Pet spiders

How times change. Animals that in the time of our mothers only deserved a cry of horror and a good blow with the broom, today they are welcomed, fed and pampered as excellent and curious pets. I am referring, of course, to the great family of arachnids, of which tarantulas and scorpions are the main exponents in terrariums around the world. Pet spiders… Long live the grima.

Although tarantula is a generic name for many large spiders, the most common as pets are teraphosids and diplurids. Take note, for maintenance purposes, the threads live ten times longer than the males. There are many petable scorpions, from the most impressive like the emperor (Pandinus Imperator) to the most conspicuous, like the giant hairy desert scorpion ( Hadrurus arizonensis ).

The ideal home for this type of pet is a terrarium. Of course, we must control the conditions of our terrarium; oh, and you should have a good cover, these bugs have strength and are faster than it seems. Do not use normal earth, but coconut hair or a disinfected product. The temperature must be warm and have a semi-enclosed area to hide. They are not very much to share a flat, having several together usually causes problems…

Pet spiders make calm and interesting companions.

Regarding food, the diet of scorpions and spiders is based on insects (grasshoppers, cockroaches, crickets, flies, always alive), although they can accept some small rodent or amphibian, if our specimen is large. It is not recommended to use animals captured in the wild, as they can carry diseases, poisons, insecticides… Remove the excess after eating to avoid parasites.

Spiders and scorpions are very delicate animals that are easily stressed. Few vets are experts on these animals. As far as is known, their diseases do not affect humans, although the other way around does. Be careful during molting periods, when they are more sensitive than ever, they spend a couple of weeks in which they cannot be disturbed at all. Breeding is usually an art.

It is clear that they are not pets to cuddle, nor will they rub against the leg of the visitors (hopefully). They are not without irritating or poisonous substances to defend themselves, which they can apply to overly fiery owners without any remorse. However, they are God’s little creatures from whom we can learn a lot. For example, that they change their skin twice a year.

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