Learning how to test the temperament of your pet tarantula is one of the most important aspects of becoming a new tarantula owner. It can save you lots of trouble (and pain), so in this post I’m going to walk you through why this matters so much and how to do it safely.

What is tarantula temperament?

When it comes to tarantulas, we don’t really know much about their “moods” or what they’re feeling. We still have a lot to learn and study about them (where you at, entomologists?!). In this case, temperament is basically how your pet tarantula reacts in any given situation, referring to their body language and certain warning signs they give.

When do I need to test my tarantula’s temperament?

You will need to know how to test the temperament of your pet tarantula for many situations while you care for them, such as:

• Before you go to handle or hold them (at your own risk)
• If you will be cleaning their tank or rehousing them
• If you are changing the water

Remember, tarantulas are nervous creatures and they do not like change. Even if your pet tarantula is usually docile, you must still test their temperament every time, because they are wild creatures and can be unpredictable.

How to test temperament

As stated before, checking your tarantula’s temperament is to protect both you and your tarantula from harm.

1. The most important thing to remember here is to NEVER do this with your fingers. Always use some sort of long apparatus such as a paintbrush, blunt pencil, or long tongs/tweezers.
2. Then, nudge the leg of your pet tarantula lightly to see how they will react. Judging by the temperament cues (described below), you will be able to tell if you can proceed with your tarantula or not.

Skip to the middle of the video below to watch me test the temperament of my pet tarantula, Spidey (Grammostola rosea):

Temperament cues

It is absolutely critical to recognize the warning signs of a tarantula that is NOT in the mood to be bothered. Specifically, these two defense behaviors:

• Flicking hairs (when your tarantula flicks urticating, itchy hairs off its backside)
• Rearing up, defense pose (when your tarantula raises its front legs to display its fangs)

If your tarantula displays either of these two defense behaviors, it wants to be left alone. It’s important to note that if your tarantula shows these warning signs, it is not trying to be aggressive or malicious toward you. Your pet tarantula is merely scared and trying to defend itself. It’s best to leave it alone if your tarantula is feeling this way.

If your tarantula is feeling docile in that moment, it will likely not move at all or move just a tiny bit as a reaction to being touched. If your pet tarantula does not react strongly to being nudged, it is a good sign that it is not feeling defensive and you can proceed.

Your pet tarantula may also feel scared when touched. A sign that your tarantula is scared is a spider that moves its legs closer to its body or tries to hide its face behind its legs, like Spidey is doing in these two pictures:

If your tarantula is feeling scared, it’s not nice to push it to interact with you, although it is probably safe to do some spot cleaning or water changing in the tank as long as you don’t disturb it. A scared tarantula may turn into a defensive tarantula if pushed too far, so you want to be respectful about what your tarantula is feeling.

There are a few more behavioral cues that I talk about in my tarantula guide, but those are the main ones when it comes to testing temperament.

What I’ve described is a really easy, safe way to test the temperament of your pet tarantula. It’s worked really well for myself and Spidey and this method is popular in the tarantula hobby. Testing the temperament of your spider is good practice and it’s important to learn your tarantula’s behavioral cues. It could be the difference between having a safe, healthy spider or having an accident!

If you’re interested in learning even more about tarantulas, check out my tarantula guide and subscribe to my new tarantula YouTube channel! And if you’re not already on the newsletter, sign up here to get tarantula info every week (on Tarantula Tuesday)! 🙂

Featured image via Carolyn Granycome