Keeper guide

Do Tarantulas Need Light?

Whether tarantulas need enclosure lighting, how normal day-night cycles work and why direct sunlight is dangerous.

They do not need a reptile basking lamp

Tarantulas do not need a bright dedicated lamp to bask. Normal ambient room light can provide a day-night cue without heating the enclosure.

Avoid direct sun

A glass or acrylic enclosure in direct sunlight can overheat rapidly. Never use a sunny windowsill as a way to warm a tarantula.

Display lighting

Low-heat LED lighting can be used for a room or display cabinet if it does not create heat, glare or constant illumination.

Night time

Give the collection a normal dark period. Leaving bright lights on around the clock serves no husbandry purpose.

Plants

A bioactive planted enclosure may need plant lighting, but design it for the plants without turning the spider enclosure into a hot lamp box.

Lighting and enclosure temperature

Any lighting system should be judged by how it affects enclosure temperature and behaviour. Decorative lighting is optional; stable husbandry is not.