Pet Tarantula Cage Setup Information

When setting up your tarantula's habitat you must consider what type of tarantula you have as a pet. Understanding the variety of tarantula that you own will help you understand how you should set up the tarantula cage. The main types of tarantulas are arboreal and terrestrial tarantulas.

Arboreal Tarantulas

If you have an arboreal tarantula you have a tarantula that lives off of the ground. You can find arboreal tarantulas living in trees, tall grass, and manmade structures. There are six subfamilies of new world arboreal tarantulas; Avicularia, Ephebopus, Iridopelma, Pachistopelma, Psalmopoeus, and Tapinauchenius. The Avicularia family is the most popular arboreal in the tarantula pet trade and has over fifty species. Examples of Avicularia tarantula species are Avicularia avicularia, Pink Toe Tarantula, and Avicularia versicolor, Versicolor Tarantula.

Arboreal tarantula cages should be tall as opposed to long. The bottom of the cage should be filled with tarantula substrate. The substrate should take up around 1/3^rd of the cage. I use a mixture of peat moss and organic potting soil to make my tarantula substrate. These items can be purchased at garden stores for much less money than buying coconut fiber at a pet store. The arboreal tarantula will need something to climb on in order to make its home. I arrange fake plants, wood, and sticks in a manner where the tarantula can use them to make a tube or tent web.

Terrestrial Tarantulas

Terrestrial tarantulas live on or under the ground. If you have a terrestrial tarantula as a pet you should set up the habitat with at least ½ of the cage being substrate. Make sure you include at least one place to hide. Many people use plant potters and bury them halfway in the tarantula's substrate. Other hiding places include rocks, plants, and commercial coconut hides. Some terrestrial tarantulas borrow underground and you may never see them outside of feeding time. An example of a borrowing terrestrial tarantula is the Theraphosa blondi, also known as the Goliath bird-eating spider or the Goliath Birdeater.

Where can I get a pet tarantula?

You can purchase tarantulas at a pet store or buy one from a tarantula hobbyist online. The majority of my information comes from Adam Jansen who has his bachelor degree from Northern Illinois University in Biology and owns Jansen Exotics. There is a wealth of information about buying tarantulas, keeping tarantulas as pets, as well as specific tarantula species information at arachnoboards.com.

Sources:

Adam Jansen, Jansen Exotics
www.jansenexotics.com

Ross, Lucian K., author of New World Arboreal Tarantulas 101
http://www.thebts.co.uk/New%20World%20Arboreal%20Tarantulas.htm