Tarantulas don’t need much or any light at all because they prefer to live in low-light conditions. You can provide some dim lighting if you want, but tarantulas prefer to live in darker conditions.
Tarantulas are nocturnal animals and they live in hidden areas in the wild. They will live in burrows and other hidden spots, such as in crevices and between rocks.
In darker areas, tarantulas survive comfortably because they are adapted to low-light conditions. That’s the main reason why you don’t want your tarantula to be exposed to too much light.
Do You Need to Provide Light for a Tarantula?
If you are keeping a tarantula as a pet, then you don’t need to provide lots of light for them. In fact, it’s better to keep them in a low-light environment because they are used to living in low-light conditions.
Owning a tarantula requires you to know some things about this beautiful creature, and one of these things is knowing that this spider doesn’t need a lot of light to survive.
Throughout its evolution, the tarantula has adapted to living in hidden and darker outdoor areas. It will spend most of its days inside of its burrows, where they don’t have much light so they know how to live in darkness.
Their eyesight is poor anyway, (in spite of their large number of eyes) so they don’t need much light to move around.
The tarantula will mostly rely on its hairs when it moves around in the darkness. These hairs allow the spider to get a better sense of where objects are around it and where other animals might be.
These urticating hairs are not only important for the spider for self-defense, but they are also very important for moving around and sensing the world. Tarantulas use their hairs to sense their environment and to move around even when there is darkness around them.
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Why Do Tarantulas Not Need Light?
Tarantulas don’t need light to survive because they are used to living in low-light conditions in the wild. They don’t get their energy from light like some other animals.
Some animals in the wild require sunlight to survive. For mammals, the light will give them energy and it will boost their chances of survival, while low-light conditions might hurt them, as they lose vital vitamins and minerals needed to live.
Spiders, and particularly tarantulas, don’t have the same problem. Wild tarantulas are almost never seen outside in the sunlight, but they spend most of their time during the day inside their burrow.
They mostly come out at night where they will hunt other animals and look for ways to improve their burrow.
Tarantulas are uncomfortable in direct sunlight. They will struggle with the heat because they’re not used to very hot environments with direct light shining upon them. You don’t need to provide direct or strong light over your tarantula tank or their habitat if you own them as a pet.
Related Article: Do Tarantulas Hibernate?
What Light To Keep Your Tarantula In?
It’s best to keep your tarantula in dim light or no light at all, which will boost the chances of the survival of your tarantula and make it enjoy its surroundings.
The best possible environment for your tarantula is to keep it in a dimly lit room. That way, your spider will be able to enjoy the best environment possible for its survival while also not making the spider uncomfortable.
The matter of fact is that tarantulas are used to low-light conditions from their natural habitat. Providing too much light can result in your tarantula having problems with its exoskeleton, while it might also struggle to move normally because it’s not used to higher levels of light.
Some tarantula owners opt for having tarantula tanks in dim lighting conditions, while others place tarantula tanks in darkness. In general it’s better to at least provide dim light, so you can see your tarantula and to more accurately mimic their natural habitat.
Related Article: How to Tell if Your Tarantula is Dying
Tarantula Lighting Tips
1. Avoid Direct Sunlight
Never expose your tarantula to direct sunlight. Your tarantula might die from the excessive heat that it receives from the sunlight. Most tarantulas spend the day in their burrows in the wild to avoid direct sunlight.
2. Avoid High Powered Lighting
Don’t place bright lights over your tarantula’s habitat. Never force your spider to live under bright lights since tarantulas prefer a dim environment.
3. Avoid Complete Darkness
You should not force your tarantula to live only in darkness at all times. Make sure it receives some dim light if possible, since this more accurately represents the natural environment a tarantula would experience in the wild.
4. Avoid UV Lighting
UV light should be avoided because it can cause overheating in your tarantula. Unlike some other animals, tarantulas don’t get their energy from the sun and don’t need UV light to survive.
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Do Tarantulas Need Day/Night Cycle?
Some tarantula species need a day/night cycle, but you can simulate this by turning on and off the lights at regular intervals with a timer.
Again, you should aim to keep the lights as dim as possible to do that. You should avoid using direct sunlight or light if you intend to simulate the cycle. Make sure the lights are not too harsh for the spider.
The best way to do that is to keep the tarantula for 12 hours in dim lighting, and by turning the light off entirely for the other 12 hours. This will help you simulate the day and night cycle best.
Conclusion
Tarantulas thrive in dim light, and you should avoid putting your spider in direct sunlight at all times.
In the wild, tarantulas seek a way from the sunlight, as they hide between rocks and in crevices.
You should also not keep your spider entirely in darkness, and you should aim to simulate the day and night cycle as best as possible.
Stuart is the editor of Fauna Facts. He edits our writers’ work as well as contributing his own content. Stuart is passionate about sustainable farming and animal welfare and has written extensively on cows and geese for the site.