Featured Pet of the Day: The Tarantula

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Happy Fursday, Missians!

It's time for another Featured Pet blog post.  This week we're going super non-traditional.  Despite my natural aversion to most creepy crawlies, today's Featured Pet is the Tarantula.  Now let me be the first to admit I'm not a big fan of spiders, (although I'd take one over a cockroach any day), but I felt like since we usually leave our atypical pet parents out in the cold for most of our shows and blog posts, this would be the perfect time to include them; hence, today's topic.

PS, I ran out of time to post our two upcoming episodes on Blog Talk Radio--so no synopsis for either one today.  But I promise I'll get them posted tonight, and have them ready on our pet trivia post for tomorrow.  Now for some tarantulas!

Today's tarantula info is courtesy of about.com: http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/tarantulas/a/tarantulasaspet.htm

Tarantulas as Pets

Basic Care

Curly Hair Tarantula - photo courtesy of e-spiderworld.com.  John Hoke


Tarantulas have been a relatively popular pet now for several years. They are unique, quiet, and need little space, and keeping tarantulas as pets can make a fascinating hobby. However, they aren't the best choice as a pet to handle very much, largely due to stress and danger to the spider rather than danger to the handler (more on that later). There are many species available in the pet trade in a vary of sizes and appearances, and they are usually easy to care for, but that depends a bit on the species.
 
Because the needs for housing and care will vary for different species, it is important to understand the species being considered as a pet.
There are over 800 species of tarantula, belonging to the family Theraphosidae. They are native to many areas and climates - arid, subtropical and tropical. They are roughly divided into two groups: "old world" (from the eastern hemisphere) and "new world" (from the western hemisphere).
One of the more popular species kept as a pet is the Chilean rose (Grammostola rosea), a hardy, easy to care for spider native to Chile.

References, care sheets for selected spiders, and links to sites with species specific care information are provided at the end of this article. Here, we will take a general look at the needs and care of tarantulas, and special considerations when keeping spiders as pets.

Dangerous Creatures?
They do bite, and their bites are venomous. However, for most species, the toxicity of their venom is much like that of a bee or wasp. It is most likely to cause a nasty local reaction incluidng pain, redness, swelling. However, people can have a an allergic or anaphylactic reaction to spider bites in the same way that some people react to bee stings, and this reaction can be fatal.
 
Also, there are few species which have a stronger venom that could potentially be fatal, or at least make the bite victim quite ill. So while tarantula bits are unlikely to be fatal, you still want to avoid being bitten, and the best way to do this is to learn about spider behavior and treat the spider accordingly.
Tarantulas are wild animals, and need to be treated with respect. As a rule, however, most spiders would rather retreat than bite.

Another concern with regards to handling tarantulas is irritation and itching from special hairs found on some new world tarantulas. These tarantulas possess what are called "urticating" (itch-causing) hairs on their abdomens, which they can release by vigorously rubbing their abdomens if threatened. These tiny hairs are barbed and can work their way into the skin and cause itching and irritation. If these hairs get into the eye they can easily penetrate the eye and cause inflammation, so it is very important to make sure the hairs do not get into the eyes (or head for an ophthalmologist if they do).

Be very careful not to rub your eyes after doing anything with the spider and it's cage until washing your hands (there may be loose hairs in the cage that can be picked up while cleaning, etc.), and don't get in too close to look at your spider. If you get some hairs on your hand you can try blotting with tape and then washing well - and topical cortisone cream might help with the itching.

Choosing a Spider
As mentioned before, there are many species available is the pet trade, which vary in how difficult they are to care for. In general the best "beginner" tarantulas are the ground dwellers or burrowers, as they tend to be a little slower moving. The following are among the best tarantulas for first time owners:
The pinktoe (Avicularia avicularia) is often cited as a good first arboreal tarantula, but not a good first tarantula. In general, arboreal species are more challenging to care for, and the pinktoe is quite fast and agile, making handling more difficult.

As a pet, a female is usually the better choice simply because females tend to be much longer lived than males. A female Chilean rose may be expected to live up to 20+ years, whereas the male of any species will not likely survive more than a couple of years at best. Many dealers will guarantee the sex. In any case males will spend most of their time trying to get out to find a mate, much to their distress.

When choosing a spider, avoid spiders that are hunched with their legs curled under them, or that are housed without a dish of water. Try to find out the scientific name for the spider as that will be the best way to get the appropriate care information, and make sure the sex/age are known.
Next: Basic Care
 Housing
A large enclosure isn't necessary, but an arboreal species will need a tall cage and a burrowing type will need appropriate substrate or hiding places. Generally, spiders should be housed one to a cage as they are not social.

For burrowing or terrestrial spiders, a rule of thumb is that the cage should be approximately 3 times the leg span long, and 2 times the leg span wide. The height should not be much more than the length of the spider - these spiders are heavy and if they climb and fall it can be dangerous, even fatal.
 
2.5 or 5 gallon aquariums work well. A larger tank is not better in this case, as tarantulas do not need a lot of extra space and a large tank may make prey harder to find. They do need to have a very secure lid, as they can be escape artists, but the lid must also allow adequate ventilation. On the bottom, a substrate of vermiculite, or vermiculite mixed with varying ratios of potting soil and/or peat should be provided, at least 2-4 inches deep to provide burrowing room and to hold moisture.
Wood chips, especially cedar, should be avoided.

A place to hide should also be provided - a piece of cork bark works well, or a half hollow log (as available from pet stores), or half a clay flower pot on it's side.

The arboreal tarantulas need a cage that is taller to provide climbing room, with branches, twigs or some other structure on which the spider can construct it's web. A 10 gallon aquarium set on one end can work well for this purpose.

Tarantulas do not need bright lights, and in fact should be kept in a darker area of a room, where direct sunlight will not fall on the cage. Incandescent lights should not be used for heating as they could potentially dry out the tarantula. Heating strips or pads (available at pet stores for reptiles) can placed under a small part of the cage for heating needs.
 
Most species of tarantula do fine somewhere between 75-85 F.
A shallow water dish can be provided. It needs to be very shallow to prevent drowning, and if there is any doubt some pebbles can be placed in the dish to give the spider something to climb out if necessary.  Appropriate temperatures and humidity must be maintained, but this is where the various species have different requirements.
For tarantulas that do not require high humidity levels, a water dish (shallow) in the cage and misting once a week should be sufficient. For those that require higher humidity, more frequent misting will be necessary. In any case, temperature and humidity gauges should be used to monitor conditions. At the higher temperatures extra care must be taken to ensure adequate humidity levels. At the same time, excess humidity can encourage mold growth and should be avoided.

The cage should not need cleaning frequently - for spiders kept at a relatively low humidity level once year is likely enough (earlier if mold, fungus or mites are noticed). For those kept in a more humid environment, this will need to be done more often.

For the next section on, Basic Care, continued: Feeding, Molting, and Handling, make sure you visit the website.  They have several more tips to get you started if you feel that a tarantula is the pet for you.

Remember to check out tomorrow's blog post for our pet trivia questions and for upcoming episode descriptions.

Until then,

This is your host J,
signing off...................................
 
 


    
 
 

 
 

 

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