Raising baby tarantulas
As many of you already know, captive bred baby tarantulas are becoming more and more popular everyday. there are so many perks to purchasing and raising baby spiderlings. There are dozens of species to chose from. Each with different adult size, temperament, husbandry needs, and unique characteristics.
Benefits
Cost: Generally a baby tarantula will cost a fraction of the cost of an adult. Here is an example: A baby Mexican Redknee (Brachypelma smithi) about ½” will go for about $20.00. That same spider 6 months later will be worth about $60.00, and if its an adult female $120.00 easily.
Selection: Most tarantulas, especially the desirable ones are only available captive bred. So basically if you want a certain species, your either going to have to raise a spiderling or fork over a big chunk of change for a juvenile or adult.
Health: Spiderlings are generally always going to be healthy. Generally there is no concern as to whether or not its loaded with parasites, stressed, dehydrated, or malnourished. Also baby spider lings will generally acclimate and settle into there new home with no problem.
Watching them grow: To me one of the most rewarding things is to watch this little spiderling grow into a monster. Imagine a baby Goliath Bird eater when purchased is about ½”, within 18 months you will have a tarantula that is easily 10” plus.
Feeding
Feeding spiderlings is easy. Generally I offer my baby tarantulas an appropriate sized meal once every 2-3 days. For those who have a hard time finding small enough prey items such as fruit flies and pin head crickets. You can easily chop upper larger crickets into small pieces. Just be sure to remove any uneaten portions with 24 hours to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria. Many people will feed spider lings every single day. Some breeders and zoologist state that feeding everyday “power feeding” will lead to a shorten life span, infertility, abnormal growth, and long term health problems. Issues like these by the power feeding technique are well know and reported in reptiles and amphibians. Then there are breeders who believe there is no negative effect. Personally I say its not worth the risk, and just to feed every 2-3 days.
Housing
When spiderlings are small they are very sensitive to the environment. Spiderlings need to be keep warm and moist in order to limit molting problems and dehydration. Containers that make suitable rearing containers for babies are baby food jars, small mason jars, pill bottles, and sauce size Tupperware containers. These containers can simply be modified and have little holes drilled/ punched into the lids or sides. Just be sure to make holes that aren’t big enough for the spider lings to get out of. Water dishes are not necessary for baby tarantulas. As long as the prey items that are fed a and watered well enough prior to feeding. It is also important to keep the enclosure fairly moist and humid. The ideal temperature range for rearing babies is between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the spider lings reach a size of 3”+ you can transfer them to the permanent enclosure.
Molting
Young tarantulas will molt frequently, generally once every few weeks to months (depending on the species). Molting for a tarantula is a very stressful and important time for your young tarantula. During the molt your tarantula will shed/ molt its exoskeleton, in order to grow. You will also notice that post molt your little tarantula will gain size and look more and more like the adults after every molt.
Conclusion raising baby tarantulas is very simple. Just keep in mind the three basic rules: keep them warm, moist, and well fed. If you stay to the basics you should very few problems rearing your little tarantula.
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