Keeping Tarantulas in Basements

[Ilich]

Hey, I've just been discussing with my girlfriend how I'd be keeping my future T's. This being the biggest issue of all, as she has arachnophobia. I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable in our home but she said she'd be fine if I were to keep them in the basement. I live in a colder area, it snows and gets pretty low down there in degrees. I was wondering if it'd be okay for me to keep them in the basement if I had space heaters and things like that? If-so, how should I set it up, etc. What would you guys recommend? I'm sure someone here has a basement setup, I'm just worried that it might be too cold for them and cause problems. Maybe I'm over-thinking it, I just want them to be safe and healthy and happy.

Post-script: I don't have any tarantulas yet, just a few I've picked out that I want to get

 

[sdeveikis]

Keeping them in the basement shouldn't be an issue, I don't think. Your best bet would be to buy a space heater and just keep the thermostat set at around 70ish. I keep a small oscillating one a few feet away from their enclosure as my apartment gets pretty cold at night, and I haven't had any issues with it yet!

 

[Ilich]

Keeping them in the basement shouldn't be an issue, I don't think. Your best bet would be to buy a space heater and just keep the thermostat set at around 70ish. I keep a small oscillating one a few feet away from their enclosure as my apartment gets pretty cold at night, and I haven't had any issues with it yet!

Okay thank you, I just want to make sure that everything will be okay. It's really important to me that they're taken care of, and I'm not gonna subjugate them to a horrible living environment if I can't provide a good one.

 

[Dovey]

Plan on heating the room, or at least a portion of the room, rather than individual habitats. Much safer and much better for the tarantulas.

I kept a G. rosea in an area that got down to the low-to-mid 60s through the winter, and she did fine, but she had a nice bro and the temperature was occasionally much warmer than that. Some of the more temperate species, like perhaps an Aphonopelma chalcodes, which do experienced cold temperatures on the surface though they are winter burrowers, might do okay with chilier temperatures, as long as I have a nice burrow to retreat to.

A lot of people keep their spiders in glass-fronted cabinets, and they heat the inside of the cabinet to an acceptable temperature.

 

[Liquifin]

I keep my T.'s in my basement, all I do is a space heater and i'm good for temps. For a space heater, just choose one that can heat up the space of basement and that is cost efficient on electricity. There are a lot of possible space heaters, but just choose one that suits you and what you are looking for.

 

[Ilich]

Plan on heating the room, or at least a portion of the room, rather than individual habitats. Much safer and much better for the tarantulas.

I kept a G. rosea in an area that got down to the low-to-mid 60s through the winter, and she did fine, but she had a nice bro and the temperature was occasionally much warmer than that. Some of the more temperate species, like perhaps an Aphonopelma chalcodes, which do experienced cold temperatures on the surface though they are winter burrowers, might do okay with chilier temperatures, as long as I have a nice burrow to retreat to.

A lot of people keep their spiders in glass-fronted cabinets, and they heat the inside of the cabinet to an acceptable temperature.

Yeah, that's what I've heard. I just wasn't one-hundred percent certain and I needed to be. Here it gets to around 30 in the winter but I'm moving to an even colder area once I'm done with school, so I'm just thinking about the long-run.

I keep my T.'s in my basement, all I do is a space heater and i'm good for temps. For a space heater, just choose one that can heat up the space of basement and that is cost efficient on electricity. There are a lot of possible space heaters, but just choose one that suits you and what you are looking for.

Okay, thank you, this is all making me feel a lot better. Had a bit of an anxiety spike, ngl.

 

[Theneil]

i my spider room (not in the basement) is heated with a little space heater that has a built in thermostat so i just set it to 80 (it actually keeps it more like mid-high 70s) and it takes care of itself. Nothing too special.

The only thing i would try to do different in a basement maybe is keep the spider against an inside wall instead of an outside one if possible. you might also put it in a closet or the smallest room (if your basement has either).

 

[Ilich]

i my spider room (not in the basement) is heated with a little space heater that has a built in thermostat so i just set it to 80 (it actually keeps it more like mid-high 70s) and it takes care of itself. Nothing too special.

The only thing i would try to do different in a basement maybe is keep the spider against an inside wall instead of an outside one if possible. you might also put it in a closet or the smallest room (if your basement has either).

That makes sense, less air-flow from the outside that way. Thanks for the tips.

 

[Theneil]

Also complete side note: it sounds backwards but some people are able to view adult/Juvenile tarantulas differently from the 'scary house spider' (Maybe because they are fuzzy?) but the generic brown sling looks like something they would squish...

i'm not sure if this would apply to you're girlfriend but it did to mine, so it might be worth getting a larger one to start. Sorry i don't remember what you were planning to get from the other thread so i'm not sure if this even applies but it might be something to consider/discuss.

 

[Ilich]

Also complete side note: it sounds backwards but some people are able to view adult/Juvenile tarantulas differently from the 'scary house spider' (Maybe because they are fuzzy?) but the generic brown sling looks like something they would squish...

i'm not sure if this would apply to you're girlfriend but it did to mine, so it might be worth getting a larger one to start. Sorry i don't remember what you were planning to get from the other thread so i'm not sure if this even applies but it might be something to consider/discuss.

It's an irrational fear, like full-blown diagnosed arachnophobia. I can't get her to do anything, she gets anxiety just thinking about being around them. I've already tried to convince her multiple times that they're just misunderstood and that there's been o recorded deaths from tarantulas.

 

[Theneil]

Well that is a bummer. Hopefully seeing them (from the other side of an enclosure) will help her. i know many people have used tarantulas to help with arachnophobia. Or maybe seeing a molt instead of a living specimen. i don't know. i feel like i'm just rambling now... sorry.

Good luck.

 

[Ilich]

Well that is a bummer. Hopefully seeing them (from the other side of an enclosure) will help her. i know many people have used tarantulas to help with arachnophobia. Or maybe seeing a molt instead of a living specimen. i don't know. i feel like i'm just rambling now... sorry.

Good luck.

It's fine, I've said the same stuff, I just don't know if she'll ever even be willing to look at them. We'll see, in due time.

 

[dragonfire1577]

As long as you can keep the temps stable, around room temp it should be fine.

 

[Andrea82]

I think your girlfriend kicks ass for being scared to death of spiders but 'allowing' you to have some tarantula. We see a lot of posts where the SO actually adamantly forbids the other to keep spiders at all.

I don't think she needs to get over her fear at all. Just leave her be, would be my advice. Make sure you have someone that can take care of your spider if you're ill or something though.

 

[Andrea82]

Edit: double post

 

[Chris LXXIX]

We see a lot of posts where the SO actually adamantly forbids the other to keep spiders at all.

Well, God bless those ladies, for that a good 6 T's of my collection were in recent years given to me (for free & with 'thanks') from those, due to that. Like the Italians of the middle ages said:

'Mors tua aranea mea' ih ih ih

 

[Venom1080]

I made a part of my basement into a room and keep them all there. It'd be a nightmare trying to heat my entire basement. Unless your basement is on the small side, I'd section off a area.

 

[Ilich]

I think your girlfriend kicks ass for being scared to death of spiders but 'allowing' you to have some tarantula. We see a lot of posts where the SO actually adamantly forbids the other to keep spiders at all.

I don't think she needs to get over her fear at all. Just leave her be, would be my advice. Make sure you have someone that can take care of your spider if you're ill or something though.

I told her I won't make her do anything, I love her and want her to be comfortable. I will make sure I have that though, for sure, and for when we got on vacation.

I made a part of my basement into a room and keep them all there. It'd be a nightmare trying to heat my entire basement. Unless your basement is on the small side, I'd section off a area.

Yeah, I could potentially do that, but from what I've heard just heating an area of the basement they're in would be fine.