My tarantula YouTube channel is a place where many new tarantula owners find themselves – which is totally awesome and I love it! I really love being a resource and safe space for newbies to the tarantula hobby, because it can be intimidating hobby to get into and you can be afraid of being judged at first when you are just getting settled in. So in this post, I’d like to share some tips that I think are important for new tarantula owners.

Don’t freak out if your tarantula won’t eat when you get them

This is one of the most common questions I get! And I think it’s one of the hardest ones to explain because new tarantula owners are so eager to make their tarantulas happy and watch them eat their new meal in their new home. Unfortunately, many tarantulas are disappointed when they realize that their tarantula is either in premolt or not interested in eating at the moment. Tarantula owners can save themselves a lot of stress by doing what their tarantula really wants them to do: leave them alone! It is perfectly normal and natural for a tarantula to be very stressed out after getting to a new home or space, and not want to eat. Tarantulas are very sensitive to stress, and do not like change. Many times they react to this by refusing food lol. The best you can do is leave them alone for a few days and give them time to get adjusted. The more you bother them, the longer it will take for your tarantula to settle in!

Learn tarantulas’ body language

While tarantulas do not talk or really “communicate” with us the way a dog or cat can, they certainly can give us signals about how they’re feeling. Many tarantulas ask me what certain things mean – for instance, when a tarantula shows its fangs or lays on its back (to molt). It’s really important for new tarantula owners to know body language BEFORE they even get a tarantula so there are no misunderstandings between them and their pet. Some of these include how to test temperament, what premolt/molting looks like, threat poses, hair kicking, signs of stress, and death curls are just a few. You can learn more about tarantulas and their body language here.

Water is more important than food – and NO sponges!

This goes along with the point above. While your tarantula may not need food for the first few days, they really need water. Regardless of whether they ever drink in front of you or not (most tarantula owners never catch their spiders drinking because they do it while we’re asleep lol), your tarantula needs a water source. My tarantula can fast for over 6 months but will always drink her water! So definitely be more concerned about water than food when you first get a tarantula. And please don’t use a sponge! Many misinformed pet stores will tell you that you need one, but these just breed bacteria in your tarantula’s tank. No sponges in the water dish please!

Don’t hold them at all, or at least take the time to learn how to do it properly

I made this mistake of stressing my rose hair out by trying to hold her when I first got her. Now I know better, and know she is much less stressed when I leave her alone and don’t touch her. Please don’t feel pressured to hold your tarantula – they don’t really enjoy it, and it causes them a lot of stress. It’s also the unfortunate way that many accidents, bites, and tarantula deaths happen. However if you must hold your tarantula, PLEASE take the time to educate yourself and watch some tutorials about how to do this. Below is one I like:

Here’s some more information about how to hold tarantulas safely.

Take your time! Everyone makes mistakes.

We were all a beginner once, and many of us tarantula owners forget this after a few years and several spiders later. Don’t let anyone discourage you. There is some gatekeeping in this community, as in any hobby. Just take your time and remember that the first step at being good at something is being bad at something. Do your research, ask for help and be gentle with yourself. No one did tarantula keeping perfectly the first time, and we are all still learning. This hobby is about having fun and admiring, learning about these special creatures. It’s a great hobby and you will meet tons of amazing people here.