Reddit reviews The Tarantula Keeper's Guide: Comprehensive Information on Care, Housing, and Feeding
We found 39 Reddit comments about The Tarantula Keeper's Guide: Comprehensive Information on Care, Housing, and Feeding. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Barron s Educational Series
Yes, tarantulas are very easy to care for. They are the most low maintenance pet that I know of.
As far as where to buy them...
Local pet stores are actually one of the worst places to buy them if you're concerned about ethical treatment or the quality of living at all. The staff generally has no idea how to properly care for a tarantula, the specimens are often mislabeled, the prices are way too high ($150 vs $15, literally), the selection is usually pretty bad, and they will almost always give you misinformation about that specimen and usually all tarantulas.
The best place to buy a tarantula, as a beginner, is either from an exotic pet shop that has at least 50 specimens or from a hobbyist (you can save money this way).
In the case of tarantulas "docile" generally means "boring". Tarantulas certainly don't have the capacity for any kind of socializing or domestication. They are entirely for observation, just like fish. (Keeping that in mind, I recommend you forget about ever handling them because it's not worth the risk. I'll go into that more if you want.)
As far as the particular species... Yes, it's widely claimed that the G. rosea is the ultimate starter tarantula because of its so-called docile nature and ease of care. However, it is also the most commonly available and likely the least expensive. But that doesn't make it a good starter! There are many disadvantages to this being your first tarantula...
If you want a recommendation on something else, I will happily give you some ideas.
Above all, before you make ANY purchase, you MUST buy and read a copy of The Tarantula Keeper's Guide. You will save yourself a lot of trial and error and I assure you that you will not find a more thorough and comprehensive source of published information on tarantula keeping.
Don't get a sponge. It's a breeding ground for bacteria, and the tarantula can't actually get water from it. They do fine with standing water, I see mine (I'm up to 25 now) drink from their dishes frequently.
Also, the B. albopilosum doesn't need a premade lair. In my experience, they're pretty good at digging out their own
I actually posted this info yesterday, so I'm just going to paste the relevant section right here:
Let's talk equipment:
Get the tarantula keeper's guide and read through it, before you get your spider preferably. It's going to be your bible for the first few months.
Tarantulas don't really have a lot of care requirements, and their equipment list is pretty short. An appropirately sized kritter keeper is usually fine. Not the best, but fine. You'll want a small bowl for standing water so it can keep itself hydrated if it needs to. You'll want some finely shredded coco fiber as a substrate. Finally, you'll defenitely need some 12 inch tongs for feeding.
Feel free to ask any more questions, glad to have you in the hobby!
Seconding this, also maybe pickup "The Tarantula Keeper's Guide" by the Schultz. I've found it to be a pretty useful book, and it's only $12 if you have prime on Amazon.
> Can they climb glass? If so, I'd think they'd get hurt if they fell from near the top - could I fill the tank with substrate up to the point it would be safe for the spider?
Yes they can; ground spiders are more susceptible to falls. That will be A LOT of substrate. If you get an arboreal spider, it will be less of an issue.
> Also, what are the best types for a beginner? I've hear the chilean rose mentioned, and I had a friend in high school with a mexican redknee that was really really docile.
Those are good, ground spiders, but there's also A. avicularia - pink toe, which is a good docile spider.
> I live in North Idaho, so I'll have to get a tank heater. Would a pad be best? I can't imagine a spider liking a heat lamp - wouldn't it want to hide all the time? Also, besides crickets bought at a pet store, a very shallow water dish, and something for the spider to hide under, what else might I need?
Heat lamps are bad - too dry. Spot heated pad is good, but make sure there are non-heated parts so they can escape. Also, cricket food and water, and long forceps or tongs - crickets are obnoxious and tricky.
Get a spray bottle, coconut husk substrate, water dish, and I personally like a temperature and humidity sensor (analog dial ones - pretty cheap).
Also, pick up The Tarantula Keeper's Guide.
Good luck! Here's my setup.
This set up is perfect for right now. They despise humidity but the moss is fine, don't worry about a water bowl right now, maybe after the next moult you can used a soda lid or something.
Here's a breakdown for when it reaches 2"- 3" or more.
Enclosure: This is probably still fine. They are terrestrial and need more ground space then height. This becomes very important the larger she is because a fall could kill her. The substrate should be no more then 2.5 the DLS (diagonal leg span)from the top of the enclosure but it isn't super important right now. An adult will be fine in a 5 gallon aquarium with a nice lid, mine is in a 10 gallon topfin.
These guys natural environment fluctuates from about 50f to 85f it will be comfortable if you are. DO NOT USE A HEATING PAD OR HEAT LAMP MOST TARANTULAS ARE SOMEWHAT PHOTOSENSITIVE AND THEY CAN BURN THEMSELVES WITHOUT KNOW VERY EASILY WITH A HEATING PAD.
Food: 1 cricket two times a week or 1 time a week until she grows. Her appetite will slow down, but 1 cricket a week at 3" is more then enough food. Mine is 3.5" DLS and I feed her every 2 weeks and she doesn't eat a lot even then. They are slow growers, and they can refuse to eat for months up to a year sometimes. As long as the abdomen is not shrinking she is healthy.
Water: Mine doesn't ever use her water dish. She fills it with dirt as soon as I fill it. They hate humidity. I still fill mine every time it's empty for an emergency situation (air conditioner breaks and house reaches 98 degrees). They get nearly all their water from there prey.
If you haven't already pick up a copy of Stan Shultz The Tarantula Keeper's Guide
Congrats man they are great T's!
Stay away from the desert sand. Soil-type substrate is best for the whole enclosure. Most people use cocofiber.
30x30x30 is a bit big, but if you go with something that size, just be sure to fill it with substrate enough to reduce the height considerably (over half). You don't want a terrestrial tarantula falling more than a few inches.
A lot of people use decorative items for hides, so the skull is probably fine unless it has sharp bits.
Changing the hide and the sound from your stereo are probably minimal stressors. It likely won't impact the lifespan of the spider, but if it gets bald quickly after moving in, it may be time to move the spider (or the stereo). At 3-4 inches, this spider will probably only molt once a year, so it won't outgrow an appropriately sized hide quickly.
At 3-4 inches you should be able to tell the sex of the spider. If the shop doesn't have sex labeled, you should ask about it and/or take some photos of the underside of the spider if possible. We may be able to sex it for you from a photo (although the most reliable way is with a shed exoskeleton).
Definitely pick up The Tarantula Keeper's Guide if you haven't already. It's a solid resource and one you will turn to time and time again.
Edit: added link
In case nobody has mentioned this already, please change out Boris' substrate from wood chips to either Shredded Coconut Husk (Ecoearth, Cococoir, etc.), untreated soil (no pesticides, herbicides, or additives), or some mixture of both as soon as possible. Wood chips can be sharp and potentially harmful if your tarantula decides to climb, which it will, and fall. Furthermore, certain woods such as cedar (but potentially others!) are known to be toxic to tarantulas. For a hide, be sure to use cork bark (known not to be harmful to tarantulas) because it has antifungal properties that will help keep your tarantula healthy and safe.
The tank also looks to be a bit large, however this can be mitigated by adding several inches of substrate (mentioned above) to provide a lower ceiling for your spider to fall from, a cushion should a fall occur, and plenty of dirt to push around should your tarantula want to burrow. Decorations are fine, just be sure to keep them away from where your tarantula could fall on it and potentially harm itself.
Here is a webpage that has just about everything you could want to know about your species of tarantula. Also this book, The Tarantula Keepers Guide (written by the same person who wrote the article) is one of the best and easiest to understand books you can buy to learn about how to care for most tarantulas.
They are interesting and tarantulas live a long time(2 years to 20+) and once you know how to keep them its easy and not much work so they are interesting to pets to watch when you want but don't require a lot of time and need no direct interaction at all. Fill water dishes once a week and feed every week or two. The cheapest way to get specimens is to buy spiderlings(slings) and raise them. Slings are about the size of your pinky fingernail and will grow to have leg spans of 3" to 9" depending on species. I just like spiders.
This is considered the "Bible" for keeping tarantulas as pets: Tarantula Keepers Guide . The only book you "need" .
The most popular forum would be http://arachnoboards.com/
Some good reading material: Spiders, Calgary Web site, especially:
Afterwards, The Tarantula Keeper's Guide (same author as the above Web site) is an invaluable resource for new and experienced keepers alike.
Beware of tarantula "care sheets" -- many are worthless; some are downright harmful.
They don't. That guy is talking out of his asshole.
Meet your new bible:
https://www.amazon.com/Tarantula-Keepers-Guide-Comprehensive-Information/dp/0764138855
The Tarantula Keeper's Guide is probably the best book out there , especially to those new to the hobby.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Tarantula-Keepers-Guide-Comprehensive/dp/0764138855
Other good options are coco fiber , can't ever have too much extra substrate around , cork rounds as they are the best hides and can be a little pricey based on size. A new cage would always be nice too, critter keepers or small 5 gal aquariums work well. If they don't have one , a red led lamp can be nice for observing your t's at night
Handling isn't recommended for many reasons. Any tarantula should be considered unpredictable, because they are ultimately wild animals and their mood can change in an instant. For example: I recently saw pictures from a guy who was adjusting the water dish in his G. pulchripes' enclosure. Now, G. pulchripes are like the old beagle of the T world; they're mellow, slow, and never bite people. However, the T felt vibrations and, acting on a feeding response, bit this guy on the hand. Luckily this was a T that has very low venom, but this can happen with any tarantula, and is more likely to happen with more defensive species (i.e. the one pictured hanging off of your shirt).
The other reason that handling is not recommended: You could hurt or kill your T. This is especially true for tarantulas that are not arboreal, which E. murinus is definitely not (they're a burrowing species, pretty much the opposite). If they drop from any significant height, they are at great risk of splitting their abdomen and "bleeding" to death. If she's hanging off of your shirt, she was at a very high risk of falling and dieing-- please do not do that again if you want to avoid a split abdomen and dead T.
I hope I'm not coming off as preachy or like I'm jumping on your back-- I just want you to understand the risk to you and your tarantula that is involved when you handle it. They don't enjoy being handled, and they can never get used to it or learn to like it; they literally don't have the capacity to. Every time you handle them, it's new stimulus and they will react to it different every time.
Edit: I'm seeing that you only have experience with G. rosea. After only experiencing that species, it's not recommended that you jump immediately to such a defensive species but she's yours now so there's no going back. If you haven't, do some research on the care of this species. They're burrowers and will need a decent amount of substrate to burrow and be happy. Also, if you haven't bought it already, buy the Tarantula Keeper's Guide, everyone who keeps tarantulas should own one. Also, make yourself a profile over at Arachnoboards. It's a great (large) community of very experienced tarantula hobbyists who can answer any and all questions that you have. The man who literally wrote the book on tarantulas, Stan Schultz, frequents the forum and answers questions, and there are men and women there who have been in the hobby since the 60's or 70's. It's a really great place with a lot of information :)
Absolutely! As far as fun and educational videos, I recommend browsing Tom Moran’s channel Tom’s Big Spiders (he also has a blog) as well as The Dark Den. Tom actually has a blog post (here) giving a run-down of the Avicularia revision, as well!
Quality books on tarantulas are, unfortunately, few and far between. However, Stanley & Marguerite Schultz’s book The Tarantula Keeper’s Guide has long been considered a bible for hobbyists. It focuses mainly on tarantulas in captivity, but it does delve into some of the biology and physiology of Theraphosids. There is some outdated infomation in terms of husbandry and taxonomy since the latest edition was published in 2009, but it’s still an excellent book!
-There are many great beginner species. Most popular and the cheapest is a Grammostola rosea, or chilean rose hair. Brachypelma species are some of my favorites, and Brachypelma smithi are one of the most well known. They are your iconic Mexican red knee that you think of when someone brings up tarantulas. With this being your first T, you I'd recommend either of those, and you'd be just fine.
-You can check local pet stores and that would be fastest, but stay away from big chain stores such as petsmart or petco since they usually don't care for their animals properly. Try to find the smaller unique shops that really specialize in their exotic section.
-Bedding and housing is very simple. Both of the species I listed above are very hardy and don't need much. A proper amount of substrate (coconut fiber would work great for you), a good water dish, and a hide i s all they need to be happy. The rest of the setup is up to you for aesthetics, as long as you keep their home safe for the T. Check out the links on the sidebar for more information
They are very easy pets to maintain, and you won't regret buying them. They are fascinating to watch them grow as you learn more about them. A great source of knowledge that can answer just about any question you have is The Tarantula Keeper's Guide. This is a must have for any hobbyist, beginner or experienced, and I highly recommend picking up a copy. If you have the time and patience, buy it before you get a spider and read through it all the way. You'll learn so many things to help you in the future. Good luck!
Read this book. It covers all the basics fairly well. Aside from that, research the specific species you want for more specific care information and don't be afraid to ask questions.
As the other guy stated, there is quite a lot wrong with this setup.
Tarantulas don't like a lot of space. They are typically most happy in an enclosure that has the floor space of about 3 times their diagonal leg span(DLS).
Personally, I would scrap the whole enclosure and save it for when you get a large terrestrial T. Instead, I would recommend buying something like this.
Your Avic Avic is an arboreal species, so they will like to web close to the top of the enclosure. Not webbing for 4 days isn't a cause to panic (although the delay could be exacerbated by the size of this enclosure). My Avic. Versicolor, another arboreal species, is in an enclosure similar to the one I linked for you and she webbed within 24 hours. However, not webbing for a while is normal after a rehousing.
I made the exact same mistake when I was a beginner to the hobby. Definitely do your research and I would always recommend picking up a copy of The Tarantula Keepers Guide.
Don't be worried about stressing her out, 10 minutes of stress for the T during rehousing is a lot better than a T not suited to its environment. She'll be much happier in an enclosure that is suitable for her.
Yes :) I haven't owned mine for long but I've owned regular spiders before. Tarantulas are much more fun though. A really great book is The Tarantula Keeper's Guide. I just got mine in and it has everything you could ever want to know plus lots of nice pictures. I shouldn't have waited as long as I did to get it. A good way to get over your fear is just to slowly expose yourself to it. Watching forums is great beginning step. And you can feed wild spiders too! Just throw a bug in their web or place it with some tweezers and watch the fun! And learning about them helps a great deal too. I wish more people were willing to give them a chance.
Most T's will tolerate the average room temp, you never need an exact temperature. No heat mats, no matter what you're thinking don't get one and don't use that light either. I feed most of my adults 2 crickets twice a week although they would happily eat more than that. The substrate is important, I tend to mix the coco fibre with a more soil like stuff designed for T's. If its a T that likes it moist then its just the soil stuff and no coco but as yours is a desert dweller dryer is probably better. The temps I can see say 24C - 27C and 65-70 on the humidity so a weekly overflow of the water bowl and just a nice room temp should be fine. Also, this book https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0764138855/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 is the best book you will own
Slings will be cheaper, but you have to "wait" while they grow if what you really want is an adult-sized T. On the other hand it's gratifying to watch them grow from a little sling. Slings can be slightly more fragile but many, many beginners start off with slings and have no trouble.
I would strongly consider getting a copy of The Tarantula Keeper's Guide. This will give you all the detailed information you need to really figure out what species/size is best for you to start with.
There's some good advice in this thread, but if you're interested in learning more, I'd point you to the most excellent Tarantula Keeper's Guide . It has the answer to pretty much any question you can imagine and more. It's a favorite among people in the hobby.
Don't take this the wrong way OP, but you need to do more research on your (presumably new) fuzzy friend. I reccommend you pick up the Tarantula Keeper's Guide, it's a very good resource for almost anything you'd want to know about tarantulas.
For a comprehensive guide on rose hair tarantula keeping that isn't bullshit consult this webpage. There's also www.arachnoboards.com and /r/tarantulas if you have any questions, and I'd highly recommend picking up The Tarantula Keeper's Guide which like that webpage was written by Stan Schultz who can pretty accurately be called the tarantula Jesus. It's a good read and very thorough too. Be warned though, it's hard to keep just one tarantula!
You should check out this book if you don't own it, they stress the impressive ability of tarantulas to escape on every other page. Sounds like you learned your lesson though, we all make mistakes. I'm glad you found her safely :)
Welcome! First of all, check the sidebar. There's a ton of information.
I highly recommend getting a copy of The Tarantula Keeper's Guide. That alone will answer pretty much all your questions.
http://www.amazon.com/Tarantula-Keepers-Guide-Comprehensive-Information/dp/0764138855
Pretty much everything you asked is covered in here:
http://www.amazon.com/Tarantula-Keepers-Guide-Comprehensive-Information/dp/0764138855
There are some errors in this book but it's accurate enough to start off.
As far as cost, the bulk of the cost will be the spider itself. Substrate isn't too expensive, tanks aren't too expensive, and the decor is up to you if you want to spend a lot or a little. I started off with a G. pulchra 10 years ago that ran me around $130. They go for much less than that now. Consider yourself lucky...
Check out KenTheBugGuy or Jamie's Tarantulas if you wanna order online.
Also join arachnoboards if you haven't already.
You should leave her alone for at least a day or so. If she hasn't tried to eat the molt by then it's safe to take it. Just make sure you don't try to handle or feed her for at lease a couple weeks (her fangs will turn black when she's fully hardened). Also I'd recommend buying this book http://www.amazon.com/The-Tarantula-Keepers-Guide-Comprehensive/dp/0764138855/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398715950&sr=8-1&keywords=tarantula+keeper%27s+guide if you don't have it. It's the most concise and complete source of tarantula husbandry and information I've found.
That pet store, frankly, is full of shit. As are the majority of pet stores that carry tarantulas. They've given you a lot of misinformation regarding this tarantula. They need a shallow water dish, one this size would be fine with a gatorade lid sized dish. Not only will they drink from it, it provides atmospheric humidity.
What you need to do is get a good book on keeping tarantulas: http://www.amazon.com/The-Tarantula-Keepers-Guide-Comprehensive/dp/0764138855/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394418312&sr=8-1&keywords=tarantula+keepers+guide This one may as well be the Tarantula Keeper's Bible. It's good, informative, and most of all RELIABLE information that you absolutely need to keep your tarantula healthy. If you don't want to buy a book, check out the information available for Grammostola rosea (the species it appears you have) on arachnoboards.com.
On another note, this is a community of (mostly) experienced collectors offering advice to help you correct the mistakes being made with this tarantula. It's ok to be inexperienced, but this animal is already in your care, you're responsible for its life. Please consider taking some of this advice as soon as possible. If you continue to abide by the crap the pet store told you, this T is going to die :/.
First of all:
Check out the Tarantula Keepers Guide. It will give you the basic / advanced information you will need. Things like what to expect from a molting tarantula.
Please take the time to read it, as keeping a tarantula healthy and happy is very different from that of more traditional pets.
Now:
What are you concerned about? Your post is pretty vague.
>when I came home she looked like that
the photo shows a tarantula, nice colors, but nothing out of the ordinary?
>there was a patch of hair on the bottom of the molt
When tarantulas molt, the exuvia (cast off outer shell) has
hairbristles on it, just like the tarantula did. They grow new bristles under their exo before they molt. The abdomen is the only part which is not "hardened" so that as they eat they can have their abdomen grow larger. The exuvia is literally their hard outer shell, so it makes sense that the old abdomen will be skin-like. Think about a balloon when you blow it up with air. The balloon "skin" expands to make room for the new stuff inside (air) much like a tarantulas abdomen will. When all the air is let out, the balloon looks all shriveled up. That's why the old abdomen may look like a shriveled ball of hair.I hope this helps. And please please please do your research BEFORE buying a pet. Animals have feelings too.
https://www.amazon.com/Tarantula-Keepers-Guide-Comprehensive-Information/dp/0764138855/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Please no heat mats.
Tarantulas have been known to fast for multiple months. I only feed my Ts once a week or so, and the adults maybe every other week. Three days is nothing. As we say around here, spider's gonna spider.
Leave the roach in for 24 hours, if she doesn't eat it, take it out and try again next week. Make sure she has a water dish to stay hydrated, she won't starve to death that easily.
Welcome to the hobby! Grab yourself a copy of The Tarantula Keeper's Guide, it has all the information you could ask for.
The Tarantula Keeper's Guide is a fantastic resource to have for a new owner. Definitely a must-have, in my opinion.
I feed my red-knee about 5 large crickets a week. You should feed them at least once a week. If the crickets stay alive overnight, take them out because your new friend may be preparing to molt.
She may have no interest in food for a few weeks prior to her molt, and when she has finished molting, she should not be offered food for another week at least. She needs time for her body and fangs to become strong again, and the crickets can injure her during that time.
Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:
Amazon Smile Link: Tarantula Keeper's Guide
|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|
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I agree with /u/Feriat. Almost everything listed is flat out wrong. We are definitely willing to give all the advice you need and answer all of your questions but you're going to need to trust us. The two biggest problems that absolutely need to be fixed before you get your tarantula are as follows:
I highly recommend that you, as well as the people that work in your arachnid department buy the Tarantula Keeper's Guide, 2nd Edition by Schultz. It's like $10 or less and has all of the information you need to keep your tarantula alive and happy. If you guys continue with the way things are apparently going all you'll ever have is unhealthy and/or dying tarantulas and nobody wants that.
Thank you, I'm thinking of getting this book before I get another T
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0764138855/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1462319921&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=the+tarantulas+keepers+guide&dpPl=1&dpID=51tsHWv2PcL&ref=plSrch
No problem! There is much to learn and this sub is a great place to do it. If you haven't look into getting The Tarantula Keepers Guild :)
Please visit www.arachnoboards.com - It is the best source for tarantula husbandry info out there. You will probably need to use the search function to find answers to specific questions, but if you have a question, with any likelihood it has been asked before. Definitely do some more research and get your enclosure setup before buying you spider. Other great sources of info are The Tarantula Keeper's Guide or This book or this one I would highly recommend reading at least one of these before bringing your spider home! Good luck, you're in for a fun time!
I'm new to the hobby, so I don't have a ton of advice. But I just recently bought this guide and it's very thorough! The Tarantula Keeper's Guide . I have 2 juvie new world Ts and two tiny slings I just got. The little guys are a blast to take care of. Do your research and best of luck!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Tarantula-Keepers-Guide-Comprehensive/dp/0764138855
Is there a specific one that this community recommends? I also am looking at getting a tarantula in the next few months, and I've seen several different guides.
One that I have heard is quite good is The Tarantula Keepers Guide by Schultz & Schultz. Any other recommendations would be appreciated.