Pets

Pet bird eating spiders are not ideal first spider pets. In fact, a pet bird eating spider will need some special permits, as they are an endangered species, and are not allowed in some states. There are many considerations you have to keep in mind before deciding on bringing home a pet bird eating spider.

Now a pet Goliath bird eating spider, despite its impressive name, does not really eat birds. Though, they do eat small mice, which in itself is a great feat amongst spiders. Pet bird eating spiders are clearly meant for experienced collectors, as they require special care and extremely careful handling. This species is extremely defensive and aggressive and though not highly venomous, they have huge fangs, considering their large size, which in the case of bites, can cause severe pain, sweating and nausea.

The pet bird eating spider is one of the largest spider species in the world, and is native to the tropical jungles of South America. This means, if you are acquiring a pet bird eating spider, you will have to ensure that the pet spider habitat matches their natural environment completely. This requires you to make special provisions such as the right temperature, humidity levels and lighting. Apart from this the spider habitat needs to be large enough to accommodate this large species.

If kept safely and securely, a pet bird eating spider can live up to as much as 25 years. Females, like most spiders, are the larger of the species, and can grow as much as 12 inches in leg span. Males are usually half the size, and also do not live as long as females, mostly because they get killed by the female after mating.

It is advised that handling of these species should be kept to the bare minimum; this is mainly due their aggressive nature. Belonging to the tarantula family, your pet bird eating spider is relatively harmless, like most others of its family, but it can give you a nasty bite, and most importantly they shed urticating hairs, which can cause severe irritation to humans.

An interesting fact about a pet Goliath bird eating spider is that it makes a loud hissing sound, created by rubbing the bristles on its legs against each other. This is known as stridulation, and occurs when the spider is feeling threatened and has gone into attack mode. So it is generally a good idea to step away if your pet bird eating spider starts hissing.