Tarantula owner refuses to let neighbors spray pesticides on her property, claiming her pet is more important than neighbor’s fear of insects: 'She's 10 years old and her name is Churro'

Author image for Celeste Mello
Celeste Mello • Writer and Editor
May 7, 2026 6:45 PM EDT

Tarantulas are also pets. They might not be as easily understood as dogs or cats, but being unconventional doesn't make them any less deserving of care and protection.

In fact, not fitting the typical idea of a pet actually makes them more vulnerable, which at the same time makes the owner's responsibility even greater. This woman is protecting living creatures that depend entirely on her, and that sometimes means dealing with unconventional risks, like pesticide spraying. She has to consider risks that many people wouldn't even think about, like pesticide spraying.

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  • A pet owner holding her tarantula.
    via Unsplash+ (Melissa Keizer)

    A pet owner holding her tarantula.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I live in a duplex. My neighbor messaged me a couple of days ago asking if it was okay to spray my side when they had the pesticide people out. I said no. For starters, I don't like pesticides, in
    via missviolaspelling
  • general. Also I have MCAS and recently had a flair up that resulted in me loosing about 25% of my hair. But more importantly, I keep tarantulas (also 2 snakes and a dog).
    via missviolaspelling
  • For those who don't know, pesticides being sprayed outside can cause DKS in pet tarantulas and k I them.
    via missviolaspelling
  • I know not everyone is gonna sympathize with my specific choice of pet, but I think it's important to point out that I've spent a lot of time and money on them and am very emotionally attached. They have names.
    via missviolaspelling

  • Not everyone will take the time to understand how sensitive these animals are or how easily environmental exposure can harm them, so they'd probably won't be willing to accommodate them. The good thing is this pet owner is taking that risk seriously, and she's very responsible in making it clear to her neighbors as well. Just because her tarantula pets may be difficult for some people to sympathize with doesn't mean their well-being doesn't matter. 

  • They have personalities. One of them is like 10 years old. and her name is Churro. Most of them I've raised myself since they were small enough to be measured in millimeters.
    via missviolaspelling
  • Baby tarantula resting on a human's finger.
    via Unsplash+ (Paul Saberon)

    Baby tarantula resting on a human's finger.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • He messaged me back that "that's not gonna work" because his roommate has a phobia of stinging insects and spends a lot of time on our shared porch and she had an incident recently where a wasp flew into her hair.
    via missviolaspelling
  • Now, this is where i might be the AH. Don't get me wrong. I'm sympathetic to the fact that she has a phobia. Like, that really s ks and I feel bad for her that she had such a scary experience.
    via missviolaspelling
  • Getting any sort of bug in your hair can be scary, let alone one that could sting you! But... I also feel like it's easy enough for her to just... go inside to get away from the wasps? Honestly,
    via missviolaspelling

  • So her refusal to the pesticide spraying isn't selfish. It's informed, because she understands the risk and is acting accordingly. What strengthens her position even more is that she's not trying to control what her neighbors do in their space. She's just asking that something not be done on her property, which is also entirely within her rights. Besides, there are other ways to handle the neighbor's fear of wasps without exposing someone else's pets to harmful chemicals. They could remove nests or use targeted treatments on their own side. A phobia also deserves empathy, but it shouldn't come at the cost of another person's boundaries. 

  • not making a fuss about the fact that they want to spray their side of the duplex is more than enough of a compromise, since even that is going to be putting my tarantulas at risk. We
    via missviolaspelling
  • don't get territorial or defensive species of wasps here anyway, just muddaubers, so I'm more than happy to go out and find the wasps nests and get rid of them myself.
    via missviolaspelling
  • Legally, I'm in the clear. I own my side of the duplex. It's my property. If they spray my side without my permission, that's trespassing (I'm pretty sure). But like... morally/ethically is it okay for me to put my pets over someone else's phobia?
    via missviolaspelling

  • This isn't about choosing pets over people. It's about understanding and respecting other people's concerns while recognizing responsibility. The tarantula owner is doing what any good pet owner does: protecting her animals. And that doesn't make her unreasonable; in fact, it makes her responsible. 

  • Quiet_Road_354 NTA at all. You don't want poison on your property. End of story. The pesticide is bad for humans too and of course you want to protect your pets.
    via Quiet_Road_354
  • leslieramon NTA - I used to have a trantula as a pet, she would cuddle all over my hair and loved to play with plastic caps. Protect your babies!
    via leslieramon
  • Flaherty_Joanl it's your property. You said no, and you have very valid reasons. Her phobias_ks but "go inside" is a pretty reasonable alternative when the other option is potentially kng your pets.
    via Flaherty_Joanl
  • thenagel NTA i will admit that the idea of having spiders as pets is weird to me - however, that doesn't matter. they are YOUR pets and you should protect them just as thoroughly as i would my cats.
    via thenagel
  • Daddinator1701 NTA. You are under no obligation to risk your own or your pets' wellbeing because of something that is in no way your issue or your responsibility
    via Daddinator1701
  • MasterRKitty NTA-they are YOUR pets and YOU should prioritize them over strangers. Tell your neighbor to find a good therapist.
    via MasterRKitty
  • naranghim NTA. Once someone's phobia starts affecting others around them, it's time for them to get professional help rather than expecting people to accommodate them.
    via naranghim
  • NoSmile4407 Pesticides are bad for dogs to walk on also since they lick their paws. Your property, your rules. Insects fly in a free space called air. Spraying pesticides on your porch won't cause a no fly zone for wasps.
    via NoSmile4407

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Tags

spiders insects neighbors pets people pets neighborhood-drama neighborhood-stories animals pet ownership tarantula pet owners
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