Are Tarantulas Friendly?

by

Are tarantulas friendly? Many people are afraid of spiders, and tarantulas, being among the biggest of them all, are often even more fear-inducing than the average spider to most people. But is this justified, or can they actually be really friendly towards humans?

In today’s post, I’m going to go over a variety of different things to determine whether or not tarantulas are friendly animals. I will go over whether they are aggressive, whether they like to be held, if they can recognize their owners, and much more to give you a good, in-depth answer to the question at hand.

If you want a short answer, here it is: Tarantulas are among the friendliest spiders out there. They very rarely bite their owners and when they do it’s usually not dangerous (though it can be painful) because they do not have a lot of venom. However, whether or not they are friendly depends largely on how you treat them and the species of tarantula you’re dealing with. If you annoy them you can expect them not to tolerate that, but if you treat them with respect they will not harm you. Tarantulas do not show affection the same way a cat or a dog would, but as far as spiders go, they can be considered to be friendly.

Do tarantulas like being petted or held?

a tarantula

There’s much debate about this in the tarantula community and that’s to be expected. After all, we cannot talk to spiders so we cannot ask them whether or not they enjoy being petted or held. Nevertheless, we can deduce some of what they think from their behavior.

Some tarantula owners believe that these large spiders do not like being held because they do not get anything out of it. However, I believe that there’s a crucial mistake in this thinking. We cannot possibly know what a tarantula is thinking. They are spiders, and we are not which makes communication between us very difficult.

Many tarantula owners report that their spider willingly crawls towards them and walks on their hand without showing any signs of aggression or biting. They would not do this if they did not enjoy it.

Of course, whether or not a tarantula likes to be petted also depends on the species, the individual spider, and the circumstances. If the spider feels stressed, he’ll be less welcoming to being handled and petted than when he’s relaxed.

Are tarantulas friendly to humans?

This is kind of a tricky question because it depends on what you mean by “friendly”. If by friendly you mean being able to handle the tarantula without being bitten then the answer is definitely yes. However, if you define friendly as them actively seeking you out and feeling lonely without you then I wouldn’t say so.

Tarantulas are solitary creatures and they do not get lonely if they’re without the company of other tarantulas, or humans for that matter. They do not need your hugs and cuddles. They do not have the social capacity to need this kind of interaction.

So, if you define friendly as them tolerating you handling them then I’d say yes, they are friendly. However, they’re not friendly in the same way that social animals like cats, dogs, or rats are. These animals need social interaction and will miss you while you’re gone. Tarantulas, on the other hand, will do just fine on their own.

Are tarantulas aggressive?

Tarantulas are pretty chill spiders which is why they’re so popular as pets. They do not bite unless they’re provoked or think that you’re food. As long as you treat these spiders with the respect they deserve they’re not aggressive towards humans because they do not consider you to be food.

It’s a waste of time and energy for them to attack you if they do not feel threatened.

Do pet tarantulas recognize their owners?

picture of a tarantula - does it recognize its owner?

Whether tarantulas recognize their owners is an interesting question. In order for them to do this, they have to be able to distinguish you (their owners) from other human beings. Many other animals are capable of doing this through sight or smell, but can tarantulas do the same?

The ability to distinguish one human from another human is a pretty specialized brain function that is beyond a spider’s cognitive abilities. If you think about it, it makes sense. In the wild, there is no benefit for a tarantula to tell one human apart from the other, so there’s no need to develop this skill, and since there’s no need to develop it, tarantulas likely haven’t.

Can a tarantula kill you?

While tarantulas have a bite that can be quite painful there’s no need to fear for your life if you get bitten. These animals do have venom, but it’s not that much more powerful than that of a bee sting. So no, a tarantula can not kill you.

Can spiders love humans?

As I’ve already mentioned, tarantulas are incapable of recognizing specific humans. Since they are incapable of telling humans apart from one another they also can not love a specific human.

On top of that, spiders do not have the ability to feel emotions such as love. Humans often have a tendency to ascribe our own emotions and behaviors onto animals. This is called Anthropomorphism and is an innate part of human psychology. It’s very normal that since you love your tarantula you wonder if he loves you back but unfortunately, they’re unable to do so. Don’t take it personally.

Do tarantulas have feelings or emotions?

The general scientific consensus is that tarantulas do not have feelings and emotions. Of course, they do have feelings in their body, they can feel when you’re touching them, but they do not feel emotions such as sadness, anger, or happiness.

They do respond to stimuli which can make them feel stressed or in danger, but those aren’t emotions but rather instinctive responses to external stimuli.

ThePetFaq Team
Latest posts by ThePetFaq Team (see all)