Lately I have seen a large number of people, who have been in the hobby for sometime, leave the hobby, what are the reasons for this ;(((((((((((

There could be many reasons why they left the hobby ,work ,moving ,no time etc ,

Or some of them just have left the site and not the hobby

I have noticed the very same thing and was actually talking about it yesterday to another member.

So many people is just selling their whole collections and it is sad. Now i do realise that there could be a million and one reasons for people leaving the hobby, but damn, why so many people all of the sudden. The little bit i have been on the forum its never been as "bad" as this.

It's been happening for years already. Out of the original people on this site from 5 or so years back, there are maybe 3 or 4 left. And these are not just people that have left the public hobby, most have left the hobby altogether.
Majority of people who keep tarantulas, start off with a big bang and within a year and a half get bored and leave.
I know it's difficult to compare to America, but there new people tend to approach the hobby at a slower pace. First research, buy a few starter species, grow in confidence, buy something more challenging and after a year or so start moving on to the expensive stuff. Here newbies come on and buy a balfouri within 6 months, find out Metallica is the most expensive blue spider, either buy it and get bored within 6 months or decide its a met or nothing and leave the hobby when they can't afford it.
Obviously these are generalisations, but the stats would tell you that generally they are true.
Other than that, you obviously get the people who's lives get in the way. New partners, kids, bills, moving house, just need cash, etc. if I had to sell my whole collection to pay a doctors bill, I would too.
Then there are the people that have left the public hobby because of politics. That is happening across the world, not just here.

Sad to say, and don't flame me, but I would be impressed if 1 of the 3 people that posted before me on this thread are in the hobby in 2 years time. That's just the way it goes. Tarantulas tend to be a stage that passes for most people.

What is more worrying to me is the fact that new people tend to go for the higher end spiders as a start, instead of starting small. Speeds up the natural cycle of users.

Obviously all of this is my own opinion...don't hate the player, hate the game.

You have valid points there Cerat and it got me thinking...

How many of those points you mentioned am I guilty of? In this month I would be a year in this hobby, and yes, in month 2 I got my first T for more experienced keepers so I did jump the gun, I just see it as if the opportunity is there and I can afford it, why not then. I would also say that in the last 5 months or so, the hobby really start taking off for me. Did I shorten the live span of my hobby by buying high end T's left right and centre, I don't know, and honestly don't hope so.

I would love to be the one that would still be around after 2 years from this post, but yes, I suppose anything can happen.

Basically the point I want to make is that I honestly hope that I don't just turn out to be another statistic.

Thank you for those valid points

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Completely ignoring life and commitment changes, I think you need to ask why people join the hobby in the first place, and what their expectations are when they enter the hobby.

Unless you aspire to Magnificent Duke and Uncle Stan levels of knowledge, the learning curve plateaus quite quickly.

Or unless you take up the challenge of breeding difficult species, at some point, and you must have experienced this, you find yourself alone in the dark staring at mud in a tub.