Printable owner manual
Keep it low, keep the water dish full, and leave it alone.
A 49-page printable manual with an enclosure built low to limit how far a spider can fall, the substrate depth that takes the fall height away, the water that prevents the leading cause of death, molting start to finish, a safe rehousing method, and the law in every state.
Not sure yet? Download the first 5 pages free, contents page included.
- 49 pages, print or view
- Beginner friendly
- No external links inside the PDF
Edition 3.0
Oct 2026 · 49 pages
Care-sheet roulette
- A tall glass enclosure and a heavy-bodied spider with somewhere to fall from
- A spider that has not eaten in six weeks, and an owner sure it is dying
- A molt that looks like death, and a hand that reaches in to check
- Urticating hairs in an eye, and advice to flush it
This guide
- Enclosure shape, size and the lid, floor width sized to leg span and height kept low
- Why a tarantula stops eating: the fasting that is normal against the dehydration that is not
- Molting on two pages, the cycle, and what to do and never do
- Urticating hairs, bites and your own safety, with the first aid clinical sources actually describe
What's inside · 49 pages
Everything from first setup to daily routine.
Enclosure and substrate
Enclosure shape and size sized to leg span, a secure lid that is never mesh, tree-dwelling enclosures and slings, temperature, humidity and ventilation, substrate depth and hides, and escapes.
Water and feeding
The water dish that prevents the leading cause of death, diet by age, feeder insects and the never-feed list, gut-loading instead of supplements, why a tarantula stops eating, and body condition.
Molting and rehousing
Molting on two pages, the cycle and what to do and never do, sexing and mature males, and rehousing with the cup and card method.
Health and red flags
Dehydration and reading the abdomen, falls, injuries and stuck molts, oral nematodes, mites and mold, DKS (dyskinetic syndrome) and pesticides, and finding a vet.
Handling and the law
Why the answer to handling is no, what interacting looks like instead, urticating hairs, bites and your own safety, choosing a spider and quarantine, and where a tarantula is legal.
Owner tools
Setup checklist, emergency card, budget and shopping list, first 30 days, symptom reference, routine, outage, travel and shipping plan, pet-sitter sheet, and the owner, molt and vet logs.
Every page, section by sectionThe package's own contents page, all 49 pages of it. Nothing here is a teaser for something sold separately.
Getting Started
- How to Use This Package
Profile
- Quick Profile & Cost Overview
- The Species Covered, Size & Lifespan
Housing & Environment
- Enclosure Shape, Size & Where It Goes
- Arboreal Enclosures & Housing a Sling
- Temperature, Heat & Light
- Humidity, Water & Ventilation
- Substrate, Hides & Furnishings
- Cleaning, Hygiene & Escapes
Feeding
- Diet by Age
- Feeder Insects & the Never-Feed List
- Gut-Loading, Not Supplements
- Why a Tarantula Stops Eating
- Body Condition & Growth
Handling & Behavior
- Handling: Why the Answer Is No
- Body Language & Normal Behavior
- Enrichment & Common Mistakes
Arrival & Life Stages
- Choosing a Spider, Quarantine & Finding a Vet
- Rehousing: the Cup and Card Method
- Molting: the Cycle
- Molting: What to Do and Never Do
- Sexing, Mature Males & Eggs
The Law
- Is a Tarantula Legal Where You Live?
Health & Common Issues
- Red Flags & Finding a Vet
- Dehydration & Reading the Abdomen
- Falls, Injuries & Stuck Molts
- Oral Nematodes, Mites & Mold
- Dyskinetic Syndrome (DKS) & Pesticides
- Urticating Hairs, Bites & Your Own Safety
Quick Reference
- Setup Checklist & Targets
- Emergency & Quick Targets Card
Owner Tools
- Budget & Shopping List
- First 30 Days
- Symptom Quick Reference
- Daily, Weekly & Yearly Routine
- Power Outages, Travel, Transport & Shipping
- Pet-Sitter Sheet
- Owner Log
- Molt Log
- Equipment & Vet Log
- Enrichment Checklist & Log
Reference
- Glossary, A to H
- Glossary, I to Z
- Sources
- Sources, Continued
- Where the Sources Disagree
- Version History & About
Take a look inside
The pages that keep a spider off the floor.
Click a page to see it at full size. The contents page is complete; the others fade out where the paid content starts.
The first 5 pages, free
Pages 1 to 5 as a PDF: the contents page and the opening pages before the care sections start, so you can see every page the full package covers.
Who this is for
- New keepers choosing the enclosure before the spider
- Keepers whose tarantula has stopped eating and want to know whether to worry
- Anyone facing a first molt or a first rehousing
What it's not
- Not a substitute for a vet that sees invertebrates
- Not a live website mirror, a clean printable package instead
- Not a subscription, one purchase and every corrected edition is free
What changed
This is edition 3.0.
Bought before? Re-download free from your library. State legal status as of October 2026.
- 3.0, Oct 2026. Rebuilt on the current outline, 49 pages, scoped to the beginner species. Safety: male rose hair about 5 years, 10 at the outside; quarantine apart, own tools, until the spider has fed, drunk and settled; humidity 40 to 60% rose hair, about 65 to 80% pink toe; comfortable to 85°F (29°C); slings at room temperature, 68 to 75°F (20 to 24°C), no added heat; molt 15 minutes to several hours; a round abdomen means fewer meals; slings drink from damp substrate, bottle cap as first dish; oral nematodes: isolate at once and see a vet, euthanasia by a vet only, never freezing alone; bites: soap and water, tetanus checked; hairs in an eye: never flushed or rubbed, eye doctor the same day. Legal: 52 jurisdictions, Maine's three species, Oregon's continental-stock condition, four states unclear. Costs: every item priced and rounded to the nearest $5; setup $105 to $305, $130 to $405 with the spider; $75 to $235 a year, about $5 to $20 a month. Other changes are wording only.
- 2.3, Sep 2026. Legal: Oregon, New Mexico and New Jersey added to the legality table.
- 2.2, Sep 2026. Safety: a hair in the eye shielded rather than flushed, with an eye doctor the same day; breathing trouble after hair exposure an emergency room visit; pesticide foggers added; no trip-length day count printed.
- 2.1, Sep 2026. Spacing only; no content changed.
- 2.0, Sep 2026. Rebuilt, 43 pages. Replaced by 3.0.
- 1.0, Sep 2026. First edition, 22 pages. Replaced by 2.0.
Ready when you are
Tarantula Care Package
49 pages. PDF. Print it or keep it open on your phone, tablet, or computer. Yours the moment you check out.
Edition 3.0, published October 3, 2026. Paid through Stripe. The download link arrives on the next page, and it stays in your library for as long as the package exists, always as the current edition. Not a substitute for a vet.
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The free tarantula guide is still free
This package is the same research as our tarantula care guide, reformatted into an offline manual with the checklists, logs, and triage tables the web pages do not carry. Read the free guide first and buy this only if you want it in your hands.