One of the most common questions I get – especially from new tarantula owners is how to make sure a new pet tarantula is comfortable and happy! As tarantulas obviously cannot speak to us and let us know how they’re feeling (unless you get the dreaded threat pose or hairs kicked at you), you really have to do your due diligence to make sure you’re creating an idea home and environment for your new pet tarantula.

If it’s your first time keeping a pet tarantula, there’s something very important you need to know before anything else, and it will make a world of difference in the comfort of your new spider: THEY LIKE TO BE LEFT ALONE! I know that’s kind of depressing and may perhaps burst your bubble, but this is the truth about these creatures. They do not enjoy being touched, handled or bothered. Yes, some may be more docile and tolerant than others, but most tarantulas except for a few communal species are solitary creatures and are easily stressed – the less you bother them and their environments, the “happier” and more comfortable they are. In fact, I use this as a measure of how comfortable my Grammostola rosea Spidey is all the time. I notice that in times of stress (like after I move or change her tank), she becomes much more active and paces. When she is relaxed and otherwise being a “pet rock”, I know she’s at peace. Now of course tarantulas go through their rhythms and may have active periods, but if your spider is frantically moving around its enclosure, it’s a sign that something is up and it is not feeling calm.

The other thing you can do is make sure that you are protecting your tarantula. Educate yourself about premolt and molting and make sure that you are not leaving uneatten prey in your tarantula’s enclosure during this time as it will only stress your pet tarantula out and also leave them vulnerable to an attack. If your tarantula is also fasting, uneaten prey running around will only annoy it. My own G. rosea Spidey has kicked hairs at prey before when she wasn’t hungry and was being annoyed by a super worm moving around on her webs. Like I said, these babies are temperamental about their space and homes.

And of course, one of the biggest things you can do in the first place is to research the particular enclosure requirements for your tarantula. Make sure you know if your pet tarantula is a burrowing species, a terrestrial or arboreal species and make sure you get the appropriate enclosure depending on the species and age/size of the spider. You should also have the appropriate substrate, decor, and appropriately sized water dish. This goes for food as well. You want to make sure all the conditions are perfect for your spider, even down to the correct temperature and humidity levels for your tarantula, if your spider requires this. If your tarantula is not on comfortable substrate, they will have a much harder time getting adjusted to their new home and may even start to climb their enclosure to avoid touching it. If you need some information about what kind of things you need to start off an enclosure for your pet tarantula, check out this article.

Another thing you must pay attention to is the location of your tarantula enclosure, as this will greatly impact your tarantula’s comfort and stress level. I go deeper into this topic in this article, but in a nutshell you want to choose a place that is NOT in direct sunlight (they do not need light or heat lamps) or a very loud/highly trafficked place. You want to put your pet tarantula somewhere where they will not be disturbed by children, pets, or any other high activity in the house.

With all of this being said, I want to point out that it is normal for your new tarantula to stop eating and display signs of stress for the first few days that you bring it home. It could even take a little bit longer. Your pet tarantula needs time to settle into its new environment and calm down after being moved around. This can take a bit of time so just be patient, give it some water, and leave it alone for a few days until its body language and movement is more calm. A good sign that your tarantula is starting to become more comfortable is that it will start webbing in its enclosure – this means it is starting to make its home the way it pleases.