I caught a wild tarantula....now what

[m_elias]

I was at someone's house and they had one in their garage. They were going to kill it so I caught it and brought it home. We have it in a reptile cage with a burrow and heating pad. I thought it would die right away. We're on our fifth month of it living.
We move cross country in a month and I don't think it would do well on the trip.
My question is, should we release it back into the wild or just keep on keeping it in a cage and find it a new home? Is it too "domesticated" for lack of a better word, to survive in the wild now?
Or would it survive the trip ok?
Advice would be appreciated.
Thank you

 

[Ceratogyrus]

They don't get domesticated, so releasing it would not cause it to starve. Is it a mature male? Their breeding season may be over already, so it may be best to keep him for his last days if he is male. If it's a female and you need to release it, release it as close to where it was originally found.

 

[m_elias]

They don't get domesticated, so releasing it would not cause it to starve. Is it a mature male? Their breeding season may be over already, so it may be best to keep him for his last days if he is male. If it's a female and you need to release it, release it as close to where it was originally found.

I have no idea if is a male or female. We caught it about two miles away but it was in a large subdivision. Would it be better off if we retired it in a less inhabited area?

 

[DVirginiana]

T's can be pretty hardy. Whenever I transport my animals I try to use a styrofoam cooler to put their travel containers in; keeps the temps steady. Your spider would probably be able to make the trip with just a little planning.

 

[Rick Stallard]

Sure it would make the trip fine, but Ceratogyrus is right, take it back to where it was found and release it. It sounds like your not familiar with Ts, and not knowing male or female I think that would be best. What part of the country are you in, southwest I'm guessing. Now, if you want to put in the time to research it and care for it, then keep it, if not please release it, and yes take it to an out of the way area if it was found in a place with lots of people and houses. Try to find a place with the same ground conditions tho.