How to Ship a Tarantula

shipping a tarantula

Tarantulas are hairy and often very large arachnids which thrive well in tropical climate. They are fast becoming a popular pet option because they are exotic, quiet and need little space. Despite their frightening appearance, many are fascinated to take them as pests and even breed them as a hobby. These eight-legged critters are easy to take care of. They are best appreciated in their container not because they are dangerous but due to the fact that they are fragile and can get stressed easily when handled.

When shipping tarantulas, proper packaging must be observed to ensure that they arrive safely and healthy. It is also a good idea to ship them overnight so that they will spend as little time in transit as possible. Here is an easy-to-follow guideline on how to pack and ship a tarantula.

Place the tarantula in its container and put it in the refrigerator for about ten minutes.

Get some paper towels and dampen them with water. The towels should be moist but not soaked.  Use the moist towels to line the inside of a 16-ounce deli cup.

Take the tarantula container and coax the spider to crawl into the deli cup. Use a trim paintbrush to gently push the tarantula into the deli cup.  Once inside the cup, insert some dry paper towel into the cup leaving just enough space for the spider to be comfortable.  Place the lid on the deli cup. Make sure to punch around 12 holes on the lid using a thumb tack beforehand.

Get an 8x8x10 sturdy cardboard box and fill the bottom with at least three inches of packing peanuts.  Place the deli cup on top of the packing peanuts and in the center of the box.  Fill the box with more packing peanuts, leaving just enough space on top for a frozen gel ice pack.

Close the box, making sure that the contents are not moving when gently shaken. Add more peanuts if there is movement.

Seal the box with packaging tape. Address and label the package.

Ship the box by next day shipping using a private shipping company. The US Postal Service does not allow mailing of tarantulas.

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