How Long Do Tarantulas Live?
Owning a tarantula as a pet can be a fun experience, allowing you to care for a pet that may look terrifying to the naked eye but that is, in reality, calm and collected when handled with care. While tarantulas are not pets that everyone wishes to have, but they are worthy companions for the people that find them intriguing.
One advantage for tarantula enthusiasts is that while there are restrictions for pet ownership in most rented apartments, tarantulas do fly under the radar which means that you can confidently get one and raise it as a furry-legged companion.
However, as amazing as tarantulas may be as a pet alternative, they do require periodical care and attention. While this can be said about any pet, with tarantulas you need to understand that they are a long term commitment and that you need to be aware of basic characteristics of the species that you own, their ailments, possible life spans and more.
So how long term of a commitment is this exactly? Well, it turns out, this is contingent on whether you’re getting a female or a male pet tarantula. Let’s dive into how long tarantulas live.
What is the lifespan of a tarantula?
If you have not done any research on tarantulas up to this point, the first thing that you need to know, regardless of species type or care conditions for your pet is the average life span. The life span of a tarantula is vastly different from the male to the female counterpart.
Regardless of gender, both take between two to five years to reach adulthood but there are species where adulthood may be reached in up to ten years. Now, once a male tarantula has reached maturity, their lifespan will only extend for up to 18 months before they die. With female tarantulas, you can expect life spans that reach up to 20-40 years depending on their living conditions, their health and also the species type. This means that a female tarantula is a long term commitment so be careful when choosing your pet.
Quick answer:
Males: 2-10 years
Females: 20-40 years
What is molting and why is it important for the lifespan?
One thing to note if you decide to get a pet tarantula is that as they grow up and reach maturity, both male and female tarantulas will molt. Molting is a term used specifically for spiders and what it means is that as they grow up they form new exoskeletons and they shed their old ones. It’s similar to how snakes shed their skin as they grow up.
A male tarantula will stop molting after reaching maturity. In some cases, the spider will try to molt again but in most situations they get trapped in their exoskeleton and die, a common cause of death. With female tarantulas, they can molt after reaching maturity without any health concerns. One fun fact about molting is that the spider will eat their shed skin after growing their new exoskeleton. Why? Because the molting process is difficult and tarantulas do lose a lot of energy and nutrients that they, later on, regain from eating the molt.
What are the lifespans for some common species?
Deciding on your first pet tarantula can be really hard. If you want to choose a species of pet tarantula that you absolutely adore, there is no shame in that. However, if you are a beginner and do not know that much about the needs of these pets, it’s advised that you opt for a member from a species that is more beginner-friendly. With that in mind, here are the three most common pet tarantula species for beginners and some information on them:
Grammostola Rosea
This species, commonly known as the Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula, is the most popular option for pet tarantulas across the world. It’s very docile and easy to care for, a great choice for a beginner tarantula enthusiast.
Lifespan wise, male and female tarantulas can take up to 4 years to mature but the average lifespan for a male is 5 years whereas females can live up to 20 years. This species is docile but skittish, with an aggressive tendency when they get close to molting.
Brachypelma Albopilosum
Also known as the Honduras Curly Hair tarantula, this species is so popular as a pet tarantula in captivity that it is currently on the endangered species list for members found in the wild. Take that into consideration for the ethical choice you need to make on which tarantula to buy.
Lifespan wise, you can expect the males to live an average of 5 years while females can live up to 15 years in captivity if they have the proper health care. This tarantula is peaceful, has slow movements and, if not stressed, is almost never aggressive.
Braachypelma Hamorii
This tarantula is more easily known by its name, that of the Smith’s Redknee Tarantula. Compared to the previous two that are medium-sized tarantulas, this species is relatively big. Tarantulas of these species are known to be very docile, perfect for beginners but, if threatened, they can get pretty aggressive. When it comes to their expected life span, the species does take a long while to reach maturity, but males generally only live around 5 years while females can live up to 30 years.
What are the expected lifespans in captivity?
In captivity, with the proper care, you can expect your female tarantulas to live up to decades whereas the male counterparts only live on average around 5-7 years. This is something valid across almost all of the tarantula species currently documented. Tarantulas kept in captivity are, in a way, luckier than those found in the wild, since they are not affected by habitat destruction but the pet trade does have a negative impact on the wild population.
What are the basic health concerns?
You need to keep a number of things in mind as problems that your tarantula can encounter. The most common health concern is that of dehydration, especially for species that come from tropical areas. If they fall from climbing in the terrarium they can get ruptured abdomens. Two other common health concerns for pet tarantulas are mites and parasites, which can be fixed by keeping their cages very clean and also by checking your pet regularly to see if they have parasites and then carefully removing them with a tweezer.
