What does a tarantula spider eat. Detailed description and characteristics of the tarantula spider. Goliath is considered the largest tarantula spider

Quite large in size, tarantula spiders are distinguished by bright colors. Adults often reach a length of more than twenty centimeters. These animals are not aggressive and unpretentious in care. Therefore, an increasing number of connoisseurs of the exotic breed spiders at home. Females live for about 15-20 years, males - three times less, dying after mating.

In this article we will consider the main issues regarding the care of these amazing animals.

Habitat

Spider tarantulas inhabit all continents of our planet, with the exception of Antarctica. They are most common in Africa, Oceania, Australia and South America. In Europe, individuals of this species are extremely rare in nature. They can be found in small numbers in Spain, Portugal and Italy. Moreover, both wet and desert zones can be inhabited by tarantulas.

Kinds

According to the manner of behavior, these representatives of the class of arthropods are divided into burrowing, arboreal and terrestrial. Moreover, during their existence, animals can change their lifestyle. Burrow spiders dig for themselves a shelter in the ground. They use cobwebs to strengthen the soil. Ground spiders also dig shallow burrows or use ready-made shelters.

Arboreal live on trees, weaving a web among the dense branches of shrubs.

Animals feel great both in small and in fairly spacious rooms. That is why the terrarium for the tarantula can be purchased in any size. The main thing is that it exceeds twice the size of the animal. Tree spiders are best kept in an upright terrarium, across which a thick branch should be placed so that the pet can find a secluded place for itself. For terrestrial animals, a sufficiently large layer of substrate, at least five centimeters, should be poured into the terrarium. In addition to the fact that adults crawl well, they also differ in remarkable strength. Therefore, housing for an exotic pet should be tightly closed with a lid on top. The terrarium should have a ventilation window, but not too large so that the substrate does not dry out, which can be used as gravel, peat, sphagnum, sawdust, lichen. If there are several individuals of the same species, spiders should be kept in separate containers. This will prevent cannibalism. In winter, the terrarium should be heated so that the temperature in it does not fall below 25 degrees. For these purposes, you can use either a thermal pad under the substrate. Since tarantulas are predominantly nocturnal, lighting in the terrarium is not needed. Moreover, bright sunlight is even harmful to animals. The litter should be changed after each molt. And in adults - once every four months.

The home of the tarantula can be decorated with snags, live moss or artificial plants. However, all details must be well fixed. For these purposes, you can use only special other means that can adversely affect the health of the pet. Decorative elements with sharp edges should not be placed in the terrarium. You should not take the animal with your bare hands, as it can be not only very painful, but also very toxic. In addition, the body of the arthropod is covered with numerous brittle bristles. When in contact with mucous membranes or skin, they cause inflammation and itching.

What to feed a tarantula spider?

For animal nutrition, it is best to use live insects (crickets, bloodworms, cockroaches, etc.). Feed should depend on the age of each individual. The young need smaller meals. Adult animals should be fed less often, but larger insects. It is worth noting that, on average, spiders eat twice a week. Small pieces of raw meat or fish are also suitable as food.

Moult

This process usually occurs in the "lying" position.

The spider rolls over on its back and stays in this state for several hours. At this time, his shell slowly begins to crack on the sides. The animal carefully pulls out its limbs and gets out of the old skin. After noticeably adds in size and brightens. In the intervals between "shedding" arthropods very often lose protective bristles from the abdomen. It should be noted that a week or two before molting, the animal completely refuses to eat. As a rule, domestic tarantulas molt about 12 times during their life.

Breeding

It is possible to determine the sex of an arthropod only after molting. In this case, the spider must be at least four centimeters. To reveal the gender, you should carefully examine the inside of the discarded shell with a magnifying glass. In females, you can notice a small depression in the form of a gap, and in males - paired "tongues". Adults are much easier to distinguish by gender.

Male tarantulas (spiders) have rather long legs. In addition, they are much slimmer than females. Sexual maturity of individuals of this species occurs at the age of five. 14 days after the molt, the male begins to make a special nest, which he fills with seed. After that, the spider goes in search of a female. It is recommended to place it in advance in a more spacious room so that it has time to get used to and settle down in it. A little later, a male ready for mating should be sent there. When meeting, the spider begins to perform complex ritual movements. As a rule, males and females, ready to mate, use certain signals. Most often it is tapping with pedipalps, creaking, rustling. Approaching the spider, the male fills her seminal pocket with his fluid. After that, it must be transplanted from the fertilized female as soon as possible. One and a half to two months after mating, she will begin to reproduce offspring. But before that, the female will weave a large cocoon for herself, in which she will subsequently lay about 500 eggs. To save the offspring, it is necessary to place the container with the nest in a dark place. The recommended temperature is 24-28 degrees. For the proper development of babies, it is necessary to maintain indoor air humidity. Almost all the time, the female keeps the cocoon between the chelicerae, protecting it in this way. The larvae, having appeared at 4-5 weeks, are in the nest until the first molt. It is surprising that all this time they do not eat anything. So that the female does not eat her cubs, after the first molt, they should be moved to a separate terrarium or planted one at a time in small containers. At the same time, the food for the tarantula should be special. Newborn crickets or fruit flies are best suited.

The young grow rather slowly.

Safety

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after interacting with your pet. Leaning over an open terrarium is strictly prohibited. All actions in the predator's dwelling must be carried out using special long tweezers. Objects with which the animal has come into contact may only be touched with gloves on. Do not leave the terrarium open unattended. It is very important that it is kept out of the reach of other pets. When dealing with spiders, remember that they cannot be tamed or trained.

Even the most calm and inactive tarantula, sensing danger, can bite the owner.

Lifespan

A spider lives in Mexico, whose age is more than twenty-six years old. This is a record case. As a rule, fairly large individuals from desert habitats grow slowly. At the same time, their life expectancy is much longer than that of other species. Rainforest spider tarantulas grow quickly but unfortunately die early. It has been noted that predators that lived in captivity live much longer than those removed from natural conditions. However, they are less aggressive. Usually male tarantulas live no more than a year after the last molt.

When purchasing a spider at a pet store, make sure that it is active. His body should be slightly elevated above the substrate. A spider tucking its legs under itself or constantly lying down may be sick. A healthy animal actively responds to touch. As a rule, the tarantula raises its front legs, quickly runs away or, conversely, attacks. If you look closely, you can see that the hair on his stomach is bristling. In the period before molting, animals are rather slow. They usually lie on their backs with their legs outstretched. After - tarantulas also move with difficulty.

One way or another, it is not recommended to acquire a pet that is on the eve of molting. You should pay attention to the abdomen of the predator. It must be round. Many rainforest arthropods have a shrunken abdomen when dehydrated. Such tarantulas should not be purchased. Broken limbs can grow back in a spider after a few molts. This is not a serious defect. Nevertheless, it is better not to buy a tarantula with open sores on the legs. After all, it can be infected with a fungus or other infections. If, when purchasing this exotic animal, you are pursuing purely decorative purposes, then females should be preferred. They have a longer lifespan. You should not buy very large individuals, as they may have

Today I want to touch on one of the most important topics in the maintenance of tarantula spiders, this is feeding. I will immediately note that the article is written for beginners, and will contain simple tips and rules that experienced keepers have known for a long time.

What to feed a tarantula spider:

Tarantula spiders, contrary to their name, do not eat birds, but feed on small (about the size of a spider's body), insects, which they hunt in their natural habitat. How to feed a tarantula spider at home?

The answer to this question is very simple - food insects. The most popular food insects are marble , Turkmen , Madagascar , Argentine and other cockroaches, as well as larvae zofobasa and flour worm.

These are general rules, many consider them optional, and videos often appear on the Internet in which the spider is fed mice, or insects with the streets. To be honest, I also like to feed my pets with captured song grasshoppers as a couple.

Why you can not feed the tarantula spider with insects from the street:

Small vertebrates in the form of frogs or newborn mice are very heavy food for a spider, he will eat it for several days, and at that time it will begin to decompose and fill with cadaveric poisons. Also on the forums I sometimes saw reports that after feeding with vertebrate spiders, for unknown reasons, they fell ill with DS. It is not known whether this is related or not, but, in my opinion, it is better not to risk it.

Again, if you still decide to feed the tarantula spider with small vertebrates, then make sure that the animal is healthy and bought in a trusted place. Choose animals according to size, you should not give large animals to the tarantula spider, they can damage it.

Also, do not feed the tarantula spider with other predatory insects, such as praying mantises, other spiders, or centipedes. There were cases when the prey won the battle and killed the tarantula spider.

Summarize: you need to feed the tarantula spider fodder insects suitable size (approximately the body of a tarantula, excluding paws), purchased from a trusted place, or from their own colonies.

How often to feed a tarantula spider:

After we figured out what to feed the tarantula spider, let's find out how often it should be done.

An adult tarantula should be fed 1-2 times a week, appropriate in size. food insects. When the tarantula eats enough, it will stop paying attention to the food, but sometimes you need to determine for yourself that the spider is “enough” and stop feeding.

Usually a sign that the tarantula has eaten is an increase in the abdomen in relation to the cephalothorax by 1.5-2 times. After this happens, feeding should be stopped, in order to avoid rupture of the abdomen.

The feeding of small tarantula spiders is a little more specific, and I took it out in a separate which you can read by going to link .

• Do not feed the tarantula after molting for a certain number of days, which can be calculated using the formula: number of molts + 3-4 days. Otherwise, the food may damage the spider, or other, more specific problems may arise.
• If the tarantula does not eat, do not sound the alarm and create topics on the forums like: “Alba does not eat for the 4th day, what should I do?”. Refusal to eat is absolutely normal for tarantulas, some of them can go on hunger strikes for a period of 1-3 months, without harm to health. This is usually famous for the genusGrammostola .
• If the tarantula spider does not eat the insect right away, then you can press down on the insect's head and leave it with the spider overnight. If by morning, the spider does not eat the insect, then the corpse must be removed.
• Do not leave food insects in the spider's cage unattended to avoid a number of problems that may arise. For example, when molting, a hungry cockroach or a zophobas larva can damage a spider, a female cockroach can give birth in a container with a spider, and the babies will scatter through the ventilation, and so on.

That seems to be all that I wanted to tell, maybe it didn’t turn out very orderly, but there are a lot of tips and some of them are even good. And so, with time and experience, you yourself will understand what and when to feed your tarantula. Thank you for your attention.

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Tarantula spiders or tarantula spiders (lat. Theraphosidae) are a family of spiders from the Mygalomorphae suborder. Adults are characterized by large sizes, sometimes exceeding 20 cm in leg span. Very often tarantulas are used as exotic pets.

Habitat
Tarantulas live on all continents except Antarctica. Informally, their species are divided into equatorial (moisture-loving, for example Avicularia versicolor) and semi-desert (drought-resistant, for example Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens).
By behavior, tarantulas are also informally divided into arboreal, terrestrial, and burrowing. Tarantulas often change their behavior pattern during their life; if the larvae behave like burrows, then adults can spend most of their time on the surface, which is typical for semi-arboreal or terrestrial species. Burrowing spiders dig shelters in the ground, using webs to strengthen the ground; arboreal weave tubes from cobwebs. In most cases, spiders are active only when it is clearly needed. Hungry spiders can sit completely still for a long time, tracking down their prey. Well-fed spiders, as a rule, show even less activity: adult female tarantulas, for the most part, can not leave their shelters for months.

reproduction
Males reach sexual maturity earlier than females. Signs of adult males of most species are "bulbs" (cymbium, a special container located on the pedipalps) and tibal hooks on the front legs. Sexually mature males weave a sperm web, on which the seminal fluid is secreted and the cymbium is filled with this fluid. When a sexually mature male and female meet, they perform a series of "ritual" movements designed to demonstrate that they belong to the same species. During mating, the male holds the female's chelicerae with tibal hooks and, using pedipalps, transfers seminal fluid into the female. During mating and after mating, a hungry female can be aggressive and eat the male; in case of successful mating, the male tries to leave the female as soon as possible. After a few months, the female lays a cocoon, containing from 60 to 2000 eggs, depending on the species. The cocoon is guarded by the female for 5-8 weeks. All this time, the female stays close to the cocoon and behaves very aggressively. Then, small nymphs hatch from the eggs, which leave the cocoon after a few days and begin an independent life.

By the way spiders grow, many of their species change color with age. Many external features also change with the help of which tarantula spiders are distinguished.

Care and maintenance of tarantulas at home
It is recommended to keep tarantulas in terrariums, the size of which exceeds the size of the tarantula (in leg span) by 2..2.5 times; the use of too close, and too spacious terrariums is not recommended. Each spider must be kept in a separate container, as cannibalism is possible. An exception can be made only for nymph spiders, as well as for pairs of tarantulas when mating. In most cases, coco substrate (shredded coconut bark) or expanded vermiculite is used as a terrarium soil. Spiders easily move up the glass, for this reason the terrarium must have a lid. "Wintering" is a necessary condition for the reproduction of a number of species of tarantulas.

Tarantulas cannot be trained or tamed in the usual sense of the word. Even the calmest tarantula can bite the owner if he feels danger. Even with a relatively favorable outcome, problems associated with allergies to venomous spider hairs often occur. In this regard, it is categorically not recommended to take spiders in your hands. Experienced spider breeders advise to carry out all manipulations in the terrarium with long tweezers. It is often noted that tarantulas, which were often picked up in childhood, treat people more calmly, however, this behavior should be interpreted only as some dulling of the reaction to the “human” stimulus.

Nutrition
Contrary to the big name, tarantulas, their digestive system is not designed for constant feeding on meat (poultry). The basis of the diet of tarantulas is insects or smaller spiders. Spiders are quite omnivorous and can eat a variety of food: flies, cockroaches, bloodworms, maggots, frogs, small rodents, birds, fish and much more. Bird-eaters spy on prey from ambush, and do not use the web to make traps.

The main species that are easiest to breed for spider food are various types of cockroaches (the most popular are the Madagascar hissing cockroach and marbled cockroach), zofobas larvae, crickets and mealworm. It is undesirable to feed frozen meat or any other food familiar to people, but this is highly undesirable and in most cases can cause the death of your pets. The body length of the food object should be significantly less than the body length of the spider (from chelicerae to spider warts). If prey items of the required size are not available, tarantulas can be fed insect parts. It is advisable to use food available to tarantulas in their natural habitat, otherwise they may refuse food. Thus, arboreal species prefer flies and crickets, often ignoring cockroaches and other terrestrial insects.

Lifespan
The life expectancy of spiders depends significantly on gender. Females live many times longer than males. In most cases, male tarantulas never molt after reaching puberty and die within a year (months if they managed to mate with a female), while females can live for many years, or even decades.

Otherwise, the life span of spiders depends on the temperature of the content and the abundance of food - by delaying feeding, you can slightly increase life expectancy, in the cold the metabolism also slows down, which contributes to slower development.

Interesting facts

• Many attribute tarantula spiders to tarantulas, which is a mistake. In modern biological systematics, the taxa "tarantulas" and "tarantulas" do not intersect; tarantulas are mygalomorphic spiders, and tarantulas are higher.
• Birdeaters are used to treat arachnophobia.
• Spiders for no apparent reason can refuse food for a long time, according to confirmed data for a year, and according to unconfirmed data - for 2 years. The hunger strike for the spider passes without visible harm to health.
• All tarantulas spin webs. Arboreal species use the web to catch insects and build a nest, terrestrial species to strengthen the ground, especially before molting.
• Some species of spiders dive underwater.

Tarantulas belong to the family of spiders and suborder of mygalomorphs. Representatives of the phylum Arthropods and the class Arachnids are distinguished by their large size and very wide distribution.

Description of the tarantula spider

Tarantulas are also well known under the name of tarantulas (Theraparhosidae). This arthropod is distinguished by a very exotic appearance, with characteristic long, hairy limbs and a catchy, juicy color that becomes more intense as a result of a new molt.

It is interesting! The surface of the body, including the paws of the tarantula, is covered with an accumulation of dense villi, which gives the spider a very hairy appearance, and the coloring is very different, depending on the characteristics of the subspecies.

Appearance

The number of species of tarantula is slightly less than a thousand, and the appearance can be very different depending on the species. The appearance characteristics of the most common tarantulas are as follows:

• Asantoscurria geniculata- an interesting and rather large terrestrial species with a very calm temperament and not at all aggressive. The body size of an adult is 8-10 cm with a leg span of 18-20 cm. It has a high growth rate;
• Acantoscurria musculosa- medium-sized, very active, moderately aggressive and highly valued by lovers of house spiders burrow / ground species. The body size of an adult is 4.5-5.5 cm with a leg span of 12-13 cm. It has a high growth rate;
• Brachyrelma albicers- very beautiful, with sufficient mobility and non-aggressive terrestrial tarantula. Completely non-aggressive. The body size of an adult is within 6-7 cm with a leg span of 14-16 cm. It is distinguished by an average growth rate;
• Caribena (Ex. Avicularia) versicolor- one of the most beautiful, bright and spectacular representatives of tree species. The body size of an adult individual reaches 5.5-6.5 cm with a leg span of 16-18 cm. It has an average growth rate;
• Ceratogyrus darlingi- refers to very aggressive, but slow burrowing tarantulas, weaving a dense and abundant web and having a horn in the cephalothorax. The size of the body of an adult does not exceed 5-6 cm with a leg span of 14 cm. It is distinguished by a high growth rate;
• Сhilobrachys dyssolus "Blask" is a large Asian burrowing tarantula with true black coloration at any instar stage. The adult female has a bright jet black color. The body size of an adult is 6.5-7.5 cm with a leg span of 16-18 cm. It has an average growth rate;
• Chilobrachys dyssolus "Blue" is a large Asian burrowing tarantula with a bright blue-violet coloration, very aggressive and fast. The body size of an adult is 5.5-6.5 cm with a leg span of 16-18 cm. It has an average growth rate;
• Chilobrahys spp. "Kaeng Krashan"- a rare Asian terrestrial / burrowing tarantula with dark coloration of the limbs and body, up to a jet black color. The body size of an adult is 6.5-7 cm with a leg span of 16-18 cm. It has an average growth rate;
• Chromatorelma syaneorubessens- one of the most beautiful and calm species, weaving a plentiful snow-white web, against which it looks especially original. The body size of an adult is 6.5-7 cm with a leg span of 15-16 cm. It has an average growth rate;
• Cyrioragorus lividum- an incredibly fast and quite aggressive burrowing representative with a rich bright blue color. The body size of an adult is up to 5.5-6.5 cm with a leg span of 15 cm. It has an average growth rate;
• Davus fasciatus- a terrestrial / burrowing species of tarantula, magnificent in its behavior and color. The body size of an adult is 4.5-5.5 cm, with a leg span of 12-14 cm. It has a high growth rate;
• Euralaestrus samrestratus- one of the unique representatives of terrestrial tarantulas with a very original color and well-defined hairline. The body size of an adult is 7.0-7.5 cm with a leg span of 16-17 cm. It has a low growth rate.

Especially popular is Epheborus cyanognathus, which is a very bright and colorful representative of tarantulas. The body of this spider is painted in the original burgundy-red color with pronounced elements of a shade of green flowers. The segments of the limbs have transverse yellow stripes, and the chelicerae are distinguished by a clearly visible and bright bluish-violet color.

Lifestyle and character

Species features have a significant impact on the way of life and the main character traits of tarantulas. All types of tarantulas are classified as poisonous spiders. Different subspecies of such arthropods lead a different lifestyle.

Some of them live exclusively on trees, and many settle in the ground or in special holes. For some species, the location in the bushes is characteristic. Bird-eating spiders hunt from an ambush, motionlessly and for a long time waiting for their prey. Such arthropods are not very active, especially if the feeling of hunger is completely satisfied.

How long does a tarantula spider live

A significant part of the species of tarantulas are long-lived arthropods, which, under natural conditions and when kept in captivity, are able to live for several decades. A very characteristic feature of tarantulas is that female individuals can live much longer than male tarantulas.

The life span of tarantulas depends on temperature conditions, as well as the abundance of food supply. When the feeding processes are delayed, life expectancy increases, and in sufficiently cold conditions, the metabolism slows down, resulting in a slower development of such an arthropod.

Defense mechanisms

For self-defense, the species Brachyrelma albicers and Brachypelma verdezi, as well as some other varieties, shed their protective hairs located in the abdomen. And the species Avicularia spp., becomes in case of danger in a defensive stance, and also raises the abdomen at the top and can attack the attacker with its feces. However, due to its very high speed when moving, this species prefers to simply flee from its enemies.

As long-term observations show, tarantulas have three types of defense mechanisms that protect the arthropod from various external enemies:

• bites;
• use of burning hairs located on the abdomen;
• spider excrement attack.

The bites of a tarantula combine not only the pain that accompanies the process of piercing the skin, but also the effect of the injected poison. The reaction of the body to a spider bite is strictly individual. Some people experience mild itching and headaches, while a highly sensitive person may feel intense heat and intense inflammation. However, to date, human deaths from the bite of any tarantula have not been recorded.

Burning hairs are located on the abdomen of tarantulas, and upon contact with the skin, a person and an animal can experience a rather strong allergic reaction. This type of defense mechanism was formed in an arthropod to protect the oviposition. Similar hairs are woven by female spiders into a web or directly into a cocoon with eggs.

Range and habitats

Tarantulas have become fairly widespread throughout almost the entire globe, with the only exception being Antarctica. Such arthropods live in Africa and South America, in Australia and Oceania, and are also somewhat less common in European countries, where their habitat is limited to southern Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Some tarantulas prefer to settle in humid tropical and equatorial forests. The most drought-resistant species inhabit semi-deserts.

Food, prey of the tarantula

The diet of the tarantula is not very diverse. Such spiders have an external type of digestion. The caught prey is immobilized, after which the digestive juice is introduced into it, and after a certain period of time, not exceeding a day, the tarantula sucks out the liquid nutritional contents from its prey.

A significant part of the tarantula's diet is represented by live insects, the size of which is not too large, which prevents the arthropod from fighting with the victim. The largest representatives of tarantulas are able to use small vertebrates in the form of naked mice as food. Also in captivity, arthropods can be fed small pieces of lean raw meat. The diet of sexually mature tarantulas often includes adult crickets, grasshoppers, large species of cockroaches, mealworms.

It is interesting! The number of food insects in the diet of an adult, as a rule, does not exceed a quarter or a third of the weight of the body size of the spider itself.

When kept in captivity, young and frequently molting tarantulas should be fed about a couple of times a week, and adults should be fed once every seven or ten days. Feeding frequency tends to increase before the onset of the breeding season. Refusal of food is observed at the stage of active molting, under low-temperature conditions, or under conditions of severe stomach overflow.

Tarantulas, for reasons not currently established by science, may well starve for almost two years, and a feature of some species is the ability to swim and even dive.