Description GBB's as they are sometimes known, are brightly coloured, bold and interesting new world terrestrial tarantulas that normally live in dry forest scrubland, usually at ground level. Adult colours include a bright orange striped opisthosoma, a metallic green carapace, and iridescent bright blue legs and pedipalps. A joy to keep, watch, and interact with. Housing Adults are happy in a small terrestrial setup with good floor space, and variety of textures on which to rest and anchor their extensive webbing. They do not habitually burrow, but a good 2" layer of dry substrate in which to dig will give them the option, and possibly make them more content, and the spider may customize any burrow you provide with it's own ideas. Substrate can be anything that looks vaguely like a forest floor: I use peat moss mainly, supplemented with a loose covering of leaves and or wood chips (not cedar, which is an insecticide) Temperatures should kept be around 70F using a side-mounted (NOT under-tank) heatmat, with humidity lower than standard T's at around 60%+. Unusually, a water bowl is not strictly necessary with these spiders, and if present will be used rarely or not at all. The only moisture they need is a VERY light misting perhaps once a week, leaving only a few water droplets on their webbing so that they can easily drink as they come across it. Feeding GBB's have a very 'positive' reaction to prey. There is very little waiting around involved in feeding these T's, mainly because they will heavily web the entire tank which then alerts the animal to the presence of food no matter where it arrives. They are highly inquisitive, and strike fast and repeatedly at pretty much any prey they encounter. they will also over-feed given the opportunity, so I limit mine to 1 suitably sized cricket per week or so... they would happily eat more. Temperament These spider's, or at least mine, and others I have seen possess most endearing and interesting personalities. They tend not to run away from small disturbances, and will often come out to investigate. They are not very aggressive, but rather flighty and nervous, despite their curiosity. Not a species to hand-feed though, they very much charge in and strike first, only asking questions later. They are also prepared to perform some remarkably athletic feats of 'bravery' in the line of duty, and therefore, have a high success rate in catching food, and avoiding capture by keepers who might be trying to clean their tanks.
Notes GBB's are one of my favourite spiders to look after, supremely photogenic, and brave enough to stay on display long enough to make good photos possible easily. They are quick to learn compared to other tarantulas, and highly adaptable, making them beautiful, low-maintenance, non-hostile pets ! I recommend them to almost any keeper, possibly with the exception of the VERY new or inexperienced, who may be surprised or worried by the speed of them, which is impressive, though not as fast as say Psalmopoeus, or Poecilotheria. |
