Most new tarantula keepers are idiots. That's why they come into the hobby with a bang and leave it with a pfffffffffffff .......

For the people leaving due to financial reasons (not caused by the excessive buying of tarantulas), I have the utmost respect and I'm sad to see them leave, and I really hope they get the means to come back.

But for the others leaving? I giggle everytime I see a collection for sale and I always think: "You should have known better dumbass" ....

With regards to politics? Name ONE hobby that doesn't have politics and bickering .... ? If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen... :evilgrin:

:evilgrin: @ Spunky: What's the size of your kitchen?

Just my 2c as a fairly new keeper: we started very slow. Got a B albopilosum, L parahybana and G pulchripes as our first ones, and I still adore them Then we slowly went on to a few specific species that we'd researched, had a long look at and then decided to get based on what we'd seen with other keepers, temperament and (of course) looks. We now have 7, and except for one or two very specific ones I'd like, I doubt that I'll be adding much to that.

I suspect we'll be keeping T's for a long time, plainly because we like the spidey's themselves, not the price you can get for slings.

After reading through all the post the following came to mind.
The Valentine family started with our T collection last year October. Our first T was a H. Lividum ( not the best starter T) and today 10 months later we are on 76 T's in our collection. We also started a feeding colony to feed our little 8 legged beauties. during this first winter we lost 14 T's in two months. That was very hard as some of them were our favourites. Not once we gave it a thought of leaving the hobby.

Dimitri wrote

Lastly, yes people get bored very quickly but i cannot understand how people just sell their collections just like that. With all respect would any of you sell your dogs, cats, birds or any other pet for a quick buck?

We actually have fell in love with some of our T's for example my P. Cambridgei that come and fetch its food from the tweezers, the P. sp Machalla that come and visit us every night unless it is busy molting. I think a lot of T keepers have some or other T in their collection that have a soft spot in their hearts.

I see T keeping like horse riding. A lot of people want to do it, start it and then fell out of the saddle.

Some people join the forum and get bored of the forum not necessarily going out of the hobby.