Lasiodora parahybana – Salmon Pink Bird eater


Care Sheet- Spiderling By Rob Bruley


Housing/substrates/water Requirements- Spiderlings can be housed in a deli-cup, as they grow, you can increase the size of the enclosure. The best part of this species is they grow quite rapidly, usually reaching approximately 3-4 inches in the first year. The general rule (although if not followed do not worry to much), is the enclosure should be about 3 times the length of the spider and the height should be two times the length of the spider. Also Note that this species is Terrestrial (ground dwelling), so length is more important than height. This species can climb despite being ground dwelling, and a fall from more than a few inches even, could rupture the "rump" or abdomen of this species causing death. So be careful how much height your setup has, if you have a larger setup with too much height (6 inches or higher from the substrate is usually when you start to enter the "danger zone") then simply add more substrate to the bottom of the enclosure as a precaution.
The substrate I use is Eco-Earth; it is the only substrate I will use for my spiders, for the following reasons. First it is non-abrasive; unlike sand this substrate is gentle to the touch and is perfect for the Spiderlings to walk on. The second reason is it holds in humidity very well, so you will not need to worry about misting everyday. This is my favourite substrate to use although other suitable substrates include potting soil (fertilizer and pesticide free) and peat moss.
At this stage the spiderling does not need a water dish or anything. Simply mist the sides of the walls three times a week lightly and they will drink the droplets from there. I do NOT recommend using the water gels or anything like that; they get dirty, and can be swarming with bacteria! Please at this stage only mist two-three times a week! Never use the water gel, once the spider gets about an inch or so, you can start to use a water bottle cap filled with water, they are not deep and I have never had a tarantula drown on me in a bottle cap! Once they reach about 3-4 inches you can begin to use a small water dish from exo-terra or zoo-med. On another note if you put the bottle cap in continue to mist the enclosure just in case the transition is not immediate.

Lighting/Temps/Humidity- I do not use or recommend any lighting for tarantulas; they prefer dark places so I keep them in places where there is minimal light. The temps should be around 70-80… they can vary during the day as long as it is around room temperature. Anything above this be very careful as you could end up dehydrating your tarantula and causing it to shrivel up. Anything below this the effects are not as bad however if you are in the low to mid 60’s try and find a way to heat the room not the tank as this can cause burns on the tarantula. Some people say they use under tank heaters as a means of heat, I do not; they are completely unsafe, especially at a young age.
Humidity should be kept fairly stable between 60-70%, although there is definitely room for a little bit of play. Anything a bit above or below will suffice. If you need it higher mist an additional time per week, if needed lower mist only twice a week.

Diet- this can be tough for spiderlings, I only feed my spiders crickets, even once they get bigger. My personal recommendations for spiderlings is to feed 1 week old crickets twice weekly, although if the cricket is not eaten within about an hour take it out as they can harm the tarantula! Or the easier way, feed two 2 week crickets twice weekly, but make sure you kill them first so they cannot harm your spider. I do this and it works wonders! Now as they get older you can increase the size and again you have both choices… leave it in for an hour or pre-kill both will work. At adult size some people feed this species pinkies… although I do not, the pinkies are extremely fatty and do not give the proper balance of calcium, phosphorous, and nitrates. At adult size I feed 4 crickets a week or as they take them.

Size/lifespan- These spiders can grow quite large, however do not be afraid, these are often considered to be gentle giants, they are incredibly docile and are great beginner species because they are much slower than other species such as Poecilotheria or Haplopelma. They can have a leg span of 9 inches and can get quite big, another term for these guys is the poor mans goliath bird eater since they almost match their size, but are much cheaper. Females live 20+ years Males not so lucky at 5-8 Years avg.

Husbandry/cleaning – Do not worry about changing the substrate too often for this species, once a year will suffice, and just clean the enclosure with hot water. If you see any mites or parasites then clean immediately and transfer your tarantula into a sterile container until the enclosure is fully rid of mites or parasites. NEVER use bleach or Ammonia to clean out the tanks as this is extremely toxic!

Aside From that you are ready to go, have fun with your new Lasiodora parahybana (Salmon Pink Bird eater)!


I will sticky this here for now until we get it up in the proper caresheet section THX Rob!