The Brazilian Jewel Tarantula is one of the most stunning tarantulas. It is known as the most colorful and attractive spider. Due to its vivacious colors and gentle temperament, it is an outstanding selection if you desire to keep a tranquil spider pet. The beautiful patterns on its abdomen make it a more demanding tarantula. In this article, we will discuss the important facts about this amazing creature. In the below content, we will cover the habitat, mating, diet, and enclosure for this pet.
Scientific Classification
The scientific name of the Brazilian Jewel tarantula is Typhochlaena seladonia or T. seladonia. This tarantula also has some common names such as Candy Shop spider and Jewel Toe spider. This jewel spider is enormously exceptional and obtains its name from its colorful manifestation. The beautiful colors on its body make it a more attractive creature in the tarantula world. It is native to the rainforests of Babia and Sergipe in Brazil. Brazil’s region is its natural habitat.
| Common names: | Brazilian Jewel Tarantula | Candy Shop Spider | Jeweled Pink Toe |
| Adult Size: | Males 3 to 4cm, Females 4 to 6cm |
| Type: | New World, Arboreal, Dwarf, Trapdoor |
| Growth Rate: | Medium to Fast |
| Temperament: | Not for beginners. Docile and Calm. |
| Lifespan: | Unknown |
| Origin: | Babia/Sergipe Brazil |
| Recommended Climate: | 26-30°C (Summer), 20-24°C (Winter) |
| Recommended Humidity: | 75-85% |
Appearance
The Brazilian Jewel is boasted as the most beautiful and colorful tarantula. This attribute makes it a popular pick among hobbyists. Different species come in different colors and structures in this world. This jewel tarantula can have as many as five colors on the different fractions of its body. Some common colors found on a T. seladonia comprise characteristic pink, black and yellow. There are some other colors such as reds, blues, oranges, grays, and a mixture of many colors. The Brazilian jewel tarantula is a stunning new world tarantula. The round abdomen united with the vivacious colors makes this tarantula quite good-looking.
Urticating Hairs
New World tarantulas have a common thing which is urticating hairs. These hairs are also known as setae. The Candy Shop tarantula has small and long urticating hairs on its abdomen. These hairs give this tarantula a tidy, streamlined outline compared to other species of tarantula. This may emerge bushy and rumpled and this addition adds to the loveliness of the Brazilian Jewel. The female Jewel Toe tarantulas have fewer hairs while Male T. seladonia has more and longer hairs on its abdomen.
Molting
Molting is a very important process in a tarantula’s life. The Jewel Toe tarantula sheds its exoskeleton as an element of its expansion process. The shedding process of old skin is known as molting. In this process, this species grows with new skin. The juvenile T. seladonia can molt some times a year as they grow quickly. Once they become adults, molting decreases to just one time a year. As this is a new world species so they grow urticating hairs each time it molts. As is normal the huge spider will stop eating and will become sluggish during the molting procedure. These are the symbols of molting that your tarantula refuses to eat and becomes lazy. The period of this molting is one or two weeks.
Size
The Brazilian Jewel is remarkably small in size. This tarantula has a small body when compared to other tarantula species. It comes under the category of dwarf tarantula species. While some new world tarantulas, such as the Cobalt Blue have up to 6 inches of leg spanned. The Candy Shop tarantulae have 2.5 inches leg span for females and only 2 inches leg span for male tarantulas. The small abdomen and small legs of male T. seladonia give them an idiosyncratic look. As compared to other tarantula species, the T. seladonia has a standard slow growth speed. Overall this is small species.
Habitat of Candy Shop Spider
The natural habitat of Candy Shop Spiders is the woofs of the tropical forest trees in the Brazil region. This species can be found and carried in captivity as a stunning pet. As they belong to New World tarantulas, the T. seladonia species do not turn webs and depend on its trapdoor-making apparatus to detain its prey. Several rare species of the Brazilian Jewel, which live within trees and passageways, frequently spin complicated webs to arrest their prey. In some regions, there is a ban on keeping Brazilian Jewel in captivity and collecting it as a leisure pursuit. Jewel Toe tarantulas are displayed animals due to their beautiful colors. If you want to adopt this Brazilian jewel tarantula as a pet, you must check the rules in your country about the domestication of foreign wild animals as a pet.
Arboreal Species
As you know, the Brazilian Jewel is a new world tarantula and is also known as arboreal or tree-dwelling species. They have the skinny body and comparatively long legs that’s why they can be well adapted to this habitat. These huge tarantulas have compliment legs and broad hairs on their tarsi and metatarsi. These tarsi and metatarsi are the last two parts of the legs of the Brazilian jewel.
The bigger legs of this tarantula help it to climb on any surface and gather the supplies they require to build their catch doors. Jewel Toe tarantula has small in height and lightweight which increases the quickness and protects them from severe harm when they drop. Some kinds of Brazilian Jewels love to remain in leaves and tree bark. Many live in tree hollows created by other insects or birds. Some exist in short vegetation in bushes and tall grasses on the grounds.
Defense Mechanism
As you know that the New World species use their urticating hairs as their main strategy of defense. The Brazilian Jewel tarantula also uses these hairs as the mean of defense. The bite of this spider is not having a venomous material. So, the bite is not dangerous to humans, but it can be pretty painful. If they feel threatened, they use their defense posture. This species would quite pull back and move away to its warren or behind its trapdoor than assault a transgressor.
The T. seladonia will use its urticating hairs to defend itself when it observes an unrelenting threat. The hairs can root deadness and frustration in humans, especially around the area of the eyes and face. It is rare to flick hair by this species. When the tarantula feels very cornered and has nowhere to conceal, it may attack. After flicking its hairs, there is ab big bald area around the abdominal spots of this tarantula.
Trap Door Species
This Brazilian Jewel tarantula is a trap door spider which is an interesting attribute of this species. It is famous for its skill to generate camouflaged trapdoors as the division of its chasing plan. The trap door is made of small pieces of unrefined substance, including plants, leaves, and barks. This tarantula uses these materials to increasingly construct an elaborate door on the exterior of the tree. Jewel Toe tarantulas use this door for hunting their prey, they hide after the trap door and lie in stay for their prey to pass through. This tarantula is known as the tree-dwelling spider that’s why it can establish a habitat secure to the earth.
This also helps them to access food easily. Some Brazilian jewel uses their silk to generate a trap for its victim. The tarantula functions its silk trap after the trapdoor and ensnares any quarry that gets slammed to it. The giant spider imprisons its prey and rapidly scurries after the trapdoor from where it unhurried banquets on its chase. T. seladonia also builds trapdoors in detention which it uses to disguise itself too. This feature makes it fairly the passive tarantula as it hides after the trapdoor much of the time and will only come out to eat or hunt.
Brazilian Jewel as Display Animal
The Brazilian Jewel is one of the most beautiful tarantulas due to its colorful body but it might not be a good choice for display. Although this tarantula is not so violent or defensive in captivity, its passive nature takes advice and makes it a less desirable pet.The T. seladonia tarantula does not love to display and hides behind its trapdoor most of the time. If you are looking for a tarantula as a display animal, this one might not be a great choice due to its hiding manners combined with its small size and docile nature.
Temperament
The Brazilian Jewel has a peaceful and responsive nature making it an appropriate pet if you do not mind its obedience. This species will dart behind its trapdoor when faced with a looming threat. It does not put up a fight and tries to avoid it. This jewel tarantula does not always tap hair despite urticating hairs while other species use hair flicking as a defense means. It also does not bite, but in some cases, it may bite. The bite of this tarantula is not harmful and poisonous. It is not recommended for beginners despite its friendly behavior. It is greatest not to grip this spider without the direction of a more skilled hobbyist.
Housing for Jewel Toe Spiders
The enclosure of the Brazilian jewel tarantula is the same as other tarantulas. But the trapdoor-making behavior of Brazilian Jewel must be considered. You should provide proper space and suitable material in the enclosure. You should provide them with the natural habitat in the enclosure which helps to keep them healthy. The decoration in the tank is also very important.
Humidity and Ventilation of Enclosure
This tarantula requires high levels of humidity in the enclosure. The range should be between 70 and 85%. Ventilation is also a very important factor for tarantula’s health. You should provide proper ventilation in the tank. You can place a water dish in the substrate to maintain the humidity level. In winters, the temperature should be between 20-24OC and 26-30OC in summers.
Diet of Jewel Toe Spiders
This tarantula is a giant and hungry eater. The size of food does not depend on the size of this spider. it depends on simply trapping its prey. These species try to attack when the critters come close sufficient to its trap door. It does not have sophisticated hunting abilities. Its diet mostly contains small crickets, fruit flies, and some other insects. You should not give them large-sized prey that could potentially assault or damage the spider in custody. This species requires food at least twice a week for the finest growth.
Mating and Reproduction
When an adult male tarantula is interested in mating, it will first rub its abdomen on a facade to discharge semen. After that, it plunges its shorter leg additions into the semen. The other name for appendages is pedipalps. The male searches for a suitable mating partner. When the male perceives a female tarantula, they both communicate and switch signals that they are of a similar species. The male tarantula detects if the female Brazilian Jewel tarantula is interested the male put his semen-steeped pedipalps into a pocket on the female tarantula. After the process completion, the male should leave as soon as possible.
It is rare but possible, some female T. seladonia eat their male partners after mating. The females can put down up to 2000 eggs at each round of mating.
Common Health Concerns
Jewel Toe spiders are usually vigorous species with few hereditary concerns. This species can live out healthy and happy throughout its whole lifespan even in captivity if its enclosure is healthy. But sometimes Pet T. seladonia are flat to dry. You should maintain the humidity level and ventilation in captivity. You can also place water in the tank to keep it moist. The Candy Shop spider cannot chase correctly, resulting in death and undernourishment.
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