How to Keep a Pet Spider

Many spiders are kept in captivity, even extremely poisonous ones. Most tarantulas and wolf spiders are suitable for beginners. They require little care after the enclosure is set up and need no socialization. Spiders are less expensive than traditional pets and many can be captured in the wild. They can be fascinating to watch and spark an educational or scientific interest. The following steps will show how to keep a pet spider.

Instructions

1. Consider keeping a tarantula. They tend to be large and are only slightly venomous, although the bite itself can be painful. New World spiders can also flick urticating hairs from their abdomen when threatened. Although they vary considerably in temperament, many species are quite docile.

2. Decide to keep a wolf spider whose venom is virtually non-existent and the bite is almost completely harmless to humans. The most important consideration in keeping a wolf spider is that it is fast and aggressive. Extreme care must be used when removing them from the enclosure to prevent them from escaping.

3. Refer to your care sheet. All popular species of spiders acquired commercially will have a readily available care sheet detailing specific requirements. Tarantulas usually have similar space and feeding requirements as do wolf spiders, but temperature and humidity tend to be much more crucial factors.

4. Obtain an enclosure. Tarantulas and wolf spiders cannot climb up sheer walls so it will be fairly secure as long as the spider cannot reach the ceiling when rearing at full height.

5. Feed your spider live insects and refer to your care sheet for the proper feeding interval. Crickets are always a good choice and spiders are not prone to overeating. However, a live prey insect may be a danger to your spider during molting.