Tarantulas by Mary Elms

Introduction:
In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the keeping of land invertebrates such as Tarantulas, Scorpions, Millipedes,etc.
They are all now fairly standard within the pet trade, offering exotic pet enthusiasts, something of an unusual appearance, with aesthetic appeal and being suitable for display in a naturalistic terrarium. Along with a certain ease of maintenance, this alone has led to the rise of popularity of these invertebrates.


Longevity:
As a general rule, large Tarantulas from desert/scrubland habitats tend to be slow growing with a potential for long life whilst tropical Tarantulas, especially arboreal (tree dwelling) species, tend to be fast growing and comparatively short-lived.
Therefore the lifespan of 20 years or more are not uncommon for the larger N.American scrubland species such as the popular Mexican Red Leg and California Tarantulas and between 4-8 years for the many arboreal species.
It should be noted though, that sadly for most male Tarantulas, they rarely live beyond 2 years unless they are of the large tropical species where they can live for between 3 -10 years. Females usually make between 15 -20 years and the record for the longest living Tarantula was set by a specimen kept in Mexico who lived around 26-28 years of age.


Housing/Maintenance:
So you´ve bought your Tarantula from a reputable Exotic Pet Retailer and you need to settle her in to her new home.
Ideally an all glass tank terrarium, is perfect ,so long as it has a secure, tight fitting lid and isn´t cracked. An old aquarium make´s for a perfect Tarantula house. You can also acquire plastic terraria which are commonly sold in pet stores and are relatively cheap. The only down side to these are, that they can provide too much ventilation due to their holey lids, so you
will need to cover up one half of the lid to prevent high loss of water evaporation. One should cover the floor of the terraria with a suitable substrate, such as a fine Gravel, Vermiculite, Orchid bark, Sphagnum Moss or fine Sand. This allows the Tarantula to make a burrow which also allows for more natural behaviours and most Tarantulas appreciate burrows and/or ground shelters which can be made out of an old flower pot laid on it´s side, a piece of tree bark (very favourable with arboreal species) or a piece of terraria furniture from your pet store.

The temperature should be kept between 75-84 degrees by using a heat mat suitable for the size of the terraria and placed either under one half of the bottom or attached to the back of the terraria. Always allow for a cool spot as well as the hot spot, so that the Tarantula is able to move away from a heat source as and when it needs.Investing in a thermometer is all part of monitoring the day to day temperature within the terraria. Humidity is also essential for Tarantula maintenance and the desert/scrubland species like a relative humidity of 55-75% humidity whilst the tropical/rainforest species require 75-90% humidity.
Regular misting with a plant sprayer ensures a good humidity as well as having water access within the terraria.
Tarantulas do not generally like bright lighting be it artificial or indeed direct sunlight, therefore, artificial lighting is not necessary and any terraria should be allowed to be lit naturally but obviously not positioned in direct sunlight.
Adorn the terraria with various items such as the above mentioned shelters and artificial plant material - try to imitate either the desert or rainforest to make your terraria look natural as possible and hence show the best out of the spider.
Always remove any dead remains or uneaten material on a weekly basis, replace and clean water as needed and always mist regularly. Give a full muck out at least once a month and never use ´Insecticide´ anywhere near your Tarantuala, especially fly/wasp sprays.


Feeding:
Spiderlings require regular feeds of pinhead crickets or wingless fruit flies or even tiny mealworms.
SubAdults and Adults require crickets, hoppers (young locusts),locusts, cock-roaches, waxworms,large meal worms and even pinkies (3 day old mice) for the larger species of Tarantulas.
Very large Tarantulas may even devour larger mice but will normally fare very well on insect only diets.
Feed as required, if the Tarantula is not hungry, she will simply not eat the prey, so after 48 hours remove the prey item and leave her in peace. Always leave a shallow bowl of water in terraria at all times.


Moulting:
Tarantulas that go off their feed especially for a few months or so, are after fasting before they go into moult (shedding their old exoskeleton) and this is an extremely critical time for them. As the moult time nears, the Tarantula will become sluggish and as mentioned go off of their feed,A Tarantula that is found lying on it´s back is NOT dead but going into moult. Spiderlings as they grow, obviously moult frequently,but adult spiders moult usually about once a year and during the moult,the old exoskeleton splits and forms a shell from which the spider must extricate itself. Under the the old
exoskeleton, the spider has a new relatively soft exoskeleton and must still struggle to get out,without injuring itself. If terraria conditions are not right a spider may split it´s new exoskeleton and bleed to death, so humidity must be kept up and the spider must be disturbed in anyway.
After moulting, ALWAYS leave the Tarantula in peace to rest, harden and turn the right way up,on it´s own. Wait at least 48 hours after moult, before removing the perfect old exoskeleton which looks just like a whole spider.


Handling:
Many Tarantulas don´t mind being handled but there are some that really don´t like it and are best left alone unless it´s cleaning out time. Depending on the species that you own, always handle the Tarantula in accordance with the type or you will end up getting bitten and that is likened to a very bad bee sting. Some Tarantulas have a very nasty bite
and people with a heart or respiratory condition should take particular care, or the reaction to the bite maybe intensified by their own weakness within the body. Either scoop the Tarantula gently up in an fish net or use a pint glass and usher the spider inside with a gentle prod to move the Tarantula around when needed.
The worst and yet common thing that they do, is fire their tiny but fibrous irritating hairs at you, if they feel threatened on anyway. These hairs, stick into you like nettles and cause an awful, itchy, irritation for somedays after, so it is these hairs that you must avoid getting fired into your eyes at all costs. If this happens or if you get bitten it is best to seek professional medical advise as soon as possible.


Common Species:
Chilean Rose (Grammastola gala)
Chilean Flame (Grammastola spatulata)
Asian Black Velvet (Haplopelma minax)
Curly-Haired (Euathlus albopilosa)
Goliath Bird Eater (Theraphosa leblondi)
Indian Ornamental (Poecilotheria regalis)
King Baboon (Citharischius crawshayi)
Mexican Red-Leg (Euathlus smithi)
Pink-Toe (Avicularia avicularia)
Starburst Baboon ( Pterinochilus murinus)
Trinidad chevron Tree (Psalmopoeus cambridgei)
Striped-Knee or Zebra (Rrechosticta seemanni)
Red-rump.