Origin And Natural Habitat
The Brazilian Blue Tarantula, an exquisite blue tarantula, is one of the South American region’s remarkable species. Its natural habitat is in Brazil’s Bahia, Minas Gerais, and Chapada Diamantina regions. The species was named after Ivan Sazima, a revered Brazilian naturalist who was the first to collect specimens of this spider.
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Chelicerata |
| Class | Arachnida |
| Order | Araneae |
| Infraorder | Mygalomorphae |
| Family | Theraphosidae |
| Genus | Pterinopelma |
| Species | Pterinopelma Sazimai |
Species Overview
| Common Name | Brazilian Blue Tarantula |
| Other Names | Iridescent Blue Sazima’s Tarantula |
| Origin | Brazil |
| Category | New World |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Temperament | Nervous |
| Minimum Tank Size | 18″ x 18″ x 12″ |
| Temperature | 71°-82° F (22°-28° C) |
| Humidity | 60%-80% |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Leg Span | Up to 6 inches (16 cm) |
| Urticating Hairs | Yes |
| Venomous | Yes |
| Growth Rate | Medium-fast |
| Lifespan | Females: 12 years Males: 3-4 years |
| Experience Required | Intermediate |
Appearance And Size
Brazilian Blue Tarantulas have reddish hairs and setae on their abdomen. And might initially appear black even though they are blue until a little bit of light is shined on them. Female Brazilian Blue Tarantulas have crimson setae on their belly and a deep blue tint all over their bodies. The color of the males is quite identical to that of females until they reach maturity, at which point their legs become less blue and more green.
Brazilian Blue Tarantulas are not especially big and can be considered ”moderately-sized” since they only reach about 6 inches (16 cm) in leg span when they are fully mature.
Housing
This tarantula is a terrestrial species with a strong urge to burrow, so ensure you get an enclosure with enough floor area to place a substantial amount of substrate in it. Pterinopelma cazimi gets a bit finicky when they are not able to burrow, so providing them with a means to do so is very important for their sustenance.
It’s best to go for an enclosure that’s at least 18″ x 18″ x 12″ so your tarantula has enough space to do its thing inside the enclosure. Just ensure whatever enclosure you buy provides excellent visibility and is also very well-ventilated. All factors are crucial for this tarantula habitat. You can also decide to build an enclosure if you want something very customized or to save money. Just ensure the enclosure you build is sufficiently ventilated and large enough to house your tarantula.
Spiderlings can be housed in small containers such as vials or small jars with lids. However, ensuring that whatever enclosure you choose provides adequate ventilation for the spiderlings to thrive is essential. One way to provide proper ventilation is by drilling holes in the container you use to hold them. In addition to vials and small jars, shoeboxes and deli cups are also popular enclosures for young Brazilian Blue Tarantulas. These containers are spacious enough to allow for growth and provide ample room for the spiderlings to move around.
Enclosure’s Decorations
Brazilian Blue Tarantulas are also semi-arboreal because they enjoy climbing despite being a terrestrial specie. As such, you should always go for an enclosure with enough vertical space to place cork barks, artificial or natural plants, and other stuff a tarantula can climb. These decorations will enable them to climb whenever they want to and also act as an anchor point for their webbing. On the other hand, the cork barks hide and other hollow decorations will provide accessible hiding spots for your tarantula. Brazilian Blue Tarantulas love hiding in dark, hard-to-reach places, so getting a bunch of hollow stuff that they can hide inside or beneath is always a good idea.
Substrate
Brazilian Blue Tarantulas are obligate burrowers, so you’ll need to provide a means for them to do so comfortably. That’s why it’s extremely important they have a moisture-retentive substrate in their enclosure so they can freely burrow. To create the ideal substrate for your tarantula’s enclosure, you can blend together several materials, including coconut coir, sphagnum peat moss, vermiculite, and commercial organic soil. Combining these ingredients allows you to create a substrate that provides the perfect balance of moisture retention and ventilation for your spider.
It’s important to note that the depth of the substrate is crucial, particularly for adult tarantulas. Providing a deeper substrate will make it easier for them to burrow whenever they want to. Generally, the substrate in adult Brazilian Blue Tarantulas enclosures should be 6 inches deep.
Water And Humidity
It’s crucial to ensure your Brazilian Blue Tarantula has access to water if you want to keep it healthy and hydrated. Placing a water bowl or misting the enclosure frequently can help it get the water it needs. However, it’s important to remember that how you provide water to your tarantula may differ depending on its life stage.
For adult Brazilian Blue Tarantulas, misting the enclosure lightly about once a week and leaving a water bowl in their enclosure is essential. Doing both is really important to ensure that the humidity levels in the tarantula’s enclosure remain within the 60%-80% range. Placing a water bowl in the enclosure and misting it can help regulate the humidity levels and provide the tarantula with the moisture it needs.
However, using a water bowl in their enclosure isn’t recommended for spiderlings due to their size. Instead, misting the enclosure sparingly can help them drink the water droplets on the walls. It’s essential to mist the enclosure lightly to avoid making it too wet and swampy, as this can facilitate mold and mildew growth, which can negatively impact the tarantula’s health.
Heating And Temperature
It’s important to maintain a suitable temperature range within the enclosure of your Brazilian Blue Tarantula to ensure its health and well-being. Typically, these tarantulas prefer temperatures within the range of 68°-78° F (20°-26° C), so it’s essential to monitor the temperature and provide a supplemental heat source if the room in which you’re keeping your tarantulas frequently drops below this temperature range. A heat mat or a space heater are excellent options for providing the necessary warmth if you want an artificial heat source for your tarantula. However, monitoring the temperature regularly and avoiding overheating the enclosure is essential, as this can harm the tarantulas. Always use a thermostat to prevent overheating, or use a digital thermometer to check the cage’s temperature frequently to ensure the temperature is within the optimal range.
Attaching an artificial heat source is not a practical option for spiderling enclosures due to their small enclosure size. In such situations, it’s advisable to use the heat source to heat an enclosure and then put the main enclosure with the tarantula inside the currently heated enclosure.
Diet And Nutrition
Brazilian Blue Tarantulas are good eaters though they are not as veracious as most other tarantulas. Brazilian Blue spiderlings can eat flightless fruit flies until they are about 1/2 inch long, at which point they can start eating pinhead crickets. An adult Brazilian Blue Tarantula can consume up to two dubia roaches or five adult crickets per week. You should also feed them other types of feeders occasionally to add some variety to their diet. You can feed them mealworms or small mice once in a while to add that variety. Just ensure you remove whatever food they don’t eat so they don’t bother your tarantula. Live insects or mice can harm your tarantula if the tarantula doesn’t kill them first, and dead feeders can introduce bacteria and mold to your tarantula enclosure if left in there. So always take them away.
Spiderlings can be fed as often as they are willing to eat, but if not, they should be fed at least twice a week. On the other hand, adults should consume six to eight huge crickets or a large cockroach every two weeks.
Social
Due to its solitary nature, it’s important to keep the Brazilian Blue Tarantula in isolation. In the wild, they only interact with other tarantulas during the breeding season. Therefore, attempting to house two or more of these tarantulas in the same enclosure is not recommended and can result in aggressive behavior or even injury.
Behavior And Temperament
Brazilian Blue Tarantulas are very skittish, pose little threat to humans, and are usually very calm. They are more likely to run away from potential threats rather than confront them, which makes them less likely to bite humans.
Handling
Brazilian Blue Tarantulas are perfect for you if you want a display pet since they are not meant to be handled often. They are pretty swift and can easily escape if you try to pick them up. Even though they prefer to flee from danger rather than confront it, they still pose a threat and can bite when they are cornered. Nevertheless, they are usually very calm and only exhibit skittish and aggressive behavior when they are fiddled with. They also possess urticating hairs and can flick them at a threat whenever they need to. Their bites are also venomous but aren’t potent enough to cause too much harm. However, it’s best to wear safety gear like gloves and long-sleeved shirts when handling this tarantula.
Health And Lifespan
You don’t need to do a whole lot to sustain a Brazilian Blue Tarantula. Just keep it in a safe, warm, clean enclosure, feed it lots of good food, and provide water for it to drink.
Male Brazilian Blue Tarantulas’ lifespan is about 3–4 years, and about 12 years for females.
Price
Brazilian Blue spiderlings cost about $50, an adult male costs about $75, while an adult female costs about $160 or more.
