First, I talk a bit about the Ephebopus slings that I recently acquired. Then...sure, spiders can bite, have venom, and can put a hurting on anyone foolish enough to trifle with them. However, there are some spiders available in the trade that have been the victim of over exaggeration and hyperbole to the point where many will refuse to keep them. In this episode, we take a look at 5 spiders that receive this dubious distinction. 

First, we take some listener comments from last episode. Then we discuss why it's always important to consider your living situation before you start a tarantula collection. 

First, we discuss how to tell when a spider is truly dead, and I share a story about my Psalmopoeus Langenbucheri sling.

Then, if you're older and in the hobby, should you continue to buy long-lived species? Should you pass away, what will become of your collection? In this second part of the podcast, we talk about how you should prepare in the event that you leave your tarantula collection behind. 

This one has been a long time coming. There is a lot out there about the physiological and behavioral difference between these two classifications of tarantulas. However, much of it takes a very superficial and exaggerated stance when it comes to the comparisons. In this episode, I break down the differences between these two types of spiders and explain how these differences can impact the hobbyist keeping them. 

Hot off of "What Makes an Expert Species", this topic covers what skills, traits, or "tools" the "expert" keeper should possess. Thanks to ProfessorChani for the topic suggestion! 

After having a discussion with a fellow keeper about arachnophobia, I got to thinking about how spiders are presented in media and how much some of those depictions strengthened my own fear of these animals. In this episode, I talk a bit about spiders in media. 

Happy Mother's Day 2022! In this episode, we discuss how we designate which tarantula species are "advanced" (and why these designations aren't always accurate). 

First off, a heads up that the first half of the podcast is mostly responding to some emails about the last episode. Then, we get into some of those pesky hobby myths that seem to never go away. 

What if we were all able to come up with some basic rules that we wanted all tarantula hobbyists to live by? What would our "10 Commandments" of keeping be? In this episode, I offer up my list of 10 rules that I think all serious tarantula hobbyists should abide by. 

First, we talk about a few comments I got after last week's episode about tarantula stress. Then, we revisit the topic of tarantula temperament and why these eight-legged wonders are seemingly so inconsitent from specimen to specimen when it comes to their overall mood.