Brazilian Salmon Pink Birdeater — Species Repository

Photo: George Chernilevsky, public domain

Spider Beginner

Lasiodora parahybana

Lifespan F 12-15 years, M 3-5 years

Adult size DLS 20-25 cm (up to 28 cm)

Temperament Bold, usually tolerant, kicks hairs readily

Temperature 20–28°C

Humidity 55–75%

Vivarium 60 x 45 x 30 cm (terrestrial adult, low to limit falls)

Wikipedia →

One of the largest tarantulas in the world, endemic to the Atlantic forest region of north-eastern Brazil, where it lives on the forest floor among leaf litter, logs and burrows. It is black with long salmon-pink hairs on the legs, chelicerae and abdomen, and heavy-bodied females can weigh over 100 g. Keepers like its huge size, fast growth, hardiness and big appetite, but its urticating hairs are notoriously irritating and even a short fall can rupture its heavy abdomen.

Care information is provided for educational purposes only and does not replace professional veterinary advice.

🔥 Heating

Room temperature of about 20-26°C suits it in most UK homes. If extra heat is needed, use a heat mat on one side of the enclosure (never underneath, where a burrowing spider can overheat) controlled by a thermostat. No basking surface is needed.

💡 Lighting

No UVB or special lighting is needed. Keep the enclosure in a room with a normal day and night light cycle and out of direct sunlight.

🪨 Substrate

10-15 cm of coco fibre or topsoil, slightly damp in the lower layers and drier on top, as slings and juveniles will burrow. Fill the enclosure so the climbing height above the substrate is no more than about the spider's leg span, because this heavy species can be killed by a short fall.

🍽 Feeding

Feed slings twice a week and juveniles every 7-10 days on crickets, roaches or locusts sized to their body, and adults several large insects every 1-3 weeks. Do not overfeed, as a swollen abdomen makes a fall more dangerous. Expect refusals in premoult, wait at least a week after a moult and remove uneaten prey within 24 hours.

💧 Water

Always provide a wide, shallow water dish, and occasionally overflow it into one corner to keep the lower substrate slightly damp. Misting is not needed.

🏠 Enrichment

Give a large cork bark hide or half-log with a starter burrow dug beneath it in deep substrate. Keep decor low and stable so it cannot climb high and fall.

🩺 Health Considerations

Falls are the main danger for this heavy species, so keep enclosures low and avoid handling. Also watch for dehydration, stuck moults (it moults on its back, so do not disturb it), mould or mites in substrate kept too wet, nematodes (white discharge around the mouthparts) and DKS (jerky, uncoordinated movement), for which no reliable treatment is known.

🤲 Handling

Hands-off is recommended. It readily kicks urticating hairs that are notoriously irritating, causing itchy rashes on skin and painful inflammation if they reach the eyes, so wear gloves and eye protection when working in the enclosure and wash your hands afterwards. Its venom is weak and not medically significant, but its fangs can be up to about 2.5 cm long, so a bite would be very painful.

⚖️ Legal Restrictions

No licence needed in the UK. It is not listed under CITES or the UK Wildlife Trade Regulations, is not on the Dangerous Wild Animals Act schedule and is not an invasive species.

📋 Additional Notes

Often called the LP, it was described by Mello-Leitão in 1917. It is very fast-growing and has types I and III urticating hairs. Mature males are leggier, slimmer and more vividly coloured, with palpal bulbs and tibial hooks, and live only a short time after maturing, so sex juveniles from a moult.