Singapore Blue Tarantula (Lampropelma violaceopes)
Lampropelma, Old World 8 Comments »The Singapore Blue Tarantula is a species native of Singapore and Malaysia. And this tarantula is one to fall in love with. They are best known for their amazing blueish purple colors. However males once reaching full maturity will actually change colors turning into a greenish or yellow color. Males tend to be smaller then females and both can grow between 8 to 11+ inches in size. They are an arboreal species and spend most of their time in the wild up in trees deep in the wet Singapore forests. Males do tend to live between 6 to 9 years with females living to be about 12 to 16 years. This is most definitely an expert level tarantula requiring adequate care and maintenance and certainly one to be careful with when opening its enclosure. Though possible we certainly do not recommend handling them.
Habitat:
The best way to take care of your Singapore Blue tarantula is to make sure you have an adequate vertical enclosure for it to live in. A full grown adult should need at least a 25-30 gallon tall tank. Being arboreal you should not need more then about 2 inches of substrate, we do recommend a damp coconut fiber substrate with some moss to retain humidity. You will need between 75 to 83% humidity for this animal. In addition they are climbers and so make sure they have plenty of bark to climb up on. Within days you should see it webbing most of the bark you place in its enclosure. You can also add a hide at the bottom of the enclosure should they need it. A water dish should also be available overfilling it once or twice a week to retain said moisture. These are tarantulas to be kept solo and the only time you are to introduce a secondary spider is in the event of mating. Even so be careful as females are known for cannibalizing on males. Temperature wise you will want to keep them at regular room temperature or anywhere between 75 to 85 degrees and they will be just fine.
Feeding:
As for feeding we recommend you give these animals a steady diet of nutrient rich crickets, cockroaches, locusts, beetles and moths. You can switch their diets every now and then and also add pinkie mice or small lizards. They are voracious animals and should only be fed once every other week. Should you notice your tarantula not eating then it could be a sign that it is going through its pre-molt phase and molt could be on its way. Do not leave prey in its enclosure for more then 24 hours if it does not eat to prevent injury of your tarantula should the prey try to defend itself. For injuries and insect bite cases, it is better to go for los angeles car attorneys who will be able to help you for a speedy recovery. Similarly, in case of road accidents you can contact auto accident lawyers to defend your case.
Attitude:
Your Singapore Blue tarantula does not come equipped with urticating hairs and can be quite aggressive sometimes. It is extremely fast and defensive. Due to them exceeding large sizes they also have large fangs which can cause some serious harm should a full grown specimen bite. They do pack a powerful venom that can give you muscle cramps, pain, burning around the bitten area, headaches and even flu like symptoms. We do not recommend the handling of this animal due to its speed. They are skittish and certain sudden moves can cause your tarantula to bite. In addition you risk letting your tarantula fall which can certainly cause it severe injuries or death.
All in all the Singapore Blue is definitely a marvelous species and definitely a great add-on to an experienced hobbyist’s collection. We recommend the only handling of this species to be when performing maintenance of its enclosure or switching enclosures all together. Handle with care when doing so as most are known to try to escape their enclosures.
Do you have a Singapore Blue tarantula? Are you planning on getting one or have questions? Tell us about it and commend down below. We’d love to hear from you!