Ryan Morgan's 50 creatures roam the home

He is renowned for opening his tank lid to toss out any food he disapproves of.

A recent shopping trip for "pet food" ended in disaster with 2,000 live crickets rampaging through the family home.

Mr Morgan's dedication to the arachnoid art was celebrated by the cable TV channel at a star-studded ceremony for the animal kingdom.

Pet experts Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Mark Evans were among the judges to pick Ryan just ahead of a temperamental giant African land snail called Bart and Casper, the footballing parrot.

Heroic endeavour

The inaugural awards celebrate heroic pet endeavours and the ceremony was attended by a host of pets and their owners.

Commissioning editor Emma Read said: "The Animal Planet Pet Awards celebrate and honour pets and pet lovers everywhere.

"All too often, our pets are relegated to the sidelines but tonight they sat at the top table."

But arachnophobes who believe Mr Morgan is an award too far may soon be eating their words - American scientists last year showed how a poisonous tarantula spider may help save the lives of people suffering heart attacks and brain tumours.

A chemical in the Chile Rose's venom has been found to block a basic mechanism in cells important to a wide range of biological functions.