A real life Spider-Man has become a superhero for abandoned arachnids and now lives with more than 700 tarantulas - but his rescue missions have resulted in a spider takeover of his home.
Aaron Phoenix, 36, has rescued over 100 spiders in the last year alone and has to breed bugs to feed his massive collection, which he keeps in his “tarantula cave”, with the largest he size of a dinner plate. The removals expert from Yate, South Gloucestershire, says his partner, Jo, 47, does not mind living with more than 700 tarantulas as it makes Aaron happy and benefits his mental health.
Aaron says he “was born to do this”, however the tarantula collection is now outgrowing the house he shares with Jo and her two teenage daughters, and Aaaron is in the process of creating a bespoke home for his army of spiders. “I couldn't give you an exact number. But I have more than 700,” he said. "Even though it sounds cheesy I was born to do this," he said. “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.
Aaron with a Goliath tarantula from his massive collection (SWNS)
Aaron running a birthday party showing kids the tarantulas (SWNS)“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 ultimately had to give up. In later life 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. And to save on food costs, he breeds locusts and mealworms to feed the tarantulas.
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Aaron takes in rescues, spiders which have been abandoned by their former owners (SWNS)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 a premises so I can have my own spider store, I’m working on a website and travelling 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.
In terms of energy bills, the spiders require a fair ambient temperature which he achieves by keeping an oil radiator in the room and he says this doesn't have much of an impact on his energy bills.
Aaron says he spends around £100 per month on materials: cork bark, leaf litter and sphagnum moss for the tanks. He says if he wasn't breeding his own live food for the tarantulas he would be spending around £200 per month on food.
“I have a full-time job doing house removals, but as things have developed, I’ve realised 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.”
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