Avicularia avicularia — Fact Sheet

Avicularia avicularia · Avicularia avicularia

📋 At a glance

🏠 Enclosure

• Indoor secure enclosure only; outdoor keeping is not appropriate
• Display species; routine handling not recommended
• Keep singly; tarantulas are not social unless a species-specific breeding plan says otherwise
• Tall arboreal enclosure with strong cross-ventilation
• Adult minimum: about 30 x 30 x 45 cm or larger
• Substrate: modest soil/coco layer; not a wet sealed box
• Avoid stale humid air, mesh that catches claws, and layouts that force handling

🪨 Enclosure furniture

• Vertical cork bark tube or slab
• Branches, foliage, and anchor points for webbing
• Water dish that can be serviced safely
• Dry upper retreat with airflow

💡 Lighting

• No special lighting required; normal room day-night cycle is enough
• Avoid bright basking lamps; they dry arboreal enclosures quickly
• Photoperiod: roughly 10-12 h ambient room light; no night light

🌡️ Temperature

• Heat focus: 22-27 °C

• Day: 22-27 °C

• Cooler area: 20-23 °C

• Night: 20-23 °C

• Measure ambient temperature near the retreat

• Warm the room or one enclosure side if needed; avoid heat mats under the floor

• Avoid hot stagnant air

💧 Humidity & water

• Fresh water dish always available
• Moderate humidity with strong airflow
• Let surfaces dry between moisture additions
• Lightly moisten only part of the enclosure when needed
• Misting alone is not hydration

🪳 Feeding

Feed regularly:

• Appropriately sized crickets
• Roaches
• Locusts where legal/available

In moderation:

• Mealworms or soft-bodied larvae as occasional variety
• Adults every 7-14 days depending on abdomen condition
• Slings every 3-5 days in small portions

Avoid:

• Wild-caught insects, vertebrate prey, oversized feeders
• Leaving prey in during premolt or molt
• Overfeeding to an extreme abdomen
• Remove uneaten prey within 24 h and immediately if a molt is expected

Supplements:

• No calcium or vitamin powders; feeder insects should be healthy and appropriately sized

🩺 Health — warning signs

• Wrinkled abdomen → dehydration or long fasting
• Weak grip → dehydration, overheating, or poor enclosure conditions
• Spending unusual time on the floor → check airflow, heat, and retreat security
• Failed molt → hydration, humidity, or disturbance issue
• Decline in wet stagnant air → improve ventilation before adding more moisture
• A tarantula on its back is usually molting; do not touch it