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- Dec 19, 2018
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This is written completely from my own experiences.
Any input welcome.
So you want to get yourself a Tarantula
Hopefully it's a New world.
So what is meant by new world?, you may ask. The New World, is, the Continent of America, these Tarantulas are generally more docile and advised to start with, they have Urticating hairs that can be kicked off in defence, and is the main way they will defend. Not everyone does this though, Old world Tarantulas they are from the rest of the world, are faster with more potent venom and can be defensive so there not advised to start with, these do not have Urticating hairs so they bolt or bite. Australians don't have the option to get New Worlds. In Australia you are only allowed to keep native Tarantulas and Australia is part of the old world.
It is best to use the scientific names for you're Tarantula, there can be differences in names when using the common names so it can get confusing trying to get help and find the exact species you have.
The 3 main types of Tarantula, terrestrial, fossorial and arboreal.
Terrestrial Tarantulas
They will live the majority of there life on the ground and most will be out on display often when they get a bit larger. They will be set up in an enclosure that is wider than it is tall, and have no more that 1.5x there diagonal leg span in height in case of a fall as terrestrial Tarantulas are not good climbers.
Fossorial Tarantulas
These live underground, they make burrows to live in, and are often referred to as pet holes or just a box of dirt. It is advised to give these guys at least 3x their diagonal leg span in substrate to burrow.
Arboreal Tarantulas
They live in the trees so need there enclosure taller rather than wide going for 3x to 4x there diagonal leg span in height for them, most arboreal Tarantulas will burrow when they're young, so provide a few inches of substrate with a piece of cork bark against a side of the enclosure. The exceptions being Avicularia types including Caribena and Ybyrapora, these live up high all the time so need a lot of foliage up top, have a piece of cork bark running to the very top too. Cross ventilation is going to be something you will hear alot when it comes to these guys, what cross ventilation is, is basically the movement of air through the enclosure. So to create cross ventilation you have to have ventilation up top and ventilation down low at substrate level, what this does is when the heat naturally rises as heat does it escapes out the top ventilation bringing in cooler, fresh air from down low.
The Ladder System
We advise a ladder system for anyone who hasn't kept a Tarantula before. This is to help with confidence mainly, the last thing you need is being nervous when rehousing a fast old world with strong venom like a Poecilotheria. The ladder system starts with slow growing, slow moving terrestrial Tarantulas like Grammostola, Brachypelma and Tliltocatl. Avicularia types can be good beginner Tarantulas too but they NEED to be set up properly and they will thrive, these are all new world Tarantulas. My advice for best beginner Tarantula for Terrestrial is Grammostola Pulchripes and for Arboreal is Caribeana Versicolour. Once you are confident enough with the more docile species, next are the faster new worlds, something from the Psalmopoeus or Tapinauchenius genus, these Tarantulas are arboreal and FAST. My advice for the best introduction to Old worlds is the Psalmopoeus Cambridgei. Feeling confident enough rehousing an adult female Cambridgei and you're definitely ready for Old worlds.
I'd advise getting into the Fossorial genras of Tarantulas, old world Fossorial species create some amount of webbing and providing them with anchor points can make some cool looking enclosures covered in a thick layer of web. Harpacteria Pulchripes is a great beginner Old world they are generally quite shy in my experience and are easy to keep. My favourite Old world Fossorials are the Chilobrachys Genus these can be a bit spicy though so be prepared. And obviously you have all the Tarantulas in-between with varying temperaments and care.
Urticating Hairs
As you will hopefully be starting with a new world species let's get into that "Urticating hairs" mentioned before, called "UrS" abbreviation of Urticating Setae, they represent one of the primary defense mechanisms employed by New World tarantulas, causing significant discomfort to potential predators and unsuspecting tarantula keepers alike around 90% of new world Tarantulas posses them. These specialized bristles, technically called setae, vary dramatically in their irritation potential depending on the tarantula species, with some capable of causing weeks of painful itching, rashes, and in severe cases, damage to sensitive tissues. The Theraphosa genus is universally recognized as the most severe. Individual reactions to these hairs can vary considerably based on personal sensitivity, exposure history, and the specific type of urticating hair encountered, making awareness of high-risk species particularly important for tarantula enthusiasts. Tip, keep Duct Tape handy, this is a great way to remove the setae.
Growth and Moulting
When starting with those slow growing slow moving New world Tarantulas, patience is the key. The Tarantula hobby is not a race of any sort, take you're time and be prepared. Something good to know is Tarantulas won't drown and they drink water so always provide a water dish with fresh water.
Getting a sling (spiderling (baby spider)) it can be years for some of them to start showing adult colours and be out on display, so most people will end up getting a Few Tarantulas, inevitably one will burrow away and you won't see it for weeks sometimes months and you will probably worry everyone does the 1st few times this happens, this is what we refer to as premoult.
The Tarantula does not want disturbed during this time as is normally perceived by them blocking of there burrows or web tunnels, they will normally stop eating during this time too, don't worry a Tarantula can go for months without eating, some species will regularly go close to a year and over without eating. Always keep there water dish full during this time too, it can be very dehydrating on them.
When you're Tarantula does emerge it could still be soft after moulting (shedding its old skin called the exoskeleton) so if you can see it's Fangs make sure they are jet black before attempting to feed. If you can't see there fangs leave them around a week for smaller spiders, increasing to around 3 weeks for adults.
There are species that are beginner friendly that grow quite fast too, these aren't as docile as some mentioned before but do grow pretty fast. Most of the Lasiodora Genus they are closely related to the Nhandu and Vitalius genus too so some of these can be pretty fast growers, in my experience the Lasiodora Parahybana is a great Tarantula it gets big, has a great feeding response, grows fast and is out on display from an early age at around the 2.5 inch DLS (DLS stands for Diagonal Leg Span and is the distance from one of the 2 front legs too the opposite side rear leg when spread out).
Size Vs Age
When needing any help with you're Tarantula, you may be inclined to think you need to know, How old is my spider? Well this is something that is sort of irrelevant in Tarantula keeping. With different climates comes different growth rates, not only that but feeding plays a big part too. If a Tarantula is kept on the cooler side and fed less often, it will in turn grow slower than, if you kept the exact same Tarantula in a warmer climate with more food. This is then a gradual curve of growth rate as the climate and food source is changed, with warmer climate and more food conceiving in faster growth, and cooler climate and less food in slower growth. So with this information, to get help with you're Tarantula it is size that matters so always use the DLS explained before.
Temperature and Humidity
Now this is so controversial in the Tarantula keeping world. Temperatures for some species are fine at room temps, but at the end of the day you want you're spiders to thrive so most will use some sort of heat source. I keep my room around 28°c (82.4°f) at the top shelf and it's around 23°c (73.4°f) at the bottom, with the heating being off during the night for between 8 and 10 hours the temps have dropped to 18°c (64.4°f) for the whole room. Most advised is small space heaters these are relatively inexpensive to run and are ideal to heat the whole room. All round the best method to use. Another method is a heat mat, using heat mats it's safest to have a large container, with the heat mat in the that, and you're Tarantula enclosures inside the heated container. Do NOT place heat mats under Tarantula enclosures, in the wild a tarantula will retreat to a burrow to get away from heat so if it does that in its enclosure it will be burrowing towards the heat.
Now with Humidity that's where is gets a bit controversial, as when humidity is spoke about with Tarantulas it has more to do with how damp the substrate is. Trying to chase Humidity numbers with a tarantula could be detrimental to its health. So arid species will be kept on dry substrate with a water dish that will get overflowed once in a while, then next up will have half and half so keeping part of the substrate moist while part drys out. Then we have species that are kept on just moist substrate.
Don't have you're substrate too wet though, if you take a handful and squeeze it, no water should drip from it but it should feel wet that's is how you can tell if it's properly moist.
Feeding
Feeding you're Tarantula is probably the most fun part, but how often should you feed? How big should the prey be? What should you feed? Should I pre kill it?
Well let's talk about it.
So for very small slings the best thing to use is cut up mealworms, do not use dried meal worms they are no use, you're feeders should always at least start off alive. So cutting the mealworm means you are feeding it pre killed and no matter when you feed pre killed, whatever reason it may be, you leave the prey there for a maximum of 24hours if it's uneaten remove it to prevent mould growth. You can feed live prey but it has to be small enough, so around the size of the spiders abdomen is a good guide for size to begin with then you will be able to judge it. Small slings I will feed as much as they will take and fatten them right up, and help them grow faster.
As they get bigger into the juvenile stage there growth will start to slow so I will dial back on the feeding, I don't use any schedule and always feed on what they look like, like the size of there abdomen, but at juvenile size it's around once a week. Fattening them up too fast at this size can just lead to it being in premoult for longer than expected and especially being new you are going to worry.
Now after a moult as mentioned before, you know to wait before feeding. You're T is going to look considerably thinner in the abdomen, do not be tempted to over feed, yes for the 1st feed after the moult go ahead and give it something a good bit bigger than usual or multiple of whatever you normally feed, but that then go back to feeding as normal.
Now when they get to adults that's when some species can go for up to a year without eating, this is totally normal and nothing to worry about as long as the spider looks plump enough, by this point if you started with a sling you will know what that is, if not just come on here, we are all here to help out.
Remember research the species you want before purchasing, utilise the search function on here or even message me and if I can't help I'm sure I can point you in the right direction.
Some beginner threads:
Avicularia husbandry
Sexing
Ladder system
Beginner thread
Any input welcome.
So you want to get yourself a Tarantula
Hopefully it's a New world.
So what is meant by new world?, you may ask. The New World, is, the Continent of America, these Tarantulas are generally more docile and advised to start with, they have Urticating hairs that can be kicked off in defence, and is the main way they will defend. Not everyone does this though, Old world Tarantulas they are from the rest of the world, are faster with more potent venom and can be defensive so there not advised to start with, these do not have Urticating hairs so they bolt or bite. Australians don't have the option to get New Worlds. In Australia you are only allowed to keep native Tarantulas and Australia is part of the old world.
It is best to use the scientific names for you're Tarantula, there can be differences in names when using the common names so it can get confusing trying to get help and find the exact species you have.
The 3 main types of Tarantula, terrestrial, fossorial and arboreal.
Terrestrial Tarantulas
They will live the majority of there life on the ground and most will be out on display often when they get a bit larger. They will be set up in an enclosure that is wider than it is tall, and have no more that 1.5x there diagonal leg span in height in case of a fall as terrestrial Tarantulas are not good climbers.
Fossorial Tarantulas
These live underground, they make burrows to live in, and are often referred to as pet holes or just a box of dirt. It is advised to give these guys at least 3x their diagonal leg span in substrate to burrow.
Arboreal Tarantulas
They live in the trees so need there enclosure taller rather than wide going for 3x to 4x there diagonal leg span in height for them, most arboreal Tarantulas will burrow when they're young, so provide a few inches of substrate with a piece of cork bark against a side of the enclosure. The exceptions being Avicularia types including Caribena and Ybyrapora, these live up high all the time so need a lot of foliage up top, have a piece of cork bark running to the very top too. Cross ventilation is going to be something you will hear alot when it comes to these guys, what cross ventilation is, is basically the movement of air through the enclosure. So to create cross ventilation you have to have ventilation up top and ventilation down low at substrate level, what this does is when the heat naturally rises as heat does it escapes out the top ventilation bringing in cooler, fresh air from down low.
The Ladder System
We advise a ladder system for anyone who hasn't kept a Tarantula before. This is to help with confidence mainly, the last thing you need is being nervous when rehousing a fast old world with strong venom like a Poecilotheria. The ladder system starts with slow growing, slow moving terrestrial Tarantulas like Grammostola, Brachypelma and Tliltocatl. Avicularia types can be good beginner Tarantulas too but they NEED to be set up properly and they will thrive, these are all new world Tarantulas. My advice for best beginner Tarantula for Terrestrial is Grammostola Pulchripes and for Arboreal is Caribeana Versicolour. Once you are confident enough with the more docile species, next are the faster new worlds, something from the Psalmopoeus or Tapinauchenius genus, these Tarantulas are arboreal and FAST. My advice for the best introduction to Old worlds is the Psalmopoeus Cambridgei. Feeling confident enough rehousing an adult female Cambridgei and you're definitely ready for Old worlds.
I'd advise getting into the Fossorial genras of Tarantulas, old world Fossorial species create some amount of webbing and providing them with anchor points can make some cool looking enclosures covered in a thick layer of web. Harpacteria Pulchripes is a great beginner Old world they are generally quite shy in my experience and are easy to keep. My favourite Old world Fossorials are the Chilobrachys Genus these can be a bit spicy though so be prepared. And obviously you have all the Tarantulas in-between with varying temperaments and care.
Urticating Hairs
As you will hopefully be starting with a new world species let's get into that "Urticating hairs" mentioned before, called "UrS" abbreviation of Urticating Setae, they represent one of the primary defense mechanisms employed by New World tarantulas, causing significant discomfort to potential predators and unsuspecting tarantula keepers alike around 90% of new world Tarantulas posses them. These specialized bristles, technically called setae, vary dramatically in their irritation potential depending on the tarantula species, with some capable of causing weeks of painful itching, rashes, and in severe cases, damage to sensitive tissues. The Theraphosa genus is universally recognized as the most severe. Individual reactions to these hairs can vary considerably based on personal sensitivity, exposure history, and the specific type of urticating hair encountered, making awareness of high-risk species particularly important for tarantula enthusiasts. Tip, keep Duct Tape handy, this is a great way to remove the setae.
Growth and Moulting
When starting with those slow growing slow moving New world Tarantulas, patience is the key. The Tarantula hobby is not a race of any sort, take you're time and be prepared. Something good to know is Tarantulas won't drown and they drink water so always provide a water dish with fresh water.
Getting a sling (spiderling (baby spider)) it can be years for some of them to start showing adult colours and be out on display, so most people will end up getting a Few Tarantulas, inevitably one will burrow away and you won't see it for weeks sometimes months and you will probably worry everyone does the 1st few times this happens, this is what we refer to as premoult.
The Tarantula does not want disturbed during this time as is normally perceived by them blocking of there burrows or web tunnels, they will normally stop eating during this time too, don't worry a Tarantula can go for months without eating, some species will regularly go close to a year and over without eating. Always keep there water dish full during this time too, it can be very dehydrating on them.
When you're Tarantula does emerge it could still be soft after moulting (shedding its old skin called the exoskeleton) so if you can see it's Fangs make sure they are jet black before attempting to feed. If you can't see there fangs leave them around a week for smaller spiders, increasing to around 3 weeks for adults.
There are species that are beginner friendly that grow quite fast too, these aren't as docile as some mentioned before but do grow pretty fast. Most of the Lasiodora Genus they are closely related to the Nhandu and Vitalius genus too so some of these can be pretty fast growers, in my experience the Lasiodora Parahybana is a great Tarantula it gets big, has a great feeding response, grows fast and is out on display from an early age at around the 2.5 inch DLS (DLS stands for Diagonal Leg Span and is the distance from one of the 2 front legs too the opposite side rear leg when spread out).
Size Vs Age
When needing any help with you're Tarantula, you may be inclined to think you need to know, How old is my spider? Well this is something that is sort of irrelevant in Tarantula keeping. With different climates comes different growth rates, not only that but feeding plays a big part too. If a Tarantula is kept on the cooler side and fed less often, it will in turn grow slower than, if you kept the exact same Tarantula in a warmer climate with more food. This is then a gradual curve of growth rate as the climate and food source is changed, with warmer climate and more food conceiving in faster growth, and cooler climate and less food in slower growth. So with this information, to get help with you're Tarantula it is size that matters so always use the DLS explained before.
Temperature and Humidity
Now this is so controversial in the Tarantula keeping world. Temperatures for some species are fine at room temps, but at the end of the day you want you're spiders to thrive so most will use some sort of heat source. I keep my room around 28°c (82.4°f) at the top shelf and it's around 23°c (73.4°f) at the bottom, with the heating being off during the night for between 8 and 10 hours the temps have dropped to 18°c (64.4°f) for the whole room. Most advised is small space heaters these are relatively inexpensive to run and are ideal to heat the whole room. All round the best method to use. Another method is a heat mat, using heat mats it's safest to have a large container, with the heat mat in the that, and you're Tarantula enclosures inside the heated container. Do NOT place heat mats under Tarantula enclosures, in the wild a tarantula will retreat to a burrow to get away from heat so if it does that in its enclosure it will be burrowing towards the heat.
Now with Humidity that's where is gets a bit controversial, as when humidity is spoke about with Tarantulas it has more to do with how damp the substrate is. Trying to chase Humidity numbers with a tarantula could be detrimental to its health. So arid species will be kept on dry substrate with a water dish that will get overflowed once in a while, then next up will have half and half so keeping part of the substrate moist while part drys out. Then we have species that are kept on just moist substrate.
Don't have you're substrate too wet though, if you take a handful and squeeze it, no water should drip from it but it should feel wet that's is how you can tell if it's properly moist.
Feeding
Feeding you're Tarantula is probably the most fun part, but how often should you feed? How big should the prey be? What should you feed? Should I pre kill it?
Well let's talk about it.
So for very small slings the best thing to use is cut up mealworms, do not use dried meal worms they are no use, you're feeders should always at least start off alive. So cutting the mealworm means you are feeding it pre killed and no matter when you feed pre killed, whatever reason it may be, you leave the prey there for a maximum of 24hours if it's uneaten remove it to prevent mould growth. You can feed live prey but it has to be small enough, so around the size of the spiders abdomen is a good guide for size to begin with then you will be able to judge it. Small slings I will feed as much as they will take and fatten them right up, and help them grow faster.
As they get bigger into the juvenile stage there growth will start to slow so I will dial back on the feeding, I don't use any schedule and always feed on what they look like, like the size of there abdomen, but at juvenile size it's around once a week. Fattening them up too fast at this size can just lead to it being in premoult for longer than expected and especially being new you are going to worry.
Now after a moult as mentioned before, you know to wait before feeding. You're T is going to look considerably thinner in the abdomen, do not be tempted to over feed, yes for the 1st feed after the moult go ahead and give it something a good bit bigger than usual or multiple of whatever you normally feed, but that then go back to feeding as normal.
Now when they get to adults that's when some species can go for up to a year without eating, this is totally normal and nothing to worry about as long as the spider looks plump enough, by this point if you started with a sling you will know what that is, if not just come on here, we are all here to help out.
Remember research the species you want before purchasing, utilise the search function on here or even message me and if I can't help I'm sure I can point you in the right direction.
Some beginner threads:
Avicularia husbandry
Avicularia Husbandry?
Hi! I'm new to the forum and am unsure if this is the right place for this, but I was wondering if there's anything I should know in advance before purchasing an Avicularia genus? (specifically, I have my eye on some a. metallica slings) I've done some reading, but being that I've only ever had...
arachnoboards.com
Sexing
Admin Announcement - How to Request Species or Sex Identification
Requests to identify (or confirm) a tarantula’s species, variation, or sex must be posted to the appropriate gallery. (Otherwise, our forum would be overwhelmed with these threads.) Where to Submit Images Below are the galleries to which these requests should be submitted: Tarantula...
arachnoboards.com
Ladder system
When to know you are ready for the "next level"
Is there a specific genus are you considering in the future? I am eventually wanting several of the Poecilotheria... metallica, regalis, etc. They are just absolutely spectacular!!! I did already "cross the line" into OW. I already got 9 M.balfouri slings for a communal, although I have 1 of...
arachnoboards.com
Beginner thread
Admin Announcement - Tarantula Information for Beginners (and More)
Below are some helpful resources. (Rather than having half a dozen or more pinned threads, which clutter the top of the board, we are pinning this index.) While the focus is on beginners, there are other threads on health and more advanced species that may be useful to more experienced keepers...
arachnoboards.com
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