Spiders are fascinating creatures that inhabit almost every corner of the world. As pets spiders can be very educational and interesting to observe and interact with but what kind of spider is best to keep as a pet?
In this article, I will list the14 best spiders to keep as pets as well as my reasoning for it. The List is in no particular order and I don´t list any poisonous spiders that can be dangerous for humans, such as the Black Widow for example.
The 14 Best Pet Spiders for Beginners
As I mentioned before, this list is in no particular order. Every single spider on this list will make a great pet it is entirely up to you which one fits best for you.
1. Phidippus Audax (Bold Jumping Spider)
My favorite spiders besides tarantulas are jumping spiders because of their friendly-looking faces and colorful appearance.
The Bold Jumping Spider or Bold Jumper can be found in southern Canada, throughout the United States, parts of Mexico, and Hawaii.
Make great pets because they are active hunters and don´t wait for their prey to be caught in a web. They only use webbing for their eggs or sometimes for their nest.
As pets, they are generally easy to care for and interesting to look at because of their hunting behavior and interesting color scheme.
Size
4 – 15 mm (male) and 4 – 18 mm (female)
Appearance
Black with orange-tinted spots and stripes on their body. These spots can also be red, green, or blue depending on where they are from. Adult spiders can also have white spots.
Bites
They rarely bite Humans and even if they do the bite is usually just painful but not dangerous to Humans.
Where to Get One
Bold Jumping Spiders can be caught outside or bought in pet stores. There are several different jumping spider species, so make sure that you get the species you want.
2. Phidippus Regius (Regal Jumping Spider)
The Regal Jumping Spider can be found in eastern North America.
The male and the female spider are differently colored which is why they are often mistaken for two different spider species.
You can often see them in the wild on trees or walls of buildings where they hunt for insects.
As pets they are easy to care for and interesting to look at and observe especially when they are hunting.
Size
Between 6 to 18 mm (males) and 7 to 22 mm (females).
Appearance
The males and female spiders are colored differently.
The male Regal Jumping Spider is always black with white spots and stripes.
The female Regal Jumping Spider usually has similar patterns on her body as the male spider but their main color is often grey or orange.
Regal Jumping Spiders often have a pattern on their abdomen that looks a little bit like a happy or a surprised smiley.
Bites
Regal Jumping Sipers will rarely bite Humans and if they do then the bite is painful but not dangerous to a human.
The bite will swell but swelling and pain will usually go away after one or two days.
Where to Get One
They can be caught in the wild where they are usually found on walls or in trees or you can buy them in a pet store.
3. Salticus Scenicus (Zebra Jumping Spider)
The Zebra Jumping Spider is a funny one. They are very fast and agile which makes them really interesting to observe.
As pets, they are easy to take care of and they look stunning because of their pattern. They are also great to observe when they are hunting.
Size
The female Zebra Jumping Spiders are between 5 and 9 mm long while the male Zebra Jumping Spider are between 5 and 6 mm long.
Appearance
They have very large eyes compared to the rest of their body which gives them a cute appearance.
They are called Zebra Jumping Spiders because their body is dark brown or black and they have white stripes all over their body. The pattern is very similar to that of a Zebra.
Bites
Their bites are harmless to humans but a bite can still be painful.
Where to Get One
4. Hyllus Diardi (Heavy Jumper)
Another Jumping Spider that is a perfect fit for a pet.
The Heavy Jumper spider is probably the cutest spider on this list.
The Heavy Jumper Spider is also very easy to care for and it is very entertaining to see it hunt. It hunts its prey by jumping directly on the insect to bite and kill it. The prey will never see it coming.
Size
The Heavy Jumper Spider is between 9 mm and 14 mm in size.
Appearance
The Heavy Jumper is a very hairy spider. It ranges from light green to light brown in color and sometimes has red accents on its legs.
Bites
The Heavy Jumper doesn´t bite humans. It is probably not even strong enough to break the skin.
Where to Get One
They don´t live in the United States or Canada so the only way to get them is by buying them in a Pet store.
5. Mexican Red Knee
This is the first tarantula on this list and it is probably one of the most well-known tarantula species.
As the name already suggests the Red Knee tarantula can be found in Mexico. Specifically along the pacific coast of Mexico.
As pets, the Mexican Red Knee is probably the best choice for beginners if you want a tarantula. There is a lot of information on Mexican Red Knees out there. So will never feel lost.
They are also pretty easy to take care of but they need regular care. So they are not low-maintenance.
Size
Females are between 52 and 54 mm long while males are between 46 and 52 mm long.
Appearance
If you think about a tarantula then you will most likely have an image of the Mexican Red Knee tarantula in your head.
They are covered in black hair and have red rings around their leg segments or their knees which gives them their name.
Bites
The Red Knee tarantula is extremely docile and will only very rarely bite a human. They are slightly poisonous but the poison is not dangerous to humans.
Where to Get One
They can be bought in pet stores. Red Knee Tarantulas are probably the species of spider that is most often kept as pets.
6. Chilean Rose (Fire Tarantula)
The Chilean Rose Tarantula is also very commonly found in pet stores around the world. They look very similar to the Mexican Red Knee Tarantula.
As pets, they are very easy to keep but you should think twice about getting one because they can get very old. Especially female Chilean Rose Tarantula is known to get up to 20 years old.
They are generally easy to care for and they are known to be quite docile.
They mostly eat crickets that you only have to throw in the terrarium and the tarantula will hunt it when it is hungry.
They should be handled with care because while they don´t bite they can launch spine-like hairs as a defense mechanism from its abdomen.
Size
Females are between 52 and 54 mm long while males are between 46 and 52 mm long.
Appearance
They are covered in light rose-colored hair. Underneath the hair, they are black in color.
Bites
Chilean Rose Tarantulas will warn you when they feel threatend by lifting up their front legs and showing their fangs.
So when a tarantula does that then you should back off and leave it alone. It won´t bite you (tarantulas rarely bite humans) but it will launch spine-like hairs as a defense mechanism from its abdomen.
Chilean Rose Tarantulas are very docile and will rarely bite a human. The Chilean Rose Tarantulas don´t have a particularly strong venom that is usually harmless to humans.
Where to Get One
This is also one of the most commonly available spider species that you can buy in pet stores.
7. Antilles Pink Toe Tarantula
This tarantula is truly impressive to look at. It has pink hair all over its body which gives it a very unique look.
As pets, they are also quite low maintenance but they live in funnel-like webbing so they can sometimes be hard to spot in a terrarium.
Size
Females are between 52 and 54 mm long while males are between 46 and 52 mm long.
Appearance
They are very colorful with pink and blue-hairs all over its body.
Bites
As with all tarantulas, they don´t bite humans and even if they do their venom is not dangerous to humans.
Where to Get One
These are not as easy to find in pet stores as other tarantulas but you can usually find them in specialized reptile pet stores or online in reputable pet stores in your area.
8. Brazilian Black Tarantula
They look dangerous but they are usually very docile towards humans as most tarantulas are.
As pets, they are generally easy to care for but they are very expensive because they live long and they are quite rare in captivity.
Size
They grow very slowly often only reaching maturity with 7 to 8 years and grow to be around 18 cm in length.
Appearance
They are black, hence the name, and have hairs all over their body. Their abdomen is often slightly brownish.
Bites
Like almost all tarantulas the Brazilian Black Tarantula only very rarely bites humans and its venom is usually harmless to humans.
Where to Get One
They can usually only be bought from breeders and not in pet stores as they are quite rare and expensive.
9. Brazilian Red and White Tarantula
This tarantula looks really amazing compared to other tarantula on this list.
Just as other tarantulas the Red and White Brazilian Tarantula is also very docile, easy to care for, and low-maintenance. So it is a perfect spider for beginners.
Size
They are on average between 15 and 17 cm long.
Appearance
It is black but, similar to the Red Knee Tarantula, it has white accents on its knees and brown hair on its abdomen.
Bites
Like all other tarantulas it will rarely bite humans and its venom is usually not dangerous to humans.
Where to Get One
They can be bought from breeders and are only very rarely available in pet stores.
10. Greenbottle Blue Tarantula
Just like all the other tarantulas on this list, the Greenbottle Blue Tarantula is also a great pet for beginners for the same reasons as I already mentioned with other tarantulas.
Size
On average the Greenbottle Blue Tarantula is between 14 and 16 cm long.
Appearance
The Greenbottle Blue Tarantula has a light green hairy body and blue legs. The abdomen is brown in color.
This is a very colorful tarantula that is a real looker.
Bites
Like all the other tarantulas on this list the Greenbottle Blue Tarantula does only rarely bite HUmans and its venom is not dangerous to humans.
Where to Get One
You can usually only get them from breeders.
11. Green Lynx
The Green Lynx spider is not for everyone. It has very long thin legs which some people don´t like.
This is barely a beginner spider because its bite is painful but it only very rarely bites humans. So it can be slightly dangerous but it usually doesn’t hurt humans unless threatened.
The Green Lynx can be found in the southern United States, in Mexico, and in Central America. It can also be found in Jamaica.
Size
On average it will grow to around 12 mm in length.
Appearance
Its body and legs are bright green and it has some red spots around the eyes and black and red spots on its body.
Bites
It rarely bites humans but if it does then the venom causes swelling and pain. Its venom isn´t deadly to humans but the bite is painful.
Where to Get One
You can only get them from breeders. They are almost never sold in pet stores.
12. Huntsman Spider
The Huntsman Spider is the biggest spider on this list. It is called Huntsman Spider because of its speed when hunting its prey.
They are usually pretty easy to care for but they require quite a big terrarium because they want to move around especially when on the hunt.
They are also called crab spiders because of their big abdomen and long thin legs.
They can bite humans when threatened and aren´t as docile as tarantulas. So I won´t recommend them as pets for absolute beginners.
Size
They can grow to be between 25 and 30 cm long.
Appearance
They have a big abdomen and body and very long thin legs. They are brown in color. Some Huntsman Spiders can be very light brown in color with red spots on the side of their body and head.
Bites
They will defend their homes and especially female Huntsman Spiders are known to be quite aggressive when defending their eggs.
The bite of a HUntsman Spider is painful and can cause severe swelling. The bite can become dangerous to humans especially because the Huntsman Spider is known to bite multiple times if threatened.
Where to Get One
They are only sold by breeders.
What is the Friendliest Spider in the World?
A lot of people who are interested in keeping a spider as a pet are afraid of getting bitten by it. While most spiders that are sold as pets can´t kill a human the bite is usually still very painful. So it is absolutely understandable that most of you want to get a very friendly spider as a pet that preferably doesn´t bite you at all.
As a whole, the friendliest pet spider species in the world is the tarantula. Species like the Mexican Redleg or the Chilian Rose tarantula rarely bite humans and are generally very docile. Their venom isn´t dangerous but a bite will hurt.
For beginners, I usually like to recommend getting either a tarantula or a jumping spider.
Both species are quite docile and their venom isn´t dangerous to humans.
Lisa is one of the two founders of Animal-Knowledge. She has been very interested in animals and insects from a very young age and has owned different kinds of pets such as snails, ants, fish, turtles, mice, rats, hamsters, rabbits, a dog, … you get the idea 🙂
