Over the last few months I have recieved a few emails from our blog visitors about Clark's Tarantula page "Charli the Tarantula". Now I am not a trantula expert, an entomologist, nor do I claim to be, I am just a hobbiest/keeper but I will answer a few questions from our readers.
Hi Clark,
Why did you name your spider Charli, Charli is a boys name but you have a girl.
Sarah H.
Portland OR
Hi Sarah!
Charli is actually short for Charlotte! It is funny since the Founder of Clark Pest Control is Charlie Clark. Thank you for writing in!
What do they eat? do they bite? can anyone own a tarantula?
Jeff S.
Carmel CA
HI Jeff,
Tarantulas eat mostly crickets but a lot of keepers go with Dubia feeder roaches. As far as biting yes all tarantulas can bite, but the question is do they? well, new world tarantulas will flick tiny hairs from their abdomen first, if the predator does not back off then the tarantulas will go into a threat posture ready to strike, on an occasion they will. Old world tarantulas bite first then ask questions later!
Can anyone own a tarantula? Absolutely yes, but if you are planning on purchasing one make sure you do your research, your looking for beginner spider such as the G.Rosea (Rose Hair Tarantula), B.Smithi (Mexican red Knee) or a B.Albopilosum (Curleyhair) all 3 of these are great for beginners and docile! Good luck.
Hello-
What tarantulas are really aggressive, the one to stay away from?
David S.
David,
Here are a few that only experienced keepers should consider. I personally will not keep anything aggressive, it goes much further than just handling, Tarantulas require constant maintenance to their cages, change out the water, pick up the remains left over from their last meal and etc. aggressive ones make it tough to do this. Here are a few for ya!
| 1. |
P. Cancerides (Haitian Brown) Very Angry Tarantula DO NOT HANDLE |
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| 2. |
C. Sericeus (Rangoon Mustard ) Aggressive, hisses and called the Pit Bull of Tarantulas DO NOT HANDLE |
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| 3. |
S. Hoffmanni (South American Horned) DO NOT HANDLE |
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| 4. |
M. Zebratta (Costa Rican Sun Tiger )Extremely FAST and aggressive DO NOT HANDLE |
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| 5. |
C. Darlingi (East African Horned Baboon ) This one aggressive and usually has a sever bad attitude DO NOT HANDLE |
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If you have a question about spiders, especially ones in your home or business, please let us know!