The Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula is kind of trendy tree spiders. It belongs to Martinique, off the coast of South America and its other areas. This spider is a very popular tarantula due to its gorgeous adult colouration. It also has a very docile temperament, making it a kind spider. The young tarantulas have metallic steel blue-black colour, which is very attractive. And after growth, when they become adults, they transform into staged colouration. Adults have a metallic green colouration.
Physical Appearance
There are beautiful red hairs on the abdomen of this species. The commonly used scientific name of this pink tarantula is Martinique red-toed tarantula. It is also famous for Martinique Red Tree Spider due to its nature. The Antilles Pink-toed Tarantulas are docile in heart and due to this feature become the most popular pet., they would love to live in colonies in the undomesticated.
But in captivity, they are not very social. So it will be challenging to keep them effectively for a long time. They are the greatest housed independently. These spiders enjoy being lonely and feel happy in their own company. These tree spiders are very quick and nimble in movement, and they love to jump up or out and cover the space of 12 inches or so. The best enclosure is large and vertically oriented. They belong to the Avicularia genus and are not very easy to handle. Like its famous cousin, the Pink-toed Tarantula A. Avicularia is good looking and docile but challenging to handle. These tree spiders should be considered display animals due to their gorgeous look, but they don’t enjoy handling, and the irritating nature of this spider makes it challenging to handle.
| Scientific Name | Avicularia versicolor |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Class | Arachnida |
| Order | Araneae |
| Family | Theraphosidae |
| Genus | Avicularia |
| Species | versicolor |
| Other Names | Antilles Pink-toed Tarantula, Antilles Pink-toed Tree Spider, Martinique Red Tree Spider, Martinique Pinktoe |
Habitat of Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula
In 1837 Walckenaer described the Antilles Tarantula Avicularia versicolor. They are native to Martinique, off the coast of the South American region. They have many other common names, which are Antilles Pink-toed Tarantula, Martinique Red Tree Spider and Antilles Pink-toed Tree Spider. The Avicularia genus is a rapidly growing group of spiders in the Americas region, and it includes about 20 species of tarantulas. This type is the only type of tarantula which is accepted scientifically.
Status
The Avicularia Versicolor are not part of the IUCN Red List for Endangered Species. They are safe species and have a fast speed of growing.
Description
The size of the Pink-toed Tree Spider is medium as compared to other tarantulas. It has about 4.5 to 6 inches body size. The young spiders contain metallic steel blue-black colour, and when they become adults, they change colour. The colour of the adult tree spider is metallic green with red hairs on the abdomen. They have long black fur on the legs, which has spots in red, brown and pink colour. Males have long furry legs and thinner bodies, while females have bulky bodies and are heavy. It is a new world species, and its life span is not long. Female Antilles Pinktoe tarantulas have life about 12 years. And males live up to 3 years. They are unique pets because of their docile nature. They also need special care in captivity for healthy growth.
Behaviour
In the wild, most of the Avicularia spiders will live in colonies around the habitat. They are not very social in captivity. These spiders love to live alone and independently in the tank. Due to this behaviour, they are not suitable to keep them for the long term. You can keep these tarantulas as displaying animals for a short period. They are docile in temperament but do not like handling.
Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula Care Sheet
Food and Feeding
The Martinique red-toed tarantula is a violent feeder. They try to get food around the habitat. They eat various insects such as grasshoppers, roaches and adult crickets. The special fare is flying insects which include wax moths and many others. You can also give small lizards and snakes. It would be best to not give your pet the vertebrate prey in custody. The quantity of food depends upon the size of the tarantula so give them proper food and water. The young need small crickets due to their jumping nature. When a tarantula becomes an adult, it needs Dubai roaches as food.
The housing of Antilles Pink-toed Tarantula
These Avicularia species are mainly arboreal and would love to live in human structures or on plants and trees. They typically do not like to live on the ground. These Tree Spiders require a large, perpendicularly oriented tank. They need a comparatively high level of humidity with proper ventilation. The screens on the top and the enclosure sides are the best addition to housing. They require humidity. That’s why if the compartment becomes dry, it will not work correctly.
To maintain the high humidity and high ventilation, a yawning (4 to 5 inches) substrate of moist sand and peat moss is needed. It would help if you also used the several live plants within the enclosure for decoration and healthy air. You can plant these plants in the section in their pots or the profound substrate.
These live plants help these spiders to make their own homes. It also provides fresh oxygen and maintains ventilation. They will give outstanding areas for breeding and egg-laying in the enclosure. The small water Pinktoe are also used to keep the humidity in the substrate. It would help if you changed the dishes once a day, depending on the room temperature. The enclosure temperature should remain between 78° – 82° F, and humidity levels stay between 75 – 85%. They need cross ventilation in the enclosure. It would help to create some hiding places in the tank to make the section enjoyable.
Enclosure Care
These spiders need special care for the enclosure. They have a good habit of cleanliness. That’s why you should remove the prey items the day after feeding your tarantula. The leftover prey becomes organic matter and attracts mites, moulds and fungus and other dangerous organisms in the tank. These organisms are unhealthy for your pet. You should clean leftover food items from the enclosure during the molting process of your tarantula. The moulted tarantulas are susceptible, pending their exoskeletons become firm.
You can also use some artificial plants for the decoration of the enclosure. These spiders are tree spiders and love to climb. So it is best to place some hanging props and plants which make them happy.
Handling of Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula
These Tarantulas are usually passive and more excitable and anxious than the Pink-toed Tarantula A. avicularia. They try to jump more habitually. They sometimes bite when they feel threatened. The bite is not medically significant, but it causes irritation and swelling irritating, especially in the eyes and face. These spiders don’t like handling and get angry. Because of their beautiful colouration, they are considered to display animals. You can only take these spiders when cleaning their enclosures or during the breeding process.
Reproduction
The male Martinique Red Tree Spider is prepared with clasps on his primary legs. These hooks wrestle with the female’s fangs during the mating process. When an adult produces the sperm web, he should be carefully brought into the female’s enclosure. After mating, you can protect the male tarantula with a piece of cardboard or another tool. The female tarantula needs more food items after mating, and you should provide them with proper food. The spiderlings will need close concentration and will require surroundings with high-quality ventilation and sufficient humidity to back them effectively.
Health issues of Pink-toed Tarantula A. avicularia
If you provide the proper environment to your tarantula, they behave hardy and adaptable. Some vital signs that may indicate that your pet tarantula is not feeling well are loss of hunger, looking overly skinny, and lassitude. If you see your tarantula is on its back, it doesn’t mean it is sick. Some tarantulas lay on the back during molting, which is a very stressful and fragile period for tarantulas. You should provide the proper humidity and warmth in the enclosure when your tarantula is not feeling well.
Molting
Molting is one of the reasons for your pet to demonstrate strange behaviour. They shed their vacant skin and display a new exoskeleton. During this period, tarantulas face a widespread moult regularly, shedding the whole skin, respiratory organs, sexual organs and stomach organs. After clearing, new skin grows and become hardened. It takes two weeks to become set. It is very stressful for tarantula; they mostly refuse to eat and get quite lazy. Sometimes they lay on their back in the air and look dead. Humidity is necessary to keep the environment adequate for molting. The recovery time depends on the size of the spider.
Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula Venom
Does Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula bite is poisonous? The answer is that these spiders rarely bite. They commonly bite during handling or if they feel threatened. The bite is not very severe, and it will not cause any damage. In many cases, it causes swelling on the face and eyes. Some people get allergic due to tarantula venom. So, the conclusion is that these tarantulas do not have venom.
