by Bob O'Shaunessey

Created on: February 03, 2007   Last Updated: April 14, 2007

I have worked at several pet stores over the years, and owned many animals that the normal dog and cat crowd find repulsive. As someone who has connected many potential pet owners with pets that suit their personalities, I feel I should speak my mind here. I've handle and cared for several tarantulas and they definitely are good pets for some people, but not for everyone.

The question at hand, in all honesty, is fairly irrelevant. The important question is not "Should a spider be kept as a pet?" but "Should I keep a spider as a pet?" So far no one on this thread has addressed the personality of the pet owner. Spiders make excellent pets for some people, but not for others. The potential pet owner needs to ask, "What am I seeking in a pet?" Many people seek pets for companionship or affection. Some others seek a pet as a way to bring something exotic into their homes. Some seek pets as an extension of their personality. The potential pet owner needs to know why he or she is buying the animal before the pet is purchased.

When it comes to affection, mammals win hands down. I know I'll be upsetting some of the tarantula owners on this thread, but I stand by my statement. I will grant you that taratulas are the most affectionate of the usual pet spiders, but a taratula will never recognize that its owner is in a bad mood and attempt to cheer him or her up in the way that a dog will. People seeking that level of affection should perhaps stay away from spiders.

Here's a good example of a non-tarantula spider owner who was very content with her pets. The young lady in question was a friend of mine who was about nineteen at the time. She was a goth girl who wore a lot of black, listened to heavy music and had a generally misanthropic attitude. She kept several black widows as pets. She had modified their enclosure, so that she could feed them live food without risking her fingers inside the enclosure. She meticulously studied their behavior, had names for all of them and could tell them apart (I found that amazing, because I never knew the difference). In her personal life she was fairly antisocial and inaffectionate, and rarely allowed people to touch her. These pets mirrored her personality perfectly and she loved them. She took the necessary precautions to protect herself from injury, and had a rewarding relationship with her pets as a result.

In the end it's a matter of whether or not spiders are a good pet for you, not whether spiders are a good pet. Personally, I don't like to keep spiders under lock and key, but I will always be a lover of arachnids. I've never seen anything quite the same as the time I watched a wolf spider hunt it's prey in a corner of my house. So don't prejudiced against the spiders, instead seek to "know thyself" and what thyself is seeking in a pet.

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