# Harpactira pulchripes care



## SpaceM (Jul 29, 2018)

So i'm picking up my first OW on Tuesday, a 2cm H.pulchripes sling. Had a bit of a look around online and found that the care is supposed to be similar to an M.balfouri but there isn't nearly as much information available for this species as other ones i keep so i'd be very grateful if anyone on here who has kept them has tips. Just want to be extra careful since it's my first OW and the slings are still quite expensive.


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## Nightstalker47 (Jul 29, 2018)

These are considered an advanced species, fast, flighty and they have some nasty venom. Not the best first OW, but manageable. 

The care for these is very simple, although they aren't like other slings that need to be kept moist when small. They are one of the most susceptible to death via "too much moisture" keep the sub predominantly dry and have a small water dish in there. Extremely hardy spiders. These will typically make a shallow web burrow, and spend lots of time hidden away. 

Lovely tarantulas but easy to kill if you aren't ready for them. Make sure you think it through, too many people rush into advanced OWs just cause they are beautiful.

Reactions: Like 4 | Agree 1 | Helpful 1


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## viper69 (Jul 29, 2018)

Nightstalker47 said:


> but easy to kill if you aren't ready for them


How so??


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## Greasylake (Jul 29, 2018)

viper69 said:


> How so??


It runs for the exit, you get scared, slam down the lid and squish the spider.

Reactions: Agree 3


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## boina (Jul 29, 2018)

Basically @Nightstalker47 covered it all, but I want to stress the moisture point: This is a species that is very sensitive to too much moisture, even as slings. Since they are dwarfs at 2 cm (nearly 1") I'd even call them juveniles and I'd keep them dry with a water dish. Mine are actually pretty visible.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Whitelightning777 (Jul 29, 2018)

They're a dry spider. Keep a small water dish at least half full at all times. Provide a hide and some substrate. I prefer peat because it's slightly more mold resistant.

Another words, basically keep it like a rose hair, but it sure won't act like one!!

I got mine as a 1" sling. He just hooked out today. Like other baboons, they're hardy and grow pretty fast. When he's matured, a lot of the coloration went away and now he's almost semi arboreal. 

Here's some pics, before and after maturity.







They're a wonderful addition as long as you're had an active terrestrial before. No collection is complete without one if you're into OW.

Yes, some of the colors are like an OBT, but he's never behaved aggressively to me.  He's fast and flighty. Usually he eats well and is visible. For some reason with this molt, he did totally hide out for weeks.

I definitely am interested in finding a breeder & I'll probably do a trade for 3 small unsexed balfouri slings or two unsexed H pulchripes slings. That way most likely I'll get a female this time. 

They grow extremely fast and be prepared for people to say no way it's photoshopped. Unsexed 1" slings typically run between $90 to $120 plus shipping. Yes, they're hardy but do get rush shipping.


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## viper69 (Jul 29, 2018)

Greasylake said:


> It runs for the exit, you get scared, slam down the lid and squish the spider.


HAH, I already know that. I'll wait for person I asked to reply.


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## SpaceM (Jul 29, 2018)

Whitelightning777 said:


> They're a dry spider. Keep a small water dish at least half full at all times. Provide a hide and some substrate. I prefer peat because it's slightly more mold resistant.
> 
> Another words, basically keep it like a rose hair, but it sure won't act like one!!
> 
> I got mine as a 1" sling. He just hooked out today. Like other baboons, they're hardy and grow pretty fast. When he's matured, a lot of the coloration went away and now he's almost semi arboreal.


Wow that's really quite a change between moults, i hope you can find a mate for him 

I'm actually going to pick it up in person to avoid shipping and at just £35 i really wanted to take the deal while it's there. However I will have to be using a somewhat temporary enclosure for the first week as i'll be visiting my gf and don't want to risk letting an OW loose in her room. I was thinking i'd use a suitable size container with a corner with one slightly damper corner to make sure it has some moisture since a water dish may need cleaning out/refilling i'd prefer not to have to do that while i'm there. Do you think that might be unsuitable though even for just a week?


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## Lyrognathus (Jul 30, 2018)

Nightstalker47 said:


> These are considered an advanced species, fast, flighty and they have some nasty venom. Not the best first OW, but manageable.
> 
> The care for these is very simple, although they aren't like other slings that need to be kept moist when small. They are one of the most susceptible to death via "too much moisture" keep the sub predominantly dry and have a small water dish in there. Extremely hardy spiders. These will typically make a shallow web burrow, and spend lots of time hidden away.
> 
> Lovely tarantulas but easy to kill if you aren't ready for them. Make sure you think it through, too many people rush into advanced OWs just cause they are beautiful.


Are there any other spiders that need to be kept bone dry as slings? I'm assuming the rest of the genus and Harpactirella?

Reactions: Disagree 1


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## Greasylake (Jul 30, 2018)

Lyrognathus said:


> Are there any other spiders that need to be kept bone dry as slings? I'm assuming the rest of the genus and Harpactirella?


Almost all of the baboons. They are really the only ones that should be kept dry as slings, otherwise slings should be kept universally moist.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Winner 1


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## Whitelightning777 (Jul 30, 2018)

The only moisture you need is a water dish that remains full at all times. No further moisture is necessary. 

You also have to make sure the T won't web over the water dish and cause water to wick away into the substrate. You can elevate the water dish instead of putting the top level to the ground by putting the dish on top of the substrate. The T will have no problem finding it.

If any mold is detected, remove the spider and change out the substrate as soon as possible. Also clean out all other decor to remove spores. It's impossible to tell a toxic mold from a harmless one by eye. If a feeder eats the mold before being consumed, big problems might or might not result. Why take chances?

I strongly suspect, but can't quite prove, that mold killed my M balfouri sling perhaps by contributing to fecal impaction. Water wicked into the substrate.

Reactions: Thinking 1 | Face Palm 1


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## Chris LXXIX (Jul 30, 2018)

Nightstalker47 said:


> These are considered an advanced species


Not for my views: temperament talking, they are in general less defensive than the average, always purchased, _P.murinus_. 

Now _S.calceatum_, _H.maculata_ or _H.lightfooti_ are, for instance, advanced 'baboon' spiders.

The only advanced features they have is such a fancy, scam price

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Lyrognathus (Jul 30, 2018)

Greasylake said:


> Almost all of the baboons. They are really the only ones that should be kept dry as slings, otherwise slings should be kept universally moist.


Bone dry though? I've kept mine mostly dry but I moistened half the tank every two weeks. Even with adults I add some water to make it a bit more humid every month or two. Basically I keep them dry, but not bone dry like my rose hairs and GBB.


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## Whitelightning777 (Jul 30, 2018)

I wouldn't recommend them as a first tarantula simply because they're super fast and pricey but they make a great 2nd terrestrial tarantula.

Basically they're intermediate.  

They are not aggressive, always will turn and run. I've never gotten even one threat posture from mine.

I can't say that for my T stirmi (Mizz hissy fit) or even my L klugi.


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## Chris LXXIX (Jul 30, 2018)

Greasylake said:


> Almost all of the baboons.


_H.gigas_ needs moist substrate even as adults.


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## boina (Jul 30, 2018)

Lyrognathus said:


> Bone dry though? I've kept mine mostly dry but I moistened half the tank every two weeks. Even with adults I add some water to make it a bit more humid every month or two. Basically I keep them dry, but not bone dry like my rose hairs and GBB.


Since I lost a Ceratogyrus sling to what was very likely too much moisture (and I certainly didn't keep it wet, just moist) I'm very, very careful with moisture and baboons (except the ones Chris mentioned). Yes, I'd really keep them bone dry, I think some may be even more sensitive to moisture than G. rosea.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2 | Helpful 1


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## Whitelightning777 (Jul 30, 2018)

They are a dry spider, not an arid one.  H gigas if I recall correctly can actually dive under water and catch fish. Many different Ts are called baboon tarantulas.

The water issues happen when they web over the water dish and it wicks out. Good ventilation is always important when humidity is the enemy.

This is how I did my sling cage.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Greasylake (Jul 30, 2018)

Chris LXXIX said:


> _H.gigas_ needs moist substrate even as adults.


Note the word "almost."

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## Chris LXXIX (Jul 30, 2018)

Greasylake said:


> Note the word "almost."


_H.gigas_, _P.muticus_ with the burrow '_core_' that needs always to remain slightly moist, Western African arboreal 'baboons' that enjoy a bit of slightly moist substrate here and there... yeah, I've read your 'almost' my man but I wanted to tease you a bit

Reactions: Like 1


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## dangerforceidle (Jul 30, 2018)

boina said:


> Since they are dwarfs at 2 cm (nearly 1") I'd even call them juveniles and I'd keep them dry with a water dish. Mine are actually pretty visible.


_H. pulchripes_ a dwarf?  At what adult size do you begin to consider a species a dwarf?

Reactions: Agree 2 | Disagree 1


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## Nightstalker47 (Jul 30, 2018)

viper69 said:


> How so??


They are very sensitive to any moisture in the sub...too much will kill them rapidly, they really need dry conditions for the most part. This is pretty unique to Harpactira from what I have experienced, the other baboons can handle some excess moisture without issue.

Take P.murinus for example, members of the Ceratogyrus genus, etc...


Chris LXXIX said:


> _H.gigas_ needs moist substrate even as adults.


You can throw every other Hysterocrates species in that list, and your divine goddess as well, which we all know and love. (Pelinobius muticus)


Lyrognathus said:


> Are there any other spiders that need to be kept bone dry as slings? I'm assuming the rest of the genus and Harpactirella?





Greasylake said:


> Almost all of the baboons. They are really the only ones that should be kept dry as slings, otherwise slings should be kept universally moist.


Your not wrong, generally speaking...but there are more then a few baboons that will need moisture when small. And others all the way into adulthood.
Eucratoscelus, Idiothele, Hysterocates, Pelinobius all need moisture...in my book, even Pterinochilus are raised with a little moist spot as slings.

Reactions: Like 1


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## boina (Jul 30, 2018)

dangerforceidle said:


> _H. pulchripes_ a dwarf?  At what adult size do you begin to consider a species a dwarf?


Hm, I may be wrong, but I always thought they were a smaller species. How big do they get? (Mine are 2" right now, so that's where my experience ends so far...)


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## Nightstalker47 (Jul 30, 2018)

boina said:


> Hm, I may be wrong, but I always thought they were a smaller species. How big do they get? (Mine are 2" right now, so that's where my experience ends so far...)


They are a smaller species, females are typically mature at 3.5-4''. MMs are minuscule in comparison.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## ChanTheMan (Jul 30, 2018)

What species would be a decent "beginner" Old World?

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## Ungoliant (Jul 30, 2018)

ChanTheMan said:


> What species would be a decent "beginner" Old World?


None of these are beginner species, just good first OW species for experienced keepers who want to start keeping OW species.

_Augacephalus ezendami_
_Ceratogyrus_
_Eucratoscelus pachypus_
_Idiothele mira_
_Monocentropus balfouri_

There are some NW species that are considered good stepping stones to OW due to their temperament:

_Ephebopus murinus_
_Phormictopus_
_Psalmopoeus_

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## Whitelightning777 (Jul 31, 2018)

My M balfouri was a bit more finicky of an water then my H pulchripes. Unlike H pulchripes, M balfouri slings dig extensive tunnel systems and build highly elaborate webs above ground.

They also actually do better communally according to almost all reports I've read.   You really have to watch out for webbing the water dish for balfouri no matter where it is. 

Mine was a slightly slower grower, but she was a female.


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## viper69 (Aug 4, 2018)

Nightstalker47 said:


> They are very sensitive to any moisture in the sub...too much will kill them rapidly, they really need dry conditions for the most part. This is pretty unique to Harpactira from what I have experienced, the other baboons can handle some excess moisture without issue.
> 
> Take P.murinus for example, members of the Ceratogyrus genus, etc...
> 
> ...


Thought it was something beyond that.

Reactions: Like 1


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## AngelDeVille (Aug 4, 2018)

ChanTheMan said:


> What species would be a decent "beginner" Old World?


I went with O. philippinus and P. muticus....


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## Nightstalker47 (Aug 4, 2018)

viper69 said:


> Thought it was something beyond that.


Another thing I noticed was that this particular species seemed to prefer things on the warmer side, warm dry conditions and they thrive.


Nightstalker47 said:


> They are very sensitive to any moisture in the sub


Much like with avics, excess moisture combined with bad vent would exacerbate things all the more. H.pulchripes slings tend to be pretty fragile from what I have seen, juvies over the 2'' mark are already much hardier and can tolerate a wider range of conditions IME.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## Venom1080 (Aug 4, 2018)

boina said:


> Hm, I may be wrong, but I always thought they were a smaller species. How big do they get? (Mine are 2" right now, so that's where my experience ends so far...)


Um, are you thinking of Heterothele?


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## Whitelightning777 (Aug 5, 2018)

Mainly I would just avoid anything that's extremely defensive.  

H pulchripes is about as simple as you can get.  Hopefully my male will breed successfully and I'll get a few slings back, but which I mean 2 or 3 not half.  I'm also getting 2 other Ts in trade for him as well, but I'm keeping that under wraps until I get them safely home.

It'll be a double unboxing, still debating whether or not to film it.


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## Venomgland (Aug 6, 2018)

Very easy to care for. I have 4. 1 that I raised from a sling, 2 Craigslist rescues, and now another sling. I've only gotten 1 attack bite and threat posture from my adult female. I was checking in on her and breathed a little to hard to the front of the exoterra. She was sitting right I'll front and I didn't know it when I was wearing in. She popped right up and hit the glass and stayed in a threat posture. 

Other then that all four have been a piece of cake to take care of. Waiting for one of my males to molt 1 more time and then I plan on breeding them. It will be my first time breeding any tarantula, so fingers crossed.


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## SpaceM (Aug 10, 2018)

Here's the set up i have ready for it. It was actually smaller than i expected when i got it (only about 1cm) so i just have it in a sling pot for now and will transfer it after it's next moult.


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## Nightstalker47 (Aug 10, 2018)

SpaceM said:


> Here's the set up i have ready for it. It was actually smaller than i expected when i got it (only about 1cm) so i just have it in a sling pot for now and will transfer it after it's next moult.
> View attachment 283422


Looks like more of a setup for an avic sling, leave the dish on the ground, a lower placed hide would be best as well...these are terrestrials.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## SpaceM (Aug 10, 2018)

Nightstalker47 said:


> Looks like more of a setup for an avic sling, leave the dish on the ground, a lower placed hide would be best as well...these are terrestrials.


The hide does have an entrance at ground level and with substrate inside so it can burrow into it. I decided to elevate the water dish based on peoples advice to avoid it getting webbed up and wiking water down into the substrate.


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## Nightstalker47 (Aug 10, 2018)

SpaceM said:


> The hide does have an entrance at ground level and with substrate inside so it can burrow into it. I decided to elevate the water dish based on peoples advice to avoid it getting webbed up and wiking water down into the substrate.


I feel you there man, but its going to be hard for your pulchripes to access the water dish in that position...I would be more worried about that. The webbed up water bowl is something your going to have to deal with no matter what, it might even web it all the way up there, they are quite determined at times lol. 

Just clean it off when necessary, its a pain in the ass but part of keeping these spiders.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3


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## Whitelightning777 (Aug 11, 2018)

That's true, but the H pulchripes is more then capable of climbing the walls and I've even seen mine upside down once or twice.

Here's my mature male looking for a girlfriend.




Here's him once again on the wall when younger. He was recently rehoused after getting new mold free substrate.




I'm not sure what he was doing there but the hissing cockroach I recently put in might've had something to do with it.





I don't think getting the water dish will be a problem. He or she might web it up but at least she won't flip it over or throw a bunch of crap in it.

Reactions: Cookie 1


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## cold blood (Aug 11, 2018)

Nightstalker47 said:


> leave the dish on the ground


 I agree.   Just because they can climb, doesn't mean it should be encouraged to do so....we set up terrestrials the way we do specifically to discourage climbing.


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## Whitelightning777 (Aug 11, 2018)

His water dish is only slightly above ground level, not a dangerous height for fall.


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## Lees Invertebrates (Apr 26, 2021)

Nightstalker47 said:


> These are considered an advanced species, fast, flighty and they have some nasty venom. Not the best first OW, but manageable.
> 
> The care for these is very simple, although they aren't like other slings that need to be kept moist when small. They are one of the most susceptible to death via "too much moisture" keep the sub predominantly dry and have a small water dish in there. Extremely hardy spiders. These will typically make a shallow web burrow, and spend lots of time hidden away.
> 
> Lovely tarantulas but easy to kill if you aren't ready for them. Make sure you think it through, too many people rush into advanced OWs just cause they are beautiful.


I have this species. They are extremely easy! This was actually my first T!!


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## BillsSpider (Apr 26, 2021)

Mine has been very docile, a little bolting if I disturb to much of the webbing but otherwise very easy to take care of. Always out sitting on the web. Dru sub and a water dish on the opposite end of the enclosure from the hide so if I accidentally overfill it won't run into the hide.

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Lees Invertebrates (Apr 26, 2021)

Lees Invertebrates said:


> I have this species. They are extremely easy! This was actually my first T!!


IN MY EXPERIENCE!


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## Craig73 (Apr 26, 2021)

Old thread, but extremely easy to care for and a good introduction into ow’s IMO.  Only issue I have  run into  with any attitude was during rehousing, otherwise it just hunkers down in place when I refill the water bowl or do maintenance stuff.

Reactions: Like 1 | Thanks 1


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## Lees Invertebrates (Apr 26, 2021)

Craig73 said:


> Old thread, but extremely easy to care for and a good introduction into ow’s IMO.  Only issue I have  run into  with any attitude was during rehousing, otherwise it just hunkers down in place when I refill the water bowl or do maintenance stuff.


EXACTLY!! This was my first T.


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