Texas Brown Tarantula

Looks how to spot one

Hairy exoskeleton

The body is stocky and covered in fine hairs. The carapace and legs are uniformly dark chocolate brown, with reddish hairs on the carapace. After a moult the colours become more distinct. Males develop black legs with a copper coloured carapace. Immature spiders and males show many shades of brown with grey and red variations.12

Personality what they are like

This tarantula is known for being docile and non-aggressive. When threatened it may rear up on its hind legs and raise its front legs in a threatening display, or kick urticating hairs from its abdomen. It is shy and prefers to evade humans rather than confront them. Its venom is not medically significant to people, similar to a bee sting.123

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Low activity needs. It is nocturnal and spends most of the day in its burrow. Provide a deep substrate for digging and a hide. It does not require exercise or handling.24

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Very low grooming needs. The spider keeps itself clean. The main care tasks are providing fresh water in a shallow dish, removing uneaten prey after a day, and maintaining a clean enclosure. Do not handle it frequently; it is best treated as a display animal.45

Home where they are happiest

Provide a terrestrial enclosure with more floor space than height. For an adult, a 30 x 30 x 30 cm enclosure or a 2-5 gallon tank with a secure lid works well. Use 10-13 cm (4-5 inches) of substrate such as coconut husk, peat moss or vermiculite for burrowing. Include a hide and a shallow water dish. Keep the surface dry but maintain a slightly moister retreat zone. Temperature should be 21-29°C (70-85°F). Mist lightly every three weeks. It is not communal and must be housed alone.45

Food basics what goes in the bowl

Feed live insects such as crickets, cockroaches, locusts, mealworms, superworms, moths and grasshoppers. Juveniles eat more frequently; adults do well on an appropriately sized meal every 7-14 days. Remove uneaten prey after one day. The food item should be no larger than the spider's abdomen.456

Company who they like around

Solitary. It must be housed alone and does not need or benefit from companionship. Handling is not recommended; it is a display animal best observed rather than touched.4

The story where it all began

The Texas brown tarantula has been kept as a pet for many decades, valued for its docile nature and manageable size. It is one of the most common tarantula species in the pet trade in the United States. In the wild it arrived in its current range about 8,000 years ago during a warmer, drier period. When the climate became cooler and wetter around 4,000 years ago, the tarantulas survived only in dry, rocky glade habitats that resembled their original desert environment. Today they are still collected from the wild and also bred in captivity for the pet trade.12

Recognised by the official bits

ITIS

Taxonomic Serial No. 8510987

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Listed as Aphonopelma hentzi8