The Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula is a species of spider native to much of the Northern portion of South America. Their scientific name is Avicularia avicularia.
This New World species is fast growing and can obtain a maximum leg span of around 5-6 inches. Their body length will usually reach less than 3 inches.
Some of the other commonly kept species of New World Tarantulas include the Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula, Green Bottle Blue Tarantula, Mexican Fireleg Tarantula, Pumpkin Patch Tarantula and the Venezuelan Suntiger Tarantula.
Taxonomy
The Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula belongs to the Family Theraphosidae. This essentially means that the spider is a tarantula and over 1,000 different spiders have been identified as part of the family Theraphosidae.
Theraphosidae belongs to the infraorder Mygalomorphae. While many of the other species in this infraorder are often referred to as tarantulas or ‘false tarantulas’, the species in the family Theraphosidae are considered the ‘true’ tarantulas.
Tarantulas can be found throughout the American Continent (excluding Canada), Africa, parts of Mediterranean Europe, South-East Asia and Australia.
The Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula belongs to the genus Avicularia. It is the nominate species in the genus with the scientific name Avicularia avicularia.
The Avicularia genus once consisted of 47 different species but this has been reduced down to only 12. The latest revision resulted in the creation of 3 new genera; Antillena, Caribena and Ybyrapora.
The remaining species in the Anticularia genus are the most closely related to Avicularia avicularia. They are;
- Avicularia avicularia
- Avicularia glauca
- Avicularia variegata
- Avicularia minatrix
- Avicularia taunayi
- Avicularia juruensis
- Avicularia rufa
- Avicularia purpurea
- Avicularia hirschii
- Avicularia merianae
- Avicularia lynnae
- Avicularia caei
Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula Description
The Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula is a medium sized tarantula that has a moderate growth rate. They can obtain a leg span of 5-6 inches when fully grown.
They are generally dark brown or black in color with green iridescence on their carapace and legs. The end of each leg is pink in color which gives these tarantulas their common name.
They have 4 other appendages on the font of the body. The two ‘chelicerae’ contain the fangs and venom while the ‘pedipalps’ are used to feel in front of the spider. The fangs of Avicularia avicularia fold under its body.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula can be found in the Northern parts of South America. They can be found in countries such as Venezuela, Northern Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname.
These spiders like humid habitats and are generally found in the Rainforests within their range. As an arboreal species, they are typically found in trees or bushes, rather than on the ground.
They share some of their range with species such as the Yellow Anaconda, Brazilian Blue Tarantula, Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman and the False Water Cobra.
Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula as Pets
The Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula is best kept as a display animal. These tarantulas are typically quite docile but don’t like to be handled. They even have the ability to ‘spray’ faeces in an attempt to scare off a potential threat.
Unlike many New World tarantulas, Avicularia avicularia do not kick their urticating hairs. However, these hairs can still rub off on your skin and cause irritation.
They are a quick species and are also prone to jumping which makes then a little bit more difficult to work with, especially for beginners or people who are used to slow moving tarantulas.
Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula Feeding
Spiderlings can be offered Flightless fruit flies or pinhead cricket. You can feed them once or twice a week depend on the meal size.
A juvenile Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula can be fed one or two medium crickets a week depending on the size of their abdomen. As the juvenile grows, one medium cricket won’t be enough so you will need to offer a second.
An adult Avicularia avicularia can be fed up to 4 or 5 large crickets a week depending on their size. Smaller adults may only require 2 or 3 crickets. Any uneaten crickets or fruit flies need to be removed from the enclosure after 24 hours.
A tarantula will often refuse food for a few weeks or even months at a time while they are in pre-molt. This is completely normal and nothing to worry about. Simply offer them a meal weekly until they start eating again.
Housing
Housing requirements for a Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula is relatively straight forward. You do not need anything special to keep these spiders and they will thrive as long as you get your basics right.
These spiders are an arboreal species so height is important in their enclosure. You should aim for an enclosure that is 3 times the height of the spider’s leg span.
One or two pieces of Cork Bark can be rested against the walls of the enclosure. These will double up as a hide and a place for your spider to anchor a web off. You can also add a fake plant or vine if you wish.
A large shallow water bowl can be placed on the floor of the enclosure. This will help keep humidity levels up. You do not need to mist the enclosure daily as these tarantulas don’t need excessively high humidity.
One very important factor in their setup is ventilation. A Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula needs good ventilation as stagnant air is not good for them. Ventilation holes in the sides of the enclosure will help with this.
Temperature
You can keep your Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula at room temperature. If the temperature is comfortable for you, it will be comfortable for them. This adds to their ease of care as you don’t need any special heating equipment.
However, if you live in a cold climate, you may want to add some supplemental heat during the winter months. You typically want to keep them between a temperature range of 68F-75F.
Substrate
You don’t need to use much substrate in a Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula enclosure as these spiders are arboreal and will spend most of their time off the ground. A small layer of substrate is all they require.
You want a substrate that will hold humidity well as these spiders like higher levels of humidity. However, ventilation is important as you don’t want to create damp, stagnant conditions in their enclosure.
Handling a Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula
The Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula is best kept as a display animal. These tarantulas are typically quite docile but don’t like to be handled. They even have the ability to ‘spray’ faeces in an attempt to scare off a potential threat.
They have type II urticating hairs, meaning they don’t kick them off like many other New World Tarantulas. However, these hairs can still rub off onto your skin while handling your spider. This can cause irritation.
