Giant Blue Bloom Tarantula (Pamphobeteus nigricolor)

Care Sheet, New World, Pamphobeteus No Comments »

The Giant Blue Bloom tarantula or Blue Bloom Birdeater is a species found in or around Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and neighboring countries around the South-West coastline of South America. They grow to be about 7 inches in length with females growing slightly bigger then males They grow like weeds and get prettier as they get bigger. As slings (spiderlings) they have an orange abdomen with black patterns resembling a conifer/pine tree. As adults they display sexual dimorphism where not only are males smaller but also end up having superb color patterns ranging anywhere from a purple carapace to purple/blue/black legs while females tend to be more velvet black in color with pink colored hairs and pink markings on their carapace.

 

p.nigri

 

Habitat:

The Giant Blue Bloom Tarantula are terrestrials but as slings and juveniles they might burrow. We recommend a 5 to 10 gallon enclosure depending on the size of your tarantula filling at least half with slightly moist substrate. We use coconut fiber for ours and it seems to do the trick just fine. Your humidity should range from 70% to 85% with plenty of ventilation and a temperature of 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. This species we’ve noticed becomes a tad bit nervous if the temperature is a bit too high. As always a fresh water dish should always be readily available and on the opposite side of the hide in the enclosure.

 

Feeding:

The Blue Bloom are voracious eaters. As slings we feed them flightless fruit flies to small pinhead crickets. Fully grown they can eat up to 3 times a week with ease. Juveniles to Adults should have a steady diet of B.dubia roaches, crickets and locusts. This tarantula jumps sometimes when catching its prey. We do not recommend over feeding your tarantula and you should always keep a close eye on it and its prey. Any prey left in its enclosure uneaten after 48 hours should be removed just in case your tarantula is in pre-molt stages.

 

Attitude:

The Giant Blue Bloom Tarantula tends to flee when strongly disturbed but can be pretty defensive. It comes equipped with urticating hairs and an unpleasant bite. Their venom though strong is harmless to humans. Handling is possible but we strongly recommend you not to.

All in all it is a very nice looking tarantula that’s almost always visible. We recommend this species for someone who already has some experience with tarantulas.

Colombian Bluebottle Tarantula (Pseudhapalpus sp. blue)

New World, Psuedhapalpus 6 Comments »

The Colombian Bluebottle tarantula is a rare species from Colombia. They are widely sought after due to their extremely blue abdomen which starts to change color as they go from spiderling to juveniles. These fossorial tarantula are very hardy and live a very long and healthy life with females outliving the males and full grown adults reaching a size of about 5 inches in length. They are relatively slow growers and will take a while to get to that size.

 

pseudo sp blue (2)

 

Habitat:

The Colombian Bluebottle Tarantula are fossorials and just love to burrow. As slings (spiderlings) you are going to want to keep them in a vial that is at least 1/2 to 3/4 filled with very damp moist substrate. They do prefer high humidity. As full grown adults you will need at most a 5 gallon tank that has more crawl space then height. We recommend at least 4 to 5 inches of coconut fiber substrate that is fairly damp. A hide should also be added as initial hiding place for your tarantula before it starts to burrow all through the enclosure. Temperatures should stay anywhere between 77 to 83 degrees with a humidity level of about 75 to 80 percent. The Colombian Bluebottle will spend most of its time underground but unlike many burrowers it does surface more often.

 

Feeding:

The Colombian Bluebottle Tarantula is a great eater and should be fed at most once a week. As spiderlings they should be fed a steady diet of flightless fruit flies and eventually small pinhead crickets. As juveniles to adults you can feed them a steady diet of cockroaches, locusts, crickets and even meal worms. Should you see that the insects are not consumed within 24/48 hours we recommend you remove them from the enclosure. It could be that your fossorial tarantula is in premolt or molting stages underground and needs to be left alone. Having prey in its enclosure at this time might be stressful for your tarantula.

 

Attitude:

This is a very skittish tarantula and should not be handled. They can be very fast and though they do not have a nasty attitude they can still bite and flick urticating hairs. Their bite is not lethal to humans and is as powerful as a bee sting.

 

We recommend this tarantula for the beginner keeper who already has some experience with tarantulas and is looking for a nice hardy fossorial.

 

Do you have a Colombian Bluebottle? Tell us about it or ask any questions. We ‘d love to hear from you. Comment down below!

Blue Fang Skeleton Tarantula (Ephebopus cyanognathus)

Ephebopus, New World 3 Comments »

The Blue Fang Skeleton Tarantula commonly known as just the Blue Fang is a deep burrowing terrestrial tarantula from French Guiana but also commonly found in Suriname and Guiana. This New World species is loved due to its skeleton like markings on its legs and of course its “blue fangs” which is actually the metallic to neon blue coloring of the chelicerae and not the actual fangs (spoiler alert the fangs are actually just black). In addition they have a nicely colored carapace and abdomen which tends to be a nice coloring of green to yellow. They are hardy and slow growing but live for a very long time.

 

e.cya

 

Habitat:

The Blue Fang is a known pet hole. Your tank should contain a deep substrate for it to burrow in. preferably 4 to 6 inches. As for tank size the most you will need will be about 5 gallons. This species requires very high humidity and a very damp substrate is recommended. Due to the amount of humidity we would recommend a coconut fiber mix as this is acidic and will help in preventing mold in the tank. is You can also set up a hide/retreat though not recommended being that chances are it will never use it. A steady temperature of 77 to 83 degrees should be ideal and a humidity of about 75 to 80 percent. As always a clean over-filled water dish should always be readily available to keep your tarantula properly hydrated.

 

Feeding:

The Blue Fang Skeleton Tarantula is an excellent eater and should be fed once a week. Being an insectivore, a steady diet of nutritious live crickets, cockroaches, locusts, moths and even meal worms should be fine to keep your tarantula well fed and happy.

 

Attitude:

Though new world the blue fang is known for sometimes having a nasty attitude. They are extremely fast and we do not recommend trying to handle them as they can easily have you chasing them around your room/house. They do come equipped with urticating hairs as most New World species do. They rather retreat to their hide but if all else fails might bite. Their venom though not potent to be lethal to humans can still affect you if you have certain allergies.

 

The Blue Fang Skeleton Tarantula is a wonderful species but due to their speed, maintenance due to living environment and attitude we recommend this for a more intermediate to experienced keeper or hobbyist. This will surely be a pet hole but once your Blue Fang come out of its burrow those colors and beauty will be well worth it.