The grasslands of Brazil and Uruguay are home to the thick, hairy Brazilian black tarantula. Brazilian black tarantulas are gentle and pleasant spiders, making them simple to care for. They make wonderful pets for folks who want to handle their spiders because they don’t exhibit aggression or animosity.
What are black tarantulas?
The grasslands are the Brazilian black tarantula’s natural environment. Brazilian black tarantulas enjoy burrowing underground, and you can spot these spiders blending in against gloomy logs or lurking behind rocks and foliage.
Brazilian black tarantulas have thick, glossy, wooly legs, clustered eyes on the front of their faces, and black, hairy bodies. Due to the light bouncing off of their hairs, they might appear to have gray or white tones under certain lighting conditions. The Brazilian tarantula is all black, with no other hues or patterns.
How to take care of Brazilian black tarantulas
Brazilian black tarantulas are calm and easygoing spiders that don’t require much maintenance. Brazilian black tarantulas are suitable pets for kids and novice spider keepers.
Habitat
Brazilian black tarantulas are used to vast grasslands with lots of hiding places and shade. Therefore, when housing the spider in captivity, you should try to mimic its environment in the aquarium.
Terrariums, aquariums, and plastic enclosures are all appropriate habitat options for Brazilian black tarantulas.
Lighting
Lighting is not a crucial component in Brazilian black tarantulas’ enclosures because they are accustomed to burrowing and spending most of their time in the shadows in the wild. However, keeping your spider in a room with a window will receive adequate natural light from the sun.
It’s optional to install a 15-watt fluorescent light close to the spider’s habitat, but doing so will give your spider a place to sunbathe.
Tank size
A 12 by 10-inch habitat is sufficient for a fully developed Brazilian black tarantula. These spiders are burrowers, so you can provide a thick layer of the substrate inside the tank for your spider to dig into if the tank has extra height.
However, you should only purchase a tall cage if you have enough substrate. Your spider is at risk of falls that could cause damage or death if the tank is elevated and the substrate doesn’t create adequate height.
Given that terrestrial Brazilian black tarantulas like to explore the ground, the more breadth you can give them in their tank, the better.
Substrate
Brazilian black tarantulas are burrowers. Thus, their enclosure needs a minimum of 4 inches of substrate. The best substrate for your tank is made of ground coconut fiber, which is light and fluffy and absorbs just the proper amount of moisture, and chemical-free potting soil. To make digging simple, pack the substrate tightly.
Avoid buying substrate with sticks or sharp objects because they could hurt the delicate body of your tarantula. Avoid using substrates treated with fertilizers or chemicals because your spider can become ill.
Aquarium gravel should be avoided since it retains too much water and could entrap your tarantula.
Temperature
Brazilian black tarantulas are accustomed to temperatures between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the wild. Therefore, your enclosure should have the same temperature range to keep your spider comfortable.
You won’t need extra heating in the tank if your home is at room temperature (68°F). However, a heating pad beneath one side of the tank will be required if your body temperature drops below 68°F.
Your tank can have a temperature gradient thanks to a heating pad, allowing your spider to choose between the warm and chilly sides. Your Brazilian black tarantula should be able to adjust its body temperature thanks to this.
To ensure that the enclosure doesn’t get too hot or cold, you can use a thermometer to monitor the temperature.
Humidity
Add a shallow dish of fresh water to the cage to maintain humidity in the tank. For example, Brazilian black tarantulas require between 55% and 65% humidity. The spider may become dehydrated if the relative humidity is more significant than this. Humidity can be measured using a thermometer.
Compared to other tarantulas, Brazilian black tarantulas require less humidity. Adult black tarantulas with legs spread over an inch don’t require misting. However, spiderlings with limb spans less than an inch call for a moist substrate and light misting.
Cleaning
It would help if you frequently cleaned the tank to reduce your spider’s disease risk and avoid unpleasant odors. Brazilian black tarantulas are clean-living animals.
You should clean the enclosure at least once each week and take out any trash or food that you uncover. Do a thorough cleaning every four months. Because Brazilian black tarantulas move slowly, your spider shouldn’t try to flee when you open the hatch.
It’s crucial to provide your tarantula’s enclosure with adequate airflow, you can make openings in the side of the chamber to allow cross ventilation.
Feeding
Your captive Brazilian black tarantula will flourish on a healthy, balanced diet. They are avid hunters and will take down and consume any prey they can take down.
Therefore, young tarantulas should be fed a diet of smaller animals such as fruit flies, pinhead crickets, and small mealworms.
Feed your adult Brazilian black tarantula a mixture of live crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms, locusts, moths, and dubia roaches raised in captivity. Pinky mice and small lizards are two foods you can give your tarantula as treats.
Feeding your tarantula insects you find outside is not a good idea because it can contaminate the tank with parasites and possibly result in the spider’s demise. Likewise, crickets shouldn’t be a part of your tarantula’s diet because they will aggravate the spider.
Its preferred source of water is a shallow bowl, filtered or not, every day. Refill the bowl with new water.
Behavior and Handling
Because of their calm disposition, Brazilian black tarantulas should be handled gently. To keep your spider from being startled, you should handle it calmly.
Observe these procedures to handle your pet tarantula safely:
- Examine your spider to see if now is an appropriate moment to handle it. If your spider appears anxious or molting, refrain from handling it after feeding.
- Grasp the spider by the body between the second and third pair of legs with your thumb and forefinger.
- Brazilian black tarantulas move slowly, so once it is on your palm, they probably won’t move.
- When handling your spider, avoid poking it or making rapid movements as it can make it run away.
- Return your tarantula to its enclosure after you’re done handling it.
- Children can handle Brazilian black tarantulas as long as they are mature enough and wise enough to maintain their composure. Brazilian blacks are generally peaceful animals, but they can bite when threatened.
- Use an antiseptic solution to treat spider bites to avoid infection. The venom of the Brazilian black tarantula is not extremely strong. However, you shouldn’t handle this exotic pet if you are allergic to bees and wasp stings.
These tips will keep both you and your pet safe in your interactions.
Breeding
Brazilian black tarantula breeding can be challenging since the females might become combative during copulation. Therefore, you should only think about breeding two tarantulas until you’ve learned what to do in the event of an unsuccessful breeding attempt.
Follow these guidelines to breed a pair of Brazilian black tarantulas:
- In the same aquarium, put a healthy male and female spider together. The guy will look for the girl and approach her for a relationship.
- If the female demonstrates interest, the male will approach and attempt to fertilize her. The male will pull back the female’s legs and pincers to avoid an attack. If the female makes erratic movements, remove the male immediately. A frustrated or irate female will attempt to consume the male.
- Remove the male from the tank before the female attacks if the male successfully fertilizes the female.
- The female will lay up to 600 eggs after fertilization. After that, the eggs need to be incubated for up to 3 weeks before they can hatch.
- To stop the young spiders from murdering and consuming the female after two weeks, remove her.
As you can see, it’s a delicate balance which, luckily, can be carried out quite easily.
Lifespan
Brazilian black tarantulas can grow up to 8 inches in length as adults and juveniles. The maximal leg span for this species is 5 to 6 inches. A male Brazilian black tarantula typically lives 6 to 8 years. With a lifespan of up to 20 years, females have more extended longevity than males.
Brazilian black tarantulas tend to look identical to the untrained eye. However, the males of these spiders, despite being similar to their females, have a hook behind one of their front legs that protects against the female’s teeth during mating.
Are black tarantulas dangerous?
Even though tarantulas are not hazardous, most people are terrified of them because of their size and peculiar appearance. As a result, they are relatively cautious and try to avoid people whenever possible. They dwell in ground nests.
If a tarantula bites a human, the bite will likely hurt where it was received and resemble a bee sting. With some swelling and redness, it will also resemble a bee sting. Because the tarantula’s venom is mild, it is uncommon to see more severe reactions that affect other body parts.
Conclusion
If you believe a tarantula bit you, wash the bite with soap and water. Then, you can ask an adult for pain medicine if the bite hurts. An ice pack applied to the bite might also be beneficial.
It’s unusual for a tarantula bite to cause allergic symptoms. A doctor will administer medication to a patient if they believe they have an allergic reaction to tarantula bites.