Origin And Natural Habitat
The Avicularia minatrix or the Red Slate Pink Toe tarantula is an arboreal tarantula from the Avicularia genus. In the wild, they can easily be found around the coastal regions of Venezuela and the areas close to Maracay.
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Chelicerata |
| Class | Arachnida |
| Order | Araneae |
| Infraorder | Mygalomorphae |
| Family | Theraphosidae |
| Genus | Avicularia |
| Species | Avicularia Minatrix |
Species Overview
| Common Name | Red Slate Pink Toe Tarantula |
| Other Names | Redstripe Pinktoe Venezuelan Redstripe Tarantula |
| Origin | Venezuela |
| Category | New World |
| Lifestyle | Arboreal |
| Temperament | Docile And Jumpy |
| Minimum Tank Size | 4 X The Size Of The Tarantula (In Each Direction) |
| Temperature | 68°-77° F (20-25°C) |
| Humidity | 70%-80% |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Leg Span | Up to 7 inches (17 cm) |
| Urticating Hairs | Yes |
| Venomous | Yes |
| Growth Rate | Medium-fast |
| Lifespan | Females: 10-12 years Males: 2-3 years |
| Experience Required | Beginner |
Appearance And Size
The Red Slate Pink Toe Tarantula has a reddish-brown carapace and white segmentations which separate each part of its legs. Its opisthosoma is black with orange-reddish dots that almost reach the top, extend to the bottom, and sometimes look like red stripes.
This tarantula is relatively small, especially compared to other avicularia genus tarantulas. It only reaches around 2.5 inches, making it one of the smallest tarantula of the Avicularia genus.
Housing
Red Slate Pink Toe Tarantulas are arboreal and usually live in web tunnels on plants and trees in the wild. Due to this reason, it’s best to go for a tall enclosure to house them to get some cork barks, natural plants, and artificial plants in there. They don’t spend much time on the floor of their enclosure, so ensure you prioritize the height of their enclosure rather than the floor space. The height of their enclosures should be at least four times the tarantula’s leg span. So an enclosure that is around 8 to 12 inches will do just fine for them.
The spider’s enclosures need to be well-ventilated, and the enclosure must be sufficiently cross-ventilated as opposed to ventilation on the top of the enclosure. So ensure you drill some holes on the sides of the enclosure instead of at the top if you build a custom enclosure for your tarantula. Just be sure not to drill too hard and create big holes that will enable your tarantula to escape.
Juveniles and spiderlings can be kept in smaller enclosures like small plastic containers as long as the container is adequately ventilated and humid. So you also need to get some substrate in the enclosure even though they won’t burrow into it. Juveniles need to be relocated into larger enclosures once they start getting larger.
Enclosure’s Decorations
You need to get a lot of stuff in the enclosure to make your tarantula as comfortable as possible. You should place a potted plant, some artificial plants, and vertically propped pieces of cork bark in the enclosure so your tarantula can use them as anchor points to build its webs. Red Slate Pink Toe Tarantulas’ webs are frequently concentrated at the top of their enclosure, so it’s best to get an enclosure that opens from the side and not from the top so as not to disrupt your tarantula’s activity and damage its web. Since they are always at the top side of their enclosure, they can also escape out of it whenever you open it up.
Substrate
You still need to get some substrate in the enclosure even though they will hardly dig it up. You’ll need to place some substrate in the enclosure since substrates help regulate the humidity levels. You should fill up between 1/4 and 1/3 of the enclosure with the substrate to ensure it’s always damp.
Water And Humidity
They require a well-ventilated cage with a fair amount of humidity. Arboreal tarantulas are often far more sensitive to dryness than terrestrial tarantulas. So always ensure the substrate and the enclosure is not always dry. This doesn’t mean you need to leave the enclosure completely dry, though. Just ensure the substrate is not too dry or too wet since wet enclosures invite mold and other nasty stuff that can harm tarantulas.
You can easily get the perfect humidity condition for your tarantula by keeping it in a cross-ventilated enclosure and placing a large water dish in there. All you need to do is fill up the water dish every few days. You can also mist the enclosure occasionally if that’s what you prefer, but it isn’t essential as long as the temperature in the room is around the required range and you have a water dish in the cross-ventilated enclosure. Misting the enclosure also tends to startle tarantulas, so ensure you don’t spray the water at your tarantula directly if you decide to take this route.
Heating And Temperature
Red Slate Pink Toe Tarantulas prefer the temperature in their enclosure to be within the range of 20-25°C, which coincides with the temperature in a typical person’s room. As such, you might not have to buy any heat source for your tarantula if you’re living in a very warm country or if there’s a way to ensure the temperature of the room you’re keeping them in is always warm. However, you’ll need a heat source if the temperature in the room you’re keeping the tarantula usually falls below this range.
An under-tank heat mat is best for Red Slate Pink Toe Tarantulas if they need a heat source. A high-quality thermostat is also necessary to ensure their enclosure is not overheated. They do not need any artificial lighting source, such as UVB light but require sunlight. So ensure you keep your tarantula in well-lighted areas in the room.
Diet And Nutrition
This specie tends to eat a lot and hardly turns down meals. However, they tend not to notice feeders that can’t fly or jump since they are always situated at the top side of their enclosure. As such, you shouldn’t feed them with feeders like mealworms since they can’t fly and can quickly burrow into the substrate until further notice.
You’re free to feed them feeders like beetles, pinhead crickets, and dubia roaches, though, since these feeders are both nutritious and can easily be noticed. You’re free to feed them feeders that can’t jump or fly, though, as long as you drop them off on their webs or at the entrance of their tunnels so they can be noticed easily.
Spiderlings should be fed at least 1-2 times a week; juveniles should be fed once a week, while adults can be fed every week or two. They all could be fed more often as long as you don’t overfeed them. They should be fed more frequently if you notice they are skinny and should be fed less often when they get fatter. All you need to do is to watch their size to tell how often you should give them a meal.
All feeders, both alive or dead, should be removed from the enclosure 24 hours after dropping them off. Live feeders could hurt the tarantula, and dead feeders could introduce bacteria, mold, and parasites into the enclosure once they decompose.
Social
Though multiple Red Slate Pink Toe Tarantulas have been found living together in the wild, sharing the same habitat and web tunnels, they are not social tarantulas and should be kept alone in an enclosure.
Behavior And Temperament
Red Slate Pink Toe Tarantulas are incredibly solitary and prefer to spend time alone in their enclosure. They are nervous tarantulas that hardly spend time in the open and hide in their web tunnels and behind hidden areas in their enclosure whenever they notice someone or something close by.
Handling
Red Slate Pink Toe Tarantulas are venomous and can irritate your skin with their urticating hairs. Their venom isn’t potent, though, and they possess only type 2 urticating hairs, which means they can’t kick their hairs up in a cloud when they feel threatened but have to physically touch you to irritate your skin. Though their venom isn’t potent, it’s best to watch this specie from outside their enclosure instead of physically handling them. They are incredibly skittish and difficult to grab and might leap off your hands and hurt themselves if you try to get a hold of them.
Though we advise against handling them, it’s best to put on some hand gloves and probably a long-sleeved shirt if you try to handle them. Ensure you hold them close to the ground or a solid surface so they don’t hurt themselves if they jump off from your hands.
Health And Lifespan
The average lifespan of a male and female Red Slate Pink Toe Tarantula is 2 to 3 years for males and 10-12 years for females. Keeping them healthy isn’t exactly difficult, though. They’ll live long lives as long as they are fed and kept in a clean enclosure. Spider mites, mold, and parasites can easily affect them, and they also shouldn’t be fed wild-caught insects but only store-bought feeders. Maintaining a spotless enclosure, taking out any uneaten food, and regularly changing their water often may prevent these issues and keep them safe.
Price
This tarantula is unpopular in the pet trade and is sometimes difficult to find on sale. They are typically more expensive than other Avicularia species and, as such, are not bred as much as other tarantulas since people don’t often buy them. This, coupled with the fact that they have a lot fewer egg sacs and bear fewer offspring compared to most other tarantulas, makes it difficult for breeders to make money for their effort.
Red Slate Pink Toe Tarantulas’ asking price often ranges from $80 to over $200.
