Juneau Animal Rescue is rehoming a colony of tarantulas. These are some of the pets removed from their homes on police orders, and rescue groups have had to get creative to find space for the animals and their entire feet.
The tarantula arrived about three weeks ago along with several other animals.
“There were 16 tarantulas, two bearded dragons, a boa constrictor, two cats and four dogs,” Juneau Animal Control Officer Karen Wood said.
She said Juneau Animal Rescue rarely takes in so many animals from one home.
“We take custody of the animal at the request of the police and in that case we will hold the animal for a 10-day safe custody period,” Wood said.
The retention period applies to arrests, hospitalizations, and other short-term emergencies and may be longer in some circumstances. After 10 days, if the owner does not plan to retrieve the animal, the animal becomes the guardian's property. The organization treats the animals for medical problems, spays, neuters and microchips them before putting them up for adoption.
Tarantulas can skip some of these steps.
The boa constrictor and 12 spiders have already found new homes. One is currently a long-term JAR resident, living in a terrarium by the staff desk on the second floor. She is dark and fuzzy and about the size of a Thin Mint cookie.
“This is our office pet,” Wood said. “So she'll be about 6 to 7 inches.”
Finding a place to put all the animals was a challenge, she said. Usually they keep small animals like rabbits where they have space, often in hallways.
But in that environment, one of the bearded dragons began to turn black. Wood said it was a sign of stress.
So they moved the spiders and lizards into a room used for dog grooming and installed a heater. Now, bearded dragons have returned to their normal tan color.
Three tarantulas and two bearded dragons are still up for adoption.
Juneau Animal Rescue has struggled with a lack of capacity for years. The organization aims to have more space to house all the animals in need of protection and expand into a larger space soon.
“We're pretty small. This building has been here a long time,” Wood said.
She hopes that one day there will be enough space for tarantulas and lizards that need a place to stay on their way to their forever homes.
