Avicularia Page

Welcome to a page dedicated to the wonderful avicularia tarantulas - commonly referred to as Pink Toe tarantulas. These tree dwelling spiders are generally medium in size (though not always the case), docile, but quite fast and skittish, although not as fast as many of the other arboreal species such as pokies. These spiders are also prone to jumping and are very agile.

These tarantulas are very popular with many keepers and are often a keeper's first step into the world of arboreal spiders. However don't think of them as a first step species only, they come in many different forms and siizes and many of them are considered to be some of the most beautiful tarantulas in the hobby. They can also be a chalenge to keep as they require a combination of high humidity and good ventilation. This can be somewhat tricky to get right in a captive situation, however is vital to the spider as it is important the air does not become stagnant but remains with adequate humidity.

They generally will not bite, however due to their speed and agility I would not recommend you handle them, also if you annoy them they have an unpleasant habit of lifting their rear and squirting spider poo. Not nice, however left alone (as I belive they should be) these are fascinating active spiders that will spin beautiful silken web retreats from which they will emerge to explore their enclosures.

One thing about avics is they can be very difficult to identify - especially the blue forms as they are almost identical. It is very important that when mating these spiders you are certain which species you have, therefore when you purchase, and if you intend to breed, ensure you have the latin name. This way you can select the correct mate for your spider and not run the risk of introducing hybrid spiders into the hobby.

I have heard it speculated that some pink toe varieties will tolerate each other in a communal situation. I have even heard of communal groups being attempted. I however never attempted this, and would suggest you conduct a heavy amount of research before attempting it. It is said that it works best when a very large amount of space is provided so spiders can establish their own bit of territory. This should be accompanied with an abundance of food so they feel less need to compete. This said, these communal avic groups are at best experiments and if you choose to try it, you should understand the risks of perhaps losing some of your pets and ending up with one potentially very fat spider.

Housing varies from species to species (specifics are discussed below) however all avics require a vertically orientated enclosure that is well vented and has deep substrate to help hold the humidity. The addition of moss can help, and you should damp it down every now and then, also a shallow water bowl should be made available. They appricate lots of cork bark to climb on and the addition of plants (real or fake) makes the enclosure look quite beautiful.

On the whole I find avics an absolute pleasure to keep. The slings are very cute little creatures, and perhaps the cutest of them all is the wonderfully blue A. versicolor. Other avic slings start out furry whitish with little black feet. Watching them grow into splendid adult specimens is always a joy.

Below you will find details on Avicularia tarantulas you may find available in the hobby.

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The Common Pink Toe - latin name: avicularia avicularia

The Common Pink Toe is a great species to start out with when progressing into keeping arboreal tarantulas which do tend to be more challenging than many of the terrestrial species. As arboreal tarantulas go this species is hardy and very active, so you will be able to observe it wandering about its tank and building very impressive tubular silk retreats.

Avicularia avicularia is a black spider with a fuzzy appearance and has long red hairs on the abdomen. Also, as the name suggests these tarantula have cute pink "toes" at the tips of their feet.

The mature male of this species is a largely black spider that lacks the red abdomenal hairs, is leggy and has boxing glove like pedipalps. Also it will have the tibial hooks that are used for mating.

It should be noted that because there are many types of pink toe that look pretty much identical, any spider labelled as Avicularia avicularia is likely to be an Avicularia sp. with the actual latin name unknown. If you plan on breeding avicularia make sure your spider is from a good reliable source and know the latin name of your spider or you run the risk of creating hybrids.

The enclosure for this tarantula should be large, vertically orientated and well vented as they require high humidity combined with good ventilation. I have two of these spiders and tend to keep them at 80-85 percent humidity. I do this by regularly spraying the enclosures but allowing them to dry out inbetween mistings.

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Martinique Pink Toe - Latin name: Avicularia versicolor

This is most certainly this is one of the most desired and beautiful tarantulas available. A wonderful spider that is an array of plush metalic purples and pinks as an adult, and a cute blue green creature as a spiderling.

Click here to view spiderling. 

Like other arboreal spiders it needs good ventilation and high humidity of between 80-85% - getting this combination right is particularly important with this more delicate species. The spiderlings are tricky to rasie as they need humidity and ventilation maintained carefully so the air does not become stagnant but remains humid at the same time.

For adults a shallow water dish should be included in the enclosure.

Feeding them is easy and they will readily take crickets as well as small, flying insects such as moths, they have very good appetites.

The spiders themselves are a little more highly strung and skittsh than other avics and although not aggressive, they are prone to running very fast.

When left to their own devices they are lovely to watch as they busy themselves in their enclosures, spinning silken retreats and prowling for prey.

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Avicularia geroldi (common name Green Blue Pink Toe)
Avicularia sp. "peru purple" (common name Peru Purple) Avicularia bicegoi
Avicularia metallica
Avicularia minatrix
Avicularia purpurea
Avicularia urticans
 
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