And now the spider we have all been waiting for....
Species: Theraphosa Blondi
Common names: Goliath Birdeater, Goliath spider, Giant Birdeating Spider
Hails from: The rainforest of Brazil
General Description:
Considered to be the largest species of spider on earth, (therefore one of the most famous tarantulas). Although they are sometimes hard to get a hold of and are often quite expensive, the Goliath Birdeater is a must-have for any serious tarantula collector, but are also one of the most difficult species to keep in captivity.
These tarantulas are MONSTERS (females have been recorded at having a 13 inch legspan... picture a spider the size of a dinner plate) They have fangs an inch long, abdomens the size of tennis balls and have been recorded at reaching nearly a quarter pound in weight.
In the wild they are found in the boggy areas of the Brazilian rainforest. Females have been found in burrows as far as 2 feet deep in the ground!
This species does not actually hunt for birds as its name suggests... but if a baby bird would fall from a nest and across the path of a goliath you can rest assured that it would be a snack. They have mainly a diet of rodents, frogs and lizards. In fact, damn near anything the same size as the spider or smaller would be a prey item (I was watching a Discovery channel special about monkeys... one of the babies fell out of the tree and was taken out by a goliath birdeater on the ground!)
This species, while not hesitatant to bite when provoked, seems to have another weapon of choice... urticating hairs. Goliaths have some of the worst, if not THE WORST urticating hairs in the tarantula world. They are so bad I have nicknamed them surface to air missiles! One wrong move around a birdeater and POOF you will have a cloud of these missiles in the air (hopefully not in your eyes... I cant imagine how bad that would be) I was haired by my large male nearly a year ago and it still gets irritated between my fingers sometimes.
Temperature and Humidity:
This is one of the less forgiving species for temperature and humidity levels. They NEED 80% humidity and higher than room temperature (I have mine close to a heat register to help keep them warm... usually in the area of 80 to 85F)
Housing:
Since this species grows so large, a large setup is needed. They are obligate burrowers so they will also need a lot of depth to dig. I keep mine in large rubbermaid containers that measure about a 3 foot cube. In it I placed a mixture of unfertilized soil, vermiculite and wet peat moss. Because of where they live in the wild, this species is much more tolerant of stale air than most, so you get the advantage of being able to limit ventilation as one means of keeping humidity high.
Feeding:
Even when they are babies, you can feed these spiders half grown crickets. They are very agile and have no problem taking down prey items. These guys grow incredibly fast therefore need to eat often (my babies were molting at least once a month and put on nearly an inch each time) I feed babies 3 times a week and the adults get fed a pinky rat or full grown mouse once every week (adults get too big to be able to eat crickets so a larger food source is needed)
Personal Notes:
- Special care must be taken to keep humidity levels up. Babies in particular are very sensitive to humidity levels and can dehydrate and die even overnight.
- My WC adults became tolerant of me working inside their cage after about 6 months in captivity. Unlike most of my spiders that run and hide, they hold ther ground and do not move for me, but do not attack or kick hairs anymore unless I get too close for their comfort. Its almost as if they draw a line in the dirt and react when its crossed. The entire time I am in the cage, the abdomens are pointed straight up and are ready to fling hairs instantly.
- I tried an experiment with my female, by using a lid that is not see through and by blocking off one side of the enclosure from light I seem to have reproduced conditions of a burrow because she has not dug one since I have done this. This is nice for when I need to clean/feed/check up on her. Would like to see others attempt this to see if its reproduceable results.
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Well thats it until next week folks... as always, feel free to attach any comments, pics or personal experiences with this species to the thread.
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