Tarantulas of the World

The Socotra Island Blue Baboon Tarantula is a species native to the Socotra Island in the Indian ocean. It is very much loved in the hobby due to its beautiful colors which include a light metallic blue carapace with darker blue legs it also has a beige to dark brown abdomen and femur with its spinnerets being light to dark brown. Females tend to grow bigger then males reaching a size of 5 to 6 inches in length and can reach maturity after just 2 years. Their lifespan are rather short compared to other species of tarantulas.

Habitat:

This tarantula is terrestrial and a great burrower. It is a bountiful webber and will thoroughly web its enclosure. With all of this in mind your enclosure should contain at least 6 inches of substrate and should have more length and width as it would have height. Provide just enough height for your tarantula to flip so that it can molt. This tarantula likes a dry environment and you should let its substrate (we recommend some sort of coconut fiber and vermiculite mix) be dry but moist enough to allow him to create a burrow. Overfilling its water dish with clean water should keep the humidity where it needs to be as this species does not require high levels of it. A steady temperature of 73 to 81 degrees should be kept and should be enough to keep your tarantula happy. We recommend a starter hide or retreat be added to the enclosure until your tarantula created its own burrow. This tarantula has been known to be communal though females tend to cannibalize males. We recommend you keep your tarantula by itself in an enclosure unless you are breeding him/her.

Feeding:

The Socotra Island Blue Baboon Tarantula tarantula is a great eater and a steady diet of crickets, cockroaches, locusts and even meal worms. Though they can eat small rodents such as mice and or lizards we recommend you just keep feeding them insects as there is speculation that an over amount of small rodents can potentially increase a calcium buildup in your tarantula causing them to get a bad molt.

Attitude:

Surprisingly this tarantula is not as aggressive as its other old world counterparts or even its fellow baboon tarantulas. The Blue Baboon is rather shy and sometimes skittish and would rather retreat then try to attack this does not mean that we would recommend you handling them. They are still defensive as they do not come equipped with urticating hairs and chances are will bite should they feel threatened. We recommend extreme caution while handling.

The Socotra Island Blue Baboon Tarantula is most definitely a beautiful species that would be great for the more experienced of hobbyist. It is a great tarantula for any old world collection and would be great as your first Baboon tarantula.

Do you have a Socotra Island Blue Baboon? Tell us about it and comment down below!

The Greenbottle Blue Tarantula also known as the GBB tarantula is a great specimen from Venezuela. These tarantulas are widely known for their unique coloring which includes an orange abdomen blueish green carapace and metallic blue legs. Though they are not necessarily docile they are great for beginner/intermediate hobbyists because of how little maintenance is needed to care for these as pets. In addition they are showcase animals who spend most of their time just sitting out in the open for people to marvel at their vibrant colors. They grow to be about 6 to 8 inches and grow at a speedy rate. Males live to be about 3 to 5 years while females live to be between 10 to 13 years old (though some have lived to be older).

Habitat:

The Greenbottle Blue Tarantula come from a very dry place in Venezuela and spend most of their lives burrowed underground. You are going to want to have a well ventilated enclosure, preferably a terrarium tank with top screen lid. Full grown Greenbottle Blue tarantulas will be fine with just a 10 gallon tank. You are going to want to make sure it has more room to crawl then to climb as they are terrestrial. Make sure you add about 4 to 5 inches of substrate so that they can burrow. Your going to want a lightly damp substrate (more dry then damp) of preferably coconut fiber. A hide should also be added though chances are it will just burrow and not use it at all.  You will see its burrow covered in webbing which it will actually change from time to time. You should also have a shallow water dish with clean water at all times. As for temperature you will be looking at anywhere between 72 to 80 degrees with a humidity level of about 75 percent.

Feeding:

The Greenbottle Blue Tarantula has a fast appetite! it will not give you any eating problems. Its diet should consist of cockroaches, crickets, mealworms and locusts. Juveniles should be feed twice a week while older adults only once a week. You will see that this animal will grow steady.

Attitude:

Though you can easily handle the Greenbottle Blue tarantula it is certainly a very skittish type. It comes with urticating hairs and will easily strike a defense pose should you startle him. Their venom is mildly potent but should not be an issue unless you have certain allergies. Handling should be done with care as they are also very fast spiders.

To conclude it will be a great display animal due to its great colors but we recommend not handling so much. Great for any hobbyist collection.

The Cobalt Blue tarantula of Thailand and Myanmar. Formerly Haplopelma lividum they are now classified as Cyriopagopus lividum. A sure must have for an experienced hobbyist. They are very well loved due to their electric blue colors. Many people might not know this but male species are actually brown in color and most Haplopelma lividium T’s sold are actually female. They are terrestrial/tropical but also burrowers. In the wild they burrow deep into the Thailand/Myanmar rainforests in a maze of deep elaborate holes. The Cobalt Blue grows to be about 9 inches in length with females growing bigger than males. The also grow to be anywhere between 7 to 13 years old. Their temperament is not so good and they are also expert escape artists with that being said we recommend this to be an advanced tarantula for a more experienced keeper.

Habitat:

A full grown Cobalt Blue Tarantula will only need about a 10 to 15 gallon tank with a screen lid. As mentioned before they mostly spend their lives underground and will burrow and spin a lot of webbing. Make sure you give it a good 4 to 6 inches of substrate (depending on the size of your tarantula) for it to burrow. The substrate should be a mixture of peat moss and coconut fiber to retain a lot of humidity. They require a temperature of about 80 to 90 degrees and humidity of 75% or higher. Under no circumstances should this drop so make sure your substrate is always damp and its water dish full of fresh clean water. Being that they spend so much time “underground” you should not have to worry about decorating. You can add a small live plant but it will just be for show as the tarantula will not care for it. They come out of their burrows mainly to eat or drink water. They are also not fond of light so do not add a heating lamp or place your enclosure in direct sunlight, it will surely stress out your tarantula.

Feeding:

This tarantula is a big insectivore and has a large diet of cockroaches, crickets, beetles, meal worms, fruit flies, locusts and just about any other insects you can think of. Make sure you only feed it about once a week or once every other week so you can keep an eye out on it in the event that it molts. As always if you notice your tarantula not eating its prey after 24 hours, remove the prey. Give it a few days and try again, if it remains the same then chances are it is getting ready to molt.

Attitude:

We recommend you not ever handle your cobalt blue. They are known for being extremely aggressive. They have no urticating hairs and normally do not give warning before becoming defensive. The first thing you will notice that your Cobalt Blue will want to do is to run away. You should be careful when you open their enclosure as they tend to be very fast. A full grown Cobalt Blue can pack a powerful bite with its large fangs and deliver a potent venom. Though the venom is not deadly it can induce flu-like symptoms, muscle cramps and all around pain. Should you be allergic most definitely seek medical attention.

We think the Cobalt Blue is a great pet to have but only if you are an experienced handler. Though we do not recommend you to pick up your Cobalt Blue they can be handled. You should watch out for their speed to prevent them from getting out of their enclosure. This is to prevent a serious fall or injury to your tarantula (which can certainly cause death) and to prevent you getting bit by your tarantula. If you want to hire dog bite lawyers, and get help from them, you can click here!

Do you have a Cobalt Blue tarantula or do you have questions? Tell us about it and comment down below! We’d love to hear from you.