So Here’s A Little Bit More About Us
We are father (Mark) and son (Luke) hobbyists who have been keeping tarantulas for a combined total of more than 20 years. Since I can remember, I’ve always had a fascination with invertebrates and my dad has always kept reptiles. Growing up I pestered my parents about tarantulas and eventually my persistence paid off which came as a surprise, dad was actually phobic of them! It was agreed that if I did my research and was supervised, I could get one from the local pet shop – Hobdays, which turned into a coffee shop that I later worked at! At the age of 11 I came home with a ‘Chilean Rose’ that after some time we realised was an adult male but that was where it all began, the spider that helped cure a phobia. Unfortunately he didn’t last long and I was therefore allowed another one but accidentally bought two! Again they were both ‘Chilean Rose’ but this time I got two adult females, one of which i still have today – 14 years later!
As time went on I acquired more and even my dad got involved, at 13 I successfully bred my first tarantula – Avicularia sp Peru purple. The years went on, reptiles were slowly replaced with invertebrates and soon enough my bedroom was full! To combat this a decision was made to build a shed in the garden, not buying anymore spiders was never an option. We now had the space to feed our addiction and we went to our first show – The annual BTS exhibition which has become the highlight of the year for us. After many years of attending shows all over the country as a customer we had finally bred enough and had enough surplus tarantulas to trade at our first show in 2018. We now attend between 8 – 10 shows yearly and they’re great days out, we still come home with more than we take! You can find out more about the shows we attend by visiting our Upcoming Shows page.
I’ve been lucky in finding a very understanding and supportive partner and since buying our first home, I now have a bedroom AND a spider room. My mum has also succumbed to the fact that dad spends a lot of time in the garden shed and with the free labour I get with the girlfriend helping to pot up 100’s of spiderlings we feel it’s the right time to open this online store. Our aim is to continue the captive breeding of tarantulas, grow our own collection and to someday have the opportunity to study and observe these fascinating creatures in the wild.