Tarantulas of the World

The Flame Rump Tree Spider or Thrixopelma ockerti is a semi-arboreal tarantula from Peru. They are somewhat rare as they are very hard to breed. Adults have a dark blueish grey body color with a reddish colored rump. As spiderlings they tend to be more brown and green in color with a golden red rump. Their abdomen almost have an elongated shape. The Flame Rump Tree Spider grows to be about 5 to 6 inches in length with females outliving males. Not much is known as to how old they grow to be but it is assumed that females will live to be 10 to 15 years old while males tend to live to be 3 to 4 years.

Habitat: This one is a weird one. Because they are semi-arboreal your enclosure needs to be both tall and wide. At full growth your enclosure will need about 18 inches in height and 12 inches in length. This will allow your tarantula to climb and roam the enclosure as s/he seems fit. As spiderlings they have been known to burrow but a vial with enough substrate and small piece of twig or bark should be perfect. For substrate we recommend coconut fiber kept somewhat damp. This tarantula does well with low humidity. Temperature should be kept between 65° to 85° F with a humidity of about 60%. Make sure to always keep a water dish overfilled in the enclosure at all times. Being that this tarantula does not spend all its time climbed up you can keep the water dish on the ground.

Feeding: This tarantula is a very hardy eater. As spiderlings we feed them small pinhead crickets with their heads crushed in to prevent them from harming the slings. As juveniles and all the way into adulthood they can be kept on a great diet of roaches, worms, crickets, locusts and a variety of other insects.

Attitude: The Peruvian Flame Rump Tree Spider is quite docile. It can be extremely skittish and you can expect it to flick a lot of urticating hairs. The Perucian Flame Rump Tree Spider can bite and this can cause some discomfort. The bite is not medically significant and at most can be compared to a bee sting.

This is a collector’s dream tarantula and can be great for any beginner. It is always out and about showing off its amazing looks and is incredibly docile. We of course always recommend not handling the tarantula if you do not need to.

The Brazilian Red and White Birdeater Tarantula also known as the Brazilian Striped Red Rump is a large species of New World tarantulas from the rainforests of Brazil and some parts of  Paraguay. A full grown species can reach a size of 9 to 10 inches with ease. Known in the pet trade due to their beautiful coloration which consists of black and white stripes on its legs and red urticating hairs on a very dark/black abdomen. It has a brown carapace, not to be confused with the A. geniculata which has a black carapace. The Brazilian Red and White Birdeater tarantula reaches adulthood in 3 to 4 years and can live to be about 11 years or sometimes older in captivity.

Habitat:

As full grown adults we recommend an enclosure of about 15 gallons or sometimes even bigger depending on how big yours grow. They are terrestrial burrowers and so you should add anywhere from 4 to 5 inches of substrate. A hide can be added as well just in the event your tarantula does not burrow. What we have seen work best is to bury a hide under the substrate with an opening leading to it so that it can be used as a pre-made burrow. As for specific substrate, coconut fiber should do the trick just fine. Your substrate should be damp to dry. You can overfill its water dish to keep humidity levels for your tarantula correct as this will need about 75 to 80 percent humidity. Temperature wise you are going to want it to be at about 75 degrees. You can add an additional hide on the substrate or even plants. Spraying the enclosure is not required but can be done once a week.

Feeding:

Your Brazilian Red and White Birdeater Tarantula though named a birdeater will actually eat a steady diet of insects such as large crickets, large cockroaches, large mealworms and can also eat small rodents such as small mice. A steady diet of insects should be just fine as we do not recommend feeding them rodents, mice can end up supplying your tarantula with too much calcium which can harden its exoskeleton to the point where it can cause issues with its molting.

Attitude:

Due to their size we recommend this species to only be handled by experienced keepers. Its a very skittish and large tarantula that comes equipped with urticaing hairs and at times a bad attitude. We recommend only an experienced keeper to handle these tarantulas to prevent a fall which can certainly cause great injury if not death of your tarantula and to prevent mishandling of your tarantula which can induce him or her to bite. Though their venom has a mild toxicity level and is not lethal to humans it does come equipped with large fangs which can cause medically significant damage if they do bite.

All in all it is an excellent tarantula for that experienced hobbyist who would like to add an interesting tarantula to his or her collection. Do you have a Brazilian Red and White Birdeater? Tell us your story and comment down below!

The Mexican Red Rump (also known as the B.vagans) is a tarantula originally from Mexico but can be found in Guatemala and El Salvador. These tarantulas are very striking due to their jet black color and their dark red urticating hairs on their abdomen. Females tend to age as old as 15 years while a male age around 5 to 6 years. Most Mexican Red Rumps end up grow fast and a fully mature tarantula will end up being about 6 inches in length.

Habitat:

The Mexican Red Rump love a dry environment. For a full size Mexican Red Rump the most you will need would be a 10 gallon enclosure. Make sure it has a temperature of about 75 to 85 degrees with about 65% humidity. We would recommend you add a substrate such as eco-earth and simply making a corner of the enclosure damp. This species is also known for burrowing so be sure to setting your substrate with a depth of 3 to 4o inches. Make sure to also provide a water dish and bark in the enclosure in the event your tarantula gets thirsty or needs a place to hide.

Feeding:

Feeding should not be a problem at all. In the wild these tarantulas are known for feeding on insects and small rodents or lizards. In captivity however, they will survive just fine on a steady diet of large crickets and cockroaches. You can not overfeed these animals and the more they want to eat the more you can feed them.

Attitude:

These animals are quite docile and being New World tarantulas are very slow. However they do suffer from mood swings from time to time and may become skittish. They are normally very easy to handle but be sure to check your tarantula out to see if its in the mood to be touched. As a defense mechanism they do flick off their urticating hairs and as last resort bite. This is very rare and should not be something of extreme concern.

Your Mexican Red Rump will spend most of its time just sitting in one spot and not moving much. They are very easy to handle and are recommended for beginner/intermediate tarantula hobbyist. Following simple steps you can ensure your tarantula lives a long and healthy life and will be easy to handle.