Printable owner manual
Keep it low, keep the water dish full, and leave it alone.
A 44-page printable manual with an enclosure built low so a fall cannot kill, substrate depth by species type, the water that prevents the most common cause of death, molting start to finish, a safe rehousing method, and where tarantulas are banned.
Not sure yet? Download the first 5 pages free, contents page included.
- 44 pages, print or view
- Beginner friendly
- No external links inside the PDF
Edition 2.3
Sep 2026 · 44 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 · 44 pages
Everything from first setup to daily routine.
Enclosure and substrate
Enclosure shape, size and the lid, substrate, hide and furnishing by type, temperature, humidity and ventilation.
Water and feeding
Water and what actually kills tarantulas, feeding by life stage, the prey chart and the never-feed list, why a tarantula stops eating.
Molting and rehousing
Molting, the cycle and what to do and never do, and rehousing, when and how to prepare and the method.
Health and red flags
Dehydration and falls, molt complications, mites and mold, nematodes, DKS and pesticides, and what is not a red flag.
Handling and the law
Why the answer to handling is no, what interacting actually looks like, urticating hairs and bites, and where tarantulas are not legal.
Owner tools
Setup checklist, emergency card, budget and shopping list, first 30 days, symptom reference, blackout plan, pet-sitter sheet, and the molt and maintenance logs.
Every page, section by sectionThe package's own contents page, all 44 pages of it. Nothing here is a teaser for something sold separately.
Getting Started
- How to Use This Package
Quick Profile
- Quick Profile
- Cost Overview
Full Care Guide
- Enclosure: Shape, Size & the Lid
- Substrate, Hide & Furnishing by Type
- Temperature, Humidity & Ventilation
- Water, and What Actually Kills Tarantulas
- Diet & Feeding by Life Stage
- Prey Chart & the Never-Feed List
- Why a Tarantula Stops Eating
- Molting: the Cycle
- Molting: What to Do and Never Do
- Handling: Why the Answer Is No
- What Interacting Actually Looks Like
- Urticating Hairs, Bites & Your Own Safety
- Rehousing: When & How to Prepare
- Rehousing: the Method
- Common Mistakes
- Enrichment: What the One Study Says
Health & Common Issues
- Health Red Flags
- What Isn't a Red Flag, and Finding a Vet
- Dehydration & Falls
- Molt Complications, Mites & Mold
- Nematodes, DKS & Pesticides
- Sexing, Growth & Lifespan
- Where Tarantulas Are Not Legal
Quick Reference
- Setup Checklist & Targets
- Emergency & Quick Targets Card
Owner Tools
- Budget & Shopping List
- First 30 Days Checklist
- Symptom Quick Reference
- Daily, Weekly & Seasonal Routine
- Power Outages & the Blackout Plan
- Travel, Transport & Moving
- Pet-Sitter Sheet
- Owner Log
- Acquisition & Molt Log
- Equipment & Maintenance Log
- Enrichment Checklist & Log
Reference
- Glossary
- Sources
- 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 introduction, so you can see every page the full package covers. None of the care guide itself.
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
Ready when you are
Tarantula Care Package
44 pages. PDF. Print it or keep it open on your phone, tablet, or computer. Yours the moment you check out.
Edition 2.3, published September 6, 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.