i was having a chat with a mate yesterday and he sed about the flim, his face dropted when i told him take if my T fell a few inches when im puting in her box to clean her she will dye. and that they carnt run for miles, he woched my 8 leged freaks dvd. got out my book and showed him the book lung

[Clinton Hogben]

my usual response is *would you rather I walked down the road naked?* hehehe

Go on Louise I dare ya te he

PS let us all know where / when

Back to topic after a short mental distraction I get the same response "WHY"
despite all the promises of never visiting anymore it hasn't stopped the mother in law visiting though

Clint

[Kate Arbon]

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.

Heh, I do tend to respond to "Why do you keep spiders?" with "Well, why not?"

Generally they'll either think for a second and then go "Oh yeah, fair enough." or at the other extreme I get "Because they're gross/scary/dangerous/boring." at which I can give them the verbal version of a tarantula FAQ (usually sidetracking to "and you shouldn't kill house spiders either, they're good for us!") and rant at them until they admit maybe spiders aren't as bad as they thought

[Steve McIntyre]

A good few years back (2000, I think) I was sat in the Yacht Club in a group. The conversation eventually came around to tarantulas, as a few people knew that I kept them. One lad asked what I kept them in... so I said, straight faced that I didn't keep them in anything... I just let them roam around the house . It took a few seconds for the penny to drop and I couldn't help laughing, which probably gave the game away. I've also been asked if I've removed their fangs...Do I look like a Tarantula dentist?

[Nicola Dolby]

When people find out I have tarantulas these are the common reactions:-

1) Eeeeek

2) Why keep a pet you can't pick up?

3) Are you feeling ok?

I have my housing association and the Enforcement and Licencing Officer from my local council calling next week. They want to make sure my pets are being looked after and are not a danger to any visitors! I could be negative and call this harrassment and victimisation, or just see it as an opportunity to educate some people. Even if the council officer concerned turned my DWA licence application down for no justifiable reason whatsoever and then didn't even have the courtesy to tell me himself, and left it to my housing association to do so.

[Pam Turner]

It generally goes something like this;



Why?

How many/what kind do you have?

WHY????

What do you do with them?

I get a lot of head shaking and backing away.

I do get the "I squish spiders" a lot, to which I like to respond with saying "You are never more than 3 feet from a spider, you gonna get all of them?"

My one best friend is terrified, so she won't go in the room where the spiders are, the other best friend has Ts (7) of her own. The hubby is tolerant, and dear old mom is the reason I love spiders in the first place.

[Richard Shah]

It generally goes something like this;



Why?

How many/what kind do you have?

WHY????

What do you do with them?

I get a lot of head shaking and backing away.

I do get the "I squish spiders" a lot, to which I like to respond with saying "You are never more than 3 feet from a spider, you gonna get all of them?"

My one best friend is terrified, so she won't go in the room where the spiders are, the other best friend has Ts (7) of her own. The hubby is tolerant, and dear old mom is the reason I love spiders in the first place.

My T will be kept in my bedroom, where I hang out a lot. One of my friends is terrified of spiders, and my friends always hang out in my bed room; I wonder how'll she react when I get it (just over a week to wait, if that!)

[Andrew Ferguson]

A good few years back (2000, I think) I was sat in the Yacht Club in a group.

Just how old are you Steve when you can recall being sat in the yacht club 2000 years ago!!! LOL

[Peter Lacey]

Unfortunately some of the worries and woes are carried by my immediate family and the recent heavy discussion has resulted in a NO MORE TARANTULA, with the exception of the 3 versi's I've ordered from HAMM.
It seems you can educate and provide a rational argument but you can never take away the irrational fear.
In contrast I don't seem to have the choice when it comes to the cat though. And that has a habit of bringing in mice, birds and even a live pigeon recently. Can't wait til the Summer so we can add fleas to that list :-/