Chilobrachys fimbriatus — Fact Sheet

Chilobrachys fimbriatus · Chilobrachys fimbriatus

Full care guide and sources

📋 At a glance

🏠 Enclosure

• Adult enclosure: 30 × 30 × 45 cm (length × width × height).
• Use most of the lower space for firm, diggable substrate and a stable burrow; the listed height is not empty climbing space.
• Substrate planning depth: 25 cm
• Housing: One animal per enclosure

🪨 Substrate and furnishings

The layout should help the tarantula dig and web, not just look decorative. Use deep substrate, stable cork, cover around the entrance, easy water access, and enough clear space for safe maintenance.

Use a substrate mix that holds a tunnel without becoming swampy: coco fiber blended with unfertilized topsoil, clay-rich soil, or a similar firm invertebrate substrate. The access point should not force you to work directly over the burrow mouth. Have a catch container ready before rehousing, because the spider can leave the retreat suddenly.

💡 Lighting

Use ambient room light for a predictable day-night cycle; bright basking lamps are unnecessary. Avoid direct lamps that overheat or dry the enclosure too aggressively. Quarantine new arrivals in a simple secure setup before moving them into a display enclosure.

🌡️ Temperature

• Daytime air: 22-27 °C
• Cool zone: 20-23 °C
• Night: 20-23 °C

💧 Humidity and water

Keep the surface mostly dry to moderately moist, with the lower burrow zone slightly moister. A dish of clean water should always be available. Do not wet the entire enclosure; for this species, useful moisture is local and well ventilated, not stale air and wet walls.

🪳 Feeding

Suitable diet: crickets, roaches, locusts, and other suitable insects. Remove uneaten prey and food remains. Feed according to body condition, not only appetite, and avoid leaving live prey during premolt. Missed meals are common; remove prey, review conditions, and try again later rather than leaving insects in the enclosure.

☠️ Safety

Do not handle this spider. It lacks urticating hairs and can move or bite rapidly when cornered. Plan maintenance around a hidden animal, with tools and a catch cup ready rather than fingers near the retreat. Obtain medical advice after a bite; breathing difficulty, collapse or rapidly worsening symptoms require emergency help. Tell clinicians the scientific name. General tarantula bite guidance

🩺 Health — warning signs

The most common mistakes are shallow substrate, repeated destruction of the webbing, a poorly secured lid, and soaking the whole enclosure. If the spider sits in the open during the day, refuses food for a long time, or looks visibly shrunken, first check water, temperature, ventilation, and whether the retreat is secure enough.

Being sealed inside the burrow for weeks can be normal, especially around molt. Do not dig the animal out just to check it. Intervention is more justified if the abdomen is severely shrunken, the spider is weak, mold or odor is present, or the burrow is visibly wet and stagnant.

For serious injury to the spider, leaking hemolymph, or a difficult molt, seek an exotic-veterinary professional when possible. Human bites need human medical care, as described above. A short log of feeding, molts, water, and cleaning helps separate normal hiding from a real problem.