how it all began…

It all started by posting some pictures on Instagram. I really enjoyed photographing my tarantulas and sharing them with other keepers. Before long there were people sending me messages asking how I keep certain species or how I make my enclosures. So instead of responding to each message with paragraphs of information, I thought it would be better to create a group where we could all discuss our husbandry together on Facebook. I took things to the next step by creating the YouTube channel. The Tarantula Collective is a channel for tarantula keepers, breeders, hobbyists, artists, and retailers that share a love and enjoyment for tarantulas, spiders, scorpions, mantids, and all other forms of invertebrates (and repltiles and amphibians). This channel is where I post care videos for specific species, vlog tarantula keeper life, post DIY videos on building enclosures and other things related to the hobby. The group and channel has grown by leaps and bounds…so I created a cross platform social media group that you can find/ join/follow/subscribe across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, Tumblr, TikTok and Twitter. So whatever social media platform you are on, most likely you will find the Tarantula Collective there as well.

This is where I first starting filming videos about how I care for specific species of tarantulas and posting them to YouTube. After a few years I decided to make this my full time job and it was clear I had outgrown my basement. So it was time to move Tarantula Collective to the next level.

The Initial Setup

As far as I know, this is the only studio in the country dedicated the videography and photography of tarantulas, spiders, and other arachnids and invertebrates. Here I have over 2000sq ft dedicated to giving my tarantulas, invertebrates and reptiles the best possible homes they could have in captivity. With dedicated stations built specifically for filming tarantulas, their safety always comes first. This is true whether I am filming or photographing spiders in the wild or captivity.

Tarantula Collective Studios

Richard Stewart

I’ve worked closely with breeders, researchers, zoologists, professors and manufacturers across the arachnid and invertebrate fields, and I regularly test enclosures, substrates, and care methods to separate what works from what just sounds good online. My goal is simple: better information leads to healthier animals and a more responsible hobby. We want tarantulas to thrive in our care, not just survive our care.

When I’m not filming or writing, I’m usually rehousing spiders, editing videos, or standing in the middle of a desert or jungle somewhere trying to convince the spiders to come out of hiding so I can take pictures of them.

I’m Richard Stewart, the creator behind The Tarantula Collective. I’ve spent years keeping, studying, and documenting tarantulas and other invertebrates, both in captivity and in the wild. What started as a personal obsession quickly turned into a mission: replacing hobby myths with real, evidence-based care.

I got my first pet tarantula back in 2000 when I was a freshman in college and I have been keeping and studying tarantulas since. In October of 2018 I made my first youtube video showing how I make my spiderling and juvenile enclosures out of AMAC boxes. Since that day I have been sharing my experiences and everything I have learned keeping a large and ever growing collection of tarantula species. I’ve traveled across North, Central and South America and beyond to observe and document tarantulas and other invertebrates in the wild and captivity. The more time I’ve spent watching how these animals actually live, the clearer it became that a lot of common care advice just doesn’t hold up. When we know better, we should do better.

Through videos, articles, and hands-on fieldwork, I focus on how tarantulas actually live, not how we assume they do. My work focuses on evidence-based husbandry, real research, and firsthand observation. That means digging into peer-reviewed research, observing natural behaviors in the field, and constantly updating husbandry advice as new information becomes available.

MEET MY TEAM

Zach Kaminski

My name is Zach Kaminski and I have worked with Richard at the Tarantula Collective for 3 years! My animal care experience includes working at Oglebays Good Zoo as an Education Keeper, West Liberty University as a Graduate Assistant for the 400+ animals on campus, Working at Petco (Which is where i met Richard), and I have about 20 tarantulas, a vinegaroon, 3 scorpions, 20 snakes, 2 snapping turtles, and 3 cats. I obtained my undergrad and masters degrees at West Liberty University studying Zoo Science. I have realistic tattoos of a Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Epicrates cenchria) around my shoulder and a Costa Rican Zebra Knee Tarantula (Aphonopelma seemanni) on my ribs. My favorite species of tarantula is the Green Bottle Blue (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens) because they do everything you want a tarantula to do, they're colorful, spin big beautiful webs, are usually out, grow fast, eat well, and are just stunning.

I have worked at the Tarantula Collective for 3 years, ever since the Tarantula Collective moved out of Richards basement and into the studio. I obtained this amazing and fulfilling job at the Tarantula Collective by running into Richard at Petco while I was working. He asked me for 200 large crickets and after grabbing them I went back and tried not to fanboy too hard. I started asking about the channel and all his great work and we connected over facebook. A few months later I got a message asking if i could help move all the animals and equipment from his house to the studio and obviously I said yes. After moving everything he asked me if I knew of anyone who would be interested in working for him so I said “Yes, Me!” and have been working there ever since.

My job at the studio includes husbandry for all the animals, enclosure building and upgrades, cleaning, assisting with feisty or flighty film subjects while in their photoshoots (Which makes me a tarantula wrangler!), and anything else that Richard needs help with. My favorite part about working at the Tarantula Collective studio has to be the first 5 minutes of each shift after turning the lights on and doing my wellness checks, because most of the animals are out and you can truly appreciate their beauty!

My experience with tarantulas started on a mission trip to Honduras the summer before college. I was going to go study animals, not knowing which ones yet. On the work site in Honduras there were occasional animals that needed to be removed to not get injured. It started out with chickens and mice then a lizard and snake and finally a tarantula! All the animals I've handled before but not a tarantula. I was nervous but removed it with a cup and stick. Over the course of the week I removed another dozen or so tarantulas and with each critter saved I went from fear to fascination really quickly.

I then went off to West Liberty University to study Zoo Science for my undergrad and decided to do every non taxa specific project on tarantulas.

Animal physiology = urticating hairs

Animal behavior = training a tarantula

Zoo education = tarantulas as ambassador animals

Etc.

On campus we had 2 tarantulas, a Curly Hair (Tliltocatl albopilosus) and a Salmon Pink Birdeater (Lasiodora parabyhana). I helped tremendously with their care along with the 200 or so reptiles and amphibians we had on campus at that time (so many more animals now). On a school trip to Costa Rica we visited a wildlife sanctuary that had Costa Rican Zebra Knees (Aphonopelma seemanni) everywhere along the walking paths. I fell in love with this species and they are my advisor's favorite tarantula. So it made sense to choose Zebra Knees for my undergrad thesis. They were also chosen due to their abundance and history in arachnoculture, the use of them as model organisms in scientific research, and their availability because we obtained 8 adults for my study. I studied their thermal preference in human care.

I loved West Liberty University and studying Zebra Knees so much that I stayed 2 more years to get my Masters Degree in Zoo Science studying Zebra Knees in the field to make an evidence-based husbandry protocol and studied dietary impacts on their growth on campus.

My goals in the future are to complete this 2 year world tour i am on and experience as much as possible from Rainbow Boas and Bird Eaters in the Peruvian Amazon, to Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) in Madagascar, to Borneo Blue Leg Tarantulas (Birupes simoroxigorum) in Indonesia, and more. I am also going to Costa Rica, Greece, Egypt, and Australia where I plan to work at the Australia Zoo with the Irwins. I'll be in Australia for a year and after that I will head back to the US to open up my own zoo focused on obscure and high phobic animals.

If you want to follow my journey make sure to follow my socials!

IG: Zachs_Zooo

TikTok: Zachs_Zoo_Travel

FB: Zach Kam

Pahri Cullen

Hi! I’m Pahri and I’ve been at the Tarantula Collective since around spring 2024. I graduated from West Liberty University in 2023 with a B.S. in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, and am currently taking time off before finishing my master’s in biology. I have some professional experience working as a graduate assistant on campus, caring for a large collection of reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates.

I got my first tarantula at 11 to help overcome an intense fear of arachnids and develop an appreciation for them and I’ve loved them ever since. I became seriously interested in reptile keeping at around 14 and since then have kept numerous reptile, amphibian, and arachnid species at home. In 2023 I got to leave the country for the first time and travel to Costa Rica where I got to cross off seeing wild tarantulas from my bucket list! I got to see one of my favorite species, Megaphobema mesomelas, in a burrow with an egg sac and had a bit of an out of body experience. At home, one of my favorite parts of keeping is putting my education to work and doing natural history research on my animals to help improve husbandry and mimic their natural environment as closely as possible. I keep several species of dart frogs, geckos, snakes, roughly 30 tarantulas and a few scorpions.

At the tarantula collective, my role mostly consists of regular husbandry and maintenance, such as feeding, water changes, and enclosure upgrades. This is my favorite job I’ve had for a ton of reasons with my favorite part being getting to know the animals as individuals and observe their habits and personalities. Watching the slings grow up and seeing all the variations between individuals of the same species is truly amazing and what hooked me on the hobby as a kid. I also have the opportunity of constantly learning about new techniques and species new to the hobby through Richard’s research and connections which has been an incredible experience. In the future I plan to finish my degree and continue putting my experience to work at the Tarantula Collective and at home with my animal kiddos.

I’m not super active on social media but I occasionally post my animals and activities on my Instagram @pahricullen ☺

Elizabeth Woods

Hi, I’m Elizabeth! I recently joined The Tarantula Collective as the Coordinator, and I’m excited to get to know the community and help support everything we’re building together.

I graduated from Marshall University with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations. Over the years, I’ve worked with a non-profit, a community center, a production company, and an event planning firm. These roles all focused on connecting with people and promoting great work.

I also spent five years at Amazon, where I worked in customer service and technical support. During that time, I helped create standard operating procedures, worked on process improvement projects, and developed supplemental training programs for associates.

In addition, I have nine years of experience in commercial and investment real estate purchasing and development. My work there included contract creation and negotiation, office management, project tracking, and keeping deadlines on schedule.

And yes, I’ve even had a tarantula of my own. Her name was Barbara.

If you’d like to work with The Tarantula Collective, feel free to reach out to me at coordinator@thetarantulacollective.com.