Ok first off what you need to do is ask yourself why you want a tarantula, because they like any animal are not just a 2 minute deal. In many species of tarantula the females can live for up to and beyond 25 years but once mature, male tarantulas live for only a year or two depending on the species sometimes only a few months!
They are not pets in the such that they will show you any emotion and will not love you back. They should never be used as a scare tactic and if this is a main reason to buy one, then just buy a plastic toy one.
Before you purchase one read as much information that you can about them. Even though on the whole they are really easy to keep, they can have their own little surprises.
Be aware that even though no species tarantula spider have ever been responceible for the death of someone though its bite, there are some species where the venom is considerd to be stronger than others, and all tarantulas bites are going to be quite painful and trantulas can not be devenomated.
Also be awear of the fact that many species of tarantula from the Americas have hairs that they can flick off as a defence, and these hairs can be very itchy you would also not like to get them in your eyes or lungs as real problems can occur through this!
As a first tarantula it really depends on what you want the tarantula for, be it a good `display´ tarantula to make a kind of talking point with your friends or something that really holds an intrest for you and you are prepared for the fact that you will hardly ever see it.
I don't want to put you off buying a tarantula but rather help you think about all this before you get one. For me tarantulas are a wonder of nature and by far the demons that they are portrade as in the films etc.
I have been keeping them for almost 9 years now and have bred a number of different species, but I still consider myself as someone new to this hobby and I still find myself learning new things about them everyday.
Good luck in your search and please feel free to pm me if you have further questions and I will be happy to try and answer them if I can.
For your injoyment then here is a photo of a female Phamphobeteus sp. `platyomma´
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