Looking for tarantulas for sale in Sydney? Birdsville, your small animal specialist at 684 Botany Road, Alexandria, servicing the Eastern Suburbs and Inner South Sydney, has native Australian tarantulas regularly in stock. Customers travel from right across Sydney to see our current stock and get set up with everything they need.

Tarantulas are large, slow-moving arachnids covered in fine hairs, with an impressive size range of 8 to 15cm leg span depending on species. Females are especially long-lived, often reaching 10 to 20 years, while males live a much shorter 3 to 5 years, worth knowing if you’re choosing one for the long haul. They need an escape-proof enclosure sized to roughly 3 to 4 times their leg span, the right substrate depth for their species (terrestrial vs arboreal), a simple diet of live insects, a shallow water dish kept topped up, and only occasional, cautious handling given their urticating hairs. Our How to Care for Pet Tarantulas page covers the full setup in detail, including how to tell a terrestrial species’ needs from an arboreal one and the early warning signs of a bad moult, well worth a read before yours comes home.

Visit our Facebook and Instagram page for updated photos and what we currently have in stock ([Facebook link], [Instagram link]).

Few pets combine such a striking look with so little day to day effort. Tarantulas don’t need walks, toilet training or grooming, and their slow, deliberate movements make them mesmerising to watch as they burrow, stalk prey or moult. Their defining trait, flicking urticating hairs when startled rather than biting, actually makes them one of the safer exotic pets to keep, provided you respect their space rather than handling them often, and next to a dog, cat or even a bird, their space and ongoing running cost are next to nothing.

This is very much a look, don’t touch pet. Handling is discouraged for both your safety and theirs, a fall from even a modest height can be fatal to a tarantula, and those urticating hairs can cause a nasty skin or eye irritation if flicked your way. Females commit you to two decades of ownership, longer than most dogs live, and feeding means keeping live insects on hand and being comfortable watching your tarantula hunt. If arachnids make your skin crawl rather than fascinate you, or anyone in the household has a phobia, this isn’t the pet to test that on.

Great Pet for Apartment Living

A tarantula’s entire world fits in a single enclosure on a shelf or desk, with no noise, no smell when kept clean, and no impact on neighbours, a genuine advantage over almost any other pet in a rental or apartment. Their low activity level also means they don’t need supervision or company while you’re at work or travelling.

Native Australian tarantulas can be kept in NSW without a permit. Exotic, non-native tarantula species, commonly kept overseas, are illegal to import into or keep in Australia, to help prevent invasive species and biosecurity risks. All tarantulas sold at Birdsville are native Australian species, so you can buy and keep them with complete peace of mind.

Australia’s biosecurity laws take illegally kept exotic invertebrates seriously. In 2026, NSW authorities seized over 100,000 illegally kept exotic cockroaches, including Dubia roaches and Madagascar hissing cockroaches, from a Bathurst breeder, describing it as the largest illegal invertebrate bust in the country’s history, the entire haul, worth an estimated $200,000, was euthanised rather than returned. Sticking to native, legally sourced tarantulas like ours avoids that risk entirely, while still giving you a genuinely fascinating pet.

Reliably sexing a tarantula usually isn’t possible until it’s had at least one moult as a juvenile, so we can’t guarantee the sex of a tarantula at the time of sale. Given that uncertainty, we’re not able to offer a refund, credit or exchange based on the sex your tarantula turns out to be.

Availability

Native Australian tarantulas are regularly in stock, with availability depending on the season and current breeding cycles. If we’re between batches, we’re happy to take a deposit to secure your spot on the next available group, and if you’re after a specific species or need multiple tarantulas for a display setup, we also take special orders, just ask our team in store.

Our team can help put together a complete tarantula setup in one visit rather than several separate trips, covering the enclosure, substrate, hides and feeding supplies your species actually needs. Buying it all as a package works out better value than piecing it together yourself, and there’s plenty more on our shelves beyond what’s listed here worth having a look through.

A secure, ventilated container with some substrate or paper towel inside is all a tarantula needs for the trip home, tarantulas are surprisingly good at finding gaps, so double check the lid seals properly before you leave. Keep the journey short, avoid direct sun or a hot car, and never leave the container unattended in a parked vehicle even briefly. If you don’t have a container on hand, ours are stocked in store and ready to go.

Do you always have tarantulas for sale?

Native Australian tarantulas are regularly in stock at our Alexandria store, though availability shifts a little with breeding cycles and demand. If you’re after a specific species or need several for a display or educational setup, give us a call or drop by in person and our team will tell you exactly what’s on hand.

Can I keep two tarantulas together?

No, tarantulas are solitary and often cannibalistic, housing two together, even a male and female outside of deliberate breeding, usually ends with one eating the other. Each tarantula needs its own enclosure. If you want more than one, plan on a separate setup for each rather than trying to save space by combining them.

Are native Australian tarantulas dangerous to keep?

Not in a serious way. Australian tarantulas aren’t considered medically dangerous to humans, a bite is often compared to a bee sting in intensity, and their main defence is flicking irritating hairs rather than biting. Basic caution around handling and keeping the enclosure escape-proof is all that’s needed to keep both you and your tarantula safe.

How long will my tarantula live?

It depends heavily on sex. Females are the long-lived ones, often reaching 10 to 20 years with good care, while males typically live only 3 to 5 years. If you’re after a genuinely long-term pet, ask our team to help you select or identify a female before you buy.

What size enclosure does a pet tarantula need?

Aim for roughly 3 to 4 times your tarantula’s leg span, though the exact shape depends on whether the species is terrestrial or arboreal, ground dwelling species need more floor space while climbing species need more height. Our How to Care for Pet Tarantulas page breaks down the difference in full before you buy an enclosure.

Is a tarantula a good first pet if I’ve never kept an invertebrate before?

Yes, native Australian tarantulas are considered a manageable starting point, they’re low maintenance, don’t need daily interaction, and their care requirements are fairly forgiving once the enclosure is set up correctly. Just go in expecting a look, don’t touch pet rather than one you’ll be handling regularly.

Drop into Birdsville at 684 Botany Road, Alexandria, servicing the Eastern Suburbs and Inner South Sydney, to see our tarantulas up close. Our team is on hand to help you choose the right species and get properly set up before you head home.