Invertebrate checklist
Cheap to keep and easy to get wrong. Almost every problem is humidity, ventilation or an unsuitable species for a beginner.
Before you go
- Identify the exact species and its requirements. "Tarantula" covers animals with wildly different needs and temperaments.
- Set the enclosure up first: correct substrate depth, correct humidity, correct ventilation, and secure ventilation for anything that climbs.
- Check whether the species is CITES-listed. Several tarantulas are, and Annex A specimens need an Article 10 certificate.
- Beginners should start with a terrestrial New World species. Old World tarantulas are fast, defensive and have a significantly stronger venom.
On the day
- Moving normally, not lethargic or curled with legs drawn under the body.
- Abdomen plump but not so distended it drags. A shrunken abdomen means dehydration.
- All legs present and used. Missing legs regrow at a moult but tell you about the animal's history.
- Ask when it last moulted and when it last ate. A pre-moult animal will not eat, and that is normal, not illness.
Questions worth asking
- Captive bred or wild caught? Captive bred, always.
- What is it being kept at, in temperature and humidity?
- What is it eating and what size?
- Has it been sexed, and how?
Walk away if
- The species cannot be identified precisely.
- It is being sold as a handling pet. Tarantulas are display animals; handling risks a fatal fall for the spider and urticating hairs for you.
- It is an Annex A species with no certificate.
Seen something that worries you? Report it. We act on reports within 12 working hours, and we would rather hear from you early than not at all.