I got my first tarantula in 2019, a Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeater that I affectionately named Butthead. As I write this blog she’s still with me, and still growing! She lives in a terrarium beside my desk. Back when I got her, I knew nothing about tarantulas. I also found them terrifying. If I can do it, so can you!

Tarantulas definitely aren’t for everyone, but they do make fun and rewarding pets for the right person. If you’re reading this blog right now, there’s a good chance that person is you! Tarantulas aren’t cuddly, playful, or affectionate. In fact, they aren’t interested in you at all, and they’re best left alone. If you can get past that, you’ll find many benefits to keeping them as pets. They’re very inexpensive to set up and keep. They don’t need much to be happy. They’re hypoallergenic, hardy as a rule, and most important of all, absolutely fascinating to watch. What they offer is a window into another world, a very private and alien world that you may never see otherwise. If that interests you, read on.

Poecilotheria rufilata

Words of Caution

All tarantulas have venom, as well as sharp fangs to serve it. Tarantula venom is meant for very small prey and isn’t particularly dangerous to humans as a general rule, but there are always exceptions. Some tarantulas have more potent or “medically significant” venom than others; these species will be appropriately marked on our website. While there are no well-documented cases of death by tarantula bite, all venomous bites are capable of inducing severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reactions. Therefore, all tarantula venom should be considered dangerous, and great care should be taken to avoid it.

Another hazard to keep in mind is urticating hairs. Named after the Latin word for nettle, urtica, these small barbed bristles grow loosely on the abdomen of many New World tarantulas (those native to the Americas) and serve as their primary defense mechanism. When threatened, tarantulas will rub their legs against their abdomen to kick these hairs at the threat. They may also lay hairs around their environment as a passive defense. These hairs are irritants that cause itching, redness, inflammation, and worse, whenever they touch skin. When inhaled or caught in the eye they can cause serious damage that might even require medical attention. Tarantulas will not hesitate to kick hairs if provoked, and they may be present even if you can’t see them. Always wear gloves and avoid stirring up dust when working in a tarantula’s enclosure. If you ever get urticating hair on your skin, use a clean lint roller or sticky tape to remove it.

Choosing Your First Tarantula

We offer hundreds of different tarantulas on our website, which can be rather daunting if you don’t know what you want. The ideal beginner tarantula should be relatively docile, slow moving, and forgiving of some minor husbandry mistakes. Here are a few species that are often recommended to new keepers.

• Green Bottle Blue - Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens
• Curly Hair - Tliltocatl albopilosus
• Chilean Rose - Hair Grammostola rosea
• Mexican Red Knee - Brachypelma hamorii

Setting Up Your First Tarantula

At Josh’s Frogs, our tarantulas are almost always available as small spiderlings, or “slings.” For best success, we advise matching the enclosure to the size of the tarantula and upgrading it in phases as the tarantula grows. If you provide a small spiderling with too much space, it may have a hard time finding its food, and you may even lose it in the enclosure! Fortunately for beginners, small sling setups are very affordable.

Ephebopus cyanognathus sling (spiderling)

Most of the challenge of tarantula keeping comes down to getting the setup right. Give them a habitat in which they can thrive, and they likely will. They don’t need much space or expensive equipment to be happy, so long as their basic needs are met. Those needs will vary by species, but there are some general rules to keep in mind.

• Temperature: Most tarantulas do well at or near room temperature, anywhere from the mid 70s up to the low 80s (°F). Monitor temperature with a proper thermometer. Avoid temps below 65 and above 85.
• Substrate: We recommend Josh’s Frogs Arachnid BioBedding for all tarantula species. Formulated in-house by our own arachnid team, it works in all humidity levels (simply adjust watering as needed), supports stable burrows, and allows for live plants and microfauna communities. Whether or not you plan to go bioactive, this substrate is sure to serve your tarantula well.
• Lighting: Tarantulas don’t require any lighting, but they’ll probably benefit from a basic day/night cycle, and you’ll certainly benefit from all the extra light to admire your new tarantula! Be sure to use a good grow light if you plan to grow live plants in the enclosure.

 When designing your tarantula's habitat, pay attention to its natural lifestyle. Most tarantulas can be grouped into one of three basic lifestyle categories: arboreal, terrestrial, and fossorial. Each category lends itself to a different layout.

A quick note about Diagonal Leg Span (DLS): this is the distance from the tip of a tarantula’s front leg to the tip of its opposite rear leg. I use the term frequently below to describe minimum enclosure dimensions.

Fossorial tarantulas are burrowers, sometimes known as “pet holes” since they’re rarely seen outside their burrows. They need plenty of diggable substrate and depth below the surface to do their thing. Spiderlings should have at least two to three inches of Arachnid BioBedding, adults at least five. Their enclosures should be at least two times longer than their DLS and three times wider. Don’t provide more than twice their DLS as vertical space above the substrate, since falls from any higher could result in serious injury.

Terrestrial tarantulas are ground dwellers, so they prefer enclosures with a bigger footprint and more space to roam. Spiderlings should have at least two to three inches of Arachnid BioBedding, adults at least four. Their enclosures should be at least two times the tarantula’s DLS in one direction and three times in the other. As with fossorial species, their enclosures should be at least two times longer than their DLS and three times wider. Don’t provide more than twice their DLS as vertical space above the substrate, since falls from any higher could result in serious injury.

Arboreal tarantulas are climbers, so they prefer enclosures with more height and plenty of objects to climb. Their enclosures should be at least three times taller than their DLS, and at least two times wider and longer. Provide four to five inches of Arachnid BioBedding. Arboreal tarantulas are used to plenty of airflow up in the tree canopy, so it’s important to provide them with good cross ventilation (airflow from the bottom up).

Providing both high humidity and good airflow can be tricky, especially for arboreal species with high humidity needs, but it’s very important to get this part right. Damp enclosures with poor air circulation can foul quickly, endangering the pet inside. It’s important to prevent this situation by properly hydrating the substrate, misting regularly, adding live plants and springtails, and most importantly, by closely monitoring humidity with a proper hygrometer. Depending on where you live, you may want to invest in a humidifier as well.

No matter what the species, all tarantulas should have access to plenty of good hiding places. These help it to feel safer and more comfortable, since there’s always a place to go if they’re scared or simply want more privacy.

Want to set up your new tarantula the easy way? Check out our Arthro-Pod Bioactive Habitat Kits!

Poecilotheria metallica

Caring For Your Tarantula

With the proper habitat set up, you’ll find caring for your new tarantula very straightforward. After all, they don’t need much from you, just a few square meals, some fresh water, a clean environment, and the freedom to do their own thing.

Feeding: Most tarantulas are happy with one or two meals of live feeder insects per week. Offer feeders about as big as your tarantula’s “head” (cephalothorax) is wide. Hydei fruit flies work great for small slings. Crickets, roaches, waxworms, black soldier fly larvae, hornworms, and silkworms are all great staple feeders for larger tarantulas. Be sure to use a good pair of tongs when offering food. Remove uneaten prey items after 24 hours to avoid stressing your tarantula or hurting it during a molt. Never attempt to feed less than a week after your tarantula has molted. I explain why in the section on molting below.

To give your tarantula the best nutrition, focus on what its feeders are eating. The better their nutrition, the more nutritious they’ll be. We offer gutloaded banded crickets for convenience, as well as a variety of nutritious gut loads.

Watering and Misting: Tarantulas gotta drink, too! They get most of their hydration from their prey, but they’ll also drink water when they’re thirsty. Keep a water dish in their enclosure and replenish it with fresh water daily. This also helps increase humidity in the enclosure.

The ideal humidity range varies by species, but most tarantulas benefit from at least some humidity, especially when preparing to molt. Monitor humidity with a good hygrometer and keep it on target with regular misting. Live plants can help to both raise humidity and keep it more stable.

Cleaning: Tarantulas produce two types of waste on a regular basis: boluses and poop. Each should be removed and spot-cleaned to prevent mold and bacteria growth. Adding springtails to the habitat can help control mold. We don’t recommend using isopods in tarantula habitats because they might nibble on the tarantula if they’re hungry enough.

A bolus is a bundle of inedible remains from a tarantula’s meal. They can’t eat solid food, so instead they use venom to liquify the insides of their prey and drink it like a smoothie—yum! Whatever they can’t drink, mostly exoskeleton and other solid bits, they roll into a silk-wrapped ball and discard. Think of it like bagging their trash for easy pickup. Keep a look-out for these balls and remove them when you see them. Some tarantulas will hide them, so pay attention to the nooks and crannies of the enclosure.

Tarantula poop is a whitish or yellowish substance. Simply remove it when you see it and spot-clean the area as needed. Pay attention to the water dish, which some tarantulas will use as a toilet. Arboreal tarantulas have a rather nasty habit of pooping on the walls of their enclosure, but at least glass is easy to clean!

About Molts

Tarantulas wear their skeletons on the outside, like a suit of armor. But unlike knights, who can safely remove their armor without falling apart, tarantulas can’t live outside of their exoskeleton. This makes growing bigger tricky. Since a hardened exoskeleton can’t expand, the tarantula must grow a bigger exoskeleton—inside the old one. Then it has to pull the old one off, or more accurately, pull itself out. Finally, it has to lie low and wait until its soft new exoskeleton has hardened (sclerotized). This process is called molting.

It’s important to understand that molting is a risky endeavor. Many things can go wrong, with potentially disastrous consequences. Tarantulas don’t always succeed at escaping their old exoskeleton. Those that do are essentially helpless until their new exoskeleton has fully hardened, making them vulnerable to predators. As a tarantula keeper, there are a few things you do to make the process a little easier. First, pay attention to the signs of an impending molt:

• Dark, shiny, or bald patch on the abdomen
• Reduced activity
• Refusal to eat
• Laying a “molt mat” of webbing on the floor of its enclosure
• Barricading itself inside its den
• Lying upside-down

Many new keepers have seen their tarantula lying upside-down and mistaken it for dead, but dead tarantulas are usually found right-side-up. More than likely it’s just working off its old exoskeleton. They do this upside-down to avoid having to lift their bodies, which is hard to do with soft, rubbery legs; instead, they put their bulk on the ground and lift the exoskeleton off like a tee shirt.

If your tarantula is getting ready to molt, stop offering food and remove any live feeders from its enclosure. Eating will be the last thing on its mind, and live feeders can actually nibble on it while its new exoskeleton is soft. You may also want to increase the humidity in the enclosure slightly, which can help the old exoskeleton to come off easier. Beyond that, leave it alone. Let nature run its course, and in a few days or weeks your tarantula will emerge with a fresh new look!

Conclusion

If you read this whole blog, then you’re ready for your first tarantula. You know the basics; the rest will come with experience. So what are you waiting for? Pick up a tarantula and a habitat kit and experience these incredible animals for yourself!