Reacting to negativity as a T owner.

[Goldiesgiants]

Hi everyone.
I'm just wondering how you guys react to negative comments about owning tarantulas.
So I just started this hobby and have had my T for almost 3 weeks now. But when I told people in my family their reactions were. "I'm never coming to your house again" amongst other not so nice comments.
It doesn't bother me at all I'm scared of dogs and they all have dogs so....
I'm just curious about how everyone else deals with these kind of comments.
Thanks guys

 

[Enn49]

I usually find that reassuring them that the Ts are all fastened in their enclosures and won't bother them helps.
I have a Community Nurse visits me twice a week and some are scared of my tarantulas but are gradually becoming fascinated with them to the point where one girl will often take a photo of my biggest girl. Another girl is quite happy about the Ts but scared of my cats.
Most people I find will show interest if you talk to them about how fascinating and easy to keep they are. It worked for me for many years when I kept and bred snakes and still seems to work well with tarantulas.

 

[Lawrence b]

Hi , I don t let the negative reasoning bother me ,they either warm to it or they don t . Most people calm down once they no they can t get out .I been on different courses and lot of people get fascinated on how you keep them and the pics of them.Personally I been through the mill last few years and am glad I got my Ts and other stuff . But its a fast growing hobby and there lots of tarantula groups now on Facebook , so opinions are changing .Glad to see new face on the forum regularly.

 

[Jeef]

I don't know that I have gotten any outright negative comments, but I have come to appreciate how gut-level afraid some people are of certain things. I have tarantulas and a snake so there are folks out there that won't even pull in my driveway.

That said, I don't have too many people I actually talk about tarantulas to. Most folks aren't even remotely interested. Then again, I leave the conversation when people start talking about the sports ball, so it all works out, I guess.

 

[m0lsx]

I'm just wondering how you guys react to negative comments about owning tarantulas.

I see it as an opportunity to talk about just how amazing & interesting arachnids actually are. The colours, the amazingly long length of their life, the ability to regrow lost legs. There is so much to talk about.

Failing the above. There is always the old funnel web in their bed ploy.

 

[Top Fuel Ted]

Most folks are accustomed to being afraid of tarantulas (and other things) due to years of exposure to movies produced by Hollyweird. I always use the Indiana Jones example: Do you really think that they would cover an idiot actor or a stuntman in deadly spiders? Of course not. Same goes for the Black Emperor Scorpions who are very sweet and docile but make great monsters when enlarged to over 100' tall or get dropped down your shirt by some evil assasin.
Knowledge is King in that most people will at least take an interest once they know some actual aspects of the animals' lives and about the hobby. Almost anyone that knows me and hasn't seen my animals wants to have a look. When they find out that there are over 30 Tarantulas in my basement I'm sure they are picturing "The Silence of the Lambs" or something of that sort. Once they see the actual enclosures and the care that needs to be taken to properly house the spiders, they are invariably impressed.
All that said, I love old horror movies and Sci-Fi and the more tarantulas the better. Kingdom of the Spiders is a classic you may have seen and is another fine example of supposedly deadly spiders being picked up and handled by the actors including a toddler.

 

[PanzoN88]

just move on, I find most of the so called negative comments to be an attempt at jokes.

 

[Goldiesgiants]

I usually find that reassuring them that the Ts are all fastened in their enclosures and won't bother them helps.
I have a Community Nurse visits me twice a week and some are scared of my tarantulas but are gradually becoming fascinated with them to the point where one girl will often take a photo of my biggest girl. Another girl is quite happy about the Ts but scared of my cats.
Most people I find will show interest if you talk to them about how fascinating and easy to keep they are. It worked for me for many years when I kept and bred snakes and still seems to work well with tarantulas.

Reassuring worked with my wife. She is now happy with me getting more. My mother and sisters are terrified of anything with more than 4 legs. To the point of not even being able to send pics to show them how beautiful my T is..

 

[Goldiesgiants]

Hi , I don t let the negative reasoning bother me ,they either warm to it or they don t . Most people calm down once they no they can t get out .I been on different courses and lot of people get fascinated on how you keep them and the pics of them.Personally I been through the mill last few years and am glad I got my Ts and other stuff . But its a fast growing hobby and there lots of tarantula groups now on Facebook , so opinions are changing .Glad to see new face on the forum regularly.

Yeah I tried that too but nah they refuse to enter the house when I have spiders in there. I didn't want to remind my mum and sisters of how many spiders are actually living in their house at the moment. Haha thank you for your reply!

 

[Goldiesgiants]

I see it as an opportunity to talk about just how amazing & interesting arachnids actually are. The colours, the amazingly long length of their life, the ability to regrow lost legs. There is so much to talk about.

Failing the above. There is always the old funnel web in their bed ploy.

My wife was absolutely terrified of spiders and it took 7 years to convince her to let me get one. She was sweating during the unboxing but as soon as the T was out and in the enclosure she was like "is that it?" And now I catch her watching T videos on YouTube wanting her own one haha.

 

[Goldiesgiants]

just move on, I find most of the so called negative comments to be an attempt at

just move on, I find most of the so called negative comments to be an attempt at jokes

It honestly doesn't bother me at all. I was just wondering if it bothered other people. I've gotten everything from "disgusting" to "ill never enter your house again" which I find funny because they have 3 chihuahuas and those are not pretty dogs.

 

[PanzoN88]

It honestly doesn't bother me at all. I was just wondering if it bothered other people. I've gotten everything from "disgusting" to "ill never enter your house again" which I find funny because they have 3 chihuahuas and those are not pretty dogs.

I do know of a few instances of some people literally getting mad about what they perceive as negative comments. I’ve seen actual rants on Facebook groups about this very subject.

 

[Lawrence b]

My wife was absolutely terrified of spiders and it took 7 years to convince her to let me get one. She was sweating during the unboxing but as soon as the T was out and in the enclosure she was like "is that it?" And now I catch her watching T videos on YouTube wanting her own one haha.

At least you got someone there to share in your hobby and your not on your own which is a good thing .

 

[Teresaisrad]

I get the "I'm never coming to your house ever!" comment quite often (and in a rude way) So I usually hit them straight back with "You weren't invited" Typically meant in a joking way but also I'm quite introverted so I mean it most of the time.

Or I just say "Oh, I never asked."

For those who are not being rude about it I will offer education or compare my husbandry to the likes of fish. They are for looking mainly and we don't handle them, much like fish so no reason to be afraid.
Are you afraid of the lions at the zoo? No cause they are in an enclosure.

 

[Goldiesgiants]

My sister gave the me the how

I get the "I'm never coming to your house ever!" comment quite often (and in a rude way) So I usually hit them straight back with "You weren't invited" Typically meant in a joking way but also I'm quite introverted so I mean it most of the time.

Or I just say "Oh, I never asked."

For those who are not being rude about it I will offer education or compare my husbandry to the likes of fish. They are for looking mainly and we don't handle them, much like fish so no reason to be afraid.
Are you afraid of the lions at the zoo? No cause they are in an enclosure.
[/QUOT

I get the "I'm never coming to your house ever!" comment quite often (and in a rude way) So I usually hit them straight back with "You weren't invited" Typically meant in a joking way but also I'm quite introverted so I mean it most of the time.

Or I just say "Oh, I never asked."

For those who are not being rude about it I will offer education or compare my husbandry to the likes of fish. They are for looking mainly and we don't handle them, much like fish so no reason to be afraid.
Are you afraid of the lions at the zoo? No cause they are in an enclosure.

My sister gave me the "how can you have a dangerous animal in the house with a kid there" I just replied with "I let him come to your house with your dogs and the difference is he can't touch my spider"

 

[Aracnoenthusiast]

I don't generally care much, or place much value in what others think of what I do or enjoy. Do what makes you happy