Tarantulas of the World

The Red Slate Ornamental tarantula is a species from India that spends most of its times up in trees or plants of the Indian forests. It is a very rare species to come across due to the rare breeding of it, spiderslings tend to be very delicate and require a lot of maintenance until reaching full adult size. In addition they are scarce in the wild due to their natural habitat being threatened due to cutting of trees and plants and deforestation in India. They are most definitely a species for the more experienced of hobbyists. They tend to grow between 7 to 9 inches in length and get to be anywhere from 4 to 9 years old.

Habitat:

The Red Slate Ornamental Tarantula is an arboreal species who likes to spend its time up in trees in the wild. You will need an  enclosure of about 10 to 15 gallons that is more tall then it has floor space. About 3 inches of substrate should be used. We recommend a coconut fiber and peat moss mixture, make sure it is heavily damp. A nice piece or pieces of bark should be added for your tarantula to climb up on. It will end up webbing its home at the top of your enclosure. A fresh water dish should also be available and always overflowing with clean water. Misting is not needed but you can still do so once or twice a week. Just be sure to not spray directly on top of your tarantula but more towards the panels of the enclosure. You should have a temperature of about 68 to 75 degrees and a humidity level of about 75%.

Feeding:

The Red Slate Ornamental Tarantula is an easy eater and will devour pretty much any insects you can mix up its diet with. You can feed them either crickets, cockroaches, locusts and moths. A feeding of once a week should be just fine. As always should you see that your p. rufilata has not eaten its prey within 24, remove the prey. It could be that it has no appetite or in some cases could be in pre-molt stages. Do not stress out your tarantula by having the prey stay in the enclosure.

Attitude:

These are very skittish animals and can easily get startled. They are quite fast as slings or juveniles and only slow down as they reach adulthood. They do not come with urticating hairs and their primary line of defense is their bite. Though their venom is not lethal it still has a medium toxicity level that can cause moderate pain, muscle cramps and sometimes fever like symptoms. They are not as aggressive as other old world tarantulas but will easily go on the defense should they feel threatened.

We would not recommend this species for a beginner tarantula keeper but for more advanced and experienced hobbyist. It is very rare and great species to have.

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