A nice big chunky Aphonopelma species that is blonde with a brown abdomen covered in reddish hairs. The colouration differs depending on locality, the Tucson locality has green looking femurs and brighter yellow on the carapace. They are not commonly seen in Europe as they are not often bred and can take up to 10 years to mature from Spiderling, they do however live for 20+ years.
Being a desert species they are very easy to care and have no delicate requirements and are as pullet proof as a Tarantula gets. They can be housed in simple terrestrial setup add something to hide under, a heat and a small bowl of water. They are slow moving and settle down quickly and though they make ideal pet spiders I reckon in a few years everyone will have one.
This species is a real monster, it is a giant, robust, heavy bodied, fast and powerful Spider. This is probably the most popular species in the Hobby. Uniformly dark brown in body colour covered with dense short setae (hair) which gives it a beautiful suede appearance. There are also some longish reddish hairs on the abdomen and legs. It is interested to observe the changes of coloration of this giant from moult to moult as it can vary from jet black to pale orange. In wild it inhabits very moist (even swamp) deep rainforests where it lives in deep burrows. They feed on any capable sized prey: insects, small mammals, frogs, lizards and has also been recorded to feed on lethal venomous snakes (West, 1992). In captivity it needs a very ample terrarium with a thick layer of humid substrate. and a big water bowl for drinking. Regular misting of the terrarium provides an increased humidity which is critical for this species. It readily utilizes artificial retreats and you can also decorate the enclosure with artificial plants. This species doesn’t spin much web. In spite of the this Tarantula often being bred as spiderlings it is very hard to breed. The mating is usually successful but females do not produce the eggsacks, or if they do the eggs are often infertile. Eggsacks usually contain less than 100 eggs but the offspring are rather large and around 2cm. There are a few points about this unique species a potential keeper must bear in mind. Humidity is important to this species and require regular misting, however it also important to have good ventilation so that the enclosure does not get stagnant as this can also be harmful. This species is a voracious eater and fast grower – it can eat and eat and eat and eat…. until the abdomen looks fit to burst, so try not to overfeed it to much. This species also has urticating hairs (type III) which are considered the nastiest among tarantula fauna and can cause serious irritation to the skin. Just the slightest movement of one rear leg rubbing against the abdomen of the is monster raises a whole cloud of this hair. It is also not a docile pet, they have 1.5 – 2cm fangs and can strike a very painful bite. When this monster is distributed it will stridulate which is a hissing sound let you know it is annoyed.
Due to YouTube restrictions I am no longer able to have the word “predator” in my channel name so we are in the process of re-branding all social media and the website
This species is a voracious eater and fast grower – it can eat and eat and eat and eat…. until the abdomen looks fit to burst, so try not to overfeed it too much. This species also has urticating hairs (type III) which are considered the nastiest among tarantula fauna and can cause serious irritation to the skin. Just the slightest movement of one rear leg rubbing against the abdomen of the is monster raises a whole cloud of this hair. It is also not a docile pet, they have 1.5 – 2cm fangs and can strike a very painful bite. When this monster is distributed it will stridulate which is a hissing sound let you know it is annoyed. As you can see this spider is definitely not a toy and demands a lot of respect and common sense when keeping it. It is an interesting species to observe, nice, attractive and a good display Tarantulas the sort of thing every serious keeper keeps or has kept but is not a suitable species for the inexperienced.
Description from http://www.thespidershop.co.uk A striking slender species from Papua New Guinea with bright orange legs and carapace contrasting against pitch-black femurs and abdomen. Terrestrial Asian species are generally aggressive when threatened they rear up in a threat display and won’t hesitate to bite. These are however in a league of their own and are 6 inches of pure evil. Not only are they fearlessly aggressive but also exceptionally fast so only suitable for experienced keepers. If provoked not only will they bite, they will shoot across your floor, pull the scart lead out your TV and tombstone your cat before disappearing underneath your fridge. They are generally less secretive than other Asians and are often out in the open. They require a moist substrate 10 – 15cm deep to allow burrowing and increase the humidity. They should be kept around 26°c with a 4°c drop in temperature at night.
The colour of the this species varies depending on original locality. They vary from a beautiful bright orange colour to tan with a starburst pattern covering its body. It is very interesting in both its behaviour and habits. Not a beginners species but definitely one of those species you need to keep sooner or later. They do not require high humidity and can be kept on slightly moistened substrate with a water dish. They are best kept in a terrarium that is set up with both arboreal and terrestrial hides. If given enough substrate they may even dig a burrow. They are very heavy webber’s and will not only cover a dense layer of web over their retreat but also over the entire enclosure, establishing elaborate silken tunnels. Care needs to be given when moving them and maintaining the enclosure as they are very fast and will not hesitate to bite or escape.
