How to Care for a Tarantula

Pet tarantulas are quiet, peaceful and easy to care for. Tarantulas do not pose dander allergy issues, eat very little and never need to be bathed. Handling a pet tarantula is never a good idea, even if it is very docile. Take a few extra steps to care for your pet tarantula during its molting time.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Spray bottle

1. Offer food to your pet tarantula every 3 days. Observe the eating patterns of the tarantula. Know that it may not eat for several days to a week before it starts molting.

2. Remove food from the tarantula's cage 24 hours after a feeding. Remove the whole portions of food and stray body parts as well. Help keep bacteria from growing in the tarantula cage when you remove old food.

3. Leave the tarantula alone once it starts molting. Do not touch the tarantula or attempt to roll it off it's back. Do not feed the tarantula during the molting period.

4. Maintain proper humidity levels in the tarantula cage before and during molting. Help the tarantula molt by misting a small area of the cage with water when you have a tarantula that does best in low humidity.

5. Keep the temperature in the tarantula's cage between 70 and 85 degrees F.

6. Wait several days for a spiderling's shell to harden and turn to its normal color. Wait for several weeks for an adult's shell to harden and return to the normal color.

7. Feed the pet tarantula 3 days after the molting process has finished.