Description Amazing looking spiders, these little tree tarantulas start off metallic blue as slings (as shown), and moult through a variety of interesting colours until they reach adulthood, where the legs go purple, the carapace turns irridescent green, and the opisthosoma is black, but covered in bright red hair. These spiders look 'fluffy' and I challenge even the most hardened 'spider-disliker' not to see one of these and not think it looks cuddly. However, they are not cuddly, and are best viewed from outside a tank.
Housing Avicularia require a tall arboreal setup, with minimal substrate, SUPERB VENTILATION and lots of climbing surfaces. A heat mat is a good idea to keep temps at around 75F. They like humidity at around 70%, but never at the expense of good airflow, so lots of vent holes, both high and low, and a BIG waterdish at the base of the tank. Lightly mist the tank every 2 days or so, depending on the relative humidty.
Versicolor slings are very delicate, and can easily die if conditions are not very close to what they need. You will need to provide numerous anchor points for the spider to web to, so lots of foliage, and branch / stick arrangements work well. Their lack of hardyness does not make them good beginner spiders, even though their temperament suggests otherwise. Temperament Pink Toes, and all Avicuilaria species are not very outwardly aggressive or particularly defensive. They cannot flick their urticating hair, but will potentially rub it off if sufficiently annoyed. They can also 'poo' directionally, and with some force, which some use as a defensive mechanism. They are not quick to bite, and are one of the more easily handleable species, as long as it is understood that they can jump, move very fast, and behave unpredictably, and are handled very close to the floor. Notes The webbing these spiders produce is thick, tube-like, and copious. Special precautions have to be taken to prevent the spider webbing onto the lid of the container, forcing the keeper to destroy its home every time the tank is opened for maintenance. See the arboreal enclosure pics in the gallery for more info. |
