Seeing as I had a subtle request from a regular
I will stray from the beginner species and tell you about this week's spotlight...
Species: Lasiodora Parahybana
Common Names: Brazilian Salmon pink, Pink Birdeater, Brazilian Giant Pink
General Description:
This is one of the heavy hitters of the tarantula world. They are considered by many enthusiasts to be the heaviest of all tarantula species and have come close to being recorded as the largest as well. Female specimens have been known to hit 10 or more inches in legspan!!
If a LARGE display spider is what you want, this is a great species to pick up, as they spend a lot less time hidden away than the other giant ground dwellers. They arent as flightly as many species and will never hesitate to put on a show for you when you put a food item in the cage.
Often called the poor man's birdeater, because they get nearly as big and are far cheaper than their big cousins the Theraphosa Blondi (Goliath Birdeater) and the Theraphosa Apophysis (Goliath Pinkfoot) which round out the top 3 largest spiders in the world. I also find them to be a lot more eye-appealing because they actually have some colour to go with their large size.
These spiders are a blue/black/greyish colour with pink highlights blended in, but I have seen a lot of varation in individuals. The temperament is better than most would expect, but still not a real good choice for handling because they will launch surface to air missiles (aka urticating hairs) at you at the slightest provocation.
Housing:
This is a ground dwelling species that grows quite large in a relatively short amount of time. A cage that is 2x3 and around a foot deep should suffice but you may want to go slightly larger if you have the space. They will burrow if given the opportunity, but a hiding place seems to be just fine with them as well. As with most terrestrials, a mix of soil/vermiculite and or peat moss tends to work well. Since they are so large... take special care to limit the climbing space for them as a fall is fatal after only a few inches.
Temperature and Humidity:
I have had them do well with 75% humidity and room temperature. They will grow faster and breed better when warmer though, and spiderlings should get at least 80% humidity.
Personal notes:
These spiders are MACHINES when it comes to eating. They can take down fairly large prey, and ALWAYS seem to be hungry (Any of you that saw the show "tarantulas and their venomous relations" on Discovery Channel might remember seeing a L. Parahybana pounce and consume a large Fer de Lance snake).
It is not uncommon for individuals to grow to 7 or 8 inches within a year of being born. I usually had them molt at least once a month and put on rougly 3/4 of an inch in legspan each time.
This is a very commonly bred species because of the relative ease of breeding and producing a viable eggsack. The only catch about breeding them is you have to be prepared for somewhere between 1 and 2 THOUSAND (yes I said THOUSAND) babies. This is a big part of why they are a relatively inexpensive species to buy (babies normally sell around the 10 to 20 dollar range)
As always... feel free to post pics and any comments from your own experiences!
Until next week!!
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