Tarantula for my toddler

[AMEN]

Hello there. My kid is so fun of spiders and i am thinking of buying him a pet tarantula. what would you recommend for species that are harmless for kids. and where could I find in Athens?

 

[Mustafa67]

Hello there. My kid is so fun of spiders and i am thinking of buying him a pet tarantula. what would you recommend for species that are harmless for kids. and where could I find in Athens?

I wouldn’t recommend a tarantula for a toddler, maybe only a teddy one.

No tarantula at all are suitable or harmless for toddlers. It’s irresponsible for the toddler AND the T

 

[Wolfram1]

i suggest going into the forest with him instead, spend time with your kid and showing him all the bugs and animals that can be found by flipping logs or turning over stones.

let him get acustomed to catch, view and release, teach him to treat them with respect, see how far his interest goes

there are some cheap bug-containers that incorporate a loop for magnification and that i used to love when i was a kid.

get yourself a bug guide too, so you can explain them to him in detail and later when he learns to read, to flip through, reminding him of the time he spent with you exploring nature

 

[A guy]

No tarantula is harmless

 

[Introvertebrate]

I would fear for the tarantula. He'll try to hold it won't he? Kids don't have a delicate touch.

 

[fcat]

Since you are in Greece the only tarantulas you will find have medically significant venom.

In addition to the venom, there would be mechanical damage from the fangs.

Ask him again in a week, maybe he will want a cobra instead?

 

[Ratmosphere]

Wait until they're older.

 

[viper69]

Hello there. My kid is so fun of spiders and i am thinking of buying him a pet tarantula. what would you recommend for species that are harmless for kids. and where could I find in Athens?

There are none; they all have venom and they all can bite.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

Hello there. My kid is so fun of spiders and i am thinking of buying him a pet tarantula. what would you recommend for species that are harmless for kids. and where could I find in Athens?

First research all laws and regulations in your country of Greece. Second spend some considerable time researching tarantulas here. Third learn the difference between OW, NW and UrS.

In case you blow off the advice everyone gave you make sure you are the one responsible for the animal. This means you are keeping the tarantula in a secure area, like a locked room that your child cannot gain access too if you are not around. You are providing the care for it. No handling the tarantula by anyone including yourself.

Learn the husbandry of the particular spider you are interested in.

People have done it this way with success.

It must be you dedicated to the welfare of the tarantula not your child. Nor am I saying that is the case.

 

[DaveM]

My toddler picked a favorite one of my tarantulas, which was kept up on shelving in a spider room securely closed off from toddler exploration. She would want to be carried into the spider room each night to say goodnight to "her" favorite one. No toddler should be given free or unsupervised access to a tarantula, but held in the arms of a parent to observe was not any kind of safety issue.

As a side note, the spider my toddler favored was Stromatopelma calceatum, and I won't even let my wife open that enclosure.

 

[Introvertebrate]

...............As a side note, the spider my toddler favored was Stromatopelma calceatum, and I won't even let my wife open that enclosure.

Interesting how kids make up their own minds. That species is considered somewhat of a throwaway within the hobby. I've got an S. calceatum myself. She's not flashy like some either species. She's got a subtle beauty all her own.

 

[TheraMygale]

Well, you could possibly find adult velvet spiders while hiking. Although they can bite, they are still relatively fun spiders to observe and not as dangerous as old worlds.

Your home will already be at the right weather for them. It will be easy to care for. Its a good first try. That way if your son gets bored, it wont live long either. You’ll spens less money then the rest of us yearning for one. They are the most chubby cutest arachnids.

If you can get g pulchripes in your country, i would get that as a first tarantula. And get a sling. It will grow with your son.