tarantulas as pet

A Comparison for the Potential Hobbyist

Back in the 90s when I was more into keeping snakes than tarantulas, my wife, Billie, and I attended a reptile expo in Massachusetts. While perusing the animals at the various tables, we saw a 10-gallon aquarium with about two inches of colorful aquarium gravel and a large black tarantula stood dead in the middle of it. It was easy to surmise that this spider was NOT happy, as it had its front legs raised high into the air and it would slap the ground every time a curious individual got too close to the tank. Although I did have two tarantulas at this time, I was still quite intimidated by them, and I found this threat display to be equally fascinating and terrifying. The cage was labeled simply, “Thailand Black Tarantula”, and I gave serious thought to purchasing the poor girl as she looked so stressed. I remember telling Billie, “their bites are no worse than a bee sting” so it wouldn’t really be dangerous to keep it.

What I didn’t know at the time was that this species was an Old World tarantula, and a bite from one would be a heck of a lot worse than a bee sting. I also had no idea that this was a shy, burrowing species, and the threat display was not due to the spider being “aggressive”, but because the setup was woefully inappropriate for it.

My experience was definitely not a unique one, as people first discovering the hobby are often confused to hear hobbyists discussing two different groups of tarantulas; New World and Old World. Luckily, a little research will reveal the main reason for the delineation between the two.

The simple explanation is that New World tarantulas are found in the western hemisphere and include Theraphosidae from North and South America and the surrounding islands. This includes species from the US, Mexico, all of South America, and the Caribbean islands.

Old World tarantulas, on the other hand, are found in the Eastern continents including Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe.

Simple, right?

Now, being separated by an ocean isn’t the only difference in these two types of tarantulas. Anyone doing proper research will quickly hear New World spiders being described as calm, visible, and reluctant to bite. Even better, if they do happen to nip, their bites have been described as little more than “bee stings.”

Conversely, they will also discover that Old World spiders have been stigmatized for being potentially dangerous to the point where new hobbyists showing interest in these more “advanced” species are admonished by experienced keepers for even considering keeping them. For some, these more defensive spiders serve as a way to show off how brave one is for keeping such a fearsome creature. For others, stories about painful bites and aggressive behavior have completely turned them off to the idea of ever keeping one of these spiders.

Although there are absolutely key differences between New World and Old World species that all keepers need to be aware of, much that is made about these differences can be over exaggerated. With that in mind, let’s examine the major variances in these two types of spiders in terms of behavior and means of defense.

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When I was around 6, my father took me with him when he visited a local pet store. While my dad spoke to the clerk, I wandered around the small shop checking out the many animals offered for sale. As I walked by the standard gerbils, lizards, guinea pigs, and frogs, I noticed something that just about blew my young little mind. In a large aquarium in the center of the store was the largest spider I had ever seen in my life. Sure, I had seen tarantulas in the old black and white horror films I would watch on Creature Features with my mom, but those lurid depictions didn’t hold a candle to actually seeing one of these animals just inches from my face. This striking creature, which I would later come to learn, was a Brachypelma smithi, or “Mexican redknee”, an icon in the tarantula hobby, was the single most amazing and terrifying thing I had seen in my young life.

Thus began my fascination with tarantulas.

It wasn’t until almost 15 years later, after I moved out with my wife, that I FINALLY got my first pet spider. And, although it took some time, I eventually found myself diving headfirst into the hobby and amassing a collection of over 130 species. A teacher by trade, I felt compelled to share what I had learned about tarantulas and their care, leading to the creation of the website Tom’s Big Spiders. Here I could post articles about care and husbandry and answer the inevitable questions hobbyists might have.

Although the majority of people who contact me for advice are those who either already own or are committed to acquiring tarantulas, there are a handful of folks who are on the fence and trying to decide if one of these giant hairy arachnids would make a good pet for them. Now, I’m obviously all in on the tarantula hobby and adore these creatures as pets. However, that doesn’t mean that experience hasn’t taught me that they are not the right animal for some folks. Like any animal, tarantulas have their pros and cons, and any potential keeper should be well aware of both the good and potential bad when preparing to bring a furry eight-legged friend into their home.

So, with that in mind, let’s break down the positives and negatives of keeping a pet tarantula!

THE GOOD

They take up little space

One of the top perks of keeping a tarantula as a pet is that they need very little space when compared to other animals. With most full grown tarantulas reaching a maximum legspan of 5-6”, they require little more space than something comparable in size to a 5-10 gallon aquarium. Many keep their spiders on shelves, desks, dressers, or even nightstands. This makes them perfect pets for smaller apartments, bedrooms, classrooms, or even offices.

Their small footprint in the home also leads to another popular aspect of the hobby; collecting. Because they take up such little room, many tarantula enthusiasts find themselves keeping more than one as they amass collections of several different species. Why would someone want more than one tarantula, one might ask? That leads us to our next point…

There are many to choose from

When you say the word tarantula, most people envision the basic big, brown hairy spider. What many don’t realize is that there are over 900+ species of tarantulas with different characteristics and that come in a myriad of sizes, patterns, and colors. There are terrestrial tarantulas that live mostly on the ground. There are fossorial species that live in burrows. And there are stunning arboreals that live up in branches of trees. There are spiders that like a dry, arid environment, and there are other species that require some moisture to thrive.

They also come in brilliant blues, greens, oranges, and even purples. When I first started my research into tarantula keeping, I was convinced that photos I was seeing of these animals with dazzling and rich colors were Photoshopped fakes. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the stunning images I was seeing were totally real. Between patterning, colors, size, and living requirements, there are many unique and interesting choices for the interested future hobbyist.

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