Mom creeped out by tarantula

Dear Heloise: My husband wants to buy our son a tarantula, but I'm not sure if our son is responsible enough to take care of one. How long do tarantulas live in captivity, and how do you take care of them? Thanks!

— Creeped-Out in Canada

Spiders sure aren't everyone's cup of tea, are they? But many people love them. The first thing you should do is get a book about care and keeping of tarantulas. Our research here at Heloise Central turned up a few tarantula tips, but keep in mind that there are more than 850 species of tarantulas:

Tarantulas can be very delicate; use care when handling, because dropping them even from a short distance can cause injury or death.

Some species are "low-maintenance," according to the American Tarantula Society, while others require "almost constant attention."

Female tarantulas can live more than 25 years, so a female requires a long-term commitment. Males don't live as long, and die within a few months of mating.

Tarantulas need a water dish and to be fed two or three times per week. Store-bought LIVE crickets are fine, but variety throughout the year is best.

Tarantulas prefer temperatures above 75 degrees Fahrenheit, but direct sunlight or bright lights are not good.

Tarantulas molt their exoskeleton in order to "grow a size," and they do this by lying belly-up on the bottom of their enclosure. Don't think your pet is dead if you see this pose!

The long and short of it is that tarantulas are exotic pets and should be treated with respect and caution.

— Heloise

Dear Heloise: May I suggest a traveling hint? My wife and I had our cell-phone numbers engraved on a pet's identification tag, which can be bought at any major pet store nationwide. The placing of the cell-phone numbers ensures that we can be located immediately anywhere nationwide, and that is important to us.

— Frank O., The Villages, Fla.

Dear Heloise: I buy dog food in the large bags and dump them into a large, plastic trash can with a tight-fitting lid, which I keep in the garage. I keep a large popcorn tin on my cabinet with dog food in it. When it gets low, I refill it from the can in the garage. Since the popcorn is most often sold at holidays, I have several motifs, and I can rotate them. I keep cheap measuring cups (from the dollar store) in it to measure out the food.

— Pat Ingram, via e-mail

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