The specialist keepers association

Care Guide Reference

Tarantula Care

Tarantula Care

Tarantula spiders are becoming more popular as pets due to the fact that they are easy to keep and do not need large enclosures in which to live. This makes them perfect for people who don't have a lot of space. They are relatively easy to keep as they don't need cleaning out as often as many of the reptilian and mammalian variety of pets. They come in a variety of species and are available from breeders and pet shops, giving choice to the person wanting to get into spider keeping and a chance to keep a few species.

Tarantulas belong to an animal group called arachnids. This includes scorpions' ticks and mites. Their primary similarity is that they all possess eight legs. However, Tarantulas are different to their spider family members and other arachnids as:

1) They breathe using two pairs of book lungs whereas other spiders have trachea and one pair of book lungs.

2) Their fangs go up and down whereas they go sideways in other spiders.

3) They have two claws on their pedipalps and have adhesive pads on each foot which are covered in fine hairs called emallae which are found in geckoes too which allows them to climb smooth surfaces

Their main problem is they dry out very easily as, like all spiders, they extend their legs using blood pressure and the loss of water dramatically lowers that pressure which results in loss of movement. This can cause the tarantula to desiccate (dry out) if not provided with water .

Spider habits

There are a few habits that spiders have that must be taken into account of when you are choosing your pet Tarantula and the set up of its cage for its needs .

Opportunistic burrowers

These are species that modify pre-existing burrows or use crevices under logs or rocks to make a burrow to keep away from predators and to catch unsuspecting prey. The burrows aren't heavily lined in silk and are variable in size. Examples of these are the large South American Tarantulas, such as the goliath bird eater (theraposa blondi) and Haitian browns (phormictopus cancerides).

Obligate burrowers

This means that the burrows are constructed by themselves rarely modifying pre-existing structures as the opportunist burrowers do. Examples of such Tarantulas are the Asian blacks (haplopelma minax) and Mexican blonde Tarantulas (aphonopelma chalcodes). The silk use is variable. They sometimes extend the silk lining into a trumpet shape that may also include twigs and leaves

Arboreal

These are tree climbing Tarantulas which they build their retreats in places such as cliff faces, road banks even in buildings, which is a reason the Peruvian pink toe (aviculara sp) are usually found in villages and near plantations, in their native South America . These types of Tarantulas are well adapted to tree life with broad flattened foot surfaces on their tarsi and metatarsi, (basically their feet). Other species include other aviculara, such as Martinique pink toes and Trinidad chevrons.

Housing your Tarantula

Due to their relatively small size, Tarantulas can be housed in any suitable sized box and can be as simple or as elaborate with the decoration as you wish. Plastic fauna boxes and pet pals make suitable housing for the smaller species of Tarantulas and some are stackable so you can have multiple spiders. They go well together making their enclosures look tidier.

Glass cages can be used with much success too as it can give you the scope to provide a decorative set up for your Tarantula making it more pleasing to the eye. The main advantage is they come in bigger sizes. If you want to use glass they are ideal for the larger species of Tarantulas such as the theraposa blondi, but also you can get tank dividers from any pet shop/aquarium stockist which you can use to make different sections for a number of spiders in one large cage. However, watch out for any gaps as spiders are cannibalistic and should one spider find its way into the enclosure of another, the end result is death of one your spiders.

Spiders are best kept singly to prevent any cage mates being eaten, or being injured. It is very dangerous to house any spiders together.

Water: There are different preferences regarding water in Tarantula housing. Some prefer a free standing water bowl whereas others use sponge as the spiders suck the sponge to get the moisture they need. I use the free standing water bowl for my terrestrial Tarantulas (ground living) and use a water spray to spray onto the foliage for the arboreal species as it can be hard to provide a free standing dish for the climbing species.

Heating: Heating Tarantulas is relatively easy. If like me your room is quite hot, (must be all the vivs!) there is no need for additional heating. However if your home gets old, especially in winter than a small heat mat controlled by a thermostat covering about 1/3 of the cage is sufficient for the Tarantulas. The temperature needed is dependant on the type of Tarantula and the habitat in which the Tarantula live. For example tropical or sub tropical places of the world.

Substrate: Substrate of Tarantulas depends on where they come from. For spiders that come from the hot humid rainforests of Asia and South America , vermiculite and peat mixed together makes a suitable substrate, as it holds a lot of moisture making it much easier to achieve the humidity needs of these species. Sand is a good substrate for the desert species such as the Mexican red kneed Tarantula and Mexican blonde.

Hides: Suitable hides can be made from cork bark, plant pots and other bits of décor for the spiders to hide in, but make sure everything used is free from anything sharp to prevent injury to your Tarantula and is properly sterilised to kill any nasty bugs.

Handling and temperament

Like in every animal you get exceptions in temperament and Tarantulas are no exception. The Asian and African baboon spiders (Pterinochilus,haplopelma and others) and the theraposa blondi are some of the more aggressive species available and will bite without hesitation. However, there are calmer species such as the brachypelma and grammastola species which accept occasional handling.

All handling must be carried out as close to the floor as possible and you must be confident in handling the Tarantula, as even a fall from a few inches could rupture the abdomen which is fatal to the Tarantula and damage the fragile exoskeleton.

Foods and feeding

Tarantulas generally are insectivores and their main foods include crickets, locusts, mealworms, roaches and any similar sized invertebrate. Some of the larger species will take mice which should always be pre killed due to the complications of feeding live vertebrae foods. The spider eats by injecting the food item with venom, from its fangs, which digests the body into liquid so the spider can suck the contents out. All is left is a husk.

Tarantula metabolism is quite slow, so they do not need feeding as often as you would feed a lizard or mammal, every 2 days should be sufficient. Feed them as much as they will eat in a set time as they are usually great feeders unless going through a shed or fasting, which they do at certain times of the year.

Sexing

It is very difficult to tell the sexes apart but females are of a larger size and do not possess mating hooks on the pedipalps. Females live a lot longer than males Females can live up to 20 years and males up to 6 (providing they don't get eaten by her lol).

If you are a beginner to Tarantulas then these species make great pets.

1) Chilean rose (grammostola rosea)

This spider is one of the more commonly available of the Tarantulas due to their small size and docile nature. They are very slow growing so is best to get them as sub adults/adults as they really are worth having. Their name comes from the reddish colouration on their carapace. They are one of the more hardy spiders in that they live in dryer conditions than most species of Tarantula.

2) Curly haired Tarantula(brachypelma albopilosum)

This is a largish Tarantula named because of the length and curliness of the hairs on their legs and abdomen. They are from Honduras . The hatchlings of these grow very quickly with males maturing at 2 years of age. In my experience these are perfect for handling as they are not as skittish as the Chilean rose and are a good size to take large insects.

3) Mexican red kneed Tarantula. (brachypelma smithi)

Red knees are another popular spider and what most consider as a pet Tarantula. These come from Mexico . They are fairly large Tarantulas, which usually settle down to become great captives as they are very docile. However, as they are only bred in small numbers adults can be a little pricey. Spider-lings are readily available and are relatively easy to house and take care of. They are used in zoos and educational talks as they are what most perceive to be a pet Tarantula and combined with their size and docile nature are another good choice.