Tarantulas
These care guides are just that, guides, based on my experience with the species. Please be mindful of you local climate and house environment and adjust the care accordingly. Some individuals among a species may also vary in their care needs.
*please note my care may vary from others
- Light: Tarantulas are nocturnal. They do not enjoy/benefit from light. Ambient room light is sufficient.
- Water: A water dish should be included in the enclosure. The only time one is not needed is when they are under 1” slings, then lightly misting a side and keeping the substrate a bit damp is a great alternative to a water dish. You can use various things as a water dish: bottle lids, glazed terra cotta plant bottoms, tea light holders, reptile water dishes, etc. Just make sure the item isn’t painted or contains other toxic materials. Preferred materials: glass, plastic, glazed terra cotta. Each species will have a different humidity preference/requirement, once you have determined their humidity needs either over fill the water dish so 10% to 70% of the enclosure is damp. You can also include moss and mist it weekly. Live plants also add to moisture and humidity. You can determine if your enclosure is too damp or too dry by the tarantulas behavior; It’s too damp if they are (not recently rehoused and not a mature male) climbing the walls of the enclosure and not standing on the substrate. It is too dry if they are standing in and on their water dish or digging underneath their water dish. It is also too dry if they go into death curl.
- Food: feed according to abdomen size. Their abdomen shouldn’t be much larger than their carapace. overfeeding can shorten the lifespan of your tarantula. Always remove uneaten prey within 24hrs.
- Slings eat every 2 to 3 days. Small 1-2 week crickets, or pre-killed crickets (one 5 week cricket can feed 4 slings). Small meal worms. They will eventually handle live 3 week crickets.
- Juveniles eat 1x/week, 3-5 week crickets, super worms (if they bury too fast crush their heads), large meal worms.
- Adults eat every 1 to 2 weeks, super worms, multiple crickets, silk worms, horned worms (great for per/post molt hydration), frozen thawed pinky mice (only rarely as a post molt treat).
- Temperature: room temperature is good (20c). They do also like warmer temperatures and will grow faster if heat is provided ambiently. Do not use heat pads or heat lamps directly on the tank, they can burn and dehydrate a tarantula. Do not exceed 30c, if you can help it, for an extended period of time. Not all species prefer it warmer, check individual species care. If you choose to heat the room you keep your spiders in be careful to monitor the humidity as you raise the temperature and adjust it accordingly.
- Housing: I aim for 3x the tarantulas length and 3x its width minimum. Size up as the spider grows. You can put your spiderling in its adult enclosure, but you may notice it’s harder to monitor their eating, it may be hard to find them, and they will likely only utilize a small area of the space. If you are making the enclosure yourself be sure the ventilation holes are the appropriate size (no larger than the carapace) and smooth (you can use a drill or a heat gun). Also make sure the lid is secure.
- Enrichment: housing materials can add to your spider’s enrichment. I use wood, rocks, cork, moss, fake foliage, dried leaves, live plants or anything without moving parts and small spaces they could get stuck in to decorate enclosures. If you collect materials from outside make sure to sanitize them properly with heat or insect safe cleaners (soap and water, thoroughly rinsed and dried).
- Handling: They do tolerate handling. They can still be fast and can still bite if they feel threatened. They are also fragile so handling them on the floor or over a stable surface no more than a foot below the tarantula is best. Not all spiders will want to be handled, please respect that.
A great video about keeping old world tarantulas: Tom Moran old world tarantulas
