Housing:
As mentioned, housing for tarantulas
is easily acquired or made. Unlike most other pets, the actual animal
is usually the primary expenditure. The options are numerous and could
range from a small plastic storage box with holes drilled in it to an elaborate
configuration of screen and glass and wood. All costs are approximations
in US dollars. |
Pre-Made Plastic Containers
Advantages: Lightweight, well-ventilated,
have easy access doors
Disadvantages: Too ventilated
for tropical species;
lid is noisy
Cost: $5 for smaller ones,
$9 for a "shoebox" size, up to $16 for larger ones
I have used these for species that
enjoy a drier climate. If you find you need to raise the humidity,
the vents can be covered with clear packing tape (sticky side out). |
Glass Aquarium
Advantages: Well-sealed, easy
to clean, very clear
Disadvantages: Expensive
lid must be purchased or constructed. Not easily drilled to regulate
humidity. Heavy and unsafe compared to plastic. Most are too
tall for non-burrowing terrestrials. Too costly for large collections.
Screen lids are traps for a tarantula's claws.
Cost: $10 for a 10
gallon; $9 for a pre-made lid
I don't use these anymore. |
Plastic Storage Container
Advantages: Cheap, easily drilled,
quieter opening and closing than brittle plastic, retains humidity, available
in a wide variety of sizes.
Disadvantages: Some are hard
to see through
Cost: $2-4 for a "sweater
box"
I use these for burrowers and terrestrials.
I buy tall, clear "file boxes" for burrowers and shallow ones (pictured)
for non-burrowers. |
Plastic Jar for Arboreals
Advantages: Cheap, easily drilled,
very clear
Disadvantages: Lid screws
on from the top, where the tarantula may set up home. Difficult to
clean and change the water.
Cost: $3
I don't use these anymore |
|
Plexiglass Container:
|
Advantages: Light, very clear,
easily cleaned,
easily drilled; the design is up
to the user.
Disadvantages: Construction
is time consuming
Cost: A $17 sheet of .100"
thick plexiglass will make one and a half 10x14" enclosures
I primarily use these for arboreals |
The sliding door of the plexiglass
container is secured with a pin |
The corners are screwed together
for easy deconstruction |
The door slides out, and only a very
minimal amount of silicone is used on the bottom panel |
House
Furnishings:
There are many substrates and decorations
that can be used. From left to right:
Sphagnum moss ($3 a bag), clay pot
($0.40), fake plants ($2), topsoil ($3 a bag), cork bark ($8/pound), and
peat moss ($3 a bag). Ensure that there are NO pesticides and fertilizers
in anything you use. Also, avoid plain sand, bark chips, gravel,
cedar shavings, and other mammal/reptile beddings. |
Water:
This lid off of a peanut butter jar
makes a handy water dish. |
All of these screw on caps will
make good water dishes. For smaller spiders, there are plastic lids
on milk caps and Gatorade jars. |
This arboreal's water dish is situated
off the ground in a notch cut in the cork bark. It is refilled via
a straw inserted through a hole in the top. |
This sprayer bottle can be adjusted
to mist lightly or squirt a steady stream. It was $1.39, but an empty
window cleaner bottle could be used if it were VERY THOROUGHLY rinsed. |
Food:
Tarantulas do need a variation in
their diet, but if a multitude of small prey items is not available, variating
the diet of what is on hand will suffice. It is quite possible that
spiders need carbohydrates, and cholesterol actually supplies a precursor
necessary for growth (Amalin 695). To ensure that your tarantulas
are getting adequate nourishment, it is a good idea to feed crickets table
scraps a few hours or the day before introducing them to a spider. |
 These
crickets are enjoying a last meal of banana, tomato, and cantaloupe.
Note how their food is kept off the substrate and the substrate itself
is completely dry. This prevents the crickets from laying eggs and
retards fungus growths or undesirable pests such as mites. |
 The
brown tube protruding from this cricket's rear is called an "ovipositor"
and indicates that it is a female. She will stick this tube into
moist soil and lay eggs the first chance she gets. I used to snip
the ovipositors off at the base with scissors before presenting crickets
to my tarantulas in hopes that the enclosure wouldn't soon be filled with
baby crickets that pester the spider. As it turns out, I've observed
the female crickets laying eggs despite the absence of the ovipositor;
the act of cutting them off was simply useless torture. |
The larvae of the beetle Zophobas
morio, otherwise known as "superworms," are a good source of protein.
Like crickets, they can be fed fresh vegetables prior to introducing them
to your spider. However, these will attempt to burrow into the substrate
as soon as they hit it, so it is best to put a few in a dish such as a
peanut butter jar lid so that the tarantula may have easy access. |
