This is a sponsored guest post.
This article discusses many fascinating and interesting facts about the massive, hairy ‘spiders’ known as tarantulas.
The majority of people prefer to have a cat or a dog as a pet. Some people also like to get a cockatiel or a parrot as pets or an aquarium to hold fish in. These are by far the most popular pet breeds. Some individuals, on the other hand, go beyond the norm in their quest for exotic animals to have as pets.
They keep the strangest animals as pets, and when you hear about them, you’ll be fascinated. Peacocks, paradise birds, vultures, and monkeys are examples of awesome exotic pets, while tigers, wolves, insects, and sometimes even snakes are some of the dangerous exotic pets. If you want an exotic pet but don’t want to deal with the high maintenance that these exotic animals need, a Tarantula is a good option.
Having tarantulas as pets is an interesting hobby. They’re entertaining to watch, take up little space, and are relatively simple to maintain. The Theraphosidae family contains over 1,000 species of tarantulas. They are native to a wide range of environments and climates, including arid, tropical, and subtropical climates. The Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula, a hardy spider that’s usually easy to care for, is one of the most common species kept as an exotic pet.
Responsibilities of Owning a Tarantula
Taking care of a tarantula is a huge responsibility. When you buy an adult, the animal is usually 3–10-year-old that needs to be handled with dignity. If properly cared for, they will survive for many years. Tarantulas are relatively easy to care for and require less attention, but they need it consistently throughout their lifespan. Once you are tired of tarantulas, you cannot just release them elsewhere. (With the internet, it’s now simple to offer it to somebody who might be interested or donate it to a nearby Nature Center.)
Since most tarantulas are from tropical climates, they should be kept warm and not left in colder areas of the house. You wouldn’t want to take one outside in the winter, except for a short time, without properly covering the enclosure. Surprisingly, tarantulas are pretty fragile despite their large size. The abdomen’s exoskeleton is relatively thin. They appear to splat and bleed to death if dropped.
How to handle a tarantula?
Tarantulas should not be carried whenever possible. Pet tarantulas shouldn’t be approached, although fans of spiders as pets often do. If a tarantula does not know its handler and therefore sees people as enemies, it can throw hair into the person’s face or bite them.
If you have to pick up and carry a tarantula for some reason, the best method is to:
- Grab them between their 2nd and 3rd legs. Keep a strong grip on them but not too tight. When you pick them up suddenly, they will respond instinctively, resulting in stiffness and inability to move.
- If you’ve got a tarantula in your hands, hold it in the palm of your hand and avoid dropping it. A tarantula can be killed if dropped.
- You can move a tarantula without touching it. The spider can be moved using a jar and a long stick or spoon. You may scoop the spider into a spoon and place it in a jar, then move it around with the container.
- If you want to shift the spider in a specific direction, lightly rubbing the spider’s abdomen in the reverse direction will help. For example, if you want it to step forward, try rubbing the back of its abdomen with a long stick or spoon.
- Finally, if you simply have too many tarantulas, you can hire a licensed tarantula expert to come and take care of them.
What do tarantulas eat?
Crickets are a tarantula’s favorite snack, but they also enjoy mealworms. These foods are rich in protein, and tarantulas only need feeding just once or twice a week.
Since they are ectothermic and gain their body heat from the atmosphere, such animals have very sluggish metabolisms. The tarantula jumps at the cricket or mealworm after it is thrown into the enclosure during feeding and holds it in its jaws or chelicerae while steadily turning its body in a circular motion. Food is broken down by inserting venom into the prey as it feeds. The tarantula’s venom slowly dissolves the food until it absorbs every edible portion, leaving the indigestible pieces of the meal in a ball known as a food bolus.
How to provide water to a tarantula?
It’s also essential for a tarantula to drink a lot of water. Different organisms need different amounts of water. Fill tiny seashells with water and turn them upside down. They do, in reality, drink from these tiny bowls. Their belly, or opisthosoma, is also another way they can suck in water.
You need a water-filled sprayer bottle. Spray the enclosure of your South American Pink Toe Tarantula (arboreal tarantula) about once a day. If it is Rose Hair Tarantula (terrestrial tarantula), the enclosure needs to be sprayed at least two times in a week.
Different organisms need different amounts of water.
Typical Health Problems
Tarantulas are prone to dehydration, particularly if their enclosure isn’t sufficiently humidified. It’s possible that the spider would become shriveled and drowsy. If this happens, talk to your veterinarian about the appropriate humidity level for your pet.
Besides that, removing its old exoskeleton and making a new one, the spider evolves to a larger size. It is a difficult period for a spider, and it will usually lose its appetite before molting. During the molting period, which can take many days, don’t feed the spider. Although the spider’s new exoskeleton is hardening, live prey will harm it. Furthermore, the spider should never be handled when it is molting. After molting, the spider can take up to two weeks to completely recover.
Final thoughts
Tarantulas are some of the most fascinating creatures on the planet! They do have many unusual habits, and there are multiple different species, both arboreal and terrestrial. You’ve learned about a variety of topics and a variety of other fascinating activities. We hope this post has given you some insight into the fascinating world of tarantulas!
