I might get a TARANTULA ! ( Tarantula thread !)

[Crestcrazy2]

Hey guys !

So I'm gonna try and convince my mom that bringing a giant, venomous , hairy , fanged arachnid into the house is a good idea !

In this thread everyone can talk about there pet spiders and I'd love to see pics of yours
also any other arachnids can be talked about ! It doesn't just have to be tarantulas .
I'd love any info on tarantulas from y'all's personal experience because the internet doesn't have everything !(although we're on the internet now so .........food for thought !)haha

Thanks in advance
Josh

 

[EmmaDonovan]

There are tarantulas all over the place around here right now! You could come here and take your pick. The males go roaming around at night in search of mates. They only do this for a few weeks. Kinda freaked me out the first year I was here, especially when you come upon one unexpectedly, but they are very docile. They also come in a variety of colors, too, they aren't all black. I was surprised to see blond ones.

Of course with the tarantulas come tarantula hawks - now THOSE I stay very far away from!!

 

[Crestcrazy2]

There are tarantulas all over the place around here right now! You could come here and take your pick. The males go roaming around at night in search of mates. They only do this for a few weeks. Kinda freaked me out the first year I was here, especially when you come upon one unexpectedly, but they are very docile. They also come in a variety of colors, too, they aren't all black. I was surprised to see blond ones.

Of course with the tarantulas come tarantula hawks - now THOSE I stay very far away from!!

That's so cool ! I wish I could !

 

[EmmaDonovan]

They're pretty popular as pets around here. What do you feed them?

 

[Crestcrazy2]

I think you'd feed them a cricket about once a week for a baby Taran and twice a week for juveniles and adults .

 

[Crestcrazy2]

They're pretty popular as pets around here. What do you feed them?

Would it be possible for you to get some pictures ?

 

[ezerhoden]

As a adolescent I convinced my parents to allow me to get a Rose Hair Tarantula at the local pet store, I remember soaking sponges for it to drink and dusting crickets. And the best memories were watching it ambush those poor poor unsuspecting vitamin e covered crickets! Haha. as it got larger it started eating pinkie mice, and i was no longer allowed to keep it at my mothers home... so my father said we’ll keep it at his place, we repurposed a 40 gallon aquarium for it and it loved its new home. over the years and molts it grew and then started eating full size mice. that’s when the action happened! two or three strikes would ensure over a few hours and then she’s move in to feed. I wish Ihad pictures, as this was before smart phone became prevalent, i’m sure there’s a few on some old 35mm rolls I haven’t developed. Lastly, my Dad received a phone call from the local zoo asking if we still had the tarantula, he said yes, they asked if we’d be willing to donate it for an exhibit. we declined. they called every year after for 6 years and asked about its health and welfare. she had a good long life of 16 years!!!! She was one of the coolest pets I’ve ever had, granted I rarely touched her as she was pretty sassy!

 

[Alyssa-Bee]

I've always liked tarantulas, but have never had one as a pet. I did, however, have a female red backed jumping spider (phidippus johnsoni), who I found on the road one day. I only kept her for around a month, but she was so cool! She made a little web in the corner that looked like a sleeping bag that she would sleep in every night.
(I had some nice pictures of her, but I lost them)

 

[Crestcrazy2]

As a adolescent I convinced my parents to allow me to get a Rose Hair Tarantula at the local pet store, I remember soaking sponges for it to drink and dusting crickets. And the best memories were watching it ambush those poor poor unsuspecting vitamin e covered crickets! Haha. as it got larger it started eating pinkie mice, and i was no longer allowed to keep it at my mothers home... so my father said we’ll keep it at his place, we repurposed a 40 gallon aquarium for it and it loved its new home. over the years and molts it grew and then started eating full size mice. that’s when the action happened! two or three strikes would ensure over a few hours and then she’s move in to feed. I wish Ihad pictures, as this was before smart phone became prevalent, i’m sure there’s a few on some old 35mm rolls I haven’t developed. Lastly, my Dad received a phone call from the local zoo asking if we still had the tarantula, he said yes, they asked if we’d be willing to donate it for an exhibit. we declined. they called every year after for 6 years and asked about its health and welfare. she had a good long life of 16 years!!!! She was one of the coolest pets I’ve ever had, granted I rarely touched her as she was pretty sassy!

Wow that's cool !

I've always liked tarantulas, but have never had one as a pet. I did, however, have a female red backed jumping spider (phidippus johnsoni), who I found on the road one day. I only kept her for around a month, but she was so cool! She made a little web in the corner that looked like a sleeping bag that she would sleep in every night.
(I had some nice pictures of her, but I lost them)

Cool

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Would it be possible for you to get some pictures?

Not mine! I don't have any pet arachnids but here are some photos of other peoples' pets:

This is how we typically come across them, just walking around:

It can be a little disconcerting at first but you get used to them very quickly, they are not aggressive and not interested in people at all. They just slowly walk around, looking for food and mates.

When I was riding horses, I went to the stable first thing in the morning and opened up the barn door and there was a blond tarantula (like the one below) waiting RIGHT THERE at the door. "I've been trapped in here all night! Where have you been?" I just stepped around him and he made his way out.