The 5 Best Tarantula Species For Beginners
- Invertebrates Tarantulas
Jade Messieh- 0
- 8 minutes read
Which Tarantulas Are Friendly?
There are several friendly species of ground-dwelling tarantulas that are perfect for beginner owners. The five tarantulas we recommend for beginners are the Mexican Red-Knee, Chilean Rose, the Honduran Curly Hair, the Pink Zebra Beauty, and the Mexican Red Rump.
Why These Are Recommended
There are many different ground-dwelling tarantulas. These are some of the friendliest tarantulas. The amount of care or their personality will determine if they are right for you or not. We recommended these five species above because they are all very hardy spiders that are slow-moving with docile personalities. Each of these species can live up to 10 years or more with proper care which gives you an eight-legged friend for a long time.
Quick Tip
Before you decide which tarantula you want, you need to know that they can bite. Their bites are venomous and they will sting. The bites of most species are the same potency of a bee sting. We do not recommend that you get a tarantula if you have any allergies to bees. You could have a serious reaction to their bite. It is rare to get bitten by the most docile tarantula, but it can happen. Otherwise, you should not fear these five ground-dwelling tarantulas.
The Mexican Red-Knee
One tarantula species that is great for beginner owners is the Mexican Red-knee. The reason this species is so popular is that they are easy to handle and they do not require a lot of space. They will be happy in a 10-gallon tank and can live for up to 30 years if they are female. Males only live for 10 years. The Mexican Red-Knee is very beautiful, of course.
Mexican Red-Knee tarantulas also have a reputation for having sweet personalities. They rarely bite, but they do have a defense mechanism if they become frightened. They can shoot toxins on the hairs on their legs. The barbed hair will embed into our skin and may cause an allergic reaction. The reaction to the toxins will go away after a few hours. Something like this happening should be very rare if you are handling this tarantula with care.
Chilean Rose
Another tarantula species that is great for beginners is the Chilean Rose. It is very easy to find a Chilean Rose because they are popular among breeders too. Their maintenance is very low and they have a sweet temperament.
The Chilean Rose does have a limit to how much it is being handled. They can raise their front legs to give you a warning. This means that they are ready to bite and that they have had enough. The Chilean Rose has urticating hairs on their abdomen. These are the toxins in the hairs that I had mentioned earlier. These hairs have mild venom and will irritate your skin. Avoid handling too much and you won’t run into this issue.
Honduran Curly Hair
The next tarantula species that is great for beginners is the Honduran Curly Hair. Another name for this species is the Wooly tarantula. This species likes to take its time roaming in the enclosure. The only thing fast about this spider is how fast it grows. Females will typically live for 10 years and males will live for about 4 years.
Your Honduran Curly Hair won’t mind resting on your hand as long as you are gentle. They do become frightened very easily and will try to run away. Avoid dropping them or allowing them to fall from a far distance because they can become seriously injured. This species likes to be still in its enclosure too and remain quiet. This is not the most interactive species, but it has one of the easiest levels of maintenance. This tarantula also has the mildly venomous hairs as a defense mechanism.
Pink Zebra Beauty
The Pink Zebra Beauty is another tarantula we recommend for beginners. They are popular for their stripy legs and awesome personalities. The males can live up to 10 years while females can live up to 25 years. This species enjoys burrowing in the ground and they move very slowly. It even takes them several years to grow to be their full size.
Just like the other species, this spider has venom. It is very rare for a Pink Zebra Beauty to want to fend off their owners. However, toxic hairs may cause an allergic reaction. Handle this spider with care and it will lower your chances of dealing with the venom.
The Mexican Red Rump
The Mexican Red Rump is another tarantula that is recommended for beginners. With gentle handling, they are very docile. This species is slow-moving and you can house more than one together. The males live for up to 6 years and females can live for 15 years.
This spider gets its name for having shiny black hair everywhere except for its rump. The hairs on the rump are a vibrant red. They make wonderful display animals as well because they enjoy hanging around outside of their hides.
Wrapping Up
All tarantulas are going to be venomous and be skittish if they are not handled properly. Keep in mind that tarantulas usually prefer to be left alone. Hold your tarantula over a soft surface to prevent them from getting injured. Lastly, these species are all great for beginners.
