Greenbottle Blue Tarantula (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens)

Chromatopelma, New World 1 Comment »

The Greenbottle Blue Tarantula also known as the GBB tarantula is a great specimen from Venezuela. These tarantulas are widely known for their unique coloring which includes an orange abdomen blueish green carapace and metallic blue legs. Though they are not necessarily docile they are great for beginner/intermediate hobbyists because of how little maintenance is needed to care for these as pets. In addition they are showcase animals who spend most of their time just sitting out in the open for people to marvel at their vibrant colors. They grow to be about 6 to 8 inches and grow at a speedy rate. Males live to be about 3 to 5 years while females live to be between 10 to 13 years old (though some have lived to be older).

 

gbb

 

Habitat:

The Greenbottle Blue Tarantula come from a very dry place in Venezuela and spend most of their lives burrowed underground. You are going to want to have a well ventilated enclosure, preferably a terrarium tank with top screen lid. Full grown Greenbottle Blue tarantulas will be fine with just a 10 gallon tank. You are going to want to make sure it has more room to crawl then to climb as they are terrestrial. Make sure you add about 4 to 5 inches of substrate so that they can burrow. Your going to want a lightly damp substrate (more dry then damp) of preferably coconut fiber. A hide should also be added though chances are it will just burrow and not use it at all.  You will see its burrow covered in webbing which it will actually change from time to time. You should also have a shallow water dish with clean water at all times. As for temperature you will be looking at anywhere between 72 to 80 degrees with a humidity level of about 75 percent.

 

Feeding:

The Greenbottle Blue Tarantula has a fast appetite! it will not give you any eating problems. Its diet should consist of cockroaches, crickets, mealworms and locusts. Juveniles should be feed twice a week while older adults only once a week. You will see that this animal will grow steady.

 

Attitude:

Though you can easily handle the Greenbottle Blue tarantula it is certainly a very skittish type. It comes with urticating hairs and will easily strike a defense pose should you startle him. Their venom is mildly potent but should not be an issue unless you have certain allergies. Handling should be done with care as they are also very fast spiders.

 

To conclude it will be a great display animal due to its great colors but we recommend not handling so much. Great for any hobbyist collection.

Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula (Aphonopelma seemanni)

Aphonopelma, New World 5 Comments »

The Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula who is also known as the Striped-Knee Tarantula is tarantula from Costa Rica and central America. They grow to be about 4 to 5 inches in length with females living to be anywhere between 15 to 20 years and males usually between 6 to 9 years. They are great for intermediate hobbyists who have some experience with tarantulas already. Widely sought after due to their black abdomen and white striped legs (such stripes as zebras), these terrestrial burrowers dig deep into the Costa Rican rainforests. They are most certainly a great addition for any collector.

 

costa rican zebra t

 

Habitat:

At full adult size you are only going to be needing an enclosure that is going to be about 10 gallons in size. They are terrestrial but also burrowers and they can burrow a lot. Make sure you have about 3 to 4 inches of substrate which should also be a mix of peat moss and coconut fiber. They do require a high humidity level of over 75 percent at all times and so we do recommend you dampening the substrate accordingly in addition to overfilling its shallow water dish to keep humidity levels up. We do not recommend misting as it does not seem to help as much. Temperature wise you will be looking at anywhere between 75 to 82 degrees. They normally do not require a hide as they spend quite a bit of time simply staying in their burrowed hole.But you can decorate with perhaps a piece of bark or plant or even both.

 

Feeding:

A steady diet of dubia roaches or large crickets should be just fine. Should you have a smaller spiderling (sling) you can try simple fruit flies and small pinhead crickets. As always you should only feed it about once a week as that should be plenty. Should you notice its prey still in the enclosure after 24 hours feel free to remove it. Do not let it cause harm or stress to your tarantula.

 

Attitude:

They are not as docile as people might think they are. They tend to be extremely skittish and will easily either strike a defensive pose before retreating to thier hide or kick its urticating hairs. They can bite but rarely actually do. Their Venom is not dangerous to humans (unless you have specific allergies) and contain a low toxicity level.

 

All in all the Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula is a great spider to have. The reason we do not recommend them as a beginner species is due to their skittishness and houdini like capabilities as they are great escape artists. They are low maintenance and would make the perfect pet.

 

Tell us about your Costa Rican Zebra tarantula or ask us any questions about yours. We would love to hear from you! Comment down below.

Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula (Avicularia versicolor)

Avicularia, New World 1 Comment »

The Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula or better known as the Martinique Pinktoe is a species of tarantula found in the Caribbeans. It’s well liked due to its beautiful colors which start off as bright blue as a spiderling (sling) and slowly changes to green and red with purple hairs and pink toes. They are more colorful version of the common Pinktoe family (Avcularia avicularia). Males usually live to be anywhere between 3 to 5 years old while females can live up to be 9 to 12 years old. In addition males actually have a much brighter color than females. A full grown adult will grow to be about 6 inches in length. This tarantula is perfect for a novice/intermediate hobbyist.

 

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

 

Habitat:

The Antilles Pinktoe tarantula is an arboreal species just like its cousin the common Pinktoe. They like to spend most of their time on a piece of tall bark or plant. They will spin a web at the top where they will sit in. Your enclosure should have just enough width and length and more height. A full grown Antilles Pinktoe only requires a floor space of about 8 inches in width and length and about 14 to 16 inches in height. Being from the Caribbeans it will require a temperature of about 72 to 80 degrees with about 75 to 80 percent humidity. Your substrate should be about 2 to 4 inches and should be damp not wet. Misting the enclosure is recommended to keep humidity levels but you should only mist the sides of the enclosure, never directly on your tarantula or the enclosure floor. They rarely come down and walk on the enclosure floor. A water dish should be supplied with fresh clean water at all times which you can overfill to keep the right humidity levels.

 

Feeding:

While most of the people contact experts from pest control maine to get rid off pests in their garden. To our surprise research has revealed that a steady diet of insects will be just fine, feeding them once a week. They are not very picky eaters and will do just fine with nutritious pinhead crickets, a.dubia cockroaches and even small moths. We do not recommend you feeding this animal small lizards or pinkie mice. Though it could eat these it might end up being an issue when trying to take down its prey which can end up in your tarantula injuring itself. In addition eating said animals can end up adding an overage amount of calcium buildup in its exoskeleton which can end up in a bad molt.

 

Attitude:

They are docile tarantulas but are extremely skittish be careful when handling as they have no problem trying to run away and or jump. In addition they also spray poop as a means of getting away and have great aim with it. They come with urticating hairs but rather flee before trying to use them. Handle with care to prevent your tarantula from jumping out of your hands and injuring itself. Though they can bite it is very rare as they primarily try to escape before trying to bite. Their venom is not potent for insects but harmless to humans (unless you have certain allergies).

 

The A. versicolor is a great tarantula to own but be careful of its speed and jumping capabilities to prevent your tarantula from harming itself or plunging to its death. It is a great beginner to intermediate tarantula and its bright colors will surely be an attraction.

 

Do you have an Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula? Have any questions? Tell us about it! Comment down below. We are eager to hear from you!

 


Verified by ExactMetrics