5 Things I Wish I Knew BEFORE Getting A Pet Tarantula!

Now, we all know that this happens. Maybe you got your first tarantula on an impulse buy, or you did your research before picking up your first species, and the information was just bad or outdated. I mean, when I got my first tarantula, there just wasn't a whole lot of information available. So today, we're gonna be talking about the top five things I wish I knew before getting my first tarantula. Kicking it off with number one is the fact that New World tarantulas have urticating hairs. Now, most species of New World tarantulas, meaning they come from North, Central, or South America, have hair all over their abdomen called urticating setae that they kick up in the air and use as a defense mechanism to deter predators. So if you got a New World tarantula and didn't know that they had urticating hair, more than likely, you eventually found out the hard way. Now, there are some New World species that do not have urticating hairs, like tarantulas from the Somopheus genus. And of the tarantulas that have urticating hairs, there are seven different types that have different effects on the human body. I have a whole video on urticating hairs that goes a lot deeper in depth you can watch right here. Now, when a tarantula feels threatened, it will use their back legs and kick these hairs up into the air, sort of a whirling cloud of fiberglass. They're also known to kick these hairs down on their webbing in their burrow as a line of defense to keep out any predators or unwelcome guests. But when these hairs hit your skin, they impale you like tiny little harpoons, and it creates a histamine reaction in your body that can lead to itching, burning, or even a rash. They're not deadly, and it really won't even cause you any serious harm unless they get in your eyes, nose, or mouth. But they are an effective deterrent and can be extremely uncomfortable if you get some on your skin, which is why it is always important to be careful when you're interacting with your tarantula, rehousing, or even just cleaning up their enclosure, because those hairs could be anywhere. A lot of the times when I'm dealing with my New World species I wear latex gloves, and if it is a species with particularly irritating hairs, I will even wear long sleeves, face mask, and eye protection just to be careful. The second thing I wish I knew about tarantulas is that they can go weeks, months, or even years without eating. Tarantulas don't use a lot of energy unless they're moving around. In fact, they don't even breathe much unless they're moving. So one meal can hold an adult tarantula over for weeks or months. And some species, especially New World tarantulas, can go a year or two without eating one time. And some New World species of tarantula, like the Gramistola rosea, can go a year or two without even eating one cricket. But this doesn't just apply to adult tarantulas. Spiderlings and juveniles can also go weeks or months in some cases without eating. And that can be very concerning, especially to a new keeper who's in the mindset of keeping cats and dogs and maybe reptiles that need to be fed every day or maybe a few times a week. So when your tarantula goes on hunger strike, you're afraid it's gonna starve and die. But it's just a fact that tarantulas don't need to eat that often. In nature, they're opportunistic feeders, meaning they only eat when prey crosses their path. So they've evolved over millions of years to be able to go long periods of time without having a meal. So if your tarantula hasn't eaten in a few weeks, don't worry. And I wish somebody would have told me that 20 years ago. Number three is the fact that the tarantula hobby can be very addicting. Many people get their first tarantula thinking they only want one. But there are very few people in the hobby that after a few years of keeping that tarantula still only have just one. And there are many different reasons for that. One is that when you get a tarantula, it's walking around, it's out on display, and you really enjoy watching it. But then it goes into pre-mold or just for whatever reason, it decides it wants some privacy and it digs a burrow and seals it up behind it. And you don't see that tarantula for weeks or months at a time. So you go and get a second tarantula and that cycle repeats. And before you know it, you have five or 10 different species, all with the hopes that at any given time, at least one of them will be out and visible. Also, once you get a tarantula and begin learning a lot about them, you discover all of the different species that are available. There are fossorial, terrestrial, and arboreal tarantulas, meaning species that live underground, on the ground, or above the ground. And they come in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and temperaments. And the more your appreciation grows for tarantulas, the more you wanna have different types in your collection. And before you know it, you've got 20 or 50 or a couple of hundred different species of tarantula. For the most part, they're not that expensive. They're extremely easy to take care of. So they're not time-consuming at all, which feeds into that desire and ability to keep dozens of species at once. But it's not like they come with a warning label. No one warns you right off the bat that this hobby is addictive, but you see it on social media all the time. One issue that can grow out of this is people getting in over their heads. And I actually made a whole video on being addicted to tarantulas and different ways to pace yourself and deal with feeling overwhelmed. So if you're interested in learning more about that, just watch this video right here. Now, number four is something maybe you didn't even think about when you got your first tarantula. And that is the fact that most vets, even exotic pet vets, don't treat tarantulas or other inverts. Of course, there are exceptions. I'm sure there are veterinarians that do treat tarantulas. Like I've seen a few videos on Facebook. But for the most part, your basic small town veterinarian does not treat exotic pets, let alone tarantulas. But even vets that specialize in exotic pets can't always treat tarantulas. Sometimes it's just because they're creeped out by spiders. But the main reason is that there's just not a lot of information out there. There hasn't been a lot of research on different diseases or illnesses that tarantulas can contract. Or how to treat these ailments or any injuries they may sustain. Beyond just basic first aid, there's just not a lot of information out there for a veterinarian to use to treat a spider. So a lot of times in this hobby, it's up to us to treat our tarantula. And the only real resource of information that we have is using the past experience of other keepers. But tarantulas can't really communicate when they're sick or not feeling well. So a lot of times, we don't even realize there's an issue until it's too late. Beyond just the basic first aid and treating a damaged tarantula, there's really no medicine or treatments that can be utilized to cure any kind of sickness or disease they may get. But hopefully as time goes on and tarantulas become much more popular as pets, the science and research will develop and maybe some diseases and treatments can be discovered that will help keep these species alive much longer. And the number one thing I wish I knew when I got my first tarantula is that the people at the pet store don't necessarily know what's best. Now, I'm not knocking pet store employees or owners. The fact is that there's not a lot of good information out there and what good information is available isn't always the easiest to find. A quick search of tarantula care on Google will bring you websites and videos that are more than 10 years old with information that's outdated and just is wrong. And a lot of these corporate pet stores train their employees and issue care guides that treat tarantulas a lot like reptiles. So if you get your first tarantula at a pet store, a lot of times they'll try and sell you elaborate cages and a bunch of accessories that you don't really need. Tarantulas really only need an enclosure, a lot of substrate, a water dish, and a hide. Anything beyond that is just accessories. But it's fairly common for a pet store to try and sell you fancy lights, heat lamps, heat pads, sponges, and other accessories and decorations that tarantulas just don't need. In fact, some of those things can even be harmful to a tarantula. But I don't think they're doing this maliciously and in a lot of cases, I don't even think they're trying to do it to upsell their customers and make more money. I think they just got bad, outdated information and assume that keeping a tarantula is a lot like keeping a reptile, especially since they sell tarantulas right alongside reptiles and amphibians. So I'm not hating on pet store employees. If you work at a pet store, good on you. This is just a symptom of a lack of good information that's readily available. Now, if you're new to keeping tarantulas or you just wanna learn a lot more about the basics, I put together an entire playlist just for you. So if that's something that you're interested in, you think it will help you out, just click this playlist right here. And as always, I appreciate you watching. Subscribe if you wanna see more. Thanks for buying Tarantula Collective merchandise and I will see you next time. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha.