Silliest thing a layman has told you about Tarantulas

[Beary Strange]

Just today I told a guy that I keep tarantulas, he casually responded with, 'I assume you got them de-venomized', as if it's the thing to do. I just said no and walked away.

He gets a point for using venom though. Every single time someone brings up "poisonous" spiders I ask if they're planning to eat them. Cue look of confusion and walk away.

 

[Akai]

---------- Post added 09-29-2014 at 01:36 PM ----------

He gets a point for using venom though. Every single time someone brings up "poisonous" spiders I ask if they're planning to eat them. Cue look of confusion and walk away.

i hear this ALL the time too...more then i care to count. lol

 

[cold blood]

He gets a point for using venom though. Every single time someone brings up "poisonous" spiders I ask if they're planning to eat them. Cue look of confusion and walk away.

People don't know/don't care. Seems that all too many people these terms are interchangeable. Many times I explain the difference and I get a look like I'm trying to be a know-it-all or they see the differences as merely "semantics". I wish I knew how to get that icon of the head bashing itself into the wall repeatedly, cause that's how it makes me feel.

 

[GG80]

He gets a point for using venom though. Every single time someone brings up "poisonous" spiders I ask if they're planning to eat them. Cue look of confusion and walk away.

I agree, it was an odd situation for me. On the one hand I was glad he didn't use the word 'poison', but still......de-venomized. It was the way he said it that irritated me, so casual as if he knew that was what happens when someone gets a T.

 

[timisimaginary]

i have no problems with people who ask "stupid" questions like "do you keep them all in one cage?" or "do you let them roam around your house?" etc. at least they are ASKING a question... the people who TELL you things about them, without actually knowing what they're talking about, are the ones that are annoying. but most people i find are simply curious, and most people know literally nothing about tarantulas, and unless they're in the hobby, how would you expect them to? it's not like schools are teaching classes in tarantulas, or there are a ton of accurate and informative TV shows about them, or tons of books on the best-seller list about them. the only reason we know anything about them is because we keep them, and so we have to learn about them. the average person has no reason to inform themselves about an animal they are unlikely to ever encounter on their own. it seems the longer people are in the hobby, the more likely they are to lose sight of this. and its our responsibility as T keepers to take these kinds of questions, no matter how "silly" they may seem to us, and use them as an opportunity to educate, not an excuse to ridicule or look down on other people. maybe then some of those people will become interested in joining the hobby themselves.

now, when somebody walks into a pet store, buys a tarantula, and THEN they start asking those "stupid" questions.... that's another story.

 

[Driller64]

It's weird how everyone thinks Ts are so scary but as a tarantula keeper you can never understand it. You're just sort of left wondering what everyone is so afraid of. I mean some people would probably even leave their house if they found one in their home, but to us it's just like finding a silverfish in our house. But then again people have been misinformed about tarantulas for most of their lives so it's only natural to act this way towards them, although to us it seems silly.

 

[ratluvr76]

It's weird how everyone thinks Ts are so scary but as a tarantula keeper you can never understand it. You're just sort of left wondering what everyone is so afraid of. I mean some people would probably even leave their house if they found one in their home, but to us it's just like finding a silverfish in our house. But then again people have been misinformed about them for most of their lives so it's only natural to act this way towards tarantulas, although to us it seems silly.

spiders, along with snakes, have been culturally maligned since biblical times. This is helped along by the film industry and the sensationalism of the media in general. It's ingrained from birth to be afraid of "creepy crawling creatures".

 

[Smokehound714]

'tarantulas are harmless' is one of my favorites, lol..

 

[Akai]

I mean some people would probably even leave their house if they found one in their home, but to us it's just like finding a silverfish in our house. But then again people have been misinformed about them for most of their lives so it's only natural to act this way towards tarantulas, although to us it seems silly.

what misinformation do you speak of in regards to silverfish? they may be harmless to humans yes BUT not our possessions. they eat paper, books, book bindings, photos, carpeting and your clothes just to name a few. you might want to google image "silverfish damage". no thanks, not in my house.

 

[Smokehound714]

what misinformation do you speak of in regards to silverfish? they may be harmless to humans yes BUT not our possessions. they eat paper, books, book bindings, photos, carpeting and your clothes just to name a few. you might want to google image "silverfish damage". no thanks, not in my house.

they do make good feeders though. nice and tender bodies.. cant hurt your specimens

 

[Driller64]

what misinformation do you speak of in regards to silverfish? they may be harmless to humans yes BUT not our possessions. they eat paper, books, book bindings, photos, carpeting and your clothes just to name a few. you might want to google image "silverfish damage". no thanks, not in my house.

*facepalm* I was talking about tarantulas there. Here, I'll edit.

 

[Akai]

I mean some people would probably even leave their house if they found one in their home, but to us it's just like finding a silverfish in our house.

no need to facepalm Driller. you're saying "us" being hobbyist would be OK with tarantulas in their house but you liken them to finding silverfish in your house which means that is OK. there are probably better anologies then silverfish. just sayin. :wink:

 

[VenomousMe]

The silliest thing anyone has ever said to me about tarantulas? hmmmm. lmfao, does it have to be a layman?

 

[Smokehound714]

spiders, along with snakes, have been culturally maligned since biblical times. This is helped along by the film industry and the sensationalism of the media in general. It's ingrained from birth to be afraid of "creepy crawling creatures".

the curious thing about this, is before modernized religions came about, most of the animals hated by these religions were actually revered as sacred deities by indigenous peoples and polytheistic religions.

For example, Anansi the spider is a god in west african mythos, he is the trickster, and the god of knowledge. However that story is a bit macabre, as he captures animals and trades them as slaves for the gift of knowledge. Kinda weird, but whatever.. *shrug*

Another african (egyptian) deity is Serket, the goddess of medicinal stings. She's a symbol of medicine and holds the key of life. A scorpion dons her headdress.

The goddess arachne challenges athena to a competition and in one version, she defeats her. athena gives her the ability to spin silk like a spider, giving her the ability to weave without ever needing thread.

Many animals hated and feared today other than arachnids are also heroes to pre-christian cultures and religions:

Crocodiles in modern days are hated, but Sobek and nile crocodiles were worshipped by egyptians. They were often mummified and given their own tombs with gifts.

Snakes in some parts of the world are viciously protected by the locals due to their religion. I cannot remember exactly which, but i strongly remember reading that snakes are given funerals if they're killed or found dead nearby.

And now, the general public hates 'em all :\

 

[ratluvr76]

the curious thing about this, is before modernized religions came about, most of the animals hated by these religions were actually revered as sacred deities by indigenous peoples and polytheistic religions.

For example, Anansi the spider is a god in west african mythos, he is the trickster, and the god of knowledge. However that story is a bit macabre, as he captures animals and trades them as slaves for the gift of knowledge. Kinda weird, but whatever.. *shrug*

Another african (egyptian) deity is Serket, the goddess of medicinal stings. She's a symbol of medicine and holds the key of life. A scorpion dons her headdress.

The goddess arachne challenges athena to a competition and in one version, she defeats her. athena gives her the ability to spin silk like a spider, giving her the ability to weave without ever needing thread.

Many animals hated and feared today other than arachnids are also heroes to pre-christian cultures and religions:

Crocodiles in modern days are hated, but Sobek and nile crocodiles were worshipped by egyptians. They were often mummified and given their own tombs with gifts.

Snakes in some parts of the world are viciously protected by the locals due to their religion. I cannot remember exactly which, but i strongly remember reading that snakes are given funerals if they're killed or found dead nearby.

And now, the general public hates 'em all :\

some of this I already knew.. much of it I did not. Thank you, I have some reading to do it seems..

 

[Dizzle]

what misinformation do you speak of in regards to silverfish? they may be harmless to humans yes BUT not our possessions. they eat paper, books, book bindings, photos, carpeting and your clothes just to name a few. you might want to google image "silverfish damage". no thanks, not in my house.

Hah, thank you Akai for saying exactly what I was thinking reading this. There is such a thing as an unwanted pest in your home, even for people who keep the "creepy crawlies" lol.

 

[Driller64]

Huh. I always thought silverfish were harmless house dwelling insects who people hated because of the fact that they're bugs. Guess not.

 

[Akai]

the curious thing about this, is before modernized religions came about, most of the animals hated by these religions were actually revered as sacred deities by indigenous peoples and polytheistic religions

so basically monothesim ruined everything in a nutshell. lol i agree with you on all points. there was a time in the middle ages that cats were persecuted in fear because they were nocturnal and supernatural and practicing witchcraft. mating cries during heat were associated with the devil as well as any old woman who hoarded cats must be a witch. cats were killed by the millions all across Europe and what did arise from that is the rise of the rats as and the bubonic plague or Black Death. Rats contaminated our grain stores, crops and fresh water supply killing people by the millions. high double digit millions. rats had no predators in urban cities so they ran wild. you know the ancient Egyptians never had this problem as cats were major deities. you can go back to ancient civilations of the Mayan, Inca and Aztecs and they all had polyeistic beliefs and tarantulas and spiders were shared and viewed with high regard. i'm not sure what happend along the way when it came to our 8 legged friends. Fear of the unknown? i cringed the other day when a neighbors wife killed a spider in front of me as we watched a football game. she was screaming bloody murder. all i could do was bite my tongue. perhaps we need to put all living creatures in a higher regard including spiders who are beneficial to nature and practice a little polytheistic worshipping aside from the "sacrificing of virgins" from time to time I'm all for it. heck I'm all for a tarantula god. bring it on. i probably practice this already as I sacrfice dubia every other week. lol anything for my tarantulas. lol

 

[GG80]

i have no problems with people who ask "stupid" questions like "do you keep them all in one cage?" or "do you let them roam around your house?" etc. at least they are ASKING a question... the people who TELL you things about them, without actually knowing what they're talking about, are the ones that are annoying.

THIS^^
There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking any questions, sure some might seem 'stupid' or 'obvious' to us in the hobby but as we all can see, almost everyone on this forum still asks questions. At least they're asking, that's how we find things out. I'm far from an expert but I love giving people some of my knowledge on the subject when they ask me a question and to hear them say, 'hmm, I didn't realize that' or, 'that's kinda cool' is great. They might not want to go and get a T right away but at least they have some understanding why I keep Ts.
It's when people give their opinions based on the latest fear mongering tabloid article that I lose my tolerance.

 

[Hanska]

Snakes in some parts of the world are viciously protected by the locals due to their religion. I cannot remember exactly which, but i strongly remember reading that snakes are given funerals if they're killed or found dead nearby.

And now, the general public hates 'em all :\

In Finland not too long ago it was believed that the grass snake(Natrix natrix) brings good fortune to a farm and if one was killed the farm was basically doomed. These days people kill them although they're a protected species because they mix them with the only venomous snake we have, the common european adder(Vipera berus) because they fear and hate those even if they aren't that dangerous.

For the spider thingy:
I read an article in a science magazine that in short debunked the theory that humans are hardwired to fear creapy crawlies and the real reason is that in the middle ages people thought that it was spiders that were responsible of spreading the plague. The article also makes a point that this hysteria about spiders is limited to cultures that have their roots in middle age europe. In most other cultures they're seen as the good guys.
Can't remember where it was but they have a tradition of releasing hundreds of spiders at weddings to bring the newlywed couple good fortune. I think I'll adopt that if the guest list in my wedding gets too long