If you read the news like me, it’s easy to stress about the future. The rich get richer and the poor are getting poorer. Fascist, chauvinistic government fools will speak about destruction. One wonders how they can have joy, let alone spread that joy to our little ones. By little ones of course, I mean pet tarantulas.
Last year I bought a Mexican Fireleg whom I named Shelob. She is my everything. We have a bond stronger than the power of Goku. But I’m not stupid. I know I don’t have the luxury to shield her from the harsh truths of reality. It is my job as her owner to look into her many innocent eyes and help her understand. I want to hug her and tell her everything is alright as I stroke her urticating hairs that make my eyes feel funny.
As she is very empathetic, I often find Shelob spending hours a day just sitting there motionless in her terrarium just staring off into space. She is clearly paralyzed with fear. Sometimes she is so nervous she burrows into the dirt. Like many of you, it makes me a concerned parent. This is not right. She should be happily crawling over my face or my roommates when they sleep.
But this is not just about me, this goes out to everyone with a pet arachnid who wants them to live a life free of endless wars and racism. Many famous tarantula owners such as Billie Eiliish surely feel the same way.
Remind your pet tarantula that the world is not all cruelty and despair. There’s plenty to love like kittens, apple pie, or the delightful comedy of Conner O’Malley. Play some of their favorite prog metal like Blind Guardian or Elvenking. Put on the David Arquette classic movie Eight Legged Freaks. Give them social time with your pet lizards. Despite everything the world tries to take from you, these things they can’t.
So don’t stress and decide it’s wrong to raise a tarantula in these times. Personally, I’m going to breed Shelob and look forward to caring for her four hundred babies because the world may seem dark, but that’s when you provide a fluorescent bulb for their twelve-hour light/dark cycle.