C. Versicolor for relative beginner.

[Dylandavismn]

Hi I have been doing a bit of research on a new T and the c. Versicolor caught my eye. I currently have a C . Cyaneopubescens and a t. vagans. I wanted to get 3 different living styles of tarantulas. Like the semi arboreal gbb the ground/burrowing vagans and the aboreal versicolor. But I was wondering if anyone had some pointers for owning an aboreal tarantula. I am not too worried about speed as anytime I open the cage will be in a area I can catch the t easy if need be. But if anyone has any pointers or common mistakes they can throw my way so I get my husbandry down and I done have any avic nightmares. Any help is appreciated and I would be looking so do the sling as they have really cool transformations throughout their molts. And I’m a big fan of slings. For reference I’ve owned my current tarantulas for about 6 months but I feel pretty confident with the speed and anal spray of the versicolor lmao.

 

[jrh3]

Make sure you have the enclosure properly setup. There are lots of info on this forum regarding ventilation.

They are easy to keep IMO.

 

[moricollins]

Caribena versicolor are great! For lots of good husbandry information on them you should Read these threads and ask any followup questions you have
.https://arachnoboards.com/threads/avicularia-care.291340/

https://arachnoboards.com/threads/avicularia-husbandry.282549/#post-2461396

When you have an enclosure set up, post pictures in the terrariums and enclosure forum and people will give you advice on how to make it the best for the Tarantula (do this before you buy the Tarantula )

 

[docwade87]

Great T for anyone to keep. Just make sure you set them up right as mentioned above and understand their specific and sometimes finicky needs compared to other Ts.

 

[Asgiliath]

Good first arboreal and gorgeous!

(GBB isn't actually sub-arboreal)

 

[Smotzer]

Great choice! Keep it on dry substrate with a water dish and lots of ventilation and you will be good to go and do everything previously mentioned too!

 

[mellow]

Caribena versicolor are awesome! Just do your research and make sure that the enclosure has lots of ventilation.

 

[Craig73]

Relatively straight forward T to care for. As mentioned an enclosure with good cross ventilation, dry substraight and water dish and they’re good to go. Mine stays at room temp which is typically 70-80 and has thrived well from .5” to about the 1” mark now.

The enclosure setup is the number one thing to get right upfront. Once that’s good there’s no need to overthink it, just sit back and enjoy.

A little bolty but nothing crazy fast. The larger mine gets the calmer it seems to be. More inclined to retreat to his web tube than make an escape out of the enclosure and bite your face off.

 

[Dylandavismn]

Ok perfect I will most likely be getting one. I will show you guys a pic of my enclosure prior to purchase to make sure ventilation is good and such. I am most likely getting a spiderling so I am thinking of ordering one of Jamie’s arboreal tarantula enclosures and adding some more ventilation. But I’ll show y’all what i come up with. Thanks for the help!

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Like the semi arboreal gbb

They're heavy-webbing terrestrials, not "semi-arboreal".

But if anyone has any pointers or common mistakes they can throw my way so I get my husbandry down and I done have any avic nightmares.

Read the threads that were linked already and you should be good.

While this species does require good ventilation, you don't need to go mental with holes. Just make a row all around just above substrate level, the same about an inch from the top, a few holes at mid-height, and about 6-12 holes in the lid.

I am most likely getting a spiderling so I am thinking of ordering one of Jamie’s arboreal tarantula enclosures and adding some more ventilation. But I’ll show y’all what i come up with.

I'd just save the money and use a 32oz deli cup instead.

 

[Dylandavismn]

how is this? I will add more cross ventilation I am in the middle of doing it. I will repeat the side with holes around the enclosure and add some holes on the top. I had some larger leaves so I had to cut them down that’s why they look janky

 

[Craig73]

Looks like the very bottom is going to be about where your substraight level is going to be. No harm, just a little lower than it needs to be. If you end up covering it you’ll still have plenty higher up.

Adding a row or two in the lid portion you’re working on is what I would do. And also just rub your fingers on the inside to make sure the holes are not jagged.

I can’t recall, is your versi on the way or did you get it? Excited for you. Mine was about .5” and the last molt was a significant size jump to maybe just under an inch. The blue is amazing.

Also, make sure you rinse it good or wipe it down really well and get rid of any hot glue strings, you don’t want foreign object debris in there when you add your T.

 

[Dylandavismn]

finished product I got it all cleaned and everything.

 

[Craig73]

Looking good. I’d recommend doing one more row on the side of the lid like you did for the bottom. And if you have an extra piece of leaf make an anchor point in the lid area. Doesn’t have to be huge. Most likely the little guy is going to make the lid portion his primary spot and web there. That’s what mine did and he would only come down for water or prekilled food. Plus it gives them security so they have a place to bolt to when you open the enclosure.

Good job! Going to be a nice enclosure to watch your T grow in.

I always forget something, ha. A plastic bottle cap works well for water. Don’t be like me, I buy cheap bottled water and those caps blow...not all caps are created equal. Usually start to leak within a week or two. A nice solid water cap or soda bottle cap is better IMO. Someone also mentioned they filed down a vial, the ones they are shipped in. Makes for a nice clean looking water dish. I’d probably end up cutting off a finger if I tried.

 

[Dylandavismn]

Looking good. I’d recommend doing one more row on the side of the lid like you did for the bottom. And if you have an extra piece of leaf make an anchor point in the lid area. Doesn’t have to be huge. Most likely the little guy is going to make the lid portion his primary spot and web there. That’s what mine did and he would only come down for water or prekilled food. Plus it gives them security so they have a place to bolt to when you open the enclosure.

Good job! Going to be a nice enclosure to watch your T grow in.

Thank you I will do that. And how do you go about feeding them when they have their web all set up on the lid potion of the enclosure?

 

[Craig73]

It’s the arboreal challenge. They will typically, with all five of my slings, gravitate towards the seem where the lid meets the lower portion. If you place an anchor point a little higher you may help encourage them to web higher up so your not constantly breaking their web.

I have taken the lid off, tilted it and placed the food near them. Once they get it I put the lid back on the enclosure after a minute or two. You can also put the prekilled food on the ground and watch to make sure they get it. My versi did a lot of exploration prior to it building its web, which took about 3-4 weeks. Once the web was solid I put the food at the entrance....again having to tilt the lid to position it.

 

[Dylandavismn]

Ended up getting that bad boy such a cool looking t. Trumps my gbb forsure

 

[Craig73]

Nice! Love how the avics walk if they touch skin. It’s like nope as they lift their legs high up like get me off this stuff.

Once it settles you’ll probably observe it walking fastly around the enclosure when it starts laying down web. You’ll observe it slipping when it starts to premolt. All normal stuff to look forward to. Don’t overthink things, pretty straight forward T to care for. Congrats!

 

[Michael Jacobi]

MY RELATED ARTICLES:

JACOBI, Michael 2005. The basics of arboreal tarantula husbandry. ARACHNOCULTURE, 1(2): 68-80.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8lp6ergaxpzypys/Jacobi_Arboreal_Tarantula_Husbandry.pdf?dl=0

My Caribena (Avicularia) versicolor care sheet:

Antilles Treespider Care Sheet | Tarantula Husbandry | TARANTULAS.com

TARANTULAS.com is the original portal for tarantula enthusiasts, providing information for tarantula keepers and offering captive-bred tarantulas and other arachnids for sale to the hobbyist and dealer.

tarantulas.com