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The Greenbottle
blue Tarantula (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens)
This
extremely colorful species is found in Venezuela.
It is one of the most colorful tarantulas in the
world. Bright blue legs, metallica green carapace
and pumpkin orange abdominal hairs make it a
favorite of the hobby. They are always in demand
and sell at high prices. They were first imported
back in 1993 and adults sold for over $250.
Adults are no longer imported and
this is not an easy species to breed.
Captive-born spiderlings are periodically
available in the hobby for $25-$45.
Other common names (not
official): Orange & blue bottlebrush and
Venezuelan bottlebrush
Described by: Strand (yr.
unknown)[1907]
Distribution: Along the Paraguara
river in Venezuela in Xerophil bush areas and dry
forest.
Size: Spiderlings emerge as
1/2" 1st instar.
Adult females may reach 6" in leg span and
weigh just over 1 ounce. Males reach 4.5".
Growth rate: Medium growth rate.
Temperature: Keep 80-90F.
They can take drops to 65 F for short periods of
time as long as they have a deep burrow. Keep
your tarantula¹s enclosure away from windows,
sunlight, heater's and air conditioning.
Humidity: 40-60%.
Keep substrate mostly dry. Provide a shallow
water dish. Spray spiderling pill bottles once a
week lightly. The substrate should NEVER be
"swampy" nor should it be so dry that
if you were to blow on it particles would go up
in the air. Spiderlings needs higher humidity,
but 80% humidity or higher will kill adults.
Habitat type/enclosure/substrate
needed: This is a short-burrowing species found
in dry forest/ bush areas .
Keep adults in 5 gallon tanks
with 4-6" peat moss/vermiculite mix with
cork bark shelter to hide under.
Spiderlings will need to be keep
in pill bottles with peat moss/vermiculite mix
for 1st two months, then moved to 8 and 16 ounce
deli cups as they get bigger. Make sure your
adults can not "climb" up the sides of
the glass tank as a drop will kill or injury
them. Make sure your lid on top is secure. A good
tank for adult tarantulas are "Critter
Cages" with sliding and locking lids. In
captivity, this species makes a lot of floor
webbing.
Food: Feed prey that is smaller
than the length of the tarantulas body.
Spiderlings less than 1" leg span will need
to be fed mini-meal worms (obtained from
companies like Nature's Way and Grubco for cheap)
and termites. You can use "pin-head"
crickets, but these must be 1 week old crickets
and very small as they will eat your spiderling
when it tries to molt. Adults can be fed large
crickets, super worms, anole lizards,and pinkie
& fuzzy mice. Make sure all insects come from
non-pesticide areas. Feed spiderlings twice a
week a couple of prey items. Feed adults once a
week with a couple of large prey. Adults can go
off-feed for 3 months or more.
Cleaning: To keep your
tarantula's tank clean and keep your animal
healthy, get in the routine of feeding your
tarantula one day, and then coming behind the
next day and taking long tweezers and picking out
any left-over prey remains. Keep the water dish
(it must be shallow and wide) clean at all times.
If you follow this advice, you will need to only
change out your substrate (vermiculite, peat
moss, sand mixture) once every six months or so.
Longevity: Not much is known
about the longevity in this species. Males will
probably only live to be 2-4 years old, while
females will live over 12 years old.
Handling/Disposition/Venom: These
are somewhat fast and skittish tarantulas. Best
advice: Don't handle! Tarantulas are not
"pets", but "display animals"
much like keeping fish. They don't understand nor
have a need to be handled. They are venomous like
many spiders, but their venom is not dangerous
unless your allergic to their venom. Don't find
out! Transfer your tarantula using
"cup-to-tank" method. C. cyneopubescens
is a nervous species that will kick hair and
resort to biting if provoked enough.
Captive breeding: Difficult to
breed. Males are very small and act nervous and
skittish around the females which are mostly
aggressive towards the males. A large tank is
required and it is best to let the female
accilimate to it for a few weeks before
introducing the male. You must have a female
established with a burrow or silk-lined shelter
before introducing the male.
Record keeping: Keep good notes
such as the stock #, if any , that it was sold
as, when born, molt dates, etc.
To find out more about this
animal and the Tarantula Keeping hobby, I
recommend the following:
Read these books:
"Tarantulas and Other Arachnids" by Sam
Marshall,
"Keeping and Breeding Tarantulas in
Captivity" by Ronald Baxter, Andreas
Tinter's "Tarantulas Today"
Stanley and Marguerite Schultz's "The
Tarantula Keeper's Guide".
Subscribe to: WEBBINGS Invertebrate Magazine.
(contact: (941) 275-9757, email:
tgearhea@peganet.com)
Join the Southwest Florida Tarantula Society
(SWFTS) contact: (941) 275-9757, email:
tgearhea@peganet.com, and the British Tarantula
Society (BTS) to obtain the bi-monthly
newsletter, The Journal.
Join the Arachnid Mailing List on the internet.
Copyright © 1999 by Todd
Gearheart
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