Theraphosa stirmi

🔤 Taxonomy

Theraphosa stirmi is one of the Goliath birdeaters. Trade animals have often been confused with T. blondi, so use clear labels and avoid mixing species in breeding projects.

World Spider Catalog accepts the species described by Rudloff and Weinmann in 2010 and records Guyana and Brazil as its distribution. Do not use the broader common name “Goliath birdeater” as evidence of species identity.

English common names used in the hobby:

• Burgundy Goliath birdeater
• Goliath birdeater

📌 Description

Theraphosa stirmi is a New World tarantula kept mainly as a display invertebrate. Adult size is usually 10-12 cm body, 25-28 cm legspan, and lifespan is females 12-20+ years; males shorter after maturity. It should not be handled routinely. Even species considered calm can bolt, fall, bite, or flick urticating hairs when stressed. The keeper’s job is to provide a secure enclosure, stable moisture gradient, safe fall height, and enough privacy for normal feeding and molting.

The urticating hairs of Theraphosa can produce severe skin irritation and are particularly dangerous around eyes and airways. Wear gloves, long sleeves, and eye protection for rehousing or substrate work; damp-wipe work surfaces and wash exposed clothing separately. Persistent eye, breathing, or widespread skin symptoms need medical advice.

☠️ Venom and safety

A bite from Theraphosa stirmi can cause puncture wounds, pain and swelling. Human bite reports are too uneven to predict an individual reaction or assign a precise venom potency to every species. Do not interpret a quiet animal or a “mild venom” label as permission to handle it.

Urticating hairs are a separate hazard: they can irritate skin and injure eyes. Avoid rubbing exposed skin or eyes; suspected eye exposure needs prompt medical assessment. Keep your face away from the enclosure and wear eye protection and gloves when removing molts or used substrate.

Use long tools and a catch cup, with a second containment tub for transfers in a closed room. Keep hands out of retreats and webbing, do not hand-feed, and do not chase an escaping spider. Keep transfers low to limit fall injuries to the animal.

After a bite, wash the wound with soap and water and contact a poison centre or medical service with the scientific name and time of exposure. Seek urgent care for severe or spreading pain, muscle cramps or persistent symptoms; call emergency services for breathing difficulty, throat swelling or collapse. Do not cut the wound or try to extract venom. Treatment focuses on wound assessment and symptom control under medical supervision.

🌍 Distribution

Northern South American humid forest, especially the Guiana Shield region, where animals use deep burrows and damp retreats.

The enclosure should solve the same basic problems the spider solves in the wild: cover, warmth, water, and seasonal stability.

Distribution is a clue to habitat use, not a demand for unstable enclosure conditions. Focus on retreats, moisture choice, warmth, and reliable security.

🌡 Climate across the native range

Monthly climate normals from reviewed GBIF occurrence locations:

Weather data by WorldClim v2.1 · Monthly normals queried by Herpeton Academy from raster values; relative humidity is derived from vapor pressure and mean temperature.

Location references use GBIF.org occurrence data where available; original occurrence records retain their source dataset licenses.

⚖️ Legal status

As checked against current official sources in April 2026, Theraphosa stirmi is not currently listed in the CITES Appendices, and no species-specific EU wildlife-trade Annex listing was found. It is not relevant to the Bern Convention unless a country applies separate native-wildlife rules. Local rules on ownership, import, sale, transport, breeding, invasive-species control, dangerous-animal licensing, and proof of lawful origin may still apply; keep purchase and breeding records.

🤌 Husbandry

Use 15-20 cm of substrate and limit empty height to reduce fall risk.

Babies or slings should start in smaller secure enclosures such as small secure cup with slightly moist substrate, then deep juvenile boxes. Smaller starter housing makes feeding, molts, hydration, and waste easier to monitor. Adults need the full planned enclosure, stronger locks or lids, and more stable environmental zones. Do not buy a young animal unless the adult housing, food supply, and legal responsibilities are already realistic.

The large size changes routine care: use a deep, heavy enclosure that cannot be tipped, keep ventilation strong enough to prevent stagnant wet air, and never rely on handling as a way to move the spider. Use catch cups and barriers.

Adult enclosures should be low, stable, and escape-proof, with modest open height, reliable ventilation, and no heavy decor that could cause a fall injury.

For spiderlings and juveniles, stability matters more than display. Keep the container small enough to locate prey and check molts, but include cover and a moisture choice so the animal is not forced to sit in the open.

For one adult, use 60 x 45 x 45 cm as the enclosure planning minimum; provide more usable space for an unusually large animal. Juvenile housing is a separate stage and must be upgraded as the animal grows. Use secure ventilation and stable furnishings. Keep simple notes on feeding, molts, weight changes, and behaviour, and quarantine new animals before adding them to the collection.

Quarantine new arrivals for at least 60-90 days with dedicated tools. A simple enclosure makes mites, feces, prey remains, drinking, and molt quality easier to observe. Do not transfer leaf litter, substrate, or water dishes into an established collection, and give a recently shipped spider quiet access to water before offering heavy meals.

Design routine access around the spider’s speed and hair defense. Put the water dish near the door, keep a catch cup and card ready, close the room, and avoid leaning over the retreat. Spot-clean boluses with long tongs; a full substrate replacement is disruptive and should be reserved for contamination, flooding, or persistent pest problems.

💡 Lighting

A clear 10-12 hour day-night cycle is useful. Ordinary room light is enough for tarantulas; UVB and bright basking lamps are unnecessary. Avoid visible night lights and any lamp that dries the enclosure or overheats retreats.

🌡 Heating and temperature

Aim for 24-27 °C, with stable warm room temperatures and no hot spotlight. Measure with digital probes and use an infrared thermometer for any warmed surfaces. Any supplemental heat should be controlled by a thermostat. Tarantulas are usually safer with warm room temperatures or gentle side heat rather than hot lamps or under-tank pads.

💧 Humidity and water

Moisture management: Follow the substrate gradient below; no fixed air-humidity percentage is prescribed.

Keep fresh water available in a stable dish sized for the animal. Keep moisture useful, not stagnant. Chronic dryness risks dehydration and bad molts; constantly wet substrate brings mold, mites, and poor air quality.

Pour water down one or two sides rather than misting the surface every day. The lower layer should remain cool and damp while some upper substrate can dry, giving the spider a choice. Persistent condensation, a sour smell, or mold spreading away from food remains means the enclosure needs less water, more ventilation, or both.

🌿 Enclosure and decoration

Provide a warm retreat, cooler retreat, water, safe texture for molting, and enough cover that the animal can move without feeling exposed. Juvenile setups should be simple enough to inspect but not bare. Adult enclosures must be built for strength, stable furniture, secure doors or lids, and safe cleaning access. Limit fall height for heavy terrestrial tarantulas. Use deep substrate, keep open space modest, and make sure lids, ventilation panels, and access points close securely.

🪳 Feeding

Feed large roaches, crickets, locusts, and occasional worms; vertebrate prey is unnecessary. Let body condition set the feeding pace; eager feeders can still be overfed. Spiderlings eat smaller meals more often; adults usually eat less often and should stay lean rather than swollen. Remove uneaten prey promptly, especially before a molt.

After molting, wait until the fangs are fully black and the spider walks normally before offering prey. A large adult may need 7-10 days or longer to harden. Remove burrowing feeders if they disappear, because hidden prey can disturb or injure a soft spider.

🥚 Breeding

Pairing is advanced because females are powerful and defensive. Mature males are at risk, and a successful sac produces many large spiderlings needing humid individual rearing. Breeding should use healthy mature animals with known identity and lawful origin. Keep dates, pairings, offspring numbers, and transfer records, and do not produce more young than can be housed and placed responsibly.

🩺 Common problems

Common problems include dehydration, bad molts, overheating, mites, fall injuries, refusal to feed with visible weight loss, and stress from exposure or poor security. Warning signs include a shriveled abdomen, leaking injury, failed molt, swollen joints, twisting posture, sudden lethargy, or repeated frantic escape attempts. Consult an exotic-animal veterinarian for severe weakness, injury, swelling, failed molt, or prolonged refusal to feed with decline in body condition.

Refusal to feed and a sealed retreat commonly precede a molt. Remove prey, refill water, check lower-substrate moisture, and leave the spider undisturbed. Digging open the retreat is justified only by immediate danger such as flooding or structural collapse.

📌 Conclusion

Theraphosa stirmi needs adult-sized planning from the start, not only interest in the juvenile stage. Secure housing, measured conditions, appropriate feeding, and basic records make long-term care predictable.

📚 Sources and further reading

Taxonomy and legal references identify names and listing frameworks; they do not establish care limits. General husbandry references support the precautions described. Unless tied to a specific study in the text, the numerical enclosure, climate and feeding recommendations are editorial planning guidance, not experimentally established species-specific limits.

• World Spider Catalog entry for Theraphosa stirmi
• GBIF species backbone entry for Theraphosa stirmi
• Rudloff & Weinmann (2010), A new giant tarantula from Guyana
• Tom’s Big Spiders: Theraphosa stirmi husbandry
• The Tarantula Collective: Goliath birdeater care
• CITES Checklist and Appendices - legal-status reference checked April 2026
• EU wildlife trade regulations - legal-status reference checked April 2026
• MedlinePlus: tarantula bites and hair exposure
• Kaderka et al. (2019): urticating setae in tarantulas
• Waggoner et al. (1997): eye injury from tarantula hairs
• University of Illinois veterinary guidance: feeding precautions, water and undisturbed molting; general tarantula guidance