As my little tarantula community grows online, I often find myself being asked a lot of questions about tarantula care (which I love!). And considering how consistently I create tarantula content and the enthusiasm I show for spiders, one question is getting asked pretty frequently: why don’t I have more pet tarantulas?

I’ve been a tarantula keeper of one lone spider for YEARS, and it was only about 7 months ago that I finally decided to invest in a second spider. This is pretty strange behavior for a tarantula owner, because anyone who has ever gotten into this hobby knows how addictive it is. Has the tarantula bug somehow skipped over me and given me the powers to resist buying dozens more? Have I stumbled upon some secret knowledge that prevents me from not emptying my bank account after spending too much time looking at my favorite species in tarantula Facebook groups?

The answer is pretty anticlimatic, I’m afraid, and it’s not going to give you the response you so desperately need for your own tarantula addiction. The truth of the matter is that I’ve been really honest with myself about my energy limitations.

When I first got Spidey several years ago, I fell in love with her and grew very attached. Some may think that’s entirely stupid to actually get emotionally attached to a pet that can never love me back, but I still very much have a giant soft spot in my heart for her. My decision to get Blinky years later wasn’t even really about wanting to expand my collection, I just really wanted to grow as a keeper and gain the experience of raising a sling since I had gotten Spidey well into her adult years.

I believe this has a lot to do with my mental health and personality type, and I think I’m pretty self aware of how those two things impact what I’m capable of taking on. For me, quantity doesn’t necessarily benefit me. I truly admire all tarantula owners who can somehow manage to take amazing care of their huge collections – it’s a feat I am in awe of every time I watch some of my favorite tarantula YouTubers, interview an experienced keeper for my tarantula magazine, or pop into a tarantula group on Facebook. I admire that ability so much – and yet, I have no interest in expanding my collection much more than it is now.

I think we need to be honest with ourselves when it comes to our experience level and the time we can dedicate to a living creature. There have definitely been times where I have felt pressured to get more tarantulas or been questioned for only having my two tarantula babies in a highly addictive hobby. I also get quite a few questions about why I haven’t gotten a more advanced, exotic or dangerous tarantula yet. It’s easy to feel pressured to advance in this hobby and there have been times where I’ve doubted myself and questioned if I am really a good tarantula keeper if I only have two tarantulas and they are both beginner friendly.

The truth is I really don’t have the urge to get a more dangerous tarantula or the energy/time to take care of a robust collection and I’m very honest with myself about that. Over the past few years I have gone through many demanding life changes such as finishing a masters program, pouring myself into a demanding new job as a therapist, assisting my boyfriend with the graphic design and marketing of his new restaurant, trying to grow my own creative projects and side businesses, and moving. A lot has changed in my life over the last few years and I don’t think I would be able to tend to and care for a large collection properly and may not even have the energy or focus for it. I would feel absolutely terrible if I dropped the ball and could not give my tarantulas the attention they needed to thrive or made careless mistakes in care because I was rushing or not paying close enough attention. At least with only two tarantulas, I can ensure that their needs are taken care of very easily and can notice instantly when something isn’t right.

I also realize that my living space isn’t set up for a large collection right now. Although I am in the process of moving into a bigger space to live with my boyfriend, right now I’m in a tiny one bedroom apartment. There isn’t enough space in here right now to hide a large collection away from my jealous cat! And of course, moving your pets also takes a lot of adjusting and stress on their part.

So I guess my decision to keep a small collection is about logistics, my emotions and my energy. I love my tarantulas and two is enough for me right now. I am very passionate about learning about their behavior, and feel that having the two of them allows me the focus to keep observing and learning from them.

I think that keeping tarantulas is a large responsibility and undertaking that requires the utmost care and attention. Right now I would not feel confident that I could provide the time and care it would take to do it properly if I were to expand my collection. I think that’s something any future pet owner has to take into consideration for the health and safety of the animals. Even when I get asked questions about breading my G.rosea Spidey, while I think having tons of baby spiders would be adorable, I recognize my time and energy limitations at this point in my life. I just wouldn’t have the time to do it right. And tarantulas are very precious to me, and only deserve the best!

If you want to learn more about tarantulas, feel free to check out my big tarantula guide (I talk about lots of tarantula facts and enclosure/care tips).

By the way, check out my new tarantula magazine for more cool spider stuff:

I’m putting out issues every 2 months! If you’d like to be a part of that, you can visit the magazine’s Patreon page to subscribe or make a submission! You can also contact me at theavenmag@gmail.com for more info!

You can also get free tarantula tips by signing up for my newsletter or subscribing to my YouTube channel! I release new tips every Tuesday for Tarantula Tuesday! And I also sell some pretty cool tarantula t-shirts, if I do say so myself 😉