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Generic Tarantula Care Sheet
This page will provide GENERAL Care information for tarantulas - primarily, this page if for either the Chilean Rose Hair, (Grammastola rosea) and/or the Honduran Curly Hair, (Brachypelma albopilosum). Other care sheets for specific species may be found through some of the links provided on the Links Page. A Tarantula owner can find specific care information in Stanley Schultz's 'Tarantula Keeper's Guide'. This page will cover care for the tarantula including information on:
<> Habitat
<> Substrate (What the 'T' sits on or digs in)
<> Feeding
<> Temperature and humidity
<> Handling
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Spiderling to Adult Tarantula Care:
Tarantulas are one of the easiest 'pets' to care for from an owner's standpoint. For the most part, most tarantulas require minimal setup for a habitat, and once the habitat is established, care involves minimal attention. Nonetheless, some of the TARANTULA basic care points are:
Ensuring your 'T''s shallow water dish is ALWAYS full. Spiderlings do not need a water dish.
Remove uneaten food items from the cage.
Lightly mist the habitat (not the 'T') weekly or biweekly to aid in maintaining humidity.
Never disturb a tarantula in molt (on its back with legs curled).
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Bee-Bop Brachypelma albopilosum Honduran Curly Hair. |
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Enclosure/Habitat/Cage/ Container:
What should I use for a cage? This is determined by the size of the tarantula. One Keeper mentioned once to me that the 'general' rule of thumb is to make sure that the habitat floorspace is a minimum of twice the legspan of the tarantula being kept. Tarantulas do not require a lot of room, larger tarantulas do, but for the most part, they rarely use EXTRA space anyway Small spiderlings can be successfully kept in a small pill bottle or babyfood jar - with small holes poked in the lid for AIR. Terrestrial or ground dwelling tarantulas such as Rose hair and Curly hair should be kept in a relatively shallow container while the arboreal tarantulas such as Pink toes should be allowed more vertical space for climbing. The Critter Keepers and the plastic 'small reptile' containers make excellent habitats for tarantulas. At any rate, ensure that the enclosure has a secure lid. Beware of some of the heavy wire mesh lids and tops since they have been known to trap tarantula legs from time to time - some of the potential hazards are difficult to prevent, but removing as much risk as possible is the objective to tarantula-proofing its enclosure. |
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Bunny - Grammastola rosea - Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula |
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Substrate
Dirt. If you live in the Amazon River basin, I welcome you to use 'dirt'. However, 'safe' dirt is sometimes difficult to obtain. It is best to use sterilized potting soil and peat moss mixture - 60-40% mix roughly. Stanley and Margurite Schultz's Tarantula Keeper's Guide has some excellent suggestions for substrate. Sterilized soil and the like can possibly be obtained through an organic gardening supply. The coconut 'bark' is o.k. for adult tarantulas, but really you should try to obtain something like the compressed material (may be finely chopped coconut shell/bark) sold in brick form at most Pet stores- advertised to expand 9 times when you add a gallon of water. The substrate should be moist but NOT WET, and definitely NOT DRY. The reference that I use is the fishing worm reference - if you do not fish, you may have to buy some fishing worms to understand - the moisture level should be about the same as the dirt in a fishing worm container - open up a tub of night-crawlers and look and feel the 'dirt'. You will need to experiment for substrate. But, never use the lizard bark and NEVER use cedar shavings as cedar is toxic to arachnids - stick with soil/dirt type substrates that will retain moisture and possibly support burrowing, if necessary. |
HAPPY - Haplopelma lividum or Cobalt Blue Tarantula |
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