Breeding Tarantulas

March 14, 2013

Question: I’m interested in catching some local tarantulas to try breeding them. I can’t find anything obviously referring to either tarantulas or prohibitions on such things. Are there any licenses required? Are there any definite prohibitions against it or any issues pertaining to the different public lands (e.g. city, county, state, federal)? (S. Godfrey)

Answer: The Fish and Game Code and its implementing regulations currently do not prohibit the take of spiders, but federal laws may apply to the take or breeding of tarantulas. You may want to consult the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding federal prohibitions, and be aware that some public lands (e.g. state and national parks, scientific reserves, etc.) have laws that prohibit the taking of any live animals. You need to check with the jurisdiction of the land on which you want to hunt tarantulas.