This care sheet is intended to give basic husbandry information of new world terrestrial tarantulas. These are the tarantulas from South and Central America such as the Chilian Rose (Grammostola rosea), the Brazilian Black (Grammostola pulcher), the Mexican Red Knee (Brachypelma smithi), the Curly Hair Tarantula (Brachypelma albopilosum) and the Mexican Red Rump (Brachypelma vagans). All of these tarantulas are very good choices for the beginner due to their ease of care, calm disposition and they are all easy to obtain as captive bred specimens.
Housing: There are various enclosures that can be used to house tarantulas. These range from sandwich box containers, “Cadbury” type tubs, pet pals, fish tanks and vivariums. Which form of housing you use all depends on the size of you tarantula and how many you keep and if you wish to ‘display’ your tarantula. If you wish to have a nice display piece then we would recommend a Pilbara terrarium planted out as an eco-viv. In the bottom of the enclosure should be 2-3 inches of substrate such as peat free compost or coco fibre. It is best to avoid using vermiculite unless it is mixed with something such as coco fibre as your tarantula may feel a bit unstable walking on it and it would be very difficult for them to construct a burrow from it. However, it is very good for holding moisture so it works well as a mixture for species that require higher humidity. Substrate should not be wet or dry. If you can gently squeeze a handful and it remains compact when you release it then it will be about right. There should also be a water bowl in the enclosure filled with fresh water should your tarantula require it. This will also help keep up the humidity and prevent the enclosure completely drying out. Alternatively, regular misting will also help keep up humidity but if you opt for an eco-viv with natural plants then they will need to be misted every couple of days anyway. Your tarantula should also be provided with a retreat it can hide in during the day - this could be in the form of cork bark or half of a terracotta plant pot.
Although few species such as the Chilian Rose will survive at room temperature tarantulas generally require a heat source in order to survive in our climate. Temperatures of 72-82 degrees Fahrenheit will be sufficient for the above species and heating is best provided by a heat mat placed on the back of the enclosure or from above, this is because tarantulas will burrow to escape the heat, but if the heat source is underneath and the tarantula burrows it may end up overheating and dying instead of cooling down. It is also best to avoid using ‘hot spots’ as these can dry out the enclosure and also end up over-heating your tarantula. Another important requirement that should be considered is humidity requirements of your tarantula, for the above species 70%-75% humidity should be fine. If the humidity is to low then your tarantula may encounter problems when moulting which lead to death. If humidity is to high there may be problems with mould which could in turn result in your tarantula having health problems.
Feeding: Generally adult tarantulas can go for some time without food. However, they still need to be fed on a regular basis! Tarantulas will take a variety of prey items, such as crickets, locusts, mealworms, cockroaches and the occasional pinkie. It is best to give your tarantula a couple of crickets (up to half its body length) weekly. Some species such as the Chilian Rose may fast during the winter for several months.
This is nothing to worry about (as long as it looks healthy) as they do this naturally in the wild, being a kind of hibernation period, due to climate. Even though your tarantula may fast for several months it will still need fresh water !
Moulting: In order for arachnids to grow they must go through a process calledecdysis, this is where they shed or moult their exoskeleton and emerge in a larger one in order for them to grow. Spiderlings can be expected to do this five or more times in their first year of life with the pre-moult period (apolysis) increasing with each moult until maturity at which point females will only moult once a year. Before your tarantula moults it will go through several changes. Firstly it will stop feeding (in adults this can be months before!), if your tarantula has a bald spot on the abdomen this will darken considerably, the tarantula will not move around as much and there will be increased webbing in a particular area. As soon as any of this has been observed all live-food must be removed as this will stress and attack your tarantula. You must also make sure the humidity is not to low as this can cause major problems when moulting. When the point of moulting is reached the tarantula will become restless and usually roll over onto its back, at this point it MUST NOT be disturbed. People have been known to move their tarantulas when found in this position thinking it was dead and it has resulted in death (a dead tarantula will always be in its front with its legs curled underneath). The tarantula will remain on its back for anything from a few minutes in spiderlings to several hours as adults, eventually it will split around the carapace and along the abdomen and the tarantula will wriggle free from the old skin. After moulting a tarantula will remain on its back for some time and turn over when ready. This can all last for up to 12 hours! Feeding can resume as soon as the new exoskeleton has hardened, this can take up to a few days.
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