Pets that have the potential to creep out moms the most are often popular with preteen boys. Reptiles in general especially snakes, and to a lesser degree, frogs and toads – are high on the list, but the number one mess-with-mom’s-world pet choice has to be spiders. Nearly any spider may be a pet, but most are not recommended. Black widows, for instance, can be and have been kept as pets. They are interesting to watch and easy to care for. Black widows spin a fairly haphazard web and watching the web creation can be quite fascinating. A live cricket and a spray of water on the web once a week is all that is needed to sustain them. They are also poisonous.

By far the most popular of the arachnid pets are tarantulas. There are about 800 species of tarantula throughout the world. Many are now available for sale at pet shops and reptile shows. Tarantulas are easy to care for, but although the ones sold as pets may be safely handled, it is not advisable since they are invertebrate and may be injured by handling. The best habitat for your pet tarantula will depend on the type you choose, but most often a screen-topped aquarium or terrarium, minimum five gallon, will suffice. Equip the habitat with a shallow water dish, a substrate layer suitable for burrowing, and a place for your tarantula to hide. They will eat crickets and other live insects and generally feed a couple of times a week.

If you start with a young spiderling, you will see your tarantula grow. Part of this process includes molting. The shedding of its skin can take up to several hours; do not be alarmed if you see your tarantula on its back, and do not disturb it during the molting process as this could kill your pet.

A creature that is fragile, shy and virtually harmless. Is that any way to describe our horror image of the vicious tarantula of movie fame? Yes it is because by and large these spiders are timid creatures. Although they are venomous there is no reliable report of the venom killing any human.

When tarantulas mate it is more like they are dancing the tango. Their front legs touch and then she sidesteps with him following. He caresses her and gradually face-to-face they entwine their front limbs together. The tango continues with the male hooking his front legs over her fangs and with his second set of legs bends her backward. Then the moment arrives when he reaches under to transfer his sperm into a furrow in her mid section. Because a female may kill her sex partner after the dance is complete the male quickly scrambles out of reach of her legs.

Although the sex dance is intricate and charming these creatures don’t do much but sit and wait as predators. They can’t leap or construct intricate webs or ensnare an insect with silken threads. No, they just wait for the next passers by and attack the unsuspecting one in its path with their venomous fangs.

Tarantulas can live to more than 20 years and grow to the size of a dinner plate which is too big to stomp under foot like a regular spider. But they aren’t the gargantuan scary size as seen in the 1955 film Tarantula. In this scary flick a hundred foot tarantula crushed houses and eats cattle.

No wonder the tarantula has developed an undeserved reputation when in reality it is such as shy and virtually harmless spider to the human race.