Tips to take care of a pet tarantula
Although spiders are cause for panic for many people, for others it is the ideal pet. If you love this animal, know that it is an animal quite easy to care for and quite impressive to contemplate and observe. The truth is that there are several species of tarantulas and it is recommended that you inform yourself about the humidity you need, maximum size and food preferences.
However, below, you will be able to know the basic care to take care of a tarantula spider without too many complications:
Where will your tarantula live? The first step to taking care of any pet is to meet their needs rooms. For a tarantula, you will need a closed structure, with small holes for ventilation, glass or plastic, a tank, an aquarium or a terrarium sold in specialty stores.
For the floor of your spider's house you will have to have a good substrate that can be made of cocoa fibers, tree husks and / or handful of mosses. Avoid packaged soil as this can create mites, mold, fungus and be harmful.
Your tarantula needs hiding places and decorations, coconut shell, shell parts, broken arc glasses, fake plants, fake pieces of wood can be perfect for decorating and for your spider to walk, rest and more.
Although tarantulas can spend long periods without drinking water, it is important that they have a small container of water, smaller than their legs. Sponges are good options to offer water for the pet. Most tarantulas feed on crickets of the right size, however, you can be creative, offering fruit flies without antennas, for example, as well as worms. (Be careful not to let the worms bury themselves in the substrate or you can find them eating your spider when their hair changes).
Yes, tarantulas grow and change skin. When you notice your rare tarantula, without eating a few days, you will surely be going through this phase. In this process you will be more vulnerable, so it is best to remove your food, such as worms and crickets, as these can attack it. The spider will lie down to change skin, it can take hours and even overnight.
Tarantula as a pet: frequently asked questions
If you have thought about having a tarantula as a pet, you may have asked yourself certain questions about its nature and if it is possible to have it at home without problems.
As a first step, you should know that most tarantulas are not dangerous compared to other animals (even traditional pets). This does not mean that we are exempt from receiving a bite and that it causes a painful wound ...
However, for a spider of this family to decide to nail its powerful fangs it must feel more than threatened and in danger. In addition, there are no diseases that it can transmit to people or other pets. Having a tarantula as a pet would not represent a danger, as long as it is not disturbed.
Another issue to keep in mind is that they cannot be trained like a dog. Although it is proven that tarantulas are very intelligent, They have a limited ability to memorize or repeat behavior patterns beyond those you need to survive.
One of the only "tricks" that a tarantula can be taught is to hit the terrarium glass three times and leave it with food. It is likely that he relates these noises to the time of the food and leaves the burrow, but also that he has no appetite and remains hidden as is.
As for their survival, females are more long-lived: up to 14 years. Males live no more than six years. Keep in mind that if you put two tarantulas together they will not get along very well, unless they are of different sex and it is the mating season. The rest of the time, they are used to being alone, so don't worry about offering them company.
Tips for having a tarantula as a pet
It is good to know that if we want a companion animal to play, take a walk and pamper, a tarantula is not a good idea. Spiders, in general, don't ‘do’ too much, except for what they need to survive. If you also want to have a tarantula as a pet, pay attention to these tips:
1. Choose a quiet species
For beginners in this type of exotic pets, it is preferable to choose a tame species that does not require much care and attention. For example, you can choose tarantulas with pink legs, striped knees, red rings or chicks.
Although they are more striking, giant tarantulas, orange baboon or cobalt blue are not recommended due to their level of aggressiveness and the danger of their venom.
2. Buy a suitable terrarium
Almost all tarantulas adapt to tight spaces, although It is good that they take place to move a little in case they wish. If you choose a tree species you must place a branch or something similar so that it can climb.
Terrestrial tarantulas are simpler as far as elements in the terrarium are concerned. It is recommended that you buy at least one of 20 liters capacity and, if your pet grows a lot, change to one of 80 liters.
3. Analyze the health of the tarantula
Before buying or adopting it, it is very important that you pay attention to your state in general. For example, if you see her curled up in the corner of the terrarium or on her legs, it may be because she will soon die because she is of a certain age.
If it is on your back and with the legs ‘in the air’ it is probably because it will soon shed skin, so the next time you see it it will be bigger. A healthy tarantula is standing with its legs extended in a circle pointing backwards. Make sure, in addition, that it possesses the eight legs and the two ‘arms’ or pedipalpos in front.
Tarantula characteristics
Picture of Grammostola rosea (Chilean pink tarantula)
Tarantulas, as well as scorpions, belong to the arachnid class, a group of arthropods.
Tarantulas, as arthropods that are, are characterized by presenting articulated legs and a more or less hardened tegument formed by chitin.
These animals have 4 pairs of legs, since they are arachnid animals. In addition, they have a pair of chelicers (mouthpieces finished in clamp that have arachnids to defend and attack) and a pair of pedipalps (second pair of appendages of arachnids to hold prey).
Of the 650 species of tarantulas there are, only 10 are dangerous. There are 3 groups of tarantulas: terrestrial, arboreal and underground.
Tarantulas live in the wild in the deserts of Mexico, in the rainforests of South America and Central America. They are also found in Africa, Asia and Australia. In Europe, we find some species of tarantulas, such as Ischnocolus triangulifer, Ischnocolus holosericeus or Ischnocolus valentinus and belong to the family Theraphosidae.
The longevity of the male tarantula is very low, one year or a few months in some species. The female tarantula, however, lives up to 25 years.
What does the tarantula eat?
Tarantulas are carnivorous animals.
In the wild, these animals hunt insects and other invertebrates or small birds. They use their poison to immobilize their prey.
In captivity, we will feed them with small live prey, such as worms, lobsters, crickets or mouse pups (pinkies), among others. That is, the feeding of tarantulas will be based on live food. However, some tarantulas may accept a piece of raw meat. In this case, they are usually offered lean meat, hearts or liver, but it should not be their base diet.
* See more about: Live food
Terrarium preparation for tarantula
For terrestrial tarantulas, the soil will be formed by a layer of peat at least 10 cm thick so that the tarantula can make its burrow. For tree tarantulas, we will put a substrate based on peat about 7 cm thick keeping it moist, because they are usually species that require a high humidity index.
Piece of cork so that the tarantula can be hidden.
Semi-underground flowerpot for our tarantula to build its nest.
We can place a thin net as a cover to allow constant aeration.
Thermal blanket or thermal cable to provide the necessary heat. We will place the thermal blanket under the terrarium so that it does not occupy more than half of the total surface, in order to guarantee a cold and a warmer place, thus giving the spider the option to choose. In summer, it is not usually necessary to use any heating system. We must have a thermometer at all times to measure the temperature and thus avoid it being too high or low.
Water container.
We will provide the necessary moisture by moistening the substrate or we will spray the terrarium at least once a week (the water should not fall directly to the tarantula). Natural plants, such as potos, also help provide moisture in the environment.
Terrarium for tarantula
A box of 40 x 30 cm may be enough to accommodate a terrestrial tarantula, but, the more space the animal has, the better it will be.
In tree tarantulas, the substrate is not usually an important factor since they rarely come down to it, but prefer to go around the terrarium attached to the glass with great ease. However, it is not uncommon to see how these species, when they are still young, prefer to seek a shelter at ground level rather than at heights.
We will place a tree trunk tarantulas that reach the top so that they can climb through it and help them make their nest. Most species prefer a hollow trunk laid horizontally.
The water dish in tree tarantulas, as in terrestrial species, should never be missing, except in the genus Avicularia, since he will drink only from the drops that remain on the walls of the terrarium and on the cobweb after spraying it.
In very young tarantulas, we will not put a container with water to prevent them from drowning, but we will supply a bottle cap with a sponge so they can drink from it.
How to catch the tarantula
Tarantulas are very delicate animals and if they are not held carefully they can hurt their legs.
Tarantulas can be taken by hand in two ways. A system is somewhat more complicated and requires some practice with the handling of these animals. First, we will cover the tarantula on the ground with the palm of the hand and then, with the same hand, we will take it between our thumb and index fingers, between its second and third pair of legs. Being suspended in the air in this way, the tarantula feels confused and remains motionless.
Another way to take a tarantula, much easier, is to leave a motionless hand on the substrate and with the other gently push it through the abdomen until it rises to our hand.
Tarantula Health
The tarantula makes the molt every 2 or 3 times a year if it is a young animal and once a year for adults.
We will know that our tarantula will change because just before moving it stops moving and feeding. We must ensure that there is an adequate humidity index during the change. When she moves, the spider drinks a lot of water and her abdomen becomes almost black. To get rid of the skin, the tarantula lies on the back. A normal fashion cannot last more than 24 hours.
A healthy tarantula eats and molts on a regular basis, has a very tense abdomen and bright, bright colors.
If your body bristles or looks for water often we have to be careful because our tarantula may be sick.
Overfeeding in the tarantulas can cause injury to the abdomen, problems during molting and problems after becoming pregnant.
Exotic Tarantula Species
The main species of tarantula are:
Brachypelma smithi or red-kneed tarantula (terrestrial species)
Grammostolarosea or Chilean pink tarantula (terrestrial species)
Aphonopelmachalcodes or Mexican blonde tarantula (terrestrial species)
TOCanthoscurria geniculata or white-kneed tarantula (terrestrial species)
Avicularia avicularia or pink-footed tarantula (tree species)
Heteroscodrama maculata (tree species)
Psalmopoeus irminia (tree species)
PoecilotheriaMetallica (tree species)
Poultry, Brachypelma, Grammostola, Aphonopelma They are species that we can consider calm. The rest of the species can be considered dangerous.
Tarantula breeding
Tarantula breeding is quite simple, because these invertebrates do not usually create many difficulties when it comes to breeding.
In tarantulas, the breeding season is between September and October or in spring in some tropical species.
The female tarantula tends to devour the male after mating, so it escapes very quickly after intercourse. To prevent the male from being attacked, it is convenient that we are attentive to the movements of the female. With tweezers or any other object, we will use it to stop it in case of aggression.
The adult male does not live long, so we must hurry to find a partner, so it is advisable to find a female of his species before his sexual maturity.
In some tree species of the genus Poultry, they can live for a while in the same male and female terrarium, since the female does not usually show aggressiveness towards the male, which facilitates the mating of these species.
The pregnant female will bother her as little as possible. It only has to be bothered to feed it and to maintain adequate humidity indices. While the female is gravid (pregnant), it will show greater appetite.
* See more about: Breed tarantulas
More information on tarantulas.
Cu> First of all, there are many different kinds of tarantulas, but the main habitat is the jungles or jungles where they live either on the ground or in the trees. Those who live on earth live in burrows and are perfect for people who are beginners in these pets. These spiders move slowly. In addition, if you want a tarantula that lives longer you should opt for a female spider since it has a longer life expectancy compared to that of males. As a beginner, you can buy a Chilean pink tarantula, Mexican blonde, Mexican red-legged or a zebra from Costa Rica.
Make sure your tarantula has a glass or even plastic terrarium if it can be closed properly. You must also have enough ventilation. The tank should be a minimum of 3 times the size of the tarantula legs, so a 20-liter tank would be ideal. If you have a larger tank, the tarantula will not be able to detect its prey easily.
The temperature ofterrarium should be maintained between 30 and 40 ° C. Do not use bright lights to get this temperature better use some type of terrarium heating. There are many types and they are not expensive. You will also have to keep in mind that the area surrounding the container should be darker. Check the humidity levels required for your spider and maintain it accordingly. If your tarantula begins the molt, it won't have to be manipulated and it won't even feed. The molting period usually lasts 2 weeks.
With these tarantula care tips, you should be able to take care of basic needs of your pet so dear.
