Hello friends! Some of you may wonder why a post like this is even needed, but if you’ve been a witness or victim of any cruel or unethical behavior in a tarantula Facebook group, you know why I’m making this.

Granted, Facebook is not the only place for tarantula owners to come together online, however it is one of the most problematic, so that’s why I’m targeting it. Here are a few things that I think might be helpful and should be more commonly known and respected.

1. Read the rules and agree to them before joining a tarantula Facebook group. This is SO important. Many moderators and group creators, myself included, have taken a lot of time creating rules for their groups and spend even more time making sure that these rules are being respected and enforced. It’s the top priority of creators and moderators to make sure that the group remains a safe and welcoming place. You may not know this, but groups can actually get in trouble and be shut down if you don’t follow the rules. My group and many other tarantula groups cracked down on selling posts a while ago because Facebook banned the sale of live animals in groups, and so we get really concerned when people don’t respect the rules and just post whatever they want. If you can’t follow the rules, please don’t join – you’ll probably be kicked out anyway.
2. Contribute and interact! This isn’t for people who just like to observe, read and be quiet in groups. I don’t mind that at all. What I do mind is when I see people using tarantula Facebook groups solely to promote their youtube channels, groups, or to do against-the-rules selling posts. Now, I don’t mind if people post their videos to boost their channel or share. But I DO mind this if that’s ALL you’re doing in my group – and I’m sure other group creators and moderators feel similarly. Groups are for sharing and connecting, not to plug your content. If you’re not contributing beyond dropping your videos, you are clogging the feed.
3. BE NICE. Oh my god, there isn’t a font big enough for this. If you join a tarantula group with the intention of harassing, bullying, making fun of others, staring arguments, being mean, or exhibit any type of discriminatory behavior, please rethink this decision. In my group and many other tarantula Facebook groups, we have specific rules against this and take a zero toleranca stance. My group is tiny and I have still had to ban people for bad behavior – I cannot even imagine what larger groups deal with. The other point I’d like to make is to any witnesses or victims of abuse – tell an admin about bad behavior you’re experiencing or seeing. PLEASE do not engage with it yourself – you will probably just make it worse and risk yourself being banned by accident if there’s a misunderstanding. Please flag it, report it, or tell us – we will deal with it!

Another thing I’d like to talk about in regards to being nice goes to more seasoned T owners. Don’t forget where you started. You might think a question from a newbie is dumb, but I bet there are dozens of new people in the group that can learn from it. We’re NEVER too good to learn, help others or be kind. If someone is making a mistake, be kind and helpful in your response so we can keep sharing how great tarantulas are and keep having fun online!

1. No private harassment! Do not join tarantula Facebook groups with the intention of privately harassing people too! People aren’t stupid – if you slide into someone’s DMs to be rude or bothersome, they will put you on blast or block you. Please don’t waste anyone’s time and keep these groups a safe space.

NO SCAMMING (And beware of scammers). This is so sad, but there are so many times I see people posting about someone who bought tarantulas from someone on facebook and then that person disappeared. If you’re concerned that something sounds fishy, reach out to your fellow groupmates, tell a mod or decide to only work with legit, reputable companies. Richard Stewart from The Tarantula Collective did a great video about how to avoid scammers:

Well that’s all I could think of right now. I hope that’s helpful! Let me know if I forgot anything!