Tarantulas of the World

The Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeater tarantula is a New World species coming from eastern Brazil. They are velvet black with pink hairs all over their bodies. They are actually the 3rd largest tarantula in the world (getting beaten by T.blondi “Goliath Birdeater” and T.aphophysis “Pinkfoot Goliath”) growing anywhere from 9 to 12 inches. They are fast growers being able to grow to full size within 18 to 24 months. They also get to live to be anywhere between 6 to 12 years. Quick fact is that the female can actually lay an egg sack of 1200 spiderlings (talk about a BIG family). They are relatively passive sitting still for display in their enclosures.

Housing:

This is the type of tarantula that you will need a big enclosure for. At full growth you are looking into needing a 25 to 30 gallon tank. Be sure that this tank is has more width and length then it has height. You are going to want to give them ample space to crawl and just enough height to turn over (in the event they need to molt). They are poor climbers due to their large size and weight. They rarely climb and if they do it can be dangerous for them. A fall can certainly cause injuries (visit https://halelaw.com/south-venice-ammunition-explosion-causes-injuries-and-airlift/ to get lawyers help to file compensation), bleeding and worse even death. We do recommend you give this tarantula at 3 to 5 inches of substrate. Being from Brazil they are used to a very warm and humid environment and we recommend a temperature of about 76 to 84 degrees with a humidity level of 75 percent. They are not known for using a hide though you can always place one in its enclosure, chances are it will not use it. You will also want to add some bark as something for it to climb and stand on. A fresh shallow water dish should be available with clean water at all times.

Feeding:

The Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeater Tarantula has a very big appetite. They eat constantly and can easily get overfed. You are going to want to feed them only once a week and a large cockroach or locusts should be fine. You can also feed them crickets, moths and occasionally a small lizard, pinkie mice or even small frogs, (they actually do not mainly eat birds) however we do not recommend a steady feeding of lizards/pinkies or frogs due to the potential calcium buildup it can produce in your tarantula’s exoskeleton which can possibly harden to much and become an issue during molting. However there should be no other issues feeding this specific tarantula.

Attitude:

Your Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeater Tarantula is not known for being aggressive at all. They do have one of the worst of urticating hairs which can induce horrid rashes. They are not quick to bite but if provoked will certainly do so. A full grown  Lasiodora parahybana can have fangs up to a full inch in length which can certainly induce some damage should it bite you. In addition they have potent venom which can prompt muscle cramps and pain.

You can most certainly handle your Brazilian Salmon Pink but please be careful in doing so. Not being able to hold them properly (due to their size) can make the tarantula flick urticating hairs and worse case scenario bite. You also do not want to drop such a large tarantula as it can certainly be fatal. All in all a must have and definitely great for an intermediate hobbyist who wants a showcase pet.

Do you have a Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeater? Do you have a question or just want to share your experience? Tell us about it! Comment down below!

The Cobalt Blue tarantula of Thailand and Myanmar. Formerly Haplopelma lividum they are now classified as Cyriopagopus lividum. A sure must have for an experienced hobbyist. They are very well loved due to their electric blue colors. Many people might not know this but male species are actually brown in color and most Haplopelma lividium T’s sold are actually female. They are terrestrial/tropical but also burrowers. In the wild they burrow deep into the Thailand/Myanmar rainforests in a maze of deep elaborate holes. The Cobalt Blue grows to be about 9 inches in length with females growing bigger than males. The also grow to be anywhere between 7 to 13 years old. Their temperament is not so good and they are also expert escape artists with that being said we recommend this to be an advanced tarantula for a more experienced keeper.

Habitat:

A full grown Cobalt Blue Tarantula will only need about a 10 to 15 gallon tank with a screen lid. As mentioned before they mostly spend their lives underground and will burrow and spin a lot of webbing. Make sure you give it a good 4 to 6 inches of substrate (depending on the size of your tarantula) for it to burrow. The substrate should be a mixture of peat moss and coconut fiber to retain a lot of humidity. They require a temperature of about 80 to 90 degrees and humidity of 75% or higher. Under no circumstances should this drop so make sure your substrate is always damp and its water dish full of fresh clean water. Being that they spend so much time “underground” you should not have to worry about decorating. You can add a small live plant but it will just be for show as the tarantula will not care for it. They come out of their burrows mainly to eat or drink water. They are also not fond of light so do not add a heating lamp or place your enclosure in direct sunlight, it will surely stress out your tarantula.

Feeding:

This tarantula is a big insectivore and has a large diet of cockroaches, crickets, beetles, meal worms, fruit flies, locusts and just about any other insects you can think of. Make sure you only feed it about once a week or once every other week so you can keep an eye out on it in the event that it molts. As always if you notice your tarantula not eating its prey after 24 hours, remove the prey. Give it a few days and try again, if it remains the same then chances are it is getting ready to molt.

Attitude:

We recommend you not ever handle your cobalt blue. They are known for being extremely aggressive. They have no urticating hairs and normally do not give warning before becoming defensive. The first thing you will notice that your Cobalt Blue will want to do is to run away. You should be careful when you open their enclosure as they tend to be very fast. A full grown Cobalt Blue can pack a powerful bite with its large fangs and deliver a potent venom. Though the venom is not deadly it can induce flu-like symptoms, muscle cramps and all around pain. Should you be allergic most definitely seek medical attention.

We think the Cobalt Blue is a great pet to have but only if you are an experienced handler. Though we do not recommend you to pick up your Cobalt Blue they can be handled. You should watch out for their speed to prevent them from getting out of their enclosure. This is to prevent a serious fall or injury to your tarantula (which can certainly cause death) and to prevent you getting bit by your tarantula. If you want to hire dog bite lawyers, and get help from them, you can click here!

Do you have a Cobalt Blue tarantula or do you have questions? Tell us about it and comment down below! We’d love to hear from you.

Your Basic Tarantula Care Sheet! Tarantulas have become the pet to have they are perfect for just about anybody. Most species require low maintenance, are very affordable and best yet do not require too much space for housing (even if you are renting a room or apartment). In addition many people see how great one tarantula is and tend to acquire additional T’s and instantly become hobbyists. Though they are great pets it is key that you do the right homework for your specific tarantula. You should never obtain a tarantula without researching key elements for its survival and or handling of it in your care. We decided to make a general care sheet to help you out and that can be applied to most common tarantulas out there.

Habitat:

There are two ways of setting up a tarantula’s habitat.

You can set up a tarantula’s habitat artificially, which is the easiest and most of the times recommended for the novice tarantula keeper. Here you will try mimicking the tarantula’s habitat in the wild with basic essentials such as  temperature, humidity, substrate, hide and maybe even some bark and fake plants.

You can also set up a tarantula’s habitat Naturally, which is the most difficult and is recommended for the more experienced of tarantula keepers. Here you will try to create your own mini eco-system with live plants, organic decorations and arrangements even complicated designs on feeding, hiding/burrowing etc. Most mini ecological systems are unstable and here you might risk actually killing your tarantula if you are not sure what you are doing.

In this care sheet we are going to go with the artificial habitat for your pet tarantula. We are going to focus on the key elements that will benefit you and the life of your tarantula.

Housing:

First thing is first, the right enclosure for your pet tarantula. You must first check and see what type of tarantula you have, arboreal, terrestrial or burrowing.

• Arboreal tarantulas love to climb and rarely spend their time on the floor of an enclosure. For these tarantulas you will want an enclosure that is bigger in height then it is in length or width.
• Terrestrial tarantulas are the exact opposite and spend most of their time on the enclosure floor and though they might climb most are poor climbers. For these tarantulas you are going to want an enclosure that has more length and width then it would have height. You want to make sure its just high enough to allow your tarantula to flip over in the event it needs to molt.
• Burrowing tarantulas like to dig and make their own hide “underground”. For these tarantulas you will want something similar to what you would have set up for a terrestrial tarantula however making sure you have enough space to add anywhere between 3 to 6 inches of substrate for it to burrow (depending on your tarantula’s size) in addition to giving it enough space to flip over “above ground” should it need to for a molt.

As for your enclosure size it is normally rule of thumb to give your tarantula 2 to 3 times its leg span as floor space to move around on. As for size you should be looking at housing your small to medium tarantulas in 2 to 5 gallon enclosures, medium to large tarantulas in 10 to 20 gallon enclosures and large to extra large tarantulas in 25 to 45 gallon enclosures.

Substrate:

The second thing to look for is substrate. The right substrate is key depending on your tarantula species as it will help out with both humidity and burrowing. There are many different types of substrate (garden soil, peat/green moss, potting soil, coconut fiber) and it ends up being personal preference. We recommend coconut fiber (such as eco earth which can now be purchased through our shop). The reason is simple, you can manipulated the way it works best for you. Whether you want to have it dry, damp or wet. In addition coconut fiber can last months before giving you an odd smell or you needing to change it. It actually breaks down your tarantula’s excrement so you can’t go wrong with that!

Light/Temperature/Humidity:

This is a combination and third thing to look out for. Most tarantulas actually prefer the darkness and you should never place them in direct sunlight as this might stress out your animal. Your tarantula needs minimal lighting and just the daylight in a room should be plenty. As for temperature and humidity they almost go hand in hand. Most tarantulas (depending on their origin) either like a dry warm environment or a damp to wet warm environment. Most tarantulas do well with just room temperature. Of course if you do live in colder climate you should most definitely have some sort of heating source that can be applied once you see temperatures get colder. It is key to have both a temperature and humidity thermometer. As for humidity most tarantulas only need some humidity which can easily be controlled with something as simple as overfilling a water dish in the enclosure. Of course there are some exceptions to this and for the tarantulas needing a lot more humidity you are going to want to wet/dampen enough of the substrate until reaching the required humidity levels.

Water/Food:

More important then food would be water. A tarantula always needs to stay properly hydrated. Make sure it has an adequate water dish that is always fully filled with clean water. Make sure its a shallow water dish to prevent your tarantula from drowning should it try to drink. As for food, tarantulas are insectivores and carnivores most tarantulas end up feasting just fine on insects such as fruit flies, crickets, cockroaches, locusts, moths, mealworms, etc but some tarantulas can also eat small lizards or even pinkie mice. We recommend you feed your tarantula a steady diet of nutrient filled insects. We normally do not recommend (for those of you with tarantula’s that are able to eat lizards and mice) for you to feed your tarantula mice/lizards. The reason simply being that it can cause calcium buildup in its exoskeleton which can become an issue when molting.

These simple steps should ensure you a healthy and happy tarantula. Two things we did not go over which we have care sheets for already are Spiderling (sling) care and Molting.

Do you have any additional questions? Want to add something to this? Your voice will be heard! Comment down below.