Panama Blond Tarantula (Psalmopoeus pulcher)

New World, Psalmopoeus 2 Comments »

The Panama Blond Tarantula is a species of tarantula from the rainforests of Panama. This is a great new world (NW) arboreal tarantula and is perfect for the intermediate hobbyist who wants to migrate from the Avicularia species to a different type of arboreal for the first time. The Panama Blond Tarantula will grow to be about 4 to 6 inches in length. They tend to be slow growers but are very fast in speed.

ppulcher

 

Habitat:

As most arboreal species the Panama Blond requires an enclosure that has height for it to climb but just enough floor space in the event that it wishes to climb down. As spiderlings they can be kept in medicine vials. For juveniles to adults we recommend a 2.5 to 5 gallon enclosure. the floor space should only be about 2.5 times your tarantula’s leg span and height should be about 4 to 5 times as much. For substrate we recommend coconut fiber that is damp but not wet. You will want to maintain a humidity level of about 75 percent with temperatures between 77 to 84 degrees In addition you will want to make sure you have a nice piece of bark for it to climb on to. We recommend a round hollow piece of cork bark instead of a flat piece of bark, this will give your tarantula a hide should it need one. You can also decorate this enclosure with plants (we recommend fake plants to prevent mold) or other pieces of bark for it to explore on. A fresh shallow water dish should also always be available for your tarantula.

 

Feeding:

As most insectivores we recommend a steady diet of crickets, cockroaches, locusts and super worms. For slings flightless fruit flies should be suffice until you can start feeding them small pinhead crickets.

 

Attitude:

Though a new world species we do not recommend handling at all. The Psalmopoeus pulcher does not come equipped with urticating hairs and is a very skittish tarantula that can be very aggressive. They will easily strike a defense pose should they not want to be bothered. This tarantula also has speed and if not careful can easily escape their enclosure which can result in a fall.

 

All in all it is a great tarantula to have but due to its not so new world characteristics and attitude we recommend this to be for a more intermediate to expert keeper.

If you have a Panama Blond Tarantula tell us about it! Comment down below!

Arizona Blond Tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes)

Aphonopelma, New World 2 Comments »

The Arizona Blond Tarantula is a species common in the deserts of Arizona and Southern North America. It is very well liked in the amateur community due to it being extremely docile. For the most part these are medium sized tarantulas with mature females having a body length between 2 to 3 inches and leg spans of about 4 to 5 inches. Some can be significantly smaller then this all together.  Females live to be 12+ years while males usually live to be about 8 to 10 years.

 

A.chalcodes

 

Habitat:

These species of tarantulas spend most of their life in the wild in the dry hot dessert. In captivity they are rather easy to handle with not needing more then a 5 to 10 gallon tank (depending on the size of your tarantula). Make sure you have a very dry substrate with a water dish. You can decorate it as much as you want with shrubs but make sure you also have a hide for your tarantula. Preferably a nice piece of bark.

 

Feeding:

The Arizona Blond tarantula is also an easy one to feed. Feeding them 1 to 2 times a week should be enough. Their diet should consist of crickets and roaches. And they do tend to not eat before a molt is to occur.

 

Attitude:

These animals are extremely slow and as stated before are extremely docile. It takes a bit to provoke them, however that does not mean they will never feel threatened. They do come with urticating hairs that they release as a defense mechanism. They might bite but only as a last resort and should not feel any worse then a bee sting. The venom though potent to insects is very harmless to humans (unless yo might have specific allergies).

 

The Arizona Blond Tarantula is great as a first tarantula due to its docile nature. They are easy to handle and require low maintenance. They also are very cheap in comparison to other tarantulas and an Arizona Blond could cost you around $20. We would highly recommend this as your first or even second tarantula to have if you are still a novice to the hobby.

Have a A.Chalcodes? Tell us about it. Show us your pictures! Even ask us some quetions. Comment always welcomed.