Love them or loath them, nobody can deny just how fascinating giant, hairy tarantulas truly are.
With over 800 recognized species, and ever more of these being kept in captivity each year, keeping tarantulas as pets represents a fascinating opportunity to learn about these much-maligned creatures.
Be careful though – my own experience suggests that once you own more than just a couple of spiders it’s easy to become obsessed and end up with literally hundreds of them. You have been warned!
The Togo Starburst Baboon tarantula is quite different to many of the more popular pet tarantulas. Whilst species like the Blue Baboon and King Baboon have gained in popularity at least thanks to their coloration, the Starburst Baboon is rather more muted. Look a little more closely, however, and this subtle appearance is actually very …
The Mexican Pink tarantula (Brachypelma klaasi) fits the standard Brachypelma tarantula profile; chunky appearance, docile temperament and bright colors. As the common name suggests, the Mexican Pink is clothed in bright hairs over a black background. While keepers disagree about whether these really look pink, nobody would deny what a beautiful tarantula species this is. …
Back when I first started keeping tarantulas in the mid 1990’s there was really only one tarantula in the hobby that might be considered as “blue” – the Cobalt Blue tarantula from Asia. Soon afterward came others, however, such as the stunning Greenbottle Blue and the Martinique Pinktoe. The Socotra Island Blue Baboon, however, was …
The Costa Rican Zebra is one of the “original” tarantulas in the hobby. When I first started to keep tarantulas in the 90’s this was one of the few commonly-available species in reptile stores. While there seem to be fewer around these days, they’re still a popular and beautiful species. The Costa Rican Zebra (also …
At first glance the Mexican Flame Knee tarantula (Brachypelma auratum) closely resembles the far better-known Mexican Red Knee (Brachypelma hamorii/smithi). Look a little closer, however, and subtle differences start to become clear… Whilst both species have vivid orange or red stripes on their “knees” it is the background color that effectively separates these two species. …
I’m embarrassed to admit that when the Brazilian White Knee tarantula started to enter the hobby I was far from impressed. At the time I was focusing my attention on the more colourful species of tarantula such as the Greenbottle Blue, the Cobalt Blue and the Indian Ornamental. Then along comes a tarantula that is …
Molting is an important part of a tarantula’s life. When a tarantula molts it is able to regenerate lost or damaged body parts, including legs and hair. It is also the process through which a tarantula grows. But there are also risks – molting is a dangerous time for a tarantula, where it is almost …
Tarantulas are carnivorous invertebrates that will eat almost any live animal they can subdue. While this can include small birds, reptiles or even mammals, in reality this means tarantulas almost exclusively eat other suitably-sized invertebrates. Baby tarantulas, being so tiny when they hatch, most commonly eat very small insects. For baby pet tarantulas the most …
Tarantula molts should always be removed from the cage if possible. If a tarantula molt is left in the cage for too long it not only looks unsightly, but more importantly it can attract mites. Mites in a tarantula cage are always bad news, so it’s quicker and simpler to just remove a molt when …
New World tarantulas are those that come from the Americas. Namely North American, Central America and South America, together with the Caribbean Islands. This is in contrast to Old World tarantulas which come from the rest of the world, particularly Africa and Asia. While there are always exceptions to any rule, New World tarantulas are …
Mealworms are an incredibly popular feeder insect for many pets, so understandably many people wonder if tarantulas can eat mealworms. Tarantulas can eat mealworms without problem. Mealworms are also easy to work with for most tarantula enthusiasts; for example they don’t jump about like crickets or try to fly away like fruit flies. However before …
Tarantulas don’t usually eat their molt. Normally, once a tarantula has molted, you will find the molted skin still within their cage. For tarantulas that choose to molt out in the open, this skin will be almost instantly visible. However in tarantulas that molt down a burrow, or in a piece of cork bark, it …
