This Woman Raises 5 Deadly Spiders And Claims Them As Her Pets

Aug 27, 2018

If you’re anything like the typical person, you’re terrified of spiders. Anytime you see one outside, or one crawls near you in your home, you become horrified. But for one woman, Lisa Van Kula Donovan, spiders can be your beloved pets.

Lisa is an entomologist who grew up in the United States but now lives in Brisbane, Australia. In her house, spiders aren’t something to fear but are something to own and love. At one time, she had ten pet spiders that shared her house with her. Lisa and her family enjoy spending time with the spiders and see them as pets.

As of right now, she keeps five deadly spiders at her home.

Lisa’s pets include a vast array of spiders. She owns a spider named Charlotte that is a Golden Orb, and a species of huntsman spider that she named Flip. Her three remaining spiders are all Holconia immanis huntsman spiders, known as Giant Grey spiders, and they are named Cuddles, Mr. Cuddles, and Parker. Lisa talks about her spiders lovingly.

She remembers naming the female spider Cuddles, who is actually her largest spider, and found it humorous considering that she has a leg span of 16 centimeters.

She adopted Mr. Cuddles after she found him at a friends house who was about to spray her home to get rid of insects. Lisa is hoping that Cuddles and Mr. Cuddles have babies together. Parker is named after Peter Parker, also known as Spiderman. He got this name because of the outstretched leg position that he puts himself into every time she holds him.

Flip has no particular meaning behind his name, but she refers to him as a chill spider that will just hang out on her arm most of the time.

Lisa found her passion for spiders when she moved from America to Australia. She once took the time to videotape a fight between a wolf spider and a much smaller barn spider. She became fascinated by the way that the smaller spider overtook the larger one, and her interest peaked there. Her spiders even have their own room in her house. Lisa feeds some of her spider's crickets through webs that they make in the corner of her insect room.

The three huntsman spiders reside in zippered cages and need to be fed insects like mealworms, crickets, and cockroaches. Lisa maintains the claim that none of her pet spiders have ever bitten her. Although most would say that Lisa’s pets are gross or abnormal, she loves them to pieces and takes care of them well.

Would you ever consider having a spider as a pet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!