<3 Tarantula Keeper's Guide <3

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. I've seen a couple of
T Keeper's YouTube channels who advised it ( one of my favorites being Jon3800 )

I want to just go ahead and buy the "Tarantula Keeper's Guide" because I've
heard that is the most reputable book on the face of the earth.

My question to you guys is: Is this book all it's cracked up to be?

On Amazon, it seems to get 5 out of 5 stars and such,
but I just wanted a last bit advice on whether it's really legit.

Then I'll probably just spend HOURS just reading it, to learn
everything I want to know

It's pretty good for New World terrestrials from drier areas. Some of the tropical species information is off though. I'd recommend getting it, although if you have any specific questions you can always ask it here. The author is currently working on a new, revised (fourth) edition. It should hopefully be more accurate.

I was looking online at the top 10 BIGGEST spiders in the world....and it showed an orange haired spider -- sort of a "Baboon Type" that hasn't been seen since 1900.

Why is it that some T's go extinct? That just really shocked me. Also another P Raja? ( sp? ) was just discovered in 2009 in Sri Lanka.

Is it possible that new species of T's are popping up and they just haven't been discovered yet? It looked like a P Regalis but, it was a P Raja or some
weird spelling

It's the internet. It's not to be trusted. As for your last question, of course. That's how evolution works, although not very fast.

[Edit]

Here's a link to the TKG reviews: http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?31519-The-Tarantula-Keepers-Guide-Schultz-amp-Schultz

[Edit 2]

Here's the thread Cold Blood was talking about: http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/sho...nts-of-Discussion&highlight=Chilobrachys+care

There's still lots of good info the TKG can offer, but in many aspects, its outdated, which is why a new edition is in the making. Do a search here, poec54 started a great thread (this winter) to discuss its merits and talk about what needs to be upgraded for the next edition.

Can't imagine not having a copy TKG in my library. If you start with NWs -- between that book and this forum, you should do well.
I haven't heard any more about a new edition -- I had wondered if the idea got scrapped....
Stan doesn't even keep Ts anymore does he?

Only because he's living out of his RV...not really an ideal place to keep a bunch of t's.....he is, however, still very much "into" t's:wink:

Much like the Youtube hobbyists, it's a good place to start but is by no means infallible. I still consider it a necessity though; especially if you're going in with no prior knowledge of tarantulas.

As to the fact that things go extinct, that that surprises you is a bit odd. Animals go extinct all the time, usually because of humans and something that humans generally fear and demonize is not going to be an exception.

It's been said in a round about way by other members it has it's merits and it's shortcomings that's not the authors fault it's just this hobby actually moves pretty quickly in terms of new species and new techniques for say rehousing, breeding etc. As a guide it's the perfect companion to the hobby that can be turned to for advice, Tkg cannot however replace knowledge or experience gained from 1st hand interaction it is simply a guide to help, many of us here have the same species but care for them differently even if only slightly. So yeah it is worth buying and reading it will help you understand the hobby you will love

Arachnomaniac19 said:

It's the internet. It's not to be trusted. As for your last question, of course. That's how evolution works, although not very fast.

[Edit]

Here's a link to the TKG reviews: http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?31519-The-Tarantula-Keepers-Guide-Schultz-amp-Schultz

[Edit 2]

Here's the thread Cold Blood was talking about: http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/sho...nts-of-Discussion&highlight=Chilobrachys+care

Click to expand...

**** I'm gonna read through both of these threads.....thanx <3

Its definately worth a buy and read, even if some of the info is outdated, i have it and wouldnt want to part with it before the new edition is released

Definitely good for new and intermediate keepers. Might be outdated, but I can't think of a better book to start off with. Not only is it very informative, but it is a good read as well. The authors have a way with words that I found very humanizing about it. In other words, I didn't feel like I was reading an instruction manual.

DamonVikki said:

Definitely good for new and intermediate keepers. Might be outdated, but I can't think of a better book to start off with. Not only is it very informative, but it is a good read as well. The authors have a way with words that I found very humanizing about it. In other words, I didn't feel like I was reading an instruction manual.

Click to expand...

^This. I find it far easier to get through informative texts when they don't read like they've been written by a robot. Of course that's not a consideration for everyone. I'm sure there are many AB members who don't have any issue with formal writing styles; but for the average schmoe just trying to get into a hobby that they think they will enjoy, the writing style found in TKG is likely to be appreciated.

I also like the fact that it's full of amazing photographs that I can show non-hobbyists. There are a few pictures in there that are always well-received - the close-up of the A. versicolor in particular.

Worth having but I wouldn't use it religiously for info. A little outdated by today's standards in terms of what's available but there's not a lot else out there book wise.

Good points:
Stan has a great writing style, very readable. Some sections are the best I've read about tarantulas on those topics, like anatomy (and I've got about 10 tarantula care books).

Weaknesses:
Stan hasn't owned tarantulas for 10 years, and being in Canada when he did, they were a few years behind the US in new species introductions. He never had the chance to own most of the species in the hobby today. Back in Stan's heyday of collecting, the hobby was mostly w/c NW terrestrials, handling was common amongst the relatively few people who owned them, and there was no possibility of bans. There were few NW tropicals in the US at the time, and almost no one even wanted OW's. Stan's not keen on owning spiders that run out of cages or stand in defensive poses; that's why his collection was primarily the calmer, slower ones. Nothing wrong with that, everyone has their preferences, but those 'calm' species which were the majority of his experience, are a small part of the hobby today.

Things started to change here in the late 1990's, with CBB's coming from Europe. Most were faster-growing, high strung NW tropicals; beautiful but not really suited for handling. Then by the mid 2000's, many more CBB tropical species were coming in, along with a sizable percentage of OW's. Fast and feisty, things that definitely shouldn't be handled and tarantula bans started happening. Anti-exotic pet groups are trying to shut us down. The hobby is dominated by tropicals; for the color and faster growth (not a big demand for 1/4" slings that take 10 years to mature). New species come in every year. The docile ones aren't causing much of the excitement anymore, as most Aphonopelmas look similar and Brachypelma have long ago been protected and w/c imports made illegal.

What this all means is that the TKG was relevant for the hobby as it was 15 -20 years ago, but much of it is now outdated. The hobby's caught on worldwide and that's driven non-stop introductions of new species and captive-breeding efforts; there's several hundred species in the hobby now (used to be dozens a couple decades ago). No book can keep up with the pace. Along with that there's been a new interest in breeding, taxonomy, and understanding and duplicating natural conditions. Stan advocates keeping tarantulas as dry as possible to prevent mold/mites issues. That's not a good idea for most tropicals. He says Avics can be kept without substrate; not good advice: what happens when they fall? He promotes the use of ICU's, without knowledge of the spider's ailments (which may be from being in too moist a cage). He himself said that people wanting to breed their tarantulas may have to care for spiders differently than what he's written about.

That's just it: the hobby's almost entirely captive bred today. Most countries have been shut down for pet trade exports due to political pressure. It's only a matter of time before the little w/c that's still coming in is stopped. Without captive breeding, how does the hobby survive? By his own admission, the advice and methods in his books aren't particularly conducive for breeding. How is that reconciled? How can that advice still be given to people? We still get a lot of our spiderlings from Europe. What if new international laws were to prohibit that (here or in Europe)? What happens to the hobby in the US as species die off that we don't know how to breed? Prices skyrocket and most people can't afford them. Many species disappear in the US. The hobby winds down here. In conjunction with other factors, people following the TKG's advice is one of the things that can help lead to that. What was once a series of books that helped promote the hobby in it's innocent early years, has become something that's partially obsolete and in some ways detrimental to the hobby's future. We have to breed.

We need more people breeding in the US, and become self-sufficient. We need to be weaned off of the dependency of European CBB slings that should be produced here. Any worthwhile tarantula book today needs to cover that in depth, instead of old school stunts like handling. Stan and I started collecting tarantulas within a few years of each other. It was mainly Aphonopelma and Brachypelma, and NO ONE bred anything because you couldn't give away slings. I was drawn to tropicals and arboreals, which as it turns out is where the hobby went a few decades later. I couldn't have dreamt that there were this many species of tarantulas in the world, that there was so much variety, and that it would become a worldwide hobby. Nor could anyone foresee the reckless things people are doing today with tarantulas, or that governments and groups would even care if we had spiders, let alone want to take them away from us. But things did change, and books need to change their perspective too if they're going to serve the cause of keeping the hobby going in the future.

Well put. Just think of the impact the internet has had on the evolution of the hobby as well. Talk about warp drive.

DamonVikki said:

Well put. Just think of the impact the internet has had on the evolution of the hobby as well. Talk about warp drive.

Click to expand...

That's exactly it. The changes in the hobby from the internet started almost 20 years ago, and in the last 10 it's been amazing.