About the spider
The tarantula spider is a large insect of the arthropod type, the order of arachnids. Adults can reach 27 centimeters or more in leg span. The limbs are long and hairy. The color is bright. The tarantula spider lives about 20-30 years .
It is important to remember that all species of tarantulas are poisonous, but their toxicity varies . The bite can cause fever, hallucinations, severe pain, and convulsions. However, such spiders are often bought and kept as pets. They are also bought for participation in exhibitions.
Brachypelma boehmei
Reproduction
The sex of a tarantula spider is easy to determine if you follow the recommendations of experts. Young spiders begin to molt after about a month. After molting, the skin is taken and carefully examined. In the posterior region of females there is a depression, and in males there are something like two tubercles. If the individuals are adults, then the sex can be determined by appearance. Males have slightly slimmer legs and are taller, while the body is significantly smaller in size than the female.
After mating, the eggs develop inside the female for 2 months. During this period, she must form a special cocoon. At one time, she can lay up to 500 eggs, while about 50 spiders remain alive. In order for the juveniles to actively develop, the cocoon is moved to a separate terrarium, thereby creating certain temperature conditions.
For the first month, baby spiders do not eat anything, until the first molt. Until this moment, they can be together, after which they are separated one by one. A female tarantula spider molts up to 12 times during her entire life. Males stop moulting immediately after puberty.
Interesting to know ! The tarantula spider is constantly growing and maturing, which is why it needs to shed its “old clothes”. Before molting, individuals turn over on their backs, trying to remove their old skin. At the same time, he completely stops eating. After molting, the spider gets a new color, and the pile is completely renewed.
Tarantula spiders for beginners. WHICH SPIDER TO GET FIRST????
What affects the cost
The cost of a tarantula spider varies widely. This is explained by the influence on the price level of the following factors:
- View.
- Age.
- Color.
- A rare insect.
- Adult size.
- Place of purchase.
- Gender of the insect.
- Flexibility of the seller's price policy.
Chilean rose tarantula
Is it better to get a male or a female?
It all depends on the wishes of the owner himself. For those who want to watch the happy life of a pet for a long time, it is better to get a female. In this case, it will be cheaper to purchase a male spider.
House Spider: Pros and Cons
The advantages of keeping spiders in your home include the following:
Unfortunately, there are also disadvantages of keeping such pets:
Important! Any manipulations in the terrarium must be performed very carefully and only with the help of long tweezers.
Varieties
All species of tarantulas are grouped into 30 subfamilies . Each of them has about a dozen breeds.
Depending on the type of life and habitat, these insects are:
- Ground . They live on the ground. They dig holes and reinforce them with cobwebs. Among them, the most impressive are the following species: Brachypelma, Grammostola, Lasiodora.
- Woody . They live in trees. They look brighter and more beautiful than terrestrial species. Known subspecies: Avicularia, Poecilotheria, Tapinauchenius, Stromatopelma.
Popular breeds of tarantulas:
- Goliath . These spiders weigh 170 grams. The length of adult individuals is 28 cm. They have a brown color with red or light shades. They are very calm in nature.
- Mexican Redknee . Spiders grow up to 17 cm in size. The color can be from dark brown to black. There are red-orange or yellowish inserts. The hairs are light pink.
- Aphonopelma seemanni . This species lives in burrows. It has a leg span of up to 15 cm. The breed is non-aggressive. It grows slowly. It is black and white or brown and beige in color. Such spiders behave non-aggressively.
- Black and white Brazilian . Individuals grow up to 23 cm. They grow very quickly. The body and limbs are black and white. The character is complex. Spiders behave aggressively and unpredictably.
- Metal . Adults are small in size - up to 21 cm. They have bright colors, a metallic sheen, and beautiful patterns.
- Brachypelma boehmei . The size of such spiders reaches 18 cm. The color is bright orange-black. The character is calm. They are distinguished by their unpretentiousness to living conditions.
- Chilean pink . Ideal as a pet. This is a small subspecies. Adults are about 15-16 cm in size. The body and paws are brown with pink splashes.
According to size, breeds are divided into:
- Small ones.
- Average.
- Large ones.
You can buy a spider in the following places:
- Pet Shop.
- Private advertisements posted on the Internet or in newspapers.
- Specialized market.
- Online store.
Population and species status
This type of spider does not need protection, since jumping spiders live in large areas and in large numbers. They are not in danger of extinction any time soon. Jumping spiders bring great benefits to our Planet and to humans in particular, since they destroy various insects in huge quantities, including those that are very dangerous to humans. These spiders can settle next to a person, protecting him from harmful insects. In the habitats of jumping spiders, the yield of various crops is always higher, since the number of harmful insects is at the lowest level, thanks to the vital activity of these spiders.
Due to this fact, environmental organizations are not thinking through any programs aimed at preserving or increasing the number of these arthropods. The only work that is being done is to draw people’s attention to the fact that this type of spider does not pose any danger to humans, but on the contrary, being in the vicinity of it is beneficial for humans. The main thing is that people do not destroy jumping spiders.
Conditions of detention: how to arrange a home
In order for an exotic pet to delight you with its presence for a long time, you need to work hard on the equipment of its home. When arranging a terrarium, it is necessary to think about lighting, decor and filling, and regulate the temperature and humidity of the air.
What is needed in a terrarium
The terrarium must have a layer of substrate. Firstly, this will help recreate a more natural environment for your pet, and he will not sit on bare plastic or glass. Secondly, the main task of the substrate is to maintain a stable level of humidity inside the container. For this reason, neither sand nor stones are suitable as a filler. The most acceptable options are vermiculite and coconut filler. Both fillers are highly hygroscopic.
The need for decoration is determined by the type of your pet. For example, for spiders that weave webs, no special decoration is required, since soon it will not be noticeable under a layer of beautiful lace. The main thing is to provide your pet with all the conditions for weaving. But for species that like to hide in shelters, you can buy ceramic houses, castles and shards, products made from cork oak or artificial plants.
In addition to the spider, you can also have a cat, dog, fish, parrot, hamster or guinea pig in your house.
Sealing and ventilation
It doesn’t matter what you use as a home - a food bowl or a special glass terrarium, it must be securely closed with a lid, otherwise one morning you may find that the spider’s house is empty, and its owner is walking around your apartment. But when sealing the container, do not forget that the arthropod needs fresh air and high-quality ventilation of the container, so several holes should be made in the lid through which the spider will not escape, but will gain access to oxygen. If your pet lives in a plastic container, it is better to make holes on the side wall in two rows: bottom and top. To do this, you can use a hot nail of small diameter.
Decorative elements for terrarium
When your spider becomes big enough to move into a large terrarium, be sure to take care of the decorative elements of its interior. Beautiful and large stones, an empty coconut shell, a fragment of a clay flower pot, bamboo stems, dry branches and even a model of a skull - all this will decorate the landscape of the terrarium and serve as a refuge for the spider. Just make sure that the decorative elements of the terrarium do not injure your pet, therefore, they should not have sharp corners or cutting ends.
You can also plant a real botanical garden in the spider’s house by planting aloe and gasteria there.
Depending on what kind of tarantula you have - there are ground and tree spiders that need a vertical type of terrarium, make sure to provide your little ones with the accessories they need.
Lighting
The need for decoration depends on the type of spider. For example, for tarantulas there is no need to install additional light, since they are nocturnal inhabitants who are excellent at navigating in the dark. If you want to install light, give preference to infrared lamps - their radiation is invisible to your pet. It is not advisable to choose incandescent lamps, but if you choose this option, install them outside the container to prevent the animal from being burned and the air from drying out.
Temperature
Spiders are able to tolerate a very wide temperature range. Optimal values are 23-26°C. Additional heating may be needed only during the transitional autumn-spring period, when the heating is already turned off or is not yet working. To provide heat, you can purchase special cords and heating plates, as well as a thermostat. The devices must be installed either under a container (for tree spiders) or on the walls of the house (for terrestrial species).
Important! The temperature in the room and terrarium should not exceed 31°C.
Humidity
This indicator is very important for the health and well-being of the pet. The required humidity level for each species may vary. You can determine a deficiency or excess of moisture by your pet’s behavior:
You should not spray the substrate with a spray bottle; instead, it is better to use a syringe without a needle or a watering can with a thin hole. It is important to determine by eye when there is enough moisture (the substrate should be 2/3 wet). Adults must have a drinking bowl in the container; choose its size in such a way that the pet cannot fit into it and drown. Keep in mind that swamp cultivation should not be allowed in the terrarium. In conditions of excessive humidity, midges, mold and fungus easily grow, which can kill the arthropod.
Choosing a pet
Since the role of a pet must certainly be a bright, eye-catching specimen, accordingly, the option with our practically “native” haymaker spider immediately fades into the background. And why disturb the cute eight-legged “neighbor” by driving him into a terrarium, besides, these creatures are already domestic and probably huddle in one (in most cases, several) of the cozy corners of your house. We’ll leave them there, and for home keeping we’ll choose someone nicer, for example, a tarantula. By the way, representatives of this particular species are the most common and popular spiders for home keeping. And there are several reasons for this:
However, tarantula spiders are far from the only representatives of their order that are chosen for home keeping. In addition to them, wolf spiders, often tarantulas, cross spiders and even baby jumping spiders are also in demand.
Criterias of choice
Having come to a pet store, say, for a kitten, we roughly understand what requirements to put forward for it: clean eyes, ears, a wet nose, etc. But what about the spider? What parameters should this creature advise?
So, let's examine the spider we like. It should be:
On a note! When a spider is disturbed by painful sensations, it scratches its abdomen with its hind legs, tearing off some of the fibers!
