Columbian Giant Tarantula Care Sheet

Columbian Giant Tarantula
ADULT FEMALE
Specimen provided by Worldwide Exotics.
Photo taken by Worldwide Exotics.

The Columbian Giant Tarantula is a very beautiful, large, and unusual tarantula. They are a very popular species for advanced collectors, but they can get expensive. Columbian Giant Tarantulas are known for their unusual defensive behaviors. These tarantulas are of course able to flick urticating hairs and bite, like the usual New World tarantula species, but wait... there's more. They will stretch out their legs, and bob up and down as a first effort to scare away or intimidate the predator. If that doesn't work, then Columbian Giant Tarantulas will then spin in a circle while whipping their legs around trying to hit the predator with the sharp spikes on their back legs. The Columbian Giant Tarantula is an amazing tarantula species like no other!

Range	Tropical rainforests of Columbia, as well as northern and southern Brazil.
Type	Burrowing.
Diet	Spiderlings eat pinhead crickets. Adults eat crickets, other large insects, small lizards, pinkie mice, and even an occasional fuzzy mouse.
Full Grown Size	6.5 to 8 inches.
Growth	Slow speed.
Temperature	75 to 80° F.
Humidity	78 to 82%. All tarantulas that have at least a 3" legspan may drink from a shallow, wide water dish.
Temperament	Aggressive and nervous.
Housing	Spiderlings can live in a clear plastic deli-container with air holes. Adults can live in a 10 to 15-gallon tank. Floor space is more important than height.
Substrate	6 to 8 inches of peat moss, or potting soil.
Decor	No decorations are really needed.
Other Names	Columbian Redleg Tarantula, Columbian Giant Redleg Tarantula, and Giant Columbian Redleg Tarantula.

*Please note that ALL tarantulas have a certain amount of venom. Although most people are not affected by this species, some people may be allergic to the venom, or just more sensitive, making it a dangerous situation. This is one of the reasons that people should not handle this tarantula. Also, New World species of tarantulas like this one can flick urticating hairs off of their abdomens, which can also cause a reaction, depending on the person. Affects of this tarantulas' natural defenses may vary between people. All tarantulas should be considered dangerous, so be careful, because you don't want to find out if you are allergic or more sensitive the HARD WAY!