This Man Was ‘Born to Save Spiders’ and Has Over 1,000 Tarantulas

Aaron Phoenix is a real-life Spider-Man.

That is to say, he lives with over 1,000 tarantulas.

The 37-year-old from South Gloucestershire, England, began collecting the creepy crawlies in 2021 after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. When doctors suggested a hobby might benefit his mental health, Phoenix recalled a pet tarantula he’d had as a teenager.

Now, one thousand spiders later, he says he feels he was “born to save” the arachnids.

“It sounds like a lot but in the spider world, it’s not,” he said of his brood. “When you’re breeding spiders they can have anything from 20 babies to a few thousand.”

Aaron Phoenix amassed his collection of over 1,000 tarantulas by breeding and rescuing the arachnids

Phoenix has acquired his massive collection through both breeding and rescuing tarantulas.

“I get messages all the time from people who’ve had large collections who want to downsize or fallen out of love with the hobby,” he shared with SWNS.

After previously going viral for his collection, Phoenix also found another use for his arachnids. He travels around the country helping people face and conquer their fear of the creepy crawlies.

“A lot of people are fascinated with spiders so helping someone get from the point of being petrified to then holding a spider in their hand is amazing,” he marveled. “It’s quite a fun one to do…. Nine out of 10 times I’ve got to them to the point where they can hold one.”

Phoenix also meets fans at invertebrate shows around the country, and even hosts children’s birthday parties!

In July, he celebrated another year of his store, A House of 1,000 Inverts, with a heartfelt Instagram post.

“What a difference a year makes. Over the moon with how far I have come so far,” he wrote. “Still growing and I can’t thank those who support me enough, especially my family. Can’t wait to see where I will be this time next year 🕷️🔥 Once again thank you all so much 🕷️.”

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However, not everyone loves his hobby, Phoenix admitted to SWNS with a laugh.

“It’s so rewarding helping people get over their fears — though the majority of my family are petrified of spiders still!” he shared.