Getting a new tarantula, especially if you’re a first time owner, can be both exciting and stressful. I remember when I got my first tarantula, a grammostola rosea named Spidey, I had done loads of research and still nothing could have prepared me for her.

I get a lot of questions from first time owners concerned about their new tarantula and I think there’s one piece of information that I’d like to share that will make the transition from a newbie to an experienced owner easier and less stressful. For those concerned about why their tarantula refuses to eat or is displaying strange behavior, there’s one tarantula tip that I think will help greatly:

Let your new tarantula rest and leave them alone.

I know that’s not a fun answer, guys, especially since you likely couldn’t be more excited to start handling your new tarantula or feeding them their first meal but the truth is that your new pet likely won’t want to eat or be bothered for several days once you get them home.

Whether your tarantula is extremely defensive or docile, they’re going to be incredibly stressed out by being in a new environment. Moving is stressful for any human or animal, so try to imagine how nerve wracking this might be for a small, fragile creature like a tarantula who barely has the ability to see, cannot hear, and is super sensitive to any movement and vibration. Of course, you can certainly transfer your new tarantula from the container they were transported in into their forever home, but after this it is best to leave them alone, or at least watch from a distance, for several days and just closely monitor.

It is completely normal for a tarantula to not have an appetite for several days after moving, and this is one of the most common things that new tarantula owners don’t know. They start panicking that their new pet won’t eat for a few days, and they don’t know that this is pretty normal behavior anytime there is a change to a tarantula’s environment. Spidey will swear off food any time I do a tank change or switch something around in her tank. The important thing here is to stay calm and know that your tarantula will be fine without food for quite a while – there is no need to keep trying to give them food and stress them out even more. As long as they have water, they will be fine. It is also normal for your tarantula to be more defensive or active, or even inactive after being put in a new environment. Some tarantulas will want to explore their environment or do the opposite – they may stay completely to themselves and not move much for a few days until they feel more comfortable. The most important thing you can do is to leave them alone and try not to disturb them.

That’s what I think the most important thing is for beginners. I think that by managing your own anxiety as a new tarantula owner, you can avoid making careless mistakes.

If you’d like a few more tips about how you can make your tarantula more comfortable, check this article out! And be sure to check out my full tarantula guide for more on tarantula care!