Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts  By  cover art

Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts

By: Tom Moran
  • Summary

  • A podcast devoted to the proper care and upkeep of tarantulas and other inverts. After keeping a G. porteri for over 16 years, I decided that I wanted to add another tarantula to my collection. Several years later, I now keep over 100 specimens and 90+ different species. It’s safe to say that I am now completely addicted to the hobby.I’m NOT an expert, and I’m currently still learning about keeping these fascinating creatures. In fact, there are so many species, that I suspect that I’ll still be learning years from now. This blog is a bit of a journal to track my interest in the hobby and to share some of the information I’ve learned. A teacher by trade, I enjoy passing along what I’ve information and techniques I’ve discovered and helping others in their successful pursuit of this hobby. I enjoy hearing from folks, whether through comments on the blog or email.I have done and continue to do a lot of research, and I will only be discussing animals I personally keep, so the information I present should be current and accurate. I also regularly update older posts with current photos, observations, and information. However, this is an ever-evolving hobby, so I implore anyone interested in keeping these animals to use whatever they find here as a springboard for further research on techniques or species-specific care.
    © 2024 Tom's Big Spiders - Tarantulas and Inverts
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Episodes
  • The Future of the Podcast and Signs Your Old Tarantula Is Dying
    Apr 28 2024

    If someone would have told me back in early 2018 that this podcast experiment would continue for over 300 episodes, I would have laughed. But here we are, in our seventh year, still churning out shows. That said, I always worry that the program will eventually jump the shark and overstay its welcome. To kick this one off, we’ll discuss the fine line I try to walk producing shows that will appeal to both beginners and more advanced keepers alike and how you can all help as we move ahead.

    Then, my old adult female Harpactira pulchripes passed this week after a bizarre occurrence that had happened only once before. This will lead into a discussion about signs that your old tarantula is dying.



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    52 mins
  • The Best Tarantula Species for Folks Raising up Their First Slings
    Apr 21 2024

    As I've spent more time keeping tarantulas, I've realized that questions "what is a good beginner species?" and "what is a good species to raise as a first time sling? have two very different answers. Just because a species is easier to care for as an adult does not always make it an easy one to raise up. In this episode, I'll discuss the species I tend to recommend when asked what species make for good first-time slings.

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    53 mins
  • The Importance of Establishing Routines with Growing Tarantula Collections
    Apr 15 2024

    How do you know when you’re getting too many tarantulas? How can you tell when you’re reaching what should be your limit?

    In this episode, we’ll discuss the importance of establishing routines and setting boundaries early on to avoid having your collection turn into a hoard.



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    39 mins

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Well reasoned discussion of this hot topic



Tom has extensive knowledge of tarantulas as well as a friendly, positive approach to educating others. He draws upon his experiences as well as anecdotes from others ( many use him as a sounding board ) to deliver a balanced well- reasoned commentary.

He provides reasons for why we humans want to handle tarantulas - some of those reasons are reckless. But ultimately his message is about keeping the well being of the animals first and foremost in mind. And that raises the point about whether tarantulas really benefit from handling. Tune in and listen.


This is my second attempt to write a review. Audible on IOS accepted it more than a day ago but it is nowhere to be found. Now trying Android.

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Tom is a wealth of knowledge

If you really want to dive deep into the hobby, listen to this podcast, super informative and relevant to all experience levels

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I really enjoy his podcasts!

I listened in the beginning and to finally find out its here too. Love it!

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my favorite podcast

I got into the hobby at the start of the pandemic as a way to get over my fear of spiders. I now have 9 tarantulas and love them all like I love my dogs. Tom was one of the first T channels I found on YouTube. I stuck around because of his Cradle of Filth band tshirt but I now look forward to his new podcasts every week. It's clear how much he loves his animals and he's not just in this for social media clout. He is quite knowledgeable and his background as a teacher makes for an even better podcast

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FYI information about fastest spiders Tom has kept

I like that he wasn't trying to tell you what to think, only what he has experienced and was very upfront about it being his personal, subjective opinion.

Personally, I can't think of a way to list the fastest spiders I've kept, but I could lump several into a "fastest" group. I feel like he did something similar.

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