Red-Knee Tarantulas ( Brachypela spp.): A Push Towards Evidence-Based Care for the Eight-Legged

Featured in movies, books, posters, and social media (like Instagram and X), tarantulas have dedicated pages and a strong presence online, and their popularity as exotic pets is increasing. Kept for their colours, size, hunting engagement and webs, tarantulas are accessible invertebrate pets with extensive trade across many parts of the world, with over 1264 arachnid species noted in the trade. But what is known about tarantula care? Accessing academic research and new evidence for evidence-based practice can be complicated and costly for private keepers, making it difficult to implement into standard practice. By combining academic literature on commonly kept species like Brachypelma , owners can access valuable information and evidence to improve their care practices for their “furry” friends. Investigating a new keeper’s set up, areas of care such as space/sizing, temperature, enclosure design and feeding are examined, including behavioural and anatomical attributes to better understand how these requirements are incorporated to make a tarantula house a home. Information © The Authors 2025