RSPCA Finds New Homes For Giant Spiders Thrown Out In The Cold

An RSPCA animal centre has rehomed an intake of tarantulas who were abandoned in freezing temperatures.

The spiders were cared for at RSPCA Brighton Reptile Rescue after they were left inside rubbish sacks on a grass verge outside Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare in Lewes before Christmas.

Initially, ten spiders contained in plastic boxes were found outside the centre, but one tarantula died later. The others were transported to RSPCA Sussex North and Brighton Branch’s reptile facility on December 10 to receive specialist care. 

The tarantulas were found as the RSPCA reveals that between 18 December and 31 December, there were 846 incidents across England and Wales concerning animals being abandoned - the most for this period since 2018.

They recovered from their ordeal and all of the spiders have been rehomed with owners who were able to demonstrate expertise, as well as possessing suitable accommodation to meet the needs of the invertebrates.

While tarantulas are often viewed as low-maintenance pets, they have very specific requirements, which includes being housed in enclosures at certain temperatures and humidity depending on the species because they come from a tropical/sub-tropical environment.

Head of Reptiles at Brighton, Fred Bark, explained:

“Tarantulas are fairly hardy, although the one that passed away was of a species that can be particularly affected by cold temperatures. Generally we know fairly quickly whether they are going to be okay when they come in to us.

“The intake was a mix of old and new world tarantulas, so they were different species from different parts of the world, which meant each one needed specific care. Most of them were not fully grown, but they were still big spiders.

“There are quite a few people who keep tarantulas in the Brighton area and once we established they were going to survive we notified some potential adopters.

"Owners need the right enclosures and the knowledge to care for them and once they’d satisfied us they could meet their needs we were able to rehome them all fairly quickly.”

The reptile rescue is based at the branch’s animal centre, whose manager, Jenny Eden, added:

“It was important these tarantulas got the careful rehabilitation which we are able to provide our reptiles here at Brighton - we are the only dedicated RSPCA reptile rescue in England and Wales.

"Fortunately, whoever abandoned them also left the vivariums they were being kept in, so our staff were able to use them to care for them as they made their recovery.”

As well as maintaining a controlled living environment, tarantulas require specific diets with the British Tarantula Society recommending they are fed insects like live crickets, mealworms, beetles and locusts.

They also need to be handled with caution as their bite is venomous and although not poisonous to humans it can have varying levels of potency depending on the species, with some people bitten suffering allergic reactions.

The new world species of tarantulas also flick urticating hairs which can cause irritation to human eyes. 

New owners are encouraged to move tarantulas while they are within their enclosures or by coaxing them into a plastic container with a lid or a piece of card.

Staff at Brighton Reptile Rescue had a busy 2024 caring for and rehoming exotic animals and they started 2025 celebrating a notable adoption success.

Elon, a musk turtle, who was abandoned at the centre more than four years ago during lockdown, has finally moved out after he was fixed up with a new home.

Elon was cared for at the rescue for 1,579 days, the longest ever stay by a reptile!

“Elon was quite a personable chap really and he was easy to handle when musk turtles can often be smelly and quite bitey,” said Fred.

“Musk turtles can live for a long time, up to 60 years.

"Elon was fully grown when he was abandoned, but we don’t know much about him before then.

“We’re also looking for homes for a number of Royal Pythons who have been with us for a while.

"We have around 20 in at the moment and as snakes go they are not too difficult to care for, provided people have the right equipment and do their research on how to look after them.”

Anyone interested in adopting a reptile from RSPCA Brighton Reptile Rescue can email  [email protected] or check out the centre’s Facebook page.

Join the RSPCA’s Winter Rescue by donating online at rspca.org.uk/winterappeal.