Tarantulas and spiders are increasingly popular pets, yet understanding of their welfare needs is limited and the exotic pet trade poses significant challenges for wild population sustainability.
While spider sentience remains scientifically uncertain, precautionary welfare considerations apply. Tarantulas kept in inappropriate humidity, temperature, or enclosure conditions show stress responses including refusal to feed and abnormal posturing. Dehydration causes prolonged physiological stress before death. Responsible husbandry research is improving outcomes for these animals.