Pet Tarantula?

The Garage
#1

G’day,

In 2011 my 15 year old cat passed away, followed by my wife’s cat a few years later, and lastly Sadsack, “our” Staffy last year.

My wife is now itching to get a new pet, though accepts that a cat or dog is not currently ideal due to frequently being away from home and thus needing to arrange care/etc.

She has therefore taken the kids on a trip to a local petshop, checking out fish and birds and axolotls and blue tongue lizards and, and, and…

I’m frankly not sure I am interested in us getting another pet right now anyways as we are renting, but I somehow keep coming back to the same idea…

I should preface this by saying - I am hugely Arachnophobic!!! So, I really don’t know why I would even consider this idea… But whilst our 2 younger kids have no fear of spiders (yet), apparently I have “damaged” our 9 year old, who is incredibly phobic too… So… maybe having a 6" tarantula in the house may be a good thing??

(Really bad psychology I’m sure! Immersive therapy, I think it’s called, but probably best left to professionals!)

Does anyone here keep spiders as pets? What led to the decision? I’ve just spent an hour on YouTube watching people handling their pets… I’m sure I’m going to have nightmares… but… well, some of them seem quite majestic…

cheers

cosmic

#2

In a word, NO. Seriously, a tarantula is not going to be anything like having a cat or a dog, its just something big and hairy that will wander about when you get it out of its tank, and scare the heck out of visitors.

If you want low maintenance, get fish. Or a bird. Or another dog. The dog can at least go with you when you travel.

Tarantula: not a “pet”

3 Likes
#3

:heavy_check_mark: The more appropriate term would be “exhibit”

3 Likes
#4

All I remember about Tarantula’s is the creepy Home Alone Tarantella skit as a young kid. From that point onward I put them in the same basket as Gremlins. I’m sure there is more to it than that but every time you get it out of its tank its going to be a buzz kill for everyone involved.

I understand you’re renting. You might consider a low maintenance pet such as a bird, or to get your kids a fish tank. If you get approval from your landlord you might get a low maintenance dog or cat which doesn’t shed hair.

#5

I’m with others, not really a pet plus a buzzkill for any potential visitors, also, are tarantulas allowed to be imported into Australia?

#6

Interesting feedback. :slight_smile:

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/wildlife-trade/exotics

It would appear indeed that it is “unlikely” that foreign spiders for sale within Australia have been imported legally… (and are therefore illegal to own; although some Aussie pet sellers seem to have some “new world” spiders for sale.)

You can however own a native spider as a pet, such as a bird eater huntsman… But - you don’t need to keep them as pets - just live in Australia.

The family have vetoed this idea anyways… and fair enough - it was just a curiosity mostly…

On a side note, I think I’ll keep looking at pics/movies of these critters, to help de-sensitise myself to them…

1 Like
#7

All that would happen is you won’t be able to sleep, Cosmic. Trust me, I know…