Spider tarantula at home. Breeding poisonous spiders to obtain valuable pharmacological raw materials

The tarantula spider, or another name for it, the tarantula spider is a spider large sizes: may exceed 20 cm including legs. It is not surprising that it is so named - after all, this is the size of a small bird.

By the way, it got its name thanks to one famous artist and traveler from Germany, Maria Sibylla, who studied insects. When she was in Suriname (republic in South America), then she saw a spider attacking a bird, and then she captured it in her famous engraving, where big spider attacks hummingbirds.

Description of the tarantula spider

Also, this tarantula spider is often confused with the tarantula spider due to a misunderstanding in translations. But in reality they are different, having different structures, belong to different detachments. The tarantula is larger, can reach 30 cm.

• The species of tarantula is very exotic. The limbs are hairy, elongated. The color is bright and juicy, one might say, eye-catching. Its skeleton is dense and consists of chitin, which can reliably protect against damage and, most importantly, from moisture loss, because its habitat is arid areas. The spider has four pairs of eyes and six pairs of legs.

In a tarantula, different legs perform different functions. Some he uses to dig holes, defend himself, hunt, drag prey. These paws are directed forward, and poisonous glands are located on them. The other paws are used for touch. On the paws there are thin and very sensitive hairs, with which he recognizes smells and sounds!

• Average weight 65-85 grams or more large species can reach 150-170 grams!
• As already noted, the tarantula spider has poisonous glands. But for an adult it is not dangerous. But it can be dangerous for children and deadly for small animals such as cats. The spider does not always use poison and can often just bite. When he bites, it is accompanied by acute pain, body temperature may rise, sometimes, as an exception, convulsions and delirium occur, especially in those who are allergic to poison!
• The tarantula lives in Africa, Australia, South America, Oceania and can even be found in Europe, but rarely. They live in trees, shrubs, where they build a web. They can live on the ground and in burrows that they dig themselves. They are sedentary and when full, they may not even leave their homes for several months!
• Female tarantulas live for more than 30 years, but males can end their lives after the first mating.
• Despite the name, spiders rarely eat meat, but mostly their food is insects: flies, mosquitoes, locusts, crickets, cockroaches. They can eat chicks, toads, frogs, fish, rodents.
• The tarantula has many species and differs in character, aggressiveness, color, size, and habitation. In general, they are very beautiful. But the most interesting is the so-called blue spider. He is very popular. It got its name because of the color with a beautiful blue tint. This type of tarantula is non-aggressive and more mobile. He is very unpretentious in terms of care and nutrition. Therefore, it is popular for keeping at home.

Reproduction of the tarantula spider

Males mature faster than females. When mating, the male and female perform a special ritual that distinguishes them as one. general form. This lasts for a few seconds, but can take hours. Sometimes a hungry female during mating can eat a male, so they try to quickly escape after the act. When several months pass, the female makes a nest from the web, where she lays eggs from 50 to 2000. The number of eggs depends on the species. Then the female makes a ball-shaped cocoon from the nest and guards it. During this time she is very aggressive.

Incubation lasts from 20 to 106 days, depending on the species. Sometimes, if the female is very hungry, she can eat the eggs. Then nymphs emerge from the eggs. When they molt twice, they become larvae, already similar to adults. After the next molt, they become young spiders.

Very interesting in life and development is a molt, in simple terms, this is the reset of the old skeleton. In the young, this happens every month as they grow. In adults, once a year, this determines the age of the spider.

Spider tarantula at home

They are kept in terrariums. Something similar to a tree, for example, a snag, is placed in them, and soil or a coke substrate is poured onto the bottom. It depends on what kind of spider: arboreal, terrestrial or living in holes. The terrarium must have a lid with ventilation, as they easily move vertically. The size of the terrarium does not have to be large. It is even easier to hunt in a small one. It is determined by the size of the spider itself and can be only a few times larger than it. If the spider is young, you must not forget that it will still grow. Also, you do not need a high terrarium so that the pet does not fall.

The tarantulas that live in burrows are less interesting because you will rarely see them. And if they are given little soil, it can be stressful for them, and they will be very aggressive.

It's very easy to take care of them.. The main thing is that the temperature should not fall below +25 degrees. Can be used infrared heater. Temperature fluctuation conditions should not be allowed, this can kill domestic spiders.

Another one of important conditions for house spiders air humidity. It is necessary to periodically, once every two days, spray the soil warm water so that the humidity is approximately 80-90%. You can check when to spray on the soil if it is completely dry. You can also put a container with water, which will evaporate and maintain the desired humidity. But it is advisable to change the water every day.

Feed domestic spiders 1-2 times a week. They are omnivores. Do not give so-called human food, such as frozen meat, fish, fried, i.e. cooked food. Here is an approximate food: cockroaches, flies, bloodworms, crickets, mealworms, locusts, sometimes mice.

The main thing is that the food should be less than the body of the spider somewhere in half. It is better to give food alive. Spiders love to hunt their prey by attacking it and injecting poison.. Then they tear open and inject gastric juice into the victim to digest it. After feeding, you may not eat for a week or even a month. There are tarantulas that may not eat for up to two years! Our science is still unable to unravel this phenomenon. Leftover food needs to be cleaned up so that it does not go to waste..

By the way, this feature of a long fast can be beneficial for those people who want to have pet, but are often on the road or lead too active image life. A spider does not need frequent attention. He absolutely lacks any emotions, so he will not complain, ask to go outside or take a walk.

Also, these exotics do not emit odors and do not make noise. Keeping a spider at home is very original and rare, which can always surprise your guests.

With such a special pet safety precautions must be followed. You need to do all sorts of actions in the terrarium with long tweezers, because it can bite. You can not bend over the spider, make sudden movements. After all procedures and games with your pet, you need to thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water.

You also need to know that spiders are not tamed, not trained, and therefore with them you always need to be on the alert and not relax.

When keeping a tarantula there can be difficulties at home. Since this is rare, it is unlikely that anyone will help or advise, especially in medical cases. The spider can get injured, can become infected, especially during molting. Therefore, probably, the only solution will be prevention, timely care, maintenance of cleanliness and all the norms of life: temperature, humidity.

It is easy to buy such a miracle. Although it is rare, it is practically available in any pet store. The price is about $10 to $200, it all depends on the sex, age, size of the spider.

AT recent times The popularity of exotic pets has increased markedly. Quite often, instead of the usual fluffy, mustachioed and tailed ones, rare species of fish act in this role, frightening reptiles, as well as unusual insects, by their appearance alone. And in this row of exotic favorites are spiders. Someone feels disgust for them, someone panics, and someone sincerely admires them. And if you belong to the latter and want to see such an eight-legged creature as a friend, then it will be far from superfluous for you to find out what the maintenance of spiders at home is.

Some types of spiders feel great at home and at the same time lend themselves well to such content.

Choosing a pet

Since a bright eye-catching specimen must certainly act as a pet, accordingly, the option with our practically “native” haymaker spider immediately fades into the background. And why disturb the cute eight-legged “neighbor” by driving him into the terrarium, besides, these creatures are already domestic and probably huddle in one (in most cases, several) of the cozy corners of your house. We will leave them there, and for home maintenance we will choose someone prettier, for example, a tarantula. By the way, representatives of this particular species are the most common and popular spiders for home maintenance. And there are several reasons for this:

• firstly, they are very beautiful - bright colors, large sizes, hairy body;
• secondly, it breeds well in captivity, respectively, lends itself to breeding;
• thirdly, it lives relatively long;
• fourthly, this species includes several hundred subspecies, which opens up a huge selection.

On a note! Tarantula venom for adults healthy person is not fatal, however, for other pets, its bite can be fatal, for example, for cats, dogs, etc. In addition, the poison of the tarantula can seriously undermine health. small child and a person with allergies!

However, tarantulas are far from the only representatives of their squad that are chosen for home maintenance. In addition to them, tarantulas, cross spiders and even are also in demand.

Criterias of choice

Arriving at a pet store, say, for a kitten, we roughly understand what requirements to put forward for him: clean eyes, ears, a wet nose, etc. But what about the spider? What parameters should this creature advise?

So, we examine the attracted spider. It should be:

1. Active. If he is completely immobile for a long time or moves very slowly, then most likely this instance is sick.
2. Healthy. The health of the spider is indicated by the state of its abdomen: when dehydrated, it becomes wrinkled, while in a healthy arachnid, on the contrary, it is even and smooth. You should also pay attention to the condition of the hairs in this area - in a sick spider they will be of unequal size and combed in places.
   

   On a note! When the spider is disturbed by painful sensations, it scratches the abdomen with its hind legs, while tearing off some of the villi!

3. Small. A spider of especially large sizes may turn out to be old, therefore, it will not illuminate your life with its presence for long. Also, remember that males are always somewhat smaller than females.
4. No visible damage to the body. However, one should also take into account the fact that some types of spiders may have broken limbs that grow back after molting.

We equip the terrarium

In order for your new pet to live happily ever after, no special conditions are required - a modest terrarium is quite enough. Spiders are gloomy ascetics and most the time allotted for themselves is spent sitting in one place, only occasionally making “jogs” - so, stretch your paws. Cozy spider house with optimal dimensions- this is a terrarium for two lengths of the full span of its legs, that is, even the largest spider will feel great in a living space of 40 × 40 cm.

But don't forget that spiders can navigate vertical surfaces quite well, so the key is a secure lid that closes well and keeps the venomous pet on its rightful square footage.

Let's move on to creating optimal conditions for the spider.

1. substrate. "Covering the floor" in the spider's dwelling is necessary with a special flooring. Vermiculite is considered an ideal option - a special mineral rock that is used in crop production. Layer - from 3 to 5 cm. If one cannot be found, then you can also use a coconut substrate or ordinary peat. By the way, the latter is recommended to be mixed with sphagnum moss. In extreme cases, when there is nothing at all, garden soil will do (only from flower shop and in no case from the nearest flower bed!) or the soil used for growing indoor plants. However, it is advisable to use this option for a short time and try to quickly replace it with a substrate that is more acceptable for the spider to live.
2. Temperature. Spiders are thermophilic and prefer to stay in the temperature range, which will be close to +22...28°C. These pets are immune to a slight short-term decrease in temperature, however, abuse similar situations undesirable. But at the same time, it is not recommended to overheat the terrarium. This situation is especially dangerous for well-fed animals, in which the processes of decay of undigested food can begin in the stomach.
3. Lighting. Spiders, which are nocturnal inhabitants, are quite satisfied with the natural light that is present in the room. No additional sources are needed. Moreover, the direct light from the lamp can kill this fragile creature quite quickly.
4. Humidity. A drinker and the right substrate help to some extent to ensure its optimal level. If the readings on the hygrometer are too low, then from time to time you will have to irrigate the terrarium with water from a spray bottle. But again, high humidity is dangerous, so when buying a spider, immediately ask the seller what kind of humidity is needed specifically for this species.
5. Filling. For a spider in a terrarium, the main thing is a shelter in which he can hide during daylight hours, and if you keep a burrowing species, then a “house” is simply a must for him. Without it, such a pet will be in constant stress. It is very simple to equip such a shelter - you can lean a piece of bark, a coconut shell against the wall, put an inverted half of a flower pot in the corner, etc. Everything else, such as decorative driftwood, artificial plants and other similar elements, is superfluous. Spiders are completely indifferent to them, so you purchase and install such accessories exclusively for yourself.

Feeding

And the last thing to feed the spider at home. In fact, these pets are very convenient in terms of feeding, because, firstly, they eat absolutely any living creature that is smaller than them in size, and secondly, if you don’t have time or you forgot about feeding, it’s okay, it’s quite can be done tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, or in a couple of days. The spider will not be offended, because in the conditions wildlife he is able to go without food for several weeks.

At home, spiders are most often fed crickets, mealworms, fruit flies, and cockroaches. It is quite possible for adults to offer chicks, frogs and mice. At the same time, it is desirable that the victim be alive - in this case, when moving, it will definitely interest the hunter. Although sometimes there are specimens that quite willingly eat pieces of beef or fish fillet, but here everything is individual: one spider will like “dead” food, the other will turn its nose.

The process of feeding in spiders is long and takes about a day, sometimes more. Adults usually feed once a week, more often during the breeding season. At the same time, food remains must always be removed from the terrarium.

In general, spiders are practically perfect pets: feeding is infrequent, in fact, you don’t need to clean up after them, they don’t leave their hair on furniture, they don’t mark the territory, they don’t exude foreign odors, and their house takes up very little space. This is a perfectly acceptable option for busy people who want to have a pet, but do not have the opportunity to devote much time to it. Of course, you won’t get love, affection, or at least some return in terms of feelings from spiders, but for decorative purposes and the realization that someone is waiting at home, they are exceptionally good. And here everything is fair, since he also does not need much from the breadwinner.

Surprising today with a rare pet is quite difficult. Many people with real pleasure look after the rarest species, amphibians, and other animals. Exotic views become a real decoration of any apartment and often even a family member. were not ignored and rare insects and arachnids. One of these species is the tarantula, the content of which at home causes conflicting opinions. Arachnoid in the average apartment is rare. Under artificial conditions, the tarantula is mainly found in zoos or nurseries. Therefore, anyone who wants to settle this spider in their apartments is faced with a lack of reliable information about him and necessary conditions for its content, which in this article we will try to provide readers. In addition, we have to find out who the tarantula really is and whether it is dangerous to humans.

Description and photo

Tarantula spiders are a large arthropod, some species of which reach a diameter of up to 30 cm, while the weight can be about 100 g. Its body is abundantly covered with hairs, which play a protective role in the life of the animal, in case of danger it throws out their air.

Getting on the skin of the enemy, the hairs cause discomfort and allergies. Also, the species is able to make hissing sounds, which helps it scare away hostile species.

The eye of the animal is 8, but the vision still does not differ in quality and sharpness, therefore the tarantula is oriented in its habitat due to vibration. The species is poisonous, but the substance secreted by the spider is not dangerous to human health.

The natural habitat of the tarantula is the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Oceania, Spain, and Portugal. The species is able to live in various climatic conditions- as if wet equatorial forest, and in the desert, in the complete absence of moisture.
Representatives of the family, depending on the habitat, are divided into 4 types: arboreal, semi-arboreal, terrestrial and burrowing. Like other representatives of arachnids, the tarantula senses sounds and smells with the help of the finest hairs on its legs.

Did you know?Despite its close resemblance to insects, the tarantula, like other spiders, belongs to the class of animals.

Representatives of the species live in shallow burrows or in cracks in rocks and tree hollows. The animal is a predator; small insects and spiders, small lizards and birds predominate in the diet.

Many people who want to house this animal ask how long spiders live.
Tarantulas are distinguished by good longevity, their life expectancy reaches 30 years, so that over time the animal will become a truly real family member.

Among the existing domesticated spiders, not many species are particularly popular. The most interesting and valuable for collectors are:

Spider in the house: pros and cons

Despite the popular belief that tarantulas are dangerous and aggressive, they are ideal pets that have many advantages over traditional pets.

First of all, the tarantula for our latitude is something unique, exclusive and amazing. Having settled such an animal at home, be sure that you and your pet will be remembered for a long time.
Unlike cats and dogs, arachnids do not require much personal space. These animals are ideal for the conditions of a small apartment, since a space of 30 x 30 cm will be enough for them to live.

Also, domestic spiders will appeal to those who are accustomed to peace and quiet. In addition, this animal is clean, does not emit unpleasant odors and does not require daily walking, as well as special attention from the owner. It is enough just to give it at least 15 minutes a couple of times a week.

The greatest advantage of arachnids is that their maintenance does not require large financial costs. An adult tarantula eats no more than a few times a week, and during molting generally refuses food for a rather long period.
This is an additional plus for this animal, since without remorse you can leave it yourself and go on vacation or a business trip.

Did you know?Tarantulas are used to treat such a psychological disease as arachnophobia - the fear of arachnids.

But there are tarantulas and negative sides. This is, first of all, a poisonous animal that can stand up for itself. With strong dissatisfaction, it can bite or release poison-soaked hairs on its paws into the air.
Poison poisoning will not cause death in humans, however, itching, allergies, burning, and in some cases, temperature and fever are provided.

Features of choosing a pet

In order to choose a healthy spider, you need to use a few simple tricks that will help protect yourself from wasting money:

• the arthropod must be active and frisky. In the event that the specimen you have chosen lies alone on the sidelines, is passive and constantly hides in the house, the animal is most likely sick, you should not buy such a pet home;
• in a healthy spider, the abdomen should be even and smooth. If the abdomen is wrinkled or there are other pathologies on it, the spider suffers from dehydration and may soon die;
• open wounds or ulcerative defects on the tarantula's body are another reason to refuse to buy such a spider;
• it is best to buy small spiders, since the age of the tarantula is determined by appearance almost impossible;
• it is important to pay attention to the hairs that cover the abdomen. If they do not have a uniform distribution throughout the body or vary in size, the animal has health problems;
• the absence of legs in most cases is not a pathology, as they will instantly grow back after the next molt. It only means that the animal was not transported properly.

Important! When choosing a tarantula, it is necessary to pay attention especially to females, since males do not differ in longevity and live several times less.

housing requirements

In order to provide the house spider with comfort in conditions ordinary apartment, you will need to spend money on a terrarium.

This special container, like nothing else, will help create a comfortable microclimate in which the arachnid can not only feel worthy, but also delight the owner with longevity.

Dimensions

Specialized literature indicates that the average tarantula needs about 180 cm of cubic personal space for a comfortable life.
In addition, most professional zoologists keep this animal in just such a volume of space.

But in order to get a rich composition that will delight the eye and soul, we still recommend keeping the spider in a large terrarium. In it you can create your own world for this animal.

But an overly large vessel is not desirable for a spider, since living food will hide from it, and at the same time it will starve.

Important! The terrarium must be covered with a lid, as the tarantula can climb up the surface of the terrarium and escape forever.

Climate

Despite its unpretentiousness, the tarantula requires special conditions. The species belongs to tropical animals, therefore, for its successful maintenance, it is necessary to create a microclimate with high humidity and temperature.
The ideal condition would be an air temperature of about +30 degrees, but lowering it within +21 ... +25 ° C will not adversely affect the spider.

The critical temperature will be +7 ° C, as it can lead to the death of the animal. Therefore, the terrarium needs to be additionally heated, this is especially important in winter.

Arrangement

In order to properly equip a terrarium for a tarantula, you first need to determine what species it belongs to (terrestrial, arboreal or semi-arboreal).
For arboreal and semi-arboreal spiders ideal option a vertical terrarium will become, the bottom of which must be covered with special soil made of coconut substrate, peat, sand, vermiculite and expanded clay with a layer of 1.5-2 cm. It is important to place a branch or part of a tree trunk in the vessel, on which the animal will crawl with pleasure.

For terrestrial species it is worth choosing a horizontal terrarium with a soil layer of at least 3-4 cm. At the same time, to prepare the soil, you need to use the smallest fractions of vermiculite and expanded clay.

Also, ground burrowing species need to create a shelter in which the spider will hide. Decor objects are chosen according to your own taste and preferences.

Did you know?Spiders for no apparent reason can completely refuse to eat food for a long time. In some cases, this period can last up to 2 years.

Features of care

In care, tarantulas are unpretentious, but there are some secrets that we will talk about later. These, first of all, include features for cleaning the terrarium and care during the molting period.

Is it possible to take over?

It is not forbidden to pick up a spider, the main thing is to tame the animal so that it does not cause him stress. When stressed, the spider may lunge at you and even bite. Therefore, the hands of tarantulas need to be tamed gradually and immediately after purchase.
The animal must understand that you will not harm him; for this, he must first be gently stroked on the back. Gradually, the pet itself will reach for the hand and begin to climb on it. At this time, the main thing is to ensure that your pet does not run away, since in most cases the animal will disappear without a trace.

Moulting period

In order to grow, a spider needs to constantly shed its outer skeleton. To do this, he gradually sheds it, this period is called molting.
Young spiders molt often, this physiological process is observed in them several times a month, but adults - no more than 1 time per year. The main signs of a previous molt are a darkening of the color of the external skeleton, as well as partial loss of hairs and sometimes complete renunciation of food.

Often the old covers cling to the hind legs of the animal, and they come off with it, but after a while the legs grow back.

Important!Helping the spider to get rid of old outer covers is prohibited, as you can harm the health of the animal, and it will die.

Care accessories

Basic spider care accessories are pretty standard across all species. Among them are a thermometer, a hygrometer, a backlight lamp, an air heating lamp, etc. They provide an optimal microclimate for the animal and help control environmental conditions.
The water heater plays the most important role among them. This device is able to maintain the necessary temperature and humidity in the terrarium around the clock, without which the animal can simply die.

It is also important to provide decent lighting, for this they use special terrarium incandescent lamps with a power of 15 to 25 watts.

Terrarium cleaning

If necessary, the habitat must be freed from food debris and waste products, for this they use special long tweezers, since the introduction into the habitat can be accepted by the spider with aggression, the animal can rush and even try to bite. In addition, long tweezers will protect the skin from poisonous spider hairs. spring-cleaning in the terrarium is carried out with a frequency of 1 time per week.

What to feed the spider?

The tarantula is primarily a predator, so he needs to constantly hunt. For this, the food must be alive, the main rule is that the victim must be at least 2 times smaller than the hunter. But it is best to keep the animal on a healthy diet.
So what do tarantulas eat anyway? Young spiders are preferably fed with small crickets, cockroaches, flies, mealworms, etc.

Adults are fed with the same insects, but their size should correspond to the hunter. It is not worth fattening arachnids; the frequency of their eating should not exceed 2 times a week.

A little about breeding

Most representatives of arachnids breed well in captivity. But it is not recommended to do this at home, since the process is quite complicated and requires special skills and knowledge from the owner.
Spiders rarely live in pairs, so it is highly likely that when a female moves in with a male, one of them may be killed.

Increased temperature and humidity can stimulate reproduction. After fertilization, partners must be resettled. But even if you can get offspring, then be sure that in the struggle for territory or food, young replenishment may die from the enmity of their own mother.