So what started off as a fascination over a June bug by my nearly 5 year old daughter ended up with us owning a desert blonde tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes).

One day, while at a soccer game for my son, my daughter found a June bug stuck to my butt. Me being the bug hating type I calmly asked her to remove it for me even though inside was pure panic. So she did and it crawled up her arm and she made friends with this little creature. She named him Paco. She brought him home with her and we made him a little Tupperware home. She didn't like keeping him In there though and we told her he needed to be free to live out his buggy life cuz we don't know how to take good care of him. She was so sad so we started research pet bugs, beetles and spiders. After reading, I was sure I wanted nothing to do with any of these options. Then it was decided we should speak to a knowledgable source. So we were referred to Dave at Zookeepers in Austin texas. So we ventured over there and my daughter carefully an maternally held all kinda of creepy crawlers, she kept going back to her blonde little friend. We were told he's about 7 years old so he won't live as long as others but it seems like a good first T to start with. So they sent us home with a small habitat for him that has a hiding place and shallow water dish as well as the substrate. And now we are the er.... Ummmm proud? Owners of our first tarantula. His name is Taco.

Let me also stress that I HATE and am terrified of creepy crawlers. BUT, I do not want to stand in the way of something my children would love or be passionate about. He's about a 2-3 inch spider and he ate 3 crickets when we got home.

There is sooooooo much info on the Internet that is conflicting about habitats and how often to feed and how much. Also, when to not handle the T like before or after feeding time or something? Ways to prevent getting bit? As well as other safety measures such as sitting on the ground when handling the hairy little bugger... I guess I'm just needing to get some absolute info on these things. Maybe some pics of well set up habitats since I'm a visual learner. Thanks in advance.

Well, welcome to one of the best pet hobbies and our discussion board.

I would suggest relaxing a bit, take a breath, and when you're ready, read this to start:

http://atshq.org/articles/Caresheet.pdf

If Dave said it was a "he" then yes, the life span is shorter. Take a peak and see if the front legs, which look like the other legs (size wise), ignoring the shorter ones up front, in other words, have things which look like hooks. If you see hooks or the smaller two legs in the very front look like the feet are very different than the other larger legs, you have a mature male.

I applaud you not teaching your daughter the yick factor.

The set up you have and room temperature is fine for now, so you can relax there too. No need at all to worry about humidity or any of that other stuff.

Christian

Thank you so much for responding!!! How about handling? Before and after feeding? Is that a bad idea? I've heard lots of T owners don't actually handle their Ts. Why is that? Is it bad to do so? Or dangerous maybe? My little girl lives to but i make my husband help with that part cuz I'm so worried she would get bit and drop it or either of them would get nervous so I just hover over her nervously reminding her to be careful and really she is quite careful. I don't like spiders but I do think we should be careful with and protect the creatures God has given us. I definitely dont like to see something hurt or suffering.

We have a great Dane, a Beta fish, a bearded dragon, a guinea pig, a tarantula, and a cockatiel. What's next? Hahaha

Actually the bearded dragon is more of a real health risk than the tarantula. The worse case is someone get's bit. The fangs will do a bit of damage, but the venom will only cause localized swelling. The upside is that there is no risk of allergic reaction, as tarantula venom is quite different than say bee or wasp venom. It is important to make sure after handling everyone washes their hands, as even a calm tarantula can leave irritation hairs behind it. If you see the animal rubbing it's abdomen quickly, it is annoyed and spreading those irritating hairs.

As for handling, I don't do it often. They tolerate handling, but do no seek it out. Also, if the animal falls more than a few inches, they can easily die by bleeding to death. Sadly a few animals have been killed by a handling accident.

Christian

I heard about the whole fragility of them. We are very particular about the rules. My husband has to be present when my daughter handles the spider and he has to sit "cross cross apple sauce" on the floor.

I do have another question... If many enthusiasts or hobbyists do not handle their Ts, why worry about the temperament, and why suggest docile ones for beginners if handling is not suggested? Ours I very slow moving and maybe a little nervous, but tolerating my husband and daughter for the most part.

I just really don't want my daughter to get but mainly because I don't want the spider to get her or her to be afraid of them.

I think the recommendation for docile refers to speed and agression level. At the moment I dont currently have any that are agressive or specifically fast. There are some with significant venom. Not enough to kill a person, but inflict significant.....discomfort. If you browse other posts, you will see some species that apparently have chosen to bolt for the door and get out and on to the walls.

I cant wait to get some of those .

Someone correct me if Im wrong!

I actually think you're pretty close, Sean. And based on some of the bite reports I've read - and a few of Robc's that I've watched on YouTube - venom reactions pretty much run the gamut between "mild pain, some swelling, a bee sting is worse" to "oh holy Toledo, my hand's on fire, my arm's going numb, get me to the ER!". Now, I'd like to qualify that by pointing out that pain is relative. At a recent trip to the doctor, he made the comment that "...I don't see how you can stand it, I'd be in tears". Some of us have higher pain thresholds than others.

The point being, an "owie" bite to me could be an "ohmygawdithurtsithurts!" bite to someone else.

As far as docility, our Aphonopelmas are as laid-back as can be. Every once in a while one will throw a threat display, but that's usually because of something stupid that we've done. On the other end of the spectrum is our Tanzanian Baboon. "Neurotic" is putting it mildly! It's not that she's really aggressive (although I've heard that's a trait of the African tarantulas), but she's extremely high-strung, and moves faster than a Liberal at a John Birch Society meeting!

Probably not a good recommendation as a "starter" tarantula.

The pain may vary from person to person within a species as venom dose and pain tolerance and physiology differ in humans. But that being said, the maximum expected pain or reaction between species is also quite variable. Within the Grammostola, Aphonopelma and Brachypelma often the mechanical damage from the fangs is just as bad as the venom (from bite reports mind you, NOT LD50 numbers), but with Stromatopelma and Poecilotheria, there can be some medically significant levels of pain. This only means most folks can handle in home most commonly available species bites but a few require prescription pain killers.

Anyway, Aphonopelma are safe as tarantulas go. Regardless of media paranoia, no deaths have been attributed to any tarantula bites in the medical world. You can double check that on pubmed.gov.

Christian

Thanks for the clarification, Christian! Guess I got my tongue wrapped around my eyeteeth and couldn't see what I was saying. Which would be a plausible excuse, if I HAD any eyeteeth! I wasn't trying to say that they "can't' be medically significant - I seem to recall a Robc video where he'd gotten fanged by a pokie, and he was going to go to the ER because of numbness and radiating pain from his shoulder.

I guess you'll just never know until it happens. And MommaKelso, I'm hoping you guys never find out!!

We got all of our T's from Dave at Zookeeper. When we got our first one a year or so ago, he sent us home with a copy of The Tarantula Keepers Guide. (a MUST have for people new to our world) Dave is exceptionally knowledgeable about T's and he is the only person there I will deal with if buying a spider. He gives package deals too on multi-tarantula purchases. Just about everything he told us the day we bought our first tarantula is in the aforementioned book. Definitely use the search feature on this site. LOADS of information here. Anyway, welcome to our world and maybe we'll see you at Zookeeper!