Want to learn how you can keep and care for pink-toe tarantulas as your pet? Now that you’ve recognized your spider, here are a few suggestions on how to take care of it.
The pinktoe tarantula (Caribena Versicolor) is a tree branch-dwelling (Arboreal) tarantula genus. These spiders are sometimes referred to as Martinique pinktoe or Antilles pinktoe. Pinktoe Tarantulas are so-called because of their pinkish-orange toned toes at the end of their furry black legs. This spider is mostly found in southern Central and northern South America, as well as other rainforest regions. They are swift-moving and docile creatures, which makes them excellent pets for beginners.
In this article, you will learn to take good care of your pet tarantula, including their behavior, housing, diet, and everything else related to keeping them happy and healthy.
Table of Contents
Behavior & Temperament
The Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula are arboreal; they are mostly found in rainforest areas and are agile in nature. These spiders rarely bite, but they can jump on your hand and flick their hairs at you if they ever feel threatened. When they feel scared, they may spray fecal matters towards you as a defense mechanism. If something like this happens, fall back and give your spider some time alone.
Handling them helps your pet to know you and its new surroundings. Remember you need to do it gently while sitting on the ground. Their quick habitat means they can do slow-moving one moment and then randomly react by jumping and running. If they fall, it will not be harmful as you will be holding them relatively close to the ground. Never pin your spider down to hold still or handle it after molting as their skin will be incredibly soft and sensitive.
As with all sorts of spider tarantulas, they can bite. The bites are the same as the bites of bee stings, so anyone with an allergic reaction to stings needs to avoid holding their tarantula.
Housing for Pinktoe Tarantulas
Humidity
A common mistake that owners make is that keeping pinktoes as pets requires lots of humidity. These species can endure high temperatures, not more than 80 degrees Fahrenheit. When saying all of this, it is also important to remember that the temperature should not drop below 70°. So, be aware you may need to acquire a supplemental heat source. Cage heaters and some basic reptile heat lights give the right amount of ambient heat required for warming the spider’s cage.
To provide a natural habitat for the spider, maintain a humidity level of 65 to 75%. You will reach the proper amount by applying sponge-soaked water to the cage and spraying it every two to three days with a spray bottle. This way, both your pet and the living plants would flourish.
Ventilation
A ventilation device is needed for your pinktoe Tarantula pet. This mechanism is acquired by a method known as cross-ventilation. Punctuate the edges of the tarantula’s cage with mesh or holes to allow for adequate airflow.
Dimensions
In the tarantula’s natural habitat, they love to build funnel-shaped webs in the leaves of plants and treetops. A space of the proper dimensions is vital when caring for your pinktoe Tarantula. A plastic cage or acrylic that is close to the total size of a 10-gallon aquarium. You can easily keep a single adult in it and you can modify this with proper ventilation.
When it comes to owning arboreal (tree) spiders, homeowners like to have the enclosure with a front or side-facing door. Tarantulas build their webs high up on the cage. If you open at the top of a door or lid; it will destroy their webs and make it easier to come out in a time of maintenance and feeding.
Foliage
Adding foliage or cork bark in your pet’s cage will allow them to have a safe hiding spot. The soil may not have to be deep, but maintaining a layer of coco fiber or semi-damp sphagnum moss under the surface helps to maintain humidity levels in your pet’s environment.
Temperature
Maintain a temperature range of 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit for your tarantula. Due to the increased activity of tarantulas in a colder climate, you must always monitor the temperature. Very high or extremely low temperatures will also harm and even kill your pet.
To build a cage that provides better pinktoe Tarantula treatment, you must maintain a favorable environment, air humidity, space, airflow, vegetation, and temperature.
Water and Feeding Habits
Like other arboreal tarantulas, pinktoed Tarantulas are comparatively fast-growing. But you can not overfeed them, so feel free to give your pet food whenever they will eat mostly.
Pinktoed Tarantulas are known as active predators so they can have various insects, flies, moths, crickets, roaches, grasshoppers, etc. Adult tarantulas can even eat large size prey like mice, frogs, and lizards. However, be sure to take away anything that is not eaten within 24 hours, or else it will give anxiety to your spider.
Lastly, you should give your pet a clear water supply. So, keep some small, shallow water balls all over the cage, and be sure to clean and refill them regularly.
Common Health Issues
Generally, pinktoe Tarantulas rarely fall ill in confinement. Still, any change of behavior such as loss of appetite, lethargy, or pacing can be an indication that something is off. Parasites, unusual habitat, or dehydration can cause diseases in a spider. You can correct most of these problems by keeping the spider’s tank clean and maintaining good practices.
Process of Molting
Some owners misunderstand a spider’s molting process as a disease, especially when the tarantula’s belly side is up in the cage. Before the actual molt occurs, it is natural for your tarantula to seem off, sluggish and dull. It is not only ready to tear its skin, but also it will wear off from the respiratory organs, the lining of its mouth, stomach, and sexual organs.
The molting process will take several weeks to complete, and it needs to take care of its new skin as it needs time to harden and become protective.
Fun Fact
Pinktoe Tarantulas are very well known to be easy to socialize, which says you can hold them with other Avicularia spider species in the correct conditions. This mostly means you need to give them a proper place, many plants, enough climbing space, and good hiding places to lower any cannibalism and potential fights.
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