Owning a new pet tarantula is big responsibility. True, you are not having to take it on long walks, or give it a bath, but there are many factors that go into owning a pet like this that you should consider before deciding on which one.

Consider your experience level

Some tarantulas are easier to care for than others. If you have never owned a tarantula before, you might want to start with one that is easy to care for and not very aggressive.

Species like the Common Pink toe (Avicularia Avicularia), Costa Rican Stripe Knee (Aphonopelma Seemanni), Chilean Rose (Grammostola Rosea), The Curly Hair (Brachypelma Albopilosum) and Mexican Redknee Tarantulas (Brachypelma Smithi) are all great starter species. Most are fairly docile and don’t require much special attention.

Buy from a reputable dealer

Some pet stores sell tarantulas and have great experience caring for them. Many tarantulas are available from online dealers if you can’t find a local dealer with what you want. They are normally shipped as young spiderlings and are normally captive bred. If your local pet store has 3 or 4 tarantulas just in case someone is interested in them, then you might want to look to someone with a bit more experience unless you are experienced and want to rescue a neglected tarantula or educate the pet store.

Choose a healthy tarantula

Tarantulas that are curled up in the corner of the tank or have their legs tucked underneath them (tarantula death pose) are not very healthy tarantulas. If you see a tarantula standing over the water dish then there are two possibilities: it’s having a drink and you will be able to see it drinking or it’s too dry and the tarantula is trying to take advantage of the added humidity of the water. Tarantulas that are laying on their backs with their legs up in the air should be okay, as they are probably getting ready to molt (shed their skin). You should probably wait a few days after this happens before buying a tarantula that has molted, as they don’t need the added stress. Tarantulas should (depending on the species) be standing with it’s legs distributed evenly around it in a circle, or sometimes with its legs pointed forward and backwards.