Description
Common Names: Amazon Ribbed Tarantula | Amazon Ribbed Tree Spider
Scientific Names: Iridopelma hirsutum – (Iridopelma recife is said to be the same spider)
Previously: Iridopelma hirsutum / Avicularia hirsuta / Typhochlaena pococki / Avicularia palmicola (Source & Source).
Another beautiful arboeal species from South America which is much like the Avicularia and Caribena “Pink Toe” species, except these aren’t known to be as friendly. The Amazon Ribbed Tree Spider or Amazon Ribbed Tarantula is a feisty Pink Toe with some very exciting feeding responses. You might get a bold attack on the prey or a threat pose to figure out what’s going on, but either way they are a great arboreal species to keep.
As youngsters they might be attractive to handle (even though we advise against this) but you will find that if you do or they happen to scramble up on to you during enclosure maintenance, they won’t like the heat of your body and will try find the quickest way to get off. Watch out, because they won’t think twice to jump… We’ve actually seen this behaviour with many arboreal slings, if they don’t “feel” a way out, they will go skydiving so take care.
Like other arboreal species they require vertical structure in their enclosures for them to create their webbed lairs and stalk their prey. They are also in need of good humidity and cross flow ventilation to enjoy an environment that it similar to their origin. Many hobbyists overdo this concept and keep their tarantulas is hot swamps, this is just going to kill your spider. You really just need to have an arboreal enclosure with a water dish and keep the substrate in one corner of the enclosure moist enough to keep your humidity to between 60% and 80% which will depend on the amount of ventilation your enclosure has.
A beautiful arboreal tarantula that’s not very common in South Africa so by all means grab them when they become available.
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