Your brother must either have had a male, or done something very wrong, as female tarantulas can live for more than twenty years.

What do you want in a spider? Do you want an impressive display animal? Something handleable? Colorful?

I have what is referred to in the hobby as a "pet rock" tarantula, a Grammostola rosea. She is extremely mellow, out in her enclosure much of the time, and fascinating to watch. However, she is rather drably colored compared to a lot of species. She is also a species that is known for being docile, though I do not handle her as I believe it causes unnecessary stress.

If you want a more colorful animal, Brachypelma species are often brightly colored, and make great display animals.

Caring for tarantulas is pretty easy unless you pick a delicate species, so research whatever species you pick carefully. For my spider, Morrigan, I have a 20 gallon tank with several inches of densely packed soil. She has two hides and a shallow water dish available to her, and a 25 watt heat bulb during the day. I feed her a vareity of food: Crickets, silkworms, waxworms, and the occasional anole lizard to name a few things. She eats about every two weeks, and the amount depends on what I'm feeding her.

If you do decide to get a tarantula, come back here and ask about moulting. It's a very delicate time for a tarantula, and hundreds of pet tarantulas die every year because a well-meaning owner flips over a tarantula after seeing it on its back.

If you have any other questions, ask! It sounds like Tescos has lots of good info to share too.