5 reasons to get a tarantula

Brachypelma emilia, Brachypelma vagans, Grammostola rosea

Over the last three years I have kept three species of tarantulas at home (yes, the names of them are listed above). This post will be a little different from the rest, mainly because there is not a lot to say about there arachnids. However, I will try my best and will give you my "pros" list for keeping a tarantula at home.

5 reasons to keep a tarantula at home:

1. Tarantulas are awesome!

Admit it, tarantulas are magnificent animals. When your friends come over, they think that keeping a tarantula at home is weird and even crazy. Having the courage to keep such an exotic is not just an unusual hobby, but also shows such great qualities as patience and dedication. 

If you keep most tarantulas from a very young age, you should be very patient if you want them to grow to large specimen in your collection. Newborn tarantulas are no bigger than 0.5-1 mm big. The species I have kept would not grow bigger than 16-19 cm (leg span). Keeping Grammostolas and Brachypelmas, I can certainly tell you that it can take up to 7 years for your arachnid to become of some considerable size. Many female tarantula specimen grow up to 20, 25 and even 30 years old if the conditions are suitable for their living.

In addition, I think that it's important for you to know that every tarantula has it's own temperament. One specimen of the same species could be really fast and aggressive, while the other one would quietly sit on your hand without moving and never biting. It is well known that some spiders are more likely to attack someone, though, there is a great variety of species, recommended for beginners, as they tend to behave in a very calm way even when being handled. 

If you are looking for a slowly-moving, friendly and easy-to-keep tarantula, I would recommend the following: Brachypelma smithi, Brachypelma emilia, Brachypelms albopilosum, Aphonopelma seemanni and Grammostola rosea.

2. Tarantulas are "galant" animals.

People have always showed respect for these animals, whether it was cultural, religious reasons or out of fear. There are many examples of folklore, connected to these arachnids, dances and events. So there must have been something, that caught the attention of the ancient cultures.

Personally, spiders are my favourite invertebrates. I am fascinated by the "noble" way of walking, like no other biological class would move. Balancing their bodies on their eight legs, they "float" over the substrate when running. 

However, feeding tarantulas is my favourite part. If you train your arachnid to take food from tweezers, you will experience something not many people can and that is one of the man reasons to get a spider. Observe them skilfully penetrate the prey with their razor-sharp chelicerae is a thrilling event for every arachno-keeper. You get excited to such a great extend that you will feel the blood rush up to your brain, when the tarantula attacks. 

3. Every man to his taste

The colour variation of tarantulas is colossal, as there is over 900 species of tarantulas (not spiders). You can find fascinating colour combinations and patterns even in the species, offered in pet stores today. 

Do you want a bright-orange tarantula? Pterinochilus murinus is for you. Or you might prefer a half-pink, half-jet-black hairy arachnid. Then you should consider Avicularia versicolor. Blue variations can also be found, such as Poecilotheria metallica, also grey-bodied with red polka dot, brown with olive-green lines, black with neon-yellow legs... Basically, any colour variation you can think of has already either been found or generated through morph selective breeding.
That is why collecting spiders is such a captivating hobby– there are always more tarantulas to collect.

4. Like taking candy from a baby

Keeping tarantulas at home is pretty straight-forward. It is true, that some species do require special humidity or temperature conditions, however, those kind of spiders is normally not kept by beginners.

Normally Brachypelmas and Grammostolas rarely require any specific light source, as they can take their prey at any point during the day. The temperature for the species, listed in the top, can also vary and that makes keeping them even easier. Try to keep the temperature between 19 ºC and 26 ºC. Preferably, place a heating pad on one of the walls of the arachnarium. Place a water dish in the opposite corner of the heating pad, creating a temperature and humidity gradient in the tank. Do not place the heating pad on the bottom of the tank! In case of overheating, the tarantula will seek a cooler place. They will start digging and hiding under the substrate. However, if you place a heating pad on the bottom, do not expect to see a happy love spider when you come back home. 4 Watt should be enough. 

The bottom part of the tank itself should be at least 5 times bigger than the leg span of the spider. That means that you can keep a juvenile 2-3 mm big tarantula in a 1 cubed centimetre tank (but I would make it bigger though). Go with a minimum of 30*30*30 cm arachnarium for a fully grown specimen of the species, listed in the top of the post. Place at last one hiding spot (piece of bark, branches, a cracked flower pot, a human skull, whatever works) in the tank. If the tarantula will not like the position of the hiding spot, it will create it's own by digging a hole in the ground of the terrarium and support the structure with it's spider web. Make sure that the substrate is at least 5-7 cm deep for a grown species. The most common substrate for such tarantulas are coconut flakes; less common, depending on species of preference of keeper– sand, sphagnum mosses, coconut chips, turf, leaf litter and vermiculite. To ease the process of moulting (without moulting the tarantula will die), ensure, that the humidity is about 45-60%. The average room humidity is 35-50%, who that shouldn't be a problem. However, check the humidity level with your barometer and spray the arachnarium 2-3 times a week in the cold corner of the terrarium. 

Bear in mind, that these descriptions are only suitable for terrestrial tarantulas.

Feed your spider live crickets, roaches, grasshoppers of appropriate size every 1-2 days when under 3 weeks old; every 3-4 days when up to 2 months old; every week from 1.5-2 months old; every 1.5 weeks from half a year old. If the spider is not eating- don't panic. Sometimes even a juvenile 2 mm tarantula will not eat for over than three weeks.
Also, don't be afraid of going a fully-grown tarantula big prey, even prey of it's own size: when it will become hungry enough, it will attack and eat it. Just make sure the prey is not hungry before you feed it to your tarantula. You don't want to see your spider eaten by a grasshopper, do you?

The tarantulas I listed in the top require minimum care (the less attention (and stress) they receive, the better they feel).

5. A thing of beauty is a joy forever

Or at least for the time you have the tarantula.

When decorated with thought, the terrarium for keeping your tarantula in can add a personal touch to the atmosphere of the room. I am a Doctor Who fan, so I placed Tardis and a Dalek in the tank of my Grammostola rosea (because of "rosea" and "Rose Tyler") and it brings up a smile of the faces of the people who see my decorations. A close friend of mine decorated a big arachnarium for his tarantula with replicas of ancient items of Chachapoya tribe to imitate some scene from Indiana Jones.
You can let your inspiration free on this one.


If you have any questions– please ask.
You are also welcome to correct my grammar if it is bothering you.

Extra info:

• Never do what I did on the last picture. Apparently their abdomen are really sensitive and delicate. Don't place any sharp objects in the tank.
• Spiders (tarantulas) are not insects.
• Young specimen of tarantulas moult approximately every month. Older tarantulas moult less often, however, you can control the frequency of the moulting phases by tweaking the temperature, light, humidity, food type, size and amount of it. When moulting, do not stress the arachnid– no not touch it, turn off the light, do not feed it for a week or two. The spider will find a hiding spot and block it's "entrance" with a thick layer of cobweb. Try to raise the humidity by 15-20% for a week after moulting.
• All tarantulas are venomous! However, humans are resistant to most of the venom types so the maximum damage you would have from a bite of a Grammostola rosea would be two tiny holes in the skin of your finger. Don't forget to disinfect the wound if bitten with special disinfections, Hydrogen peroxide or pure (close to pure will work too ±96%) alcohol. The species listed on the top of this post are rarely aggressive and their venom will not kill you, unless you are allergic.

My Grammostola rosea seems a little angry