I Am Sorry To Say You Have Missed The Show This Year,

 although as it features spiders,

and other creepy-crawlies some might be glad to give last weekends show a miss, now in it's 30th year the British Tarantula Society Exhibition had some 2,000 tarantula lovers hailing from all over the world gathered at an arena in Coventry, an hour northwest of London by train, more than 60 vendors brought along some 30,000 tarantulas, which were set up side-by-side with other invertebrates such as stick insects, beetles and hissing cockroaches, the contest’s nine categories also include more specific awards such as "Best Asian Arboreal" and "Best Brachypelma" there is also an art and photography contest for those who are better at painting or sculpting than rearing spiders,

the show itself came from very humble beginnings, Ann Webb, a tarantula keeper in the U.K., took it upon herself to start the world’s first tarantula society, five of her friends joined and the following year Webb hosted the first annual exhibition in her London garage, about a dozen people showed up, despite the society’s modest beginnings, Webb was onto something, word quickly spread and the membership multiplied like so many spider hatchlings, the exhibition kept outgrowing its venue, from a garage to a church hall to a school auditorium and, finally, a stadium,

tarantula keepers are quick to point out all the things their non-traditional pets have going for them, Ray Hale, vice chairman and 25-year veteran of the British Tarantula Society comments, with a more traditional pet like a hamster, “you have a very upset child after four years,” because of the animal's limited lifespan, tarantulas can live up to 30 years, they also carry no diseases communicable to humans, they do not smell and they are extremely clean, plus spiders require minimal care: their tanks are small and they need just one cricket every ten days, along with a constant supply of fresh water,

so what makes a pet lover pick a tarantula over a terrier? some owners have always been spider fans, while others were introduced to them through a friend, teacher or significant other, so if you are thinking of keeping one, the Chilean rose tarantula, pictured above is a typical starter species due to its calm nature and inviting price tag, today I looked on the net and found some in the UK selling for as little as £16.00 with hatchlings at just £3.95, do I want a spider? not for me, I think I will keep to looking after our fish, but by all accounts a fascinating hobby.