Meet the man who lives with 700 tarantulas

By Josie Adnitt via SWNS

Meet the man who lives with a collection of more than 700 - TARANTULAS.

Aaron Phoenix, 36, started accumulating the spiders in summer 2021 to help with his mental health.

He keeps them all in his "tarantula cave" - and says the biggest is the size of a dinner plate.

Aaron, from Yate, South Glos., lives with the spiders alongside his partner, Jo, 47, and her two teenage daughters.

But he's in the process of finding a separate premises for the tarantulas - as he's still growing his collection.

Aaron, a house removals specialist, said: “I couldn't give you an exact number. But I have more than 700.

"Even though it sounds cheesy I was born to do this.

“People always ask if I’m kidding when I tell them how many spiders I have - they ask if there is something wrong with me.

“But everyone has their hobby, what they like to do. Some people like to go to the gym - and I like to collect tarantulas.

“All in all, I’ve rescued 120 spiders in the last year or so - it’s just my life really, it’s everything to me.

“I don’t think there could ever be a limit with me, as soon as I had one, I knew I wanted more.

“As long as I know that I can look after them and give them basic care then I’m happy.”

Aaron first started collecting when doctors told him a hobby could help his mental health following a bipolar diagnosis.

The inspiration came from a pet tarantula he had as a teen, but tragically had to give up.

His collection quickly grew – and now he rescues abandoned arachnids from around the country, as well as working towards being able to sell the animals to other collectors and spider-lovers.

He also breeds locusts and mealworms to feed the tarantulas which allows him to save £200 per month on food costs.

And he spends around £100 per month on substrates, cork bark, leaf litter and sphagnum moss for the spiders.

Aaron says his biggest spider is a burgundy goliath tarantula – also known as a goliath bird-eating spider – with a leg-span the size of a dinner plate.

Now he’s even started offering visits to kid's parties – giving youngsters and parents alike the chance to safely experience the beasts up close.

“I’ve got premises so I can have my own spider store; I’m working on a website and traveling around the country rescuing spiders,” said Aaron.

“I get quite a lot of people messaging me saying they've got spiders, and they don’t want them anymore.

“I’ve also had messages from people where spiders were dumped in the street – once someone had moved out and left spiders on the street in their enclosures.

“At the moment I have a designated room in my house, my tarantula cave.

“I have a full-time job doing house removals, but as things have developed, I’ve realized this is what I want to do.

“My boss had a spare unit available, so I’ve been doing it up, sealing the walls, putting racking and special enclosures up, as well as heat pads and that sort of thing.

“My partner stays out of it, she’s just happy it makes me happy.”