Typhochlaena seladonia — Fact Sheet

Typhochlaena seladonia · Typhochlaena seladonia

📋 At a glance

🏠 Enclosure

• Secure vertical arboreal enclosure; one spider only; expert display species
• Adult: about 15 x 15 x 25 cm; use smaller containers for slings
• Every vent and door seam narrower than the carapace
• 2-4 cm soil at the base for moisture buffering, not deep burrowing
• Quarantine at least 8 weeks and retain complete source documents

🪨 Enclosure furniture

• Vertical curved cork with several tight sheltered fissures
• Light cork flakes and leaf pieces for the camouflaged trapdoor
• Fixed shallow water dish; position the refuge away from the door

💡 Lighting

• No UVB or basking lamp; soft indirect light only
• Photoperiod: 10-12 h with a fully dark night
• Keep away from sun and hot display lights

🌡️ Temperature

• Basking spot: 23-26 °C

• Warm zone: 21-26 °C

• Cool zone: 20-22 °C

• Night: 19-22 °C

• Warm the room or one side through a thermostat

• Never heat beneath the base or aim a bulb at the bark

💧 Humidity & water

• Working range: 60-75%; keep the base lightly moist, not wet throughout
• Strong cross-ventilation is essential
• Offer a tiny fixed dish; droplets can support very small slings
• Never spray into the trapdoor; avoid condensation and moldy cork

🪳 Feeding

Feed regularly:

• Fruit flies, tiny roaches, pinhead crickets, or fresh pre-killed pieces for slings
• Adults: one small suitable feeder every 7-14 days

In moderation:

• Juveniles every 5-7 days, adjusted to abdomen condition

Avoid:

• Wild insects, oversized prey, and prey placed inside the trapdoor
• Remove uneaten prey within 24 h; stop when the door remains sealed

Supplements:

• No calcium or vitamin powder

🩺 Health — warning signs

• Escape → oversized opening or door beside the refuge
• Small wrinkled abdomen or poor coordination → dehydration
• No trapdoor → unsuitable bark, no fissure, or repeated disturbance
• Mold, mites, or musty odour → excess water, waste, or weak airflow
• Sealed trapdoor and fasting → usually premolt; never pry it open
• Fall, hemolymph, poor grip, or failed molt → urgent specialist help

Brazil classifies this species as Endangered. Buy only with unusually strong, traceable captive-breeding and transfer records; CITES non-listing does not prove legal origin.