my son wants a tarantula

[rangers1]

Hello. I am looking for some guidance. My 7 year old son asked for a tarantula. I said yes without doing any research. Looks like that may have been a bad move. Is there a type of tarantula that is very easy to care for? One that will stay small enough to only need insects to eat and that doesn't spook easy? Also, I didn't realize they lived so long. Is there a type that doesn't live as long or a place I can adopt an older spider.

Thanks, Kelly

 

[LeahThomas]

Check your local exotic pet classifieds and craigslist for some older spiders. Local pet shops might have something as well. Males live shorter lives than the females, in fact you can even search for MM (mature male) tarantulas. They'll have anywhere from a few months to a few years to live. If you want longer, you can dig around and try to fine a penultimate male (meaning he'll be mature after his next molt, and from there on he'll have a few months to a few years). However, males tend to be smaller and occasionally more aggressive depending on species.

As far as species, I would recommend a G. rosea. They're pretty common, only reach about 5" or 5.5" and generally are quite docile. HOWEVER every spider has its own temperament. You could get unlucky and pick up a defensive G. rosea. But the majority of the time, they are nice Ts.

If you find one via craigslist/pet store/classifieds/ect... I would suggest giving it a temperament test first. Take a small paint brush, or pen, or something long, and VERY lightly and gently touch the spider's abdomen. If it turns around and bares its fangs, it might not be a good choice for your son. But if it simply moves away, or doesn't move at all, it sounds like a good choice (but remember that some times they can have their "feisty" days).

I'm not sure if your son plans to handle his T or not, but if he does I highly recommend only letting him handle it with your supervision. Handling can be very dangerous for the tarantula if something were to happen, and if your T was having a "feisty" day it could also be dangerous to your son if he doesn't know what to look for while judging a T's temperament that day. Hope that helped!

 

[rangers1]

That was very helpful. Thank you!