Is a tarantula the right pet for you? In How to Care for Tarantulas, you will get the answer to that question, plus a lot of information about these fascinating creatures. Tarantulas may look a bit frightening, but in reality they are docile, friendly and active, plus tarantulas have personalities..arachnoboards.com: [1]

Is a tarantula a spider? Yes. Tarantulas are arachnids, an order which also includes scorpions and more. Tarantulas are spiders, but they are a sub order. It's a little confusing, but a Tarantula is a spider.washington.edu: [2]

Since this is an introductory page, for someone curious about tarantulas and thinking about getting a pet tarantula, the focus will be on the two most popular tarantulas. The first is the Chilean Rose Tarantula, (Grammostola rosea), also known as a Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula.exoticpets.about.com: [3] The second is the Mexican Red Knee Tarantula (Brachypelma smithi). They are both readily available and easy to handle.

“How To Care for Tarantulas” is an instructive page. You will learn: How to Choose and Buy a Tarantula, How to Set Up a Tarantula Habitat, and How to Feed a Tarantula. These steps are not time consuming, but you will need to prepare for your pet tarantula before you bring her home. This will ensure a long-lasting, positive experience for both you and your pet.

Compact, clean, easy to care for, light as a feather, tarantulas make wonderful pets for the right people.

When you visit pets stores where you can see tarantulas, ask the personnel (if possible) to help you handle a tarantula.

Two species are cited as ideal for the first-time tarantula owner - the Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula, and the Mexican Red Knee Tarantula.

What is the proper habitat for a Tarantula?

Very Important - only put one Tarantula into the Tarantula enclosure! They can be cannibalistic.

When you choose your Tarantula enclosure, it can be referred to as an aquarium, a vivarium or terrarium. The secure mesh or screen top can fit over the vivarium, or slide into it via special slots built into the top of the tank. If possible, find one that locks. Glass is best because it is easier to clean.

The substrate or "bedding" should be about 1 to 3 inches deep. In addition to the substrate discussed in the video, Desert Sand Substrate looks great and is comfortable for the Tarantula.

Building a home for your Tarantula can be a lot of fun. The more you add (within reason), the happier your pet. But they need to be the proper items.

In choosing the hiding place or retreat for your pet, a small terra cotta flower pot is ideal. When you "mist" your Tarantula enclosure (not the animal itself), the terra cotta retains some of the moisture and keeps the Tarantula more comfortable. All you need to do is take an ordinary spray bottle of clean water and spray the Tarantula's enclosure from time to time. Not too wet, but just enough to keep mild humidity. (This is discussed in the video in Step 3.)

Keep a smooth rock in the middle of the Tarantula water dish. Basically, the Tarantula straddles the dish and "sits" on the rock to drink or absorb moisture. The water dish also maintains mild humidity in the tank. The crickets like it, too. Clean the water dish frequently to prevent mold.

Time to decorate the Tarantula habitat! There are many available logs, artificial plants, rocks, artificial vines, etc. You can even buy a terrarium desert backdrop and tape it to the back of the tank to complete your scenery.

The tank should maintain a temperature of between 70* to 80* F. Provide heat with a reptile heating pad stuck UNDERNEATH the bottom of the glass tank. Otherwise, it may be too hot.

Place the crickets in the vivarium one or two at a time. If your Tarantula is not hungry, she will find them a bother. Take uneaten crickets out after a day or two and put them back in their container, and remove them quickly if they die. This happens. Don't worry.

If you buy several crickets, they will need a little habitat of their own until your Tarantula is ready to eat. If you keep a small raw carrot or a slice of orange in the vivarium, the cricket will have food and moisture while it is waiting to become dinner. The cricket is now gut loaded. When you gut load a cricket, it transfers the nutrients over to the Tarantula when it's eaten. Many Tarantula owners calcium dust the cricket with calcium powder before offering it to the Tarantula. Place a small amount of calcium powder in a small zip-lock bag with one cricket. Shake. Place the dusted cricket in the Tarantula's vivarium. If she eats it, repeat.