My available tarantulas are all Captive Bred and have NEVER been exposed to Wild Caught stock. All of my tarantulas are captive bred by passionate hobbyists just like yourself! I work with dedicated breeders across the United States and try to keep their love for tarantulas and true spiders alive to provide only the most wonderful, healthy, beautiful tarantulas available without the possibility of transfering zoonotic diseases and parasites that may accompany wild-caught individuals to collections.
It all started one night at the stables. It was past sunset and I had just put my horse's tack away for the evening. I happened to see something moving out of the corner of my eye and turned to see what it was. I have a high prey drive compared to most, and when I see movement, I tend to get very excited. Much to my delight, it was a large California Ebony Tarantula, Aphonopelma eutylenum. I took him home with me in a to-go container that I used to pick strawberries with, and put him into into a ten gallon fish tank with a few inches of sand, a water dish, a few crickets, and with cookie cooling racks taped to the top. He lived for a few months, but being a mature male, he passed away.
Before and after my first tarantula, I had kept various spiders -- mostly enormous wolf spiders that we caught at the stables and a Black Widow here and there that I caught around the house. As I already had various sizes of crickets for my reptiles, I would go around the house every week and toss crickets into spider webs to make sure all my outside spiders had enough to eat if they looked too skinny. I've always had a special place in my heart for arachnids.
I currently have over three hundred gorgeous, amazing tarantulas and true spiders, which is honestly not that many compared to the thousands other breeders I know. I have plans to breed tarantulas, incubate egg sacs, then raise up the slings to offer them to caring homes to bring them joy and the opportunity to nurture love and respect for our eight-legged friends. I work from the time my daughter goes to bed until about 5:00 am caring for all of my nocturnal creatures. It is nearly full-time job, but it's one that I love. I am passionate about keeping and caring for every single one of them to give them a quality life.
People say that spiders don't have emotions, yet if you ask a tarantula keeper who is very devoted to their companions, they will confirm that every single one of them has their own distinct personality! I find this true of every animal, including tarantulas. Recorded temperament is a guideline, but every tarantula is an individual, and there are always exceptions.
^ Wolf Spider sp with babies!
^ Encyocratella olivacea
^ Hysterocrates gigas, "Zaahira"
^ Poecilotheria regalis, "Bianca"
Neoholothele incei (Gold ), "Oronna"
^ Aphonopelma hentzi, "Brownie"
^ Aphonopelma chalcodes, sp New River
^ Grammostola iheringi, "Carmen"
^ Harpactira pulchripes, "Sveta"
Which Tarantula for Me?
A Quick Guide for Beginners
--Section in Progress--
Which Tarantula for Me?
Note that I do not recommend Old World tarantulas to beginners.
I like New World Tarantulas!
(Low venom strength, but urticating hairs)
Tarantulas from North America, South America, and the Caribbean islands.
Terrestrial (Ground Dwellers) and Opportunistic Burrowers (Burrowers, given enough substrate)
I recommend:
Aphonopelma chalcodes, "Arizona Blonde": one of the calmest, most docile tarantulas. My A. chalcodes
doesn't pounce on prey, she literally waits until they're under her, then sits on them and gently impales them
with her fangs. They are beautiful, long-lived tarantulas that are often right out in the open and are a joy to
watch moseying about. They're great burrowers as slings and juveniles, which is really cool to observe!
Euathlus sp. Red, "Chilean Dwarf Flame": hands-down, this is the tarantula I would recommend to everyone starting out in tarantula hobby! These are one of my personal favourites, due to their dwarf size, beauty, calm, docile, active, and almost friendly demeanour! They keep busy and are little bulldozers in their enclosures, which is a joy to observe! I have seldom seen them get startled or bolt, and they are great eaters.
Brachypelma hamori (previously "smithi"), "Mexican Red Knee": the iconic B. hamori made its major film debut in Indiana Jones' Raiders of the Lost Ark. These beautiful, generally calm, docile tarantulas are very popular and often sought-out by hobbyists. They can be skittish and prone to kick hairs as youngsters, but
with time, they grow more docile and comfortable with their keepers.
Grammostola pulchra, "Brazilian Black": while difficult to breed, they're even harder to encourage to lay an egg sac! They're among the most sought-out tarantulas in the hobby and are difficult to come by. They
are a wonderfully calm, docile species and grow to an impressive 7 in and become a lovely, rich shade of
deep black. Every individual differs, but my G. pulchra have never once kicked hairs! They only time they
have ever shown aggression is during feeding, which is completely understandable!
Grammostola pulchripes, "Chaco Golden Knee": these gorgeous, docile black tarantulas develop the prettiest golden stripes on their knees! They grow to very impressive sizes of 20 cm - 22 cm (8.5 in) and are truly a gentle giant (when they're not hungry and you're not a cockroach!).
Arboreal (Tree Dwellers)
I reccomend: Avicularia avicularia, "Pink Toe": these arboreal tarantulas are beautiful, fuzzy, and are a deep blue-black like the colour of a crow's wing, with the cutest little pink toes! Most of them are known to be quite docile and calm as adults, but be prepared for quick little sprints if they get startled.
Semi-Arboreal (Goes between the Ground and Trees)
I recommend:
Phrixotrichus/Paraphysa scrofa, "Chilean Copper": some hobbyists will wonder why I've listed P. scrofa
as semi-arboreal, others will chuckle and nod their heads. This lovely little tarantula is generally noted as an
opportunistic burrower, but none of mine have ever kept their feet on the ground. They're always climbing up
the sides of their vials or enclosures, so I set them up with plenty of substrate to burrow into, but also give them
fake plants (which act as a cushion if they fall) and a piece of cork bark to climb. They are similar to Euathlus sp. Red in temperament, though they are a little more skittish and prone to bolt. They're fantastic eaters, too!
I like Old World Tarantulas!
(Medically significant venom -- NOT FOR BEGINNERS!)
Tarantulas from Asia, the Philippines, Africa, Australia, and Europe.
Terrestrial (Ground Dwellers) and Opportunistic Burrowers (Burrowers, given enough substrate)
Ceratogyrus darlingi
Arboreal (Tree Dwellers)
Poecilotheria regalis
Poecilotheria metallica
Semi-Arboreal (Goes between the Ground and Trees)
Cyriopagopus sp. Sulawesi Black
Fossorial (Obligate Burrowers)
Chilobrachys fimbriatus, "Indian Violet": do you like purple? Do you like copper? Do you like black stripes?
Do you like tarantulas that web up entire enclosure? C. fimbriatus is one of the most beautiful tarantulas I own,
if I do say so myself! When I do get to see her, I feel like throwing a party, or at least having a celebratory drink!
Photographs don't do them justice, honestly. They're quite fast, but they prefer to stay safe inside their burrow.
They are also known to make homes in tree hollows!
Orphnaecus philippinus, "Philippine Earth Tiger": this shy, sleek, velvety tarantula is a stunning shade of bright orange! It's lightning fast, but would greatly prefer to hide in its burrow. These amazingly gorgeous tarantulas are fantastic webbers and will layer their enclosure with layer upon whispy layers of silk!
Pterinochilus murinus, AKA "Orange Baboon Tarantula"/"Orange Bitey Thing"/OBT: this tarantula is full of
ATTITUDE. There's a reason people call them Orange Bitey Things! Part of the problem, however, is that they
often feel defensive, because they don't have enough substrate to burrow. If you deprive an already nervous animal of an adequate place to hide and retreat down into, they they cannot take "flight" -- so they must "fight".