The Singapore Blue Tarantula is a species of tarantula native to South-East Asia in countries such as Singapore and Malaysia. This is a large, arboreal species that can reach a leg span of up to 9 inches.
These spiders primarily feed on beetles, cockroaches, crickets and any other large arthropod it can find. They will also eat the occasional vertebrate such as mice or small birds.
Singapore Blue Tarantula Taxonomy
The Singapore Blue 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 Singapore Blue Tarantula belongs to the genus Omothymus. The species was first described in 1924 as Lampropelma violaceopedes. However, ‘violaceopedes’ is a plural word which is against the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature so it was renamed ‘violaceopes’.
This species was only moved to the genus Omothymus in 2019 so its original name of Lampropelma violaceopedes has now changed to Omothymus violaceopes.
Singapore Blue Tarantula Description
The Singapore Blue Tarantula is a large species that can obtain a leg span of around 9 inches. When mature, it is easy to tell the difference between a male and female as there is sexual dimorphism within this species.
Females have bright blue legs that tend to dull out towards the tips. Their carapace has a white or cream coloration and they have striping on their abdomen.
Males have a much duller coloration and can appear light brown or almost gold in color. They also tend to have a smaller sized carapace and abdomen than a female but their legs tend to be longer.
Singapore Blue Tarantula as Pets
The Singapore Blue Tarantula has to be regarded as an advance species and really shouldn’t be kept by anyone who doesn’t have significant experience keeping tarantulas.
These spiders require high levels of humidity which can be difficult to maintain without creating stagnant conditions in their enclosure. They can also grow much larger than some of the commonly kept species in the tarantula hobby.
Another factor that makes the Singapore Blue Tarantula an advanced species is that they have medically significant venom. A bite from one of these can be very painful and have a number of side effects.
People who have been bitten by these spiders have reported muscle aches and spasms, headaches, nausea and severe pain around the area of the bite.
Singapore Blue Tarantula Feeding
The Singapore Blue Tarantula is a ferocious feeder. A spiderling can be fed 2-3 small crickets once or twice a week. These spiders are capable of taking down prey larger than most other spiders but we still recommend feeding smaller prey.
Any uneaten food should be removed from the enclosure within 24 hours. It is normal for a tarantula to refuse food when they are in pre-molt and you should wait for their skin to harden after a molt before offering food again.
A good rule of thumb is to offer insects that are no larger than the length of the spider’s abdomen, although you can go a bit smaller if you wish.
As the Singapore Blue Tarantula grows, you can increase the duration between feeds. This is because their growth rate slows down so they don’t use as much energy.
A juvenile can be fed 2-3 medium crickets (or large depending on its size) once a week while an adult Singapore Blue Tarantula can be fed up to 10 crickets every 3-4 weeks.
There is no set amount to feed a tarantula and you really have to judge it based on the condition of the spider. If they are starting to look skinny, increase the meal sizes or reduce the duration between feeds.
If they are starting to look fat, reduce meal sizes or increase the duration between feeds. You can also supplement their diet with different insects such as roaches’ mealworms, super worms and locusts.
Housing
As the Singapore Blue Tarantula is an arboreal species, height is more important than floor space, although this species is known to burrow, especially when young.
As they are a large species, they will need an enclosure measuring around 18″ x 18″ x 24″. This will provide them with enough height to climb, but not too much that a fall could cause serious injury.
As they sometimes burrow, you will want to use around 5-6 inches of substrate. The substrate should be watered regularly to help maintain humidity levels.
You will need to add some cork bark, branches or other types of foliage for your tarantula to climb on. You should also offer a shallow water bowl, although tarantulas get most of their water from their food.
A Spiderling or Juvenile Singapore Blue Tarantula can be setup the same way as an adult. The only major difference is the size of the enclosure.
Handling
The Singapore Blue Tarantula is not a species of tarantula you should be handling. This is an Old World species and their venom is considered to be medically significant.
They are also a large species that can reach a leg span of up to 9 inches. As a result, their fangs are larger than most smaller species so a bite can also cause a larger wound.
If you get bit by one of these Tarantulas you may experience a number of different side effects such as muscle aches and spasms, headaches, nausea and severe pain around the area of the bite.
