Items13The creator’s order
- 1
Chilean rose tarantulaThe classic first tarantula, and still the one to beat. This spider from the desert scrub of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia is famously calm, needs only a dry tank with a water dish and a few insects a week, and asks very little of its keeper. A female can live up to 20 years in captivity, so this is…0 - 2
Brachypelma hamoriiSold as the Mexican red-knee
The tarantula everyone pictures: black with orange-red knee bands, about 5.5 inches across the legs as an adult, and known for a calm, docile manner that suits a first-time keeper. It wants a wide, low tank rather than a tall one, with part of the substrate kept…0 - 3
Tliltocatl albopilosusSold as the curly hair tarantula
The fluffiest tarantula a beginner can buy, covered in long, wiry, curly hairs that give it a teddy-bear look. This rainforest spider from Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica is hardy and docile as an adult, often sits out on display, and reaches about 6.5 inches…0 - 4
Phidippus regiusSold as the regal jumping spider
The spider for people who think they don't like spiders. It is tiny, about half an inch in the body, with big forward-facing eyes and a curious streak that makes it far more interactive than a tarantula. Shy at first, many will tolerate being held with patience and…0 - 5
Carausius morosusSold as the Indian stick insect
The classroom favorite for good reason: it eats privet, bramble or ivy you can cut from a pesticide-free hedge, and it reproduces without mating; males are rare. One female lays several hundred eggs in her life, and they hatch in about 10 to 12 weeks at room…0 - 6
Extatosoma tiaratumSold as the giant prickly stick insect
The stick insect with attitude. These spiny insects reach 5 to 6 inches, and when threatened they curl the abdomen over the back to mimic a scorpion. It is pure bluff: they generally tolerate handling better than most stick insects, though any stick insect is…0 - 7
Sphodromantis lineolaSold as the African mantis
The best praying mantis for a first try: a 3 to 4 inch hunter from west and central Africa that is active by day and widely rated a beginner-level species. Watching it stalk and snatch a fly is the best five seconds of insect keeping.
House one per tank, because African…0 - 8
Madagascar hissing cockroachThe party trick of the list. This wingless, 2 to 3 inch cockroach hisses by forcing air through tiny breathing openings on its body, using the sound as a warning, in disputes between males and in courtship. It is a docile, easy-to-keep plant-eater, nothing like a kitchen pest, and a good animal for…0 - 9
Asbolus verrucosusSold as the blue death feigning beetle
The surprise long-hauler. This beetle of nearly an inch, from the deserts of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, can live eight years or more, far longer than most insects. When startled it lies on its back with legs in the air and plays…0 - 10
Archispirostreptus gigasSold as the giant African millipede
A gentle giant from east Africa that reaches 10 to 14 inches, and one of the most impressive animals a beginner can hold. It is nocturnal, so the show happens in the evening. Give it at least 3 inches of loose substrate topped with oak leaf litter, which is also…0
