Keeping tarantulas as pets is a hobby that has been around for quite some time. Though many people don’t understand the fascination with the world’s largest spiders, it is still a hobby enjoyed by people, women and men, worldwide. I started my fascination in the late 1970s and have been hooked ever since. Like all pets, it is easy to become attached to them and as will all pet owners, you want the best for your charges.
Lately I have been hearing a lot about communal set-ups for the Socatra Island Blue Baboon Spider, Monocentropus balfouri. After listening to a few podcasts on the subject, thanks to Tom’s Big Spiders, I decided to try it myself. Though there was no shortage of the tarantulas themselves, I wanted to make sure to get the best enclosure possible for this project.
I have been keeping tarantulas for over 40 years and am always looking for better ways to house them. When I first started your only real choice were glass fish tanks. These were ok but heavy if you had to move them (and you have to also remember that tarantula guides from the 70’s recommended using fish gravel as a substrate adding to the weight). Next came the Critter Keepers, plastic enclosures with snap on, well-ventilated lids. I started using these and have been happy until the last few years, where the plastic used for the lids has gotten more flimsy, preventing the stacking of the enclosures. Thankfully Exo-Terra has come up with a solution in their Breeding Boxes.
Dave The Bug Guy 