First off, tarantula's might seem like really cool pets, but they are a lot of work. I have four: two curly hairs, a Costa Rican Zebra (brown stipped knee), and a rose hair. Grr, Arg, Rar, and Eek. I used to have a Pink Brazilian Beauty and a Brazilian Black and White, but they both passed away.
Every single care sheet available on tarants is exactly the same. Keeping each tarantula in the same environment is like keeping a rosy boa and an amazon at the same humidity, so your best bet is to get an indepth book on the care of tarants. Keeping tarants is all about their safe being and comfort. I don't just mean the cushion in case it falls. I actually have burrows set up for those who like to dig and foliage coverage for the rest. Like Shad said, water is very important, but if you get a smaller one, the water dish can be difficult. I have to mist down the curly tarants every day.
Feeding them: three of mine eat crickets - three each a week. My rose hair, she eats live pinky mice and could very easily take a fuzzy, but she'll take just about anything offered to her. My Brazilian B&W would only eat gerble pinkies if she was in the mood for them and at full size she would have been able to take a mouse. So some of them can be picky about what they eat.
Handling: be very very careful. They are fragile creatures. My Pink Zebra died after she took a short fall while I was cleaning her cage. I use a fish net to scoop them out of their cages and place them in deli cups to do cage maintance. I also wear rubber glove to prevent injury to me (see below).
Life span: depends on the tarantula. Some of it even comes down to the sex of the species. For some, females can live for quite a long time - 20 or more years. Males, on the other hand, once you breed them, they only have about another year left, so they only live about 5. If you don't breed them, they could live as long as the females. Don't breed them. Ever tried feeding cricket parts to anything?
Now, remember they are VENOMOUS and they do bite. There are no studies on the venom capacities of tarantulas. None. A bite from a rose hair would be very painful. It wouldn't kill you, but it would hurt. It is a spider bite. I was bitten by a stray spider in my garden (never saw it, but the bite had fang marks). The bite area was four inches in diameter, swollen, bruised, and hurt like I had stuck myself with a knife. Not to mention the constant itching. The symptoms were almost identical to a recluse, but I didn't have the bullseye. Also keep in mind that spider bites are just like bee and wasp stings. The majority of the population is not fazed by their sting, but thousands die each year from anaphylactic shock. The same could happen with tarantulas.
Now, remember, tarantulas can have up to 1/4 inch fangs and the majority that are on the market right now, have urticating hairs. Hence the use of rubber gloves when cleaning cages. Removal of urticating hair can be quite tricky and they hurt just as much as a bite would (remember my spider bite).
Yes, a red knee tarantula is quite beautiful, but keep in mind how much they cost. The cheapest one in my collection was $6 - most expensive $75. The tarantula that I want (and can't get because I have never seen on the market) is upwards of $500 for an adult. The babies for it are $75 each and I refuse to pay that much for something I could hardly see and would have to feed (remember this part) cricket parts.
So, you want
<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> SOmething cheap.....easy to care for </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
A rose hair is cheap, but tarantulas are not that easy to care for. You have to be 100% serious about it and ready for a long commitment.
Jessa Smith
PS Mexican Red Knees can run between $30 - $50 for unsexed and $125 - $150 guarnateed.
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It's not history that concerns me, it's the future. It's far more uncertain.
ONce again THANKYOU VERY MUCH.........you were very helpful
