Chaco Golden Knee Tarantula (Grammostola pulchripes)

The Chaco Golden Knee Tarantula has become a very sought after tarantula. It is originally from Mexico. Its docile nature, color and size has made it perfect for beginner/intermediate tarantula enthusiasts. With most Chaco Golden Knees growing to be about 8 to 10 inches in length. They tend to be steady growers and most reach adult size within 3 to 4 years. Females can live out to be anywhere between 15 to 25 years while males tend to make it to be about 5 to 6 years old.

Habitat:

The Chaco Golden Knee Tarantula is known to be a burrower. In addition to burrowing they also tend to be extremely active at night and move around quite a bit. Due to its size we do recommend a 10 to 15 gallon tank for it to live in with at least 5 to 6 inches of substrate for it to burrow. It is also advised to add ad a nice size bark as a hide in its enclosure, though you might not see your tarantula use its hide it has been known to relieve it of stress. Being that it is a native of Mexico it prefers dry environments. You can wet a quarter of the enclosure preferably overfilling its water dish to provide enough humidity for your G.pulchripes (we normally recommend about 50% humidity). Temperature wise you should be good by keeping this tarantula nice and warm anywhere between 77 to 85 degrees.

Feeding:

Feeding should not be an issue at all. The G.pulchripes eats very well with females eating ravenously anything thrown their way, males tend to not eat as much. A steady feeding of large crickets, roaches and locusts should be just fine. Remember to never feed your tarantula something bigger than its size as this might end up injuring your tarantula when it’s trying to take down its prey.

Attitude:

They are known as being extremely docile and slow moving however with that being said they do know how to defend themselves. Being a new world tarantula they come equipped with urticating hairs on their abdomen which they will use should they feel threatened. Worst case scenario they might bite which can consist of a “dry” bite or “wet” bite. A dry bite does not contain venom but still causes some pain especially from a full grown tarantula that has bigger fangs. You can also experience a wet bite which on top of getting the pain from a dry bite would also have the tarantula’s venom. Though its not potent enough to be considered a medical threat it does sting a bit and can cause light headaches or muscle cramps (to some it causes nothing at all). If you think you might be allergic you should seek medical attention (same as you would should you be allergic to bee or wasp stings).

We would highly recommend the Chaco Golden Knee Tarantula for any hobbyist. They are very low cost and low maintenance. Full sized they love sitting outside their hide/burrow as a showcase piece. Females can be a pet for a long time and with great care chances are you will grow old with them. Definitely one of my favorite picks.

Do you have a Chaco Golden Knee? Tell us about it and drop a comment down below! Do you have any questions? Ask in the comment box and we will surely answer them for you.