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Basic Tarantula Pet Spider Care
Live Food, Spider Tanks, Reptile Heat Pads
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Tarantulas are clean, quiet, are low maintenance pets. They require small space and can
live quite well inside a terrarium without being bothered. However, this simple creature requires special
care. And just like other household pets, basic needs should be provided.
Housing
Tarantulas are probably the least demanding of all exotic pets in terms of space since they can live in a small
enclosure. Most species live 90% of their time hidden in tree hollows or snug borrows waiting for night fall, so
there is no need to provide them with a large space. There is no strict rule on the size of it's house but a
shoebox-size is often large enough. Also a small enclosure allows you to monitor and feed your pet properly as it
allows you to remove any uneaten prey inside its cage.
Substrate
Tarantulas require a good substrate (peat moss, chemical-free potting soil, and coconut coir). Any type of small
animal shavings, gravel, backyard soil, and sand will work well. Horticultural vermiculite will work well also but
they are dusty, appear unnatural and some products contain asbestos-like substances. The bottom of the substrate
should be a few inches deep. It should also be damped and a dry surface. Dampness provides humidity inside the
tank. It is ideal to keep one side of the tank dry and the other wet.
Drinking water
Tarantulas require a constant supply of drinking water which can be acquired from their food, but clean drinking
water in a water dish is required. A water supply inside the tank provides humidity as water naturally
evaporates.
Food
Crickets, cockroaches, houseflies, beetle larvae, moths, katydids, grasshoppers and other small insects are its
usual diet. Other tarantulas eat earthworms while the larger ones accept small snakes, lizards and rodents. Feeding
should be done every 4 to 7 days. Adults may require less feeding, usually at a 10 to 14 day interval.
Molting
The process of molting happens because spiders are invertebrates and the only way they can grow is to shed their
entire exoskeleton. Prior to molting, the spider may refuse to eat for weeks or even months. It is, therefore,
extremely important to remove any uneaten food from the terrarium.
Handling
Tarantulas don't bite which makes handling very easy. But spiders are so extremely fragile that handling may cause
serious injury, therefore is not advisable to handle too often. Consider them as hands-off terrarium creatures, no
different from tropical frogs and fish.
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