This very popular tarantula is known to be a great choice for beginners because of its temperament and beauty. Being another ‘fluffy’, active arboreal, it makes a wonderful display tarantula, especially if set up in a well decorated vivarium. This tarantula tends to be slower moving as adults and tend not to sprint, but they are jumpers. Adult coloration ranges from blackish to gray with dark purple highlights and red hairs. As is characteristic of the avicularia genus, those cute pink toes stand out against the dark colors. This tarantula tends to be quite active during the day.

Aranea avicularia Linnaeus, 1758
Aranea vestiaria De Geer, 1783
Mygale avicularia Latreille, 1804
Mygale testacea C. L. Koch, 1841
Mygale scoparia C. L. Koch, 1841
Mygale hirsutissima C. L. Koch, 1842
Avicularia vestiaria Ausserer, 1871
Avicularia vulpina Ausserer, 1871
Avicularia vestaria Hasselt, 1888

New World. Arboreal
Size: Around 4.5-5”
Growth Rate: medium-fast
Natural Habitat: Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana and throughout the Amazon. Tropical rainforest. Lives in silk tubes that are often built between leaves.
Housing Needs: Arboreal setup. Higher humidity needs. Spiderlings need a lot of ventilation. They like broad-leafed silk plants and will often use them to help build a silk tube.
Temperament: Docile, not particularly skittish.  This genus has a unique defense mechanism by which they will launch excrement when they feel threatened. It can go as far as 2 or 3 feet. They also tend to jump, especially as babies and juveniles, and are particularly sensitive to breezes.