Watch: I share my home with 16 tarantulas and a huntsman spider - take a look inside

With a growing collection of tarantulas and a huntsman spider, Brendan Gallagher explains what drew him to these creatures, how he looks after them, and why he believes they make ideal pets.

For most people, the thought of living alongside spiders is enough to send a shiver down the spine. But for Brendan Gallagher, a local arachnid enthusiast, it is a way of life.

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His home is filled with sixteen tarantulas and a huntsman spider, all housed in carefully maintained enclosures designed to replicate their natural habitats.

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Keeping exotic pets requires knowledge and dedication. Each of Gallagher’s spiders lives in a specialised environment, with carefully controlled temperature and humidity levels. They are fed a diet of crickets and roaches, and their enclosures are regularly maintained.

“They’re surprisingly low-maintenance,” he explained. “As long as you provide the right conditions, they thrive.”

While some might find his choice of pets unsettling, Gallagher has no plans to stop expanding his collection. “There’s always another species to learn about,” he said. “And there’s always someone else to teach.”

For now, his Midlands home remains a sanctuary - not just for himself, but for the many-legged creatures that share his space.