LythSalicaria
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2014
- Messages
- 122
People have been debating over when you're "ready" to deal with hotter species of T a lot around here lately, and to be honest I understand where both sides are coming from. It just seems like in the heat of said debates, communication became less clear and chaos ensued. Having made it a point to keep out of those discussions, at this point I'd like to steer the subject of recent debate in a slightly different direction.
I got my first hot Ts very recently (nothing too major - Psalmos, Hysterocrates and another that I'm not going to mention because I don't feel like getting lynched), and naturally some people were concerned. I understand why. I've stated in many threads that I'm not overly experienced with Tarantulas yet - however I picked the species I did based on the fact that various informational videos and articles recommended them as good choices for less experienced T owners who wanted more challenge than Avics and NW Terrestrials. This is exactly what I was looking for, as dealing with my current collection has been a little too easy. The most disturbing thing I've had to deal with so far is Ginger deciding to run up my tongs while I'm doing maintenance and trying to tag me - and that wasn't disturbing so much as shocking. I know Grammostolas can be moody, but what happened to that part about them being slow? LOL...But my point is, while I was surprised by her temper tantrum, I wasn't alarmed because I've dealt with similarly disturbing displays of defensiveness from much larger animals. When I was 16 I worked with a Groomer that often did work for the Humane Society. As a result, I ended up having to learn how to deal with scared, often angry and mistreated animals of every size. I've wrangled snarling 150 pound dogs into hug-holds - after that, a spider is an afterthought. I'm sorry if that statement makes me seem cocky, but it's the honest truth. At the end of the day, I'd rather have a select few specimens that will keep me on my toes early on, because it prevents me from developing any bad habits that could lead to a fatal mistake when I'm handling more hot specimens down the road. Does that make sense?
Also please note: I am very aware that a large angry dog and a large angry OBT are two very different things, but my point is that no matter which you cut your teeth on, you learn the sort of mentality and reflexes you have to have in order to care for them safely. Please, please don't let this turn into another locked thread...One reason I started this thread was to put nervous minds at ease, because while I am looking to be kept on my toes, I do not want to make any mistakes that could hurt the hobby. The other reason was because I would like the opinion of more experienced ABers - did I just pull a wall of text out of my not-so-wholesome regions, or am I making some kind of sense?
I got my first hot Ts very recently (nothing too major - Psalmos, Hysterocrates and another that I'm not going to mention because I don't feel like getting lynched), and naturally some people were concerned. I understand why. I've stated in many threads that I'm not overly experienced with Tarantulas yet - however I picked the species I did based on the fact that various informational videos and articles recommended them as good choices for less experienced T owners who wanted more challenge than Avics and NW Terrestrials. This is exactly what I was looking for, as dealing with my current collection has been a little too easy. The most disturbing thing I've had to deal with so far is Ginger deciding to run up my tongs while I'm doing maintenance and trying to tag me - and that wasn't disturbing so much as shocking. I know Grammostolas can be moody, but what happened to that part about them being slow? LOL...But my point is, while I was surprised by her temper tantrum, I wasn't alarmed because I've dealt with similarly disturbing displays of defensiveness from much larger animals. When I was 16 I worked with a Groomer that often did work for the Humane Society. As a result, I ended up having to learn how to deal with scared, often angry and mistreated animals of every size. I've wrangled snarling 150 pound dogs into hug-holds - after that, a spider is an afterthought. I'm sorry if that statement makes me seem cocky, but it's the honest truth. At the end of the day, I'd rather have a select few specimens that will keep me on my toes early on, because it prevents me from developing any bad habits that could lead to a fatal mistake when I'm handling more hot specimens down the road. Does that make sense?
Also please note: I am very aware that a large angry dog and a large angry OBT are two very different things, but my point is that no matter which you cut your teeth on, you learn the sort of mentality and reflexes you have to have in order to care for them safely. Please, please don't let this turn into another locked thread...One reason I started this thread was to put nervous minds at ease, because while I am looking to be kept on my toes, I do not want to make any mistakes that could hurt the hobby. The other reason was because I would like the opinion of more experienced ABers - did I just pull a wall of text out of my not-so-wholesome regions, or am I making some kind of sense?