Green Bottle Blue Tarantula — Species Repository

Photo: Aramburu Carlos, CC0

Spider Beginner

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens

Lifespan F 12-14 years, M 3-4 years

Adult size DLS 13-16 cm

Temperament Skittish and fast but rarely defensive

Temperature 18–28°C

Humidity 40–65%

Vivarium 45 x 30 x 30 cm (semi-arboreal webber adult)

Wikipedia →

Native to the arid Paraguaná Peninsula of northern Venezuela, where it lives in heavily webbed burrows under bushes and tree roots, and it was listed as endangered in Venezuela in 2015. Adults have electric blue legs, a metallic green carapace and a bright orange abdomen, and they spin dense webbing and stay on show, which makes this one of the most popular display tarantulas. It is fast and skittish rather than defensive, and it will kick urticating hairs if disturbed.

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

🔥 Heating

Room temperature of about 20-24°C is enough in most UK homes, so heating is not normally needed. If the room regularly falls below 18°C, fit a small heat mat to one side of the enclosure (never underneath) on a thermostat so the spider can move away from the warmth. No basking spot or heat lamp is needed.

💡 Lighting

No UVB or special lighting is needed. Keep it in a room with a normal day and night cycle and out of direct sunlight, which can overheat the enclosure quickly.

🪨 Substrate

Dry coco fibre or a coco fibre and topsoil mix 10-15 cm deep (about half the enclosure height), kept dry apart from the area around the water dish. Good ventilation matters more than humidity for this arid species, and the drop from the substrate to the lid should stay within about 1.5 times the leg span.

🍽 Feeding

Feed slings small crickets or roach nymphs about twice a week, juveniles every 7-10 days and adults 4-5 large crickets or one large roach every 2-3 weeks. It is a voracious eater but will refuse food before a moult, so remove uneaten prey within 24 hours and wait about a week after a moult before feeding.

💧 Water

Keep a shallow water dish filled from about 2.5 cm leg span and overflow it occasionally to give a small damp patch. Slings can instead have a few drops of water on one edge of the substrate weekly, without spraying the webbing.

🏠 Enrichment

Give plenty of anchor points for its webbing, such as cork bark slabs and branches set upright and at angles plus a few artificial plants, with a hide at ground level. Leave the webbing in place when spot cleaning, as it is the spider's home.

🩺 Health Considerations

Hardy if kept dry and well ventilated, and stagnant, humid conditions are the main cause of problems such as mould and mites. Also watch for dehydration if the water dish dries out, bad moults and falls from the webbing, while jerky uncoordinated movement (DKS) needs specialist advice.

🤲 Handling

Hands-off is recommended because it is very fast and bolts easily, so do maintenance and rehousing inside a large tub with a catch cup ready. It kicks urticating hairs when disturbed, which irritate skin and eyes, so wash your hands after maintenance, never rub your eyes and wear eye protection when rehousing. Its bite is painful but the venom is mild and not medically significant to people, though allergic reactions are possible.

⚖️ Legal Restrictions

No licence needed in the UK. It is not on the Dangerous Wild Animals Act schedule (no tarantulas are), is not listed by CITES or in the UK Wildlife Trade Regulations annexes, and is not a UK invasive species.

📋 Additional Notes

Slings are orange with a dark-striped abdomen and gain the blue legs and green carapace gradually over several moults. Sex from a moult or the ventral epigastric furrow, and mature males (at about 2-3 years) develop tibial hooks and palpal bulbs, while females take about 4-6 years to mature. Growth is medium to fast, and it is often recommended as a first webbing species for keepers who are happy not to handle.