Truth About Keeping a Tarantula

Senior Member Posts : 100 Manila Join date : 2012-06-26

Many of us think that keeping this eight legged wonder is easy and requires less maintenance than other pets. Here are my thoughts about it:

Housing:

Code:: Unlike cats and dogs where you can leave them roaming around the house and not have a cage/house for them, Ts require a specific terrarium/container for housing. If you buy a sling, this will OBLIGATE you to change their container every time they grow out of it. You will also need the right substrate and amount/height for every specie. You also need to consider the depth of the water dish to avoid them from drowning and the dimension of the enclosure. Some Ts requires a burrow, a hide, some branches or even live plants.

Feeding:

Code:: You can't feed your Ts with left over food like what you usually do when you ran out of dog/cat food. You also can't give them insects you find flying/crawling around your house. Your options are usually limited to captive bred; roaches, crickets, meal/superworms, fruitflies, termites and pinkies. And you won't find these on supermarkets and suking tindahan. Having said that, you either need to find a seller near you (for those who have few Ts which is magastos) or breed them. Most of us usually choose the latter. You also need to take note of how big your feeder will be. You won't give your half inch sling a full grown jumping cricket right? You need to avoid feeding them when they're in pre-molt. The good side of this is that you don't have to feed them everyday.

Maintaining:

Code:: Do they smell when they dont' get a shower? NO! Do you have to train them where to poop/pee? NO! Do you have to groom them? NO! Regular vet visits? NO! Vitamins and suplements? NO! Sounds easy right? NO!!! Tarantula needs a different kind of TLC; Random to regular misting of the enclosure. Removal of uneaten food and molt. Documenting of size, molt and feed dates. Checking of humidity and temperature(for some of us). Regular visit to Pep, arachnoboards, ATSHQ, THEBTS and sulit!? This also includes maintaining your feeder colony which I find more tedious. Though most of the common species are easy to keep, there are those with high maintenance requirements(see mike24's post about it).

Interacting:

Code:: This is my favorite part. Interacting with Ts means, you, staring at them and them going around, doing their things like you don't exist. Isn't this heart breaking? Nahhh! It'll be a part of that weird happiness/joy you'll get from them. The excitement when you see them at their backs and anxiously waiting while they molt with the urge to get your camera and capture that moment. The thrill when pairing them. The constant trip to mercury drug for Katinko after holding them. The smile ($.$) on your face when you see an egg sac (wag plastik hehe). The thrill of seeing them grab multiple feeders or even play "catch the feeder".

*You also have to be careful with the most notorious effect of tarantulas, the "Potato Chip Syndrome" aka "You can't only have one"

For those who are still deciding if they want to keep a tarantula, please think carefully if you can really take care of these magnificent creatures. If ever you decided to get one, check some of the guides posted here in Pep.

Choosing a tarantula for all the Wrong Reasons by Lucian "Luc" Ross
Species With High Requirements by Mike24
Tarantula info by betteroffdead

Newbie Posts : 18 davao city Join date : 2012-09-04

Wah! Potato Chip Syndrome mga! more! more! more! bounce

Newbie Posts : 2 cebu city Join date : 2012-09-09

Meron yata akong potato chip syndrome hahahaha

Newbie Posts : 47 Cavite Join date : 2013-03-03

ako din sir meron ng potato chip syndrome hahaha. 1week palang ako sa pagkakaroon ng chaco at fasciatum dinagdagan ko agad ng sling ng B.albo at B.vagans. ayaw ko ng tigilan tumingin ng tumingin ng ibang specie kaso kapos sa budget kaya hindi makabili. ipon ipon din in time makakakumpleto din ng mga gusto hahahaha.

Subject: Re: Truth About Keeping a Tarantula Mon Mar 04, 2013 12:14 pm

IamJeremiah wrote:: ako din sir meron ng potato chip syndrome hahaha. 1week palang ako sa pagkakaroon ng chaco at fasciatum dinagdagan ko agad ng sling ng B.albo at B.vagans. ayaw ko ng tigilan tumingin ng tumingin ng ibang specie kaso kapos sa budget kaya hindi makabili. ipon ipon din in time makakakumpleto din ng mga gusto hahahaha.

haha ganyan po talaga pag una. ako din may potato chip syndrome kasi pati allowance ko gnmit ko nung una
ok lang magkroon nito haha thumbs up

Subject: Re: Truth About Keeping a Tarantula Fri Mar 08, 2013 11:09 am

bakit kaya naging potato chip syndrome? akin ata ang sakit ko kamote syndrome mas mabilis dumami pag pinabayaan >_<

Subject: Re: Truth About Keeping a Tarantula Wed Mar 13, 2013 4:30 pm

I think we all got that potato chip syndrome. Yung mga nakalagay dun, pawang katotohanan, haha. Natawa ako dun sa "the smile" everytime you see an eggsac:))

Newbie Posts : 13 caloocan Join date : 2013-08-10

Grabe... Ang lakas makahawa ng PCS...... Saka bakit Ganun.. ang dami kong stocks ng Plastic Bins and lahat ay binubutasan ko... Hoarder na ata ako... hahahah...

Subject: Re: Truth About Keeping a Tarantula Mon Aug 12, 2013 5:14 pm

jopatsu wrote:: Grabe... Ang lakas makahawa ng PCS...... Saka bakit Ganun.. ang dami kong stocks ng Plastic Bins and lahat ay binubutasan ko... Hoarder na ata ako... hahahah...

An interesting thread right. . .?

Hoarder of what bro?

Subject: Re: Truth About Keeping a Tarantula Fri Sep 06, 2013 10:46 pm

me pcs n dn ata ako, at first i bought 3pcs, ngaun i own 9 ts, and planning to get more.

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