Tarantulas of the World

The Trinidad Dwarf Tiger Tarantula is a species native of Trinidad and Tobago and certain parts of Venezuela. This is a very small species and mature most times within a year with tarantulas only tending to be between 2 to 3 inches in length. They are hardy but have a shorter life span then most other species. This is a well loved species and definitely a great pet for any collection.

Habitat:

Being that they are very small tarantulas you will not need much to house them. As spiderlings they can easily be kept in pill vials filled half with substrate. As full grown adults they will not require more then a 2.5 gallon enclosure. They are obligate burrowers so make sure you have plenty of substrate for them to do so. Your substrate should be damp but not too wet. For this we recommend coconut fiber substrate. A hide can be added such as a piece of bark as a start up for their burrowing. They are most of the time underground but are very active once above ground. As always you should always have a fresh water dish readily available. We recommend a temperature of 77 to 83 degrees with a humidity level of about 75 percent.

Feeding:

Don’t let size fool you, these animals can take down same sized prey with ease. They are insectivores and so you want to make sure you feed them appropriately. We recommend you feed them flightless fruit flies as slings and slowly upgrade to small pinhead crickets to eventually large pinhead crickets and even b.dubia cockroaches. Feeding should be done once a week and should your tarantula not eat its prey within 24 hours remove the prey from its enclosure. It could be that he/she is in pre-molt stages and you will want to make sure you do not stress him/her out.

Attitude:

The Trinidad Dwarf Tiger Tarantula is very fast. Though they are mostly docile we recommend you not handling them due to their speed. They come equipped with urticating hairs and though they might not be known for biting it does not mean they do not bite should they feel threatened. Their bite is equivalent to a bee sting and their venom harmless to humans.

All in all we recommend the Trinidad Dwarf Tiger Tarantula as a great new world tarantula for an intermediate to expert keeper. Due to its speed we do not recommend this for a novice hobbyist. It is a great tarantula for any collection.

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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.

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!

The Trinidad Olive Tarantula (Once just Holothele incei) is a small species of tarantula from the rainforests of Trinidad. At full grown size these tarantulas only end up having a leg span of about 3 to 3.5 inches for females and about 1.5 to 3 inches for males. Females can live between 10 to 15 years while males live to be about 3 to 5 years. They grow fairly quickly and have a voracious appetite being able to take down prey their own size. Mating in captivity is fairly easy but is fairly short with males drumming for minutes and doing the deed within 30 minutes. This species is also known for having the ability to lay multiple egg sacs which may range from 30 to 125+ slings. They are known to be communal but we recommend you not chancing any sort of cannibalism. This species in the hobby is known for having an olive color form and a hobby species gold color form due to an unknown mutation.

Gold form female

Olive form female with eggsack

Habitat:

At the most you will ever need for a full grown H.incei would be a 5 gallon tank. This should have a very deep substrate due to the Trinidad Olive being an obligate burrower. We recommend about 5 inches of substrate, preferably a coconut fiber mix, make sure it is damp. In addition it is a very heavy webber and within days that tank will be covered in silk. Temperature wise we would recommend you keep your tank anywhere between 70 to 75 degrees with a humidity level of 65 to 70 percent. A hide is not needed as chances are it will never get used. A shallow water dish can be used but due to their dwarf size we recommend you stick to something as small as a bottle cap to prevent your tarantula from drowning should it need to drink. Misting is optional but can be done lightly to keep humidity levels up.

Feeding:

Do not let the small size of the Trinidad Olive Tarantula fool you. They have a ravenous appetite and will take down insects their own size with ease. A nice healthy diet of crickets, cockroaches, locusts should be just fine. We do not recommend meal worms as these will waste no time digging and hiding in all the substrate in the enclosure. Feeding should happen just about once a week and should be halted as soon as you see your tarantula in pre-molt stages.

 Attitude:

The Trinidad Olive Tarantula are quite docile. They do come equipped with urticating hairs but would rather run and hide then try to defend itself. Their bite is equivalent to a bee sting and venom very mild. Though small they have tremendous speed which is why we do not recommend handling them. The slightest fall can easily cause severe/life threatening injuries to your tarantula. Visit https://www.helpincolorado.com/ to get legal help in any emergency situation.

All in all this is a great hardy tarantula for any collection. Though communal we recommend you to keep your tarantula by itself. We also recommend this to be a tarantula for a more intermediate to expert hobbyist due to their rapid speed and housing environment.

As always, tell us about your Holothele incei. We would love to hear from you. Comment down below!

Photo credit: Jonah Lazich @bellinghamarachnids