How do you know the best beginner pet tarantulas to get for your home when there is a wide variety of tarantula species to choose from? Needless to worry anymore. This article is designed to walk you through and make your decision process effortless.
Tarantulas are unique and fascinating spiders that you can keep as a pet. They should be high on your list when you are considering a pet spider. However, many people usually misunderstand them as a creepy-crawly creature.
Tarantulas are a perfect pet for beginner pet owners because of their easy-care level and their unique appeal. Furthermore, it is very easy to feed them as you only need to drop food in their tank once a week.
Choosing a tarantula that suits you is not an easy task because of the diverse tarantula species out there. In this article, we will list some of the best tarantula species suitable for beginners.
Contents
Are Tarantulas Good Pets?
Some tarantula species make a perfect pet for beginners. This is because watching them is quite fun, and they are readily available for a low price. Furthermore, they are very hardy, it is quite easy to feed them, and you don’t need a large tank to house them.
Things To Consider When Choosing A Beginner Pet Tarantulas
Here are some of the things to consider before buying a pet tarantula.
Care Requirement
It is easy to care for some tarantulas, while some require special care, which can be too much for beginners. As a beginner pet owner, you should choose a tarantula that is easy to care for to help make your experience stressless and worthwhile.
Temperament
The best tarantulas suitable for beginners are the docile and slow-moving species as they rarely bite their owner. This will make cleaning their enclosure easy, and you can also handle them without any issue.
Availability
There is a wide range of tarantula species available in the pet trade, and there are some species that you will only find from a specialist breeder. As a beginner, it is best to go for tarantula species that are readily available instead of spending months searching for a perfect specimen.
You will find it quite easy to care for readily available species. Furthermore, you will also find people knowledgeable about the species that you can learn from very easily.
Budget
As a beginner pet owner, you may be shocked when you hear that some tarantula species are very expensive because of their rarity and appearance. However, the best tarantula species suitable for beginners are usually more reasonably priced.
This means you don’t have to save for months to buy your pet and the equipment needed to care for them.
Adult Size
Tarantulas are available in a wide range of sizes, from a few centimeters to feet. A fairly large tarantula requires that you have enough experience, space, and money before you buy them. However, a beginner owner should only go for a moderately-sized tarantula.
This is because they don’t need much space, and it is quite easy to handle them as a beginner.
Best Beginner Pet Tarantulas
Here are some of the best pet tarantulas suitable for beginner pet owners.
| Tarantula species | Dwellings/Habitat | Size | Price |
| Antilles pink toe | Arboreal | 4.5 – 6 inches | $85-$95 |
| Chilean rose | Terrestrial | 5 inches | $20-$25 |
| Brazilian black | Terrestrial | 7 inches | $100 |
| Arizona blonde | Terrestrial | 3-4 inches | $30-$50 |
| Curly haired | Terrestrial | 2.8 inches | $20-$50 |
| Costa rican zebra | Terrestrial | 4.5 inches | $30-$35 |
| Mexican red-knee | Terrestrial | 5-6 inches | $40-$130 |
| Mexican redleg | Terrestrial | 4 inches | $70 |
| Honduran curly hair | Terrestrial | 5.5 inches | $20-$50 |
| Green bottle blue | Semi-arboreal | 6 inches | $60-$100 |
| Pumpkin patch | Terrestrial | 3 inches | $25-$45 |
| Desert blonde | Terrestrial | 5-6 inches | $20-$30 |
Antilles Pink Toe Tarantula
This is considered the most popular pet tarantula, and many love them due to their unique appearance. They are tropical spiders that originate from Martinique but can be bred in captivity.
They usually have a black to magenta body, and the tip of their legs is usually bright pink or orange. They are suitable for beginners because they are very docile and it is very easy to care for them.
Furthermore, they are fascinating pets and can walk across your body or hand if you can hold still. Antilles pink toe tarantula are medium-sized spiders and can grow to about 4.5-6 inches long.
Antilles pink toe tarantulas are tree-dwellers, and you will need to house them in a tall tank. You will also need to provide them with branches or cork to climb, and they thrive well in the high humidity of about 80%.
Chilean Rose Tarantula
Chilean rose tarantula is a medium-sized spider that originates from Chile and can also be found in Bolivia and Argentina. You can easily identify them by their brown body and bright pink fur covering. Furthermore, they are suitable for beginners as they have docile temperaments.
They are hardy creatures and can adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions, making caring for them quite easy. They can grow to about 5 inches long and have a long lifespan.
The males can live for about seven years while female Chilean roses can live for more than two decades with good care. Although they are medium-sized spiders, it is best to keep them in a large tank with lots of hiding spots.
Note: although Chilean rose tarantulas have calm temperaments, they can be violent if they are angry or you don’t handle them properly.
Brazilian Black Tarantula
The Brazilian black is also called the Black Lab of tarantulas because of their docile temperaments. This is why they are one of the popular tarantulas that beginners can keep as a pet. You can easily identify them by their jet-black body with a velvety appearance.
Brazilian black tarantulas usually grow to about 7 inches long with a maximum leg span of 5-6 inches. It usually takes them about eight years to fully mature. Many people love them because they are not aggressive and usually flee instead of attacking.
They have a long lifespan, and due to their popularity, they are among the most expensive tarantula species out there.
Arizona Blonde Tarantula
The Arizona blonde tarantula, also called the desert blonde, originates from the southwestern part of the United States, especially in Arizona. One of the best things about this spider species is that they are readily available, and you can get them at cheaper price.
Arizona blonde tarantulas are usually brown or black, which helps them to blend in with their natural desert environment. They typically grow to about 3-4 inches long and have a long lifespan. They are perfect spiders for beginners as they are very hardy, have a docile temperament, and it is very easy to care for them.
Curly Haired Tarantula
Curly-haired tarantulas are usually considered by many spider keepers as the most popular beginner-friendly tarantula in the world. This is because they are very hardy creatures and have a docile temperament.
Although they are not the most colorful tarantulas out there, they are quite beautiful on their own. You can identify them by their long and curly hairs, which makes them look very attractive.
Curly-haired tarantulas can grow to about 2.8 inches long and usually have a leg span of about 5.8 inches long. Another thing is that they are commonly available, and you can get them in most exotic pet stores, online, or at local reptile shows.
Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula
The Costa Rican Zebra, also called the striped-kneed tarantula, is a perfect spider pet for beginners that do not want to handle their spider. They are usually black and have stripes that cover their legs at the joints.
Although they are fast-moving spiders and can be skittish, it is quite easy to care for them. This is why they are not the perfect species for keepers that want to handle their spiders.
Furthermore, they get startled very easily, and you should avoid handling them unless it is necessary. Female Costa Rican zebra’s leg span can grow to about 4.5 inches and can live for about 20 years under optimal care.
Mexican Red-Knee
Many keepers regard the Mexican red-knee as the most popular Mexican spider species. They are usually the first pet for spider lovers because they can be easily found at pet stores.
Furthermore, they are known for their bright red-orange knees, while the rest of their body is black with brown hairs. They can grow to about 5 inches in size, and you can house them in a 5–10-gallon tank.
They are suitable for beginners due to their docile temperament, and it is quite easy to handle them. Furthermore, Mexican red-knee have a long lifespan, and the females can live for about 25 years while the males can live for 5-10 years.
Mexican Redleg Tarantula
This is another Mexican spider species with low maintenance and basic care requirements. Unlike Mexican red knee tarantulas, their entire legs are covered in orange color. However, they are not that popular, like the Mexican red knee tarantula.
Mexican redleg tarantula is suitable for beginners because of their docile temperaments and rarely bites. Furthermore, they can tolerate gentle handling from time to time. They are very quiet and usually sit in one spot unless they hunt for food or burrow their substrate.
Female Mexican redlegs have a long lifespan and can live for about 30 years under optimal care.
Honduran Curly Hair
The Honduran curly hair is also called curly hair or wooly tarantula. They are a ground-dwelling spider and have a short body. They can grow to about 5.5 inches in length, and you can house them in a small enclosure like a 5-10 gallons aquarium.
Honduran curly hair is suitable for beginners as they are very hardy creatures. Furthermore, they are slow-moving, and handling them is not that hard. Female Honduran curly hair can live for about ten years, while males live for about four years.
Green Bottle Blue Tarantula
Green bottle blue tarantula originates from the Paraguana Peninsula, located on the northern coast of Venezuela. They are usually found in desert or grassland areas. They are considered a beautiful pet tarantula due to their green, blue, and orange body with royal blue legs.
Although green bottle blues are quick and skittish, they are not overly defensive. However, it is very easy to care for them. They are more suitable for beginner keepers looking for a display pet.
They can grow to around 6 inches long, and the females can live for about 14 years.
Pumpkin Patch Tarantula
Pumpkin patch tarantulas comprise all species in the Hapalopus genus and are considered dwarf tarantula. They are small spider species and usually grow to about 3 inches long, and you can house them in a one-gallon tank.
They have a unique color but are not as vibrant as most tarantulas. They have a solid orange-brown leg and black body with orange patches, making it look like a pumpkin-patch pattern.
Due to their size, they are a pet spider pet for pet owners without enough room to house their spider. Pumpkin patch tarantulas are suitable for beginners because it is easy to care for them. The females can live for 8-10 years while the males can live for 3-4 years.
Desert Blonde Tarantula
Unlike other spider species on this list, the Mexican desert blonde is quite an aggressive spider species. However, they are still a good option for beginner spider keepers. You can easily identify them by the blonde hairs on their upper shell and lower legs and brown hair on their abdomen.
The desert blonde tarantula can grow to about 5-6 inches long. Furthermore, the females can live for about 30 years while the males can live for about 5-10 years.
Note: Desert blonde tarantula has a venom that has a mild effect on humans unless the person is allergic.
Wrapping Up
Tarantulas are unique and interesting spiders that you can keep as a pet. They are low maintenance and bring lots of fun to the owners, and you will enjoy a unique experience keeping them.
They are also a perfect pet for beginners searching for a quiet pet and who do not want to interact. Due to their capture for the pet industry, they are on the verge of extinction, and it is best to buy only captive-bred spiders to ensure they survive in the wild.
There is a wide range of tarantula species out there, and we hope you can use our list to choose a tarantula that suits you.