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.

Known as one of the largest species of tarantulas in the world, this tarantula comes straight from Guyana. Adults have a leg span anywhere between 9 to 11 inches in length. Mature (ultimate) males  lack mating spurs (tibial apophyses), they have pink tarsi (feet) as spiderlings and juveniles. As Adults their patella (knee) will also be bald or have next to no/small hairs. These tarantulas are heavy bodied and posses a distinct burgandy/brown post molt color with reddish bristle-like looking legs and abdomen.

Habitat:

The Burgundy Goliath Birdeater Tarantula are big terrestrials. The Burgundy Goliath Birdeater Tarantula will need an enclosure that is more wide then it is tall. They are fast growers and as adults should be kept in a 15-20 gallon tank giving it ample space to move. The Burgandy Goliath Birdeater requires some humidity (we recommend 75 to 80% humidity) with a temperature of 80 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit to emulate its environment in the wild. Your substrate is key. We recommend damp coconut fiber but vermiculite can also do well, both with weekly water spraying. In addition to humidity your tarantula will require ample ventilation. Prevent stagnant air as this can do harm and even kill your tarantula. A bark hide is recommended as a startup hide, your tarantula will probably end up burrowing underneath it and make its own home. An overflowing water dish should always be present with clean water. Pesticide-free plants and moss can be added but not required.

Feeding:

The Burgandy Goliath Birdeater is a voracious eater to keep up with its fast growth. Any variety of gut-loaded crickets, roaches, locusts, mealworms, superworms can be a healthy and great meal for your tarantula. As full adults you might be able to also feed your tarantula small lizards and mice though we would recommend this be a rare snack for your tarantula to prevent any calcium buildup in your tarantula. As always any prey not consumed within 24 hours should be immediately removed from the enclosure to prevent harm/stress to your tarantula.

Attitude:

The Burgandy Goliath Birdeater is known for having one of the most irritating urticating hairs of all tarantulas. As slings and juveniles they tend to be very skittish but become more laid back as adults. Though they can be aggressive they rarely show a threat pose. We do not recommend handling this species to their sheer size and inch long fangs which can definitely cause some harm though their venom is not lethal to humans.

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.

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!