Tarantulas as pets.

At a meeting I attended some weeks ago with new people in the office, someone asked about pets as an ice breaker. Practically everyone had dogs or cats. I did too but, to spice things up, I chose to talk about the other pets we have.

My son has a 1 year old French Bulldog whom we totally adore. Yet, he has been given enough spotlight already. The other pets we have which we normally don't talk about because some people aren't fond of them are - tarantulas. So, beware. Read with caution if you have arachnophobia.

We wrote about our first tarantula here. Just 1 spider then. Enough to give in to my son's request. Eventually, after too much reading about keeping them as pets, I learned about other species of this 8 legged creature and fell in love. They are colorful, elegant, interesting, just not cuddly. 1 spider became 2, and then another one came in. And yesterday, I came home with my 11th specie. They're growing and I'm totally hooked.

Everyone cringed and got taken aback when I told the group I keep them as pets. A lot of questions arose. Are they dangerous? What I feed them, do I bathe them, are they tedious to keep, are they safe for kids? I think the ice definitely broke during my turn.

Just like any creatures, they become aggressive if threatened. They are no domesticated animals thus should be handled gently and with care. Do you die if you get bitten? Depends, really. While most appear to be non poisonous to humans, the body's reaction may trigger serious effects. Their bites are usually compared to a bee sting. Their colorful bodies tempt you to hold them, but I don't personally. Aside from biting, they flick special hair (those colorful hairs they have). These hairs have irritating chemicals that can cause skin itch or irritated membranes. It takes days before itch disappears and weeks or maybe even months for spiders to grow back their hair. I like my spiders colorful so I just let them be. No handling, except when I need them rehoused. Even so, I use a catch cup so I won't have to touch them directly.

That little corner in our room where our 8 legged friends hang out.

Must haves for tarantula keeping. Longest forceps you can ever have, long brushes with soft strands, catch cups.

It is relatively easy to keep tarantulas. They don't require much attention. Heck, they enjoy being kept in a dark room with warm temperature. Very different from keeping a Siberian husky who wants sooo much attention and good air conditioning. They feed on roaches, crickets, superworms. These feeders can be bought by colony and they reproduce themselves so it's very unlikely you have to buy every time. Totally far from cat food that have different varieties and very much expensive. You feed them only at least once a week, or depending on their level of hunger. No need to bathe because, seriously, that's not something I should even be discussing.

Candice, our Lasiodora Parahybana - Brazilian Salmon Pink Bird-Eating 🕷️

Beatrice, our Ybyrapora Diversipes - Amazon Sapphire Pink Toe 🕷️)

Eleanor, our Caribena Versicolor - Antilles Pinktoe 🕷️.

I have two kids, 7 and 4. Both are fascinated with them too. Are these pets dangerous for them? Yes, if you don't teach them early on about respecting their places. My kids know that they can only look but not touch. So far, there has never been an instance of us having untoward incidents with them. They won't bite unless you do something that would make them want to.

These pets cost real money. That's where the risks come in for me, in my opinion. There is no guarantee they will survive because like I said, these are wild, never domesticated animals. Risks also come in when you buy them from online sellers and they have to be shipped to you. Mishandling during transportation makes them DOA. They can also die if they suffer during molting process, most spiderlings can't survive these. Molting is what they go through while growing. This is difficult and strenuous for them as they have to leave their exoskeleton -- a stiff support structure on the outside of the body. Makes at least half of the spiderlings inside the sac die along the way. One cool thing about molting though is their ability to regrow a leg if they lose one prior to molting. Cool, huh? Careless housemates can do harm too. Too many hazards for this tiny pets. But proper care and respect for their territory, will give you long time to spend together.

They are interesting pets and keeping them as one is a serious responsibility. I would only recommend if I know the you have the sense of keeping your own territory. Otherwise, you may get a fish instead.

Thank you for reading!

Love,
John (and Jonah)