Tarantulas of the World

The Curlyhair tarantula also known as the Honduran Curlyhair is a type of tarantula from Central America, primarily found in Honduras and Costa Rica. This tarantula is loved due to its dark color and golden/bronze hairs all over its body that is more wavy then it is curly. They grow to be about 5 to 6 inches.They are docile and can last you quite a bit with females growing to be as old as 10 years. They are slow moving and easy to handle.

Habitat:

The Curlyhair tarantula is a terrestrial tarantula but also an opportunistic burrower. A full grown tarantula will require a 10 to 15 gallon tank that is about twice the width of its leg span and should be just tll enough for it to be able to flip over when in premolting stages. Your enclosure should have about 4 inches of substrate, preferably a peat moss/coconut fiber mixture that should be lightly damp. They should do just fine with about 75 to 85 percent humidity and a temperature of about 80 to 85 degrees. a hide should also be present in the enclosure should your tarantula need it. In addition a fresh shallow water dish that is always overfilled should also be readily available. Spraying is not needed however you can still do so from time to time. Do not spray directly onto your tarantula.

Feeding:

A steady diet of crickets and cockroaches should be fine for your tarantula as they are easy eaters. As always do leave prey in its enclosure for more then 24 hours.

Attitude:

They are by far a docile species. Easy to handle but be careful to not startle your tarantula. They do come equipped with urticating hairs which they will use should they feel threatened. This spider will use either its urticating hairs or defensive posture before it would try to bite. Its venom is only mild and in most cases does not give any side effects.

The Curlyhair Tarantula is a great beginner tarantula and great care should be given to keep yours living for a long time. As always, though easy to handle, be careful not to drop your tarantula as it can be fatal.

The Skeleton Tarantula is a tarantula indigenous to Brazil and other parts of South America. This new world species is loved due to its dark brown abdomen, light brown carapace and skeleton like markings on its black legs. In adult size they grow anywhere between 4 to 6 inches in length.  They live to be on average anywhere from 4 to 8 years with females outliving the males.

Habitat:

The Skeleton Tarantula is a terrestrial burrowers. For a full grown tarantula you will want a 10 to 15 gallon enclosure with at least 6 to 8 inches of substrate. They tend to burrow deep. Make sure your substrate is damp to give your tarantula plenty of humidity. The substrate itself should be a mix of eco-earth (or whatever other coconut fiber you prefer) and vermiculite. A hide can also be added to the enclosure in the event that your tarantula feels like being above ground. A shallow water dish with fresh water should also always be available. A temperature of about 78 to 82 degrees should be fine with a humidity level of about 75 percent.

Feeding:

As spiderlings (slings) you can feed them fruit flies, as they get older you can switch to small pinhead crickets to then large crickets to eventually even large cockroaches and locusts. They are good eaters but as always if you see the prey being untouched after 24 hours remove it form the enclosure.

Attitude:

For a new world species they tend to be quite aggressive. If approached they will easily assume a threat/defensive position. In addition they do come with urticating hairs which uniquely are on its palps and in worst cases can bite. Their venom though not lethal to humans can cause pain and swelling in addition to muscle cramps. It is for those reasons that we not recommend you to handle these animals.

Do you have a Skeleton Tarantula or simply have a question? Comment down below and tell us about your experience! We would love to hear from you

The Trinidad Chevron Tarantula is a New World majestic tarantula from the tropical areas of Trinidad and Tobago. Loved due to their great chevron marking on their abdomens these animals spend most of their time up in trees blending in with their environment. They tend to make silk tubes in trees/leaves to live out in. Average growth for these animals tend to be about 4 to 5 inches with males living to be about 2 to 4 years and females living close to 12 years. As they grow from spiderlings (slings) to adults they tend to change colors looking more colorful as juveniles.

Habitat:

The Trinidad Chevron Tarantula is an arboreal species and it spends most of its time suspended on tree limbs and plants. They are not known for being on the ground and we would recommend an enclosure that has more height then it has length or width. Of course we would recommend it being at least between 12 to 16 inches in height. The floor of your enclosure should have some sort of coconut fiber with at least 2 to 3 inches of very damp substrate. Humidity is key as they require 80% or better humidity with a temperature of about 78 to 85 degrees. Beware of stagnant air as this can certainly end up killing your tarantula so be sure to keep the enclosure well ventilated. You should have enough bark or plants for it to climb and spin its web on. As always a fresh shallow water dish should always be overfilled with clean water. A great tip would be to perhaps glue the water dish to the bark on in the enclosure so that your tarantula does not have to climb down to drink.

Feeding:

The Trinidad Chevron tarantula is a decent eater, as most tarantulas all it really requires would be crickets, cockroaches, locusts or even fruit flies. It is highly unlikely that you can overfeed this species but only feed it once a week a couple of insects at a time.

Attitude:

These are fast and aggressive tarantulas and we do not recommend handling them. Though they can sit on their bark all day not moving they tend to be extremely fast. They do not have urticating hairs and rely in their bite and venom as a primary defense. There are even stories of these tarantulas attacking their own molt.  Caution should be applied when maintaining their enclosure.

This would be a great tarantula for the intermediate/expert hobbyist getting their first old world tarantula. They require rather low maintenance and do not cause much problems. However due to their temperament we do recommend not handling them.