Poecilotheria formosa — Fact Sheet

Poecilotheria formosa · Salem ornamental tarantula

📋 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 20 x 20 x 30 cm or larger
• Substrate: shallow soil/coco layer; not a deep wet box
• Avoid stale humid air, loose doors, and layouts that force handling

🪨 Enclosure furniture

• Vertical cork bark tube or slab
• Branches and anchor points for webbing
• Elevated and ground-level water access where practical
• Dry upper retreat with airflow

💡 Lighting

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

🌡️ Temperature

• Heat focus: 24-28 °C

• Day: 24-28 °C

• Cooler area: 20-24 °C

• Night: 20-24 °C

• Measure ambient temperature with a digital thermometer near the retreat

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

• Avoid heat rocks, hot bulbs over small boxes, and overheating

💧 Humidity & water

• Fresh shallow water dish always available for juveniles and adults
• Moderate humidity with constant airflow
• Allow surfaces to dry between heavier moisture additions
• Water dish is safer than trying to keep the enclosure wet
• Moisten only part of the substrate when needed; never create stagnant wet air

🪳 Feeding

Feed regularly:

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

In moderation:

• Mealworms or superworms 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 movement → overheating, dehydration, or illness
• Persistent wall climbing → enclosure, moisture, or stress problem
• Failed molt → humidity, hydration, or disturbance issue
• Leaking fluid or fall injury → urgent specialist help
• A tarantula on its back is usually molting; do not touch it

Seek an exotic-animal vet or experienced arachnid keeper for severe injury, failed molt, or prolonged decline.