How do you take care of a pet tarantula?

6 Comments

1. dEaThnOtE UsEr says:

   February 10, 2010 at 12:58 am

   Whoa!~! You are a brave one.
   Do you know that tarantulas are the top 10 predators on the whole world??

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2. lunarwolfgrl says:

   February 10, 2010 at 1:41 am

   i have medium size cage for mine cause the breeder i got her form said that they get stressed out it they have to much room she also has a small water bowl a heat lamp its a very low heat thingy just so she dosent get cold the breeder also said make sure its not to high cause it can cook them i have a wooden sheter thing to get out of the heat also you need a black light for at night so she can sleep i have moulch beeding its works fine for mne and i feed her 8 medium cickets every two weeks sometimes she doesnt eat them all sometimes she does but there only like 2 dollars not bad and i recomend holding urs everyday so she can get used to it mine is great she climbs on my hand when i stick it in the cage hope this helps

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3. Todd says:

   February 10, 2010 at 2:13 am

   You will need a cage, a waterdish, earthen bedding, and a shelter, and occasional food.

   Cage will need to be around twice the spider’s overall diameter in width, three times in length, and 1.5 times in height for terrestrials and burrowing tarantulas. These dimensions are not set in stone, but are the general size you will need.

   The water dish will need to be approximately 3 inches wide by 1 inch deep, give or take. It needs to be wide to give a larger surface for evaporation, giving the spider humidity. I have used peanut butter jar lids before. It is also a good idea to put a small stone in the middle of the dish that will allow the tarantula’s food to climb out if it jumps in. Crickets are notorious for drowning in water dishes. Water should be available for the tarantula at all times, and it is a good idea to clean the water dish once a week.

   Bedding should be earthen. Vermiculite, cocofibre (such as eco earth), peatmoss, or organic, pesticide free potting soil will work fine. Do not use woodchips, especially cedar woodchips, as the rough edges can cause hernias or lacerations to the tarantula’s soft abdomen. Cedar is also a natural pesticide, so it could actually poison your tarantula. If you want to go cheap, you can take soil from your backyard, bake it to remove any possible pests or molds, let it cool completely, and use that.

   For a shelter, I usually use the half logs that petstores sell. If you want to go cheap you can use a half buried flowerpot or large cup.

   Food can be crickets, roaches, mealworms, waxworms, or for larger species, mice or small lizards. The rule of thumb is not to feed tarantulas anything larger than it’s abdomen. Otherwise it could harm your tarantula. Also, don’t feed your tarantula anything caught in or around your home, as it could expose your pet to toxins or parasites. Store bought feeders are usually safer. You should feed your tarantula 1-3 crickets or a roach every other week, with the size of it’s abdomen being an indication of how hungry it is. Food is stored in it’s abdomen and it will stretch and shrink based on how much food it is getting. I usually see crickets go for a dollar a dozen, roaches for 25 cents a piece.

   You will need to clean the cage now and than. However, just removing food waste with a long pair of tongs will be adequate on cleaning. This prevents mite infestations. You also should clean out the water dish once a week by taking it out and rinsing it down in the sink.

   I have never heard of a “Mexican Rosehair”, do you by chance mean a “Chilean Rose Hair” (Grammostola rosea), or a “Mexican Redknee” (Brachypelma smithi)? Different tarantula species require different care.

   I also recommend getting “The Tarantula Keeper’s Guide” by Stanley A. Schultz, Marguerite J. Schultz and/or “Tarantulas and Other Arachnids” by Samuel D. Marshall. These are the two best books on tarantula care.

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