Augacephalus spp.
Identity confidence: provisional. This is a genus, group, or trade name rather than a confirmed species. Treat it as the closest match we can stand behind, and use the more conservative end of any range.
Mozambique Baboon Tarantulas: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: Southeast African obligate burrowers: A. junodi (Mozambique baboon) and A. ezendami: rarely seen, defensive when exposed, and basically a 'pet hole' that you maintain by maintaining its burrow. Old World speed and a potent bite. Adults reach about 4-5 inches across.
Group: Industry StaplesDifficulty: Spice 3: IntermediateSetup: Fossorial (deep, dry burrow)Handling: NEVER
Use This Guide Safely
- Confirm the exact animal. Match this guide to the species, locality, size, and life stage on your label. If the ID is uncertain, use the more conservative part of the range and ask before changing the setup.
- Change one thing at a time. Treat temperature and humidity as target zones, then watch posture, burrowing, drinking, feeding, and molt behavior before making another adjustment.
- Respect the handling boundary. If the guide says no handling, fast, defensive, or medically significant, plan transfers with catch cups, locked lids, and no bare hands. For serious bites, stings, or symptoms, seek emergency medical care.
Quick Snapshot
| Temperature | 72-82°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | Low ambient (35-50%), ventilated at substrate level; dry deep column, water dish |
| Setup Type | Fossorial (deep, dry burrow) |
| Substrate | Dry soil/coco/topsoil, 6-8 in, with a starter burrow |
| Feeding | Medium feeder: slings weekly, adults every 1-2 weeks; prey near the burrow |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 3: Intermediate |
| Handling | NEVER |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
Enclosure Format / Size Class
- Compact secure enclosure while it's a tiny sling
- Deep dry fossorial burrow setup for juveniles and adults: needs more substrate depth than a Burrow Buddy can give
Warnings First
- Old World: fast, defensive when exposed, no handling
- Obligate burrower: deep substrate (6-8 in) is non-negotiable
- Keep dry; don't dig it out unless you have to
- You will rarely see this spider, so build the airflow right the first time. Vents low on two opposite walls keep the deep column from holding stale air.
Simple Care
- Deep dry substrate (6-8 in) with a pre-started burrow.
- Vents low on two opposite walls, at the substrate line, so the column stays connected to fresh air.
- A water dish with pebbles in it so slings cannot drown; keep it dry.
- Maintain the burrow environment, not the spider; catch cup staged if you ever rehouse.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- A. junodi (Mozambique baboon) and A. ezendami: southeast Africa. Obligate fossorials: a tall column of dry, burrowable substrate (6-8 in or more) with a starter burrow; you'll rarely see the spider once it's settled.
- Dry throughout, with a water dish. As with all the Harpactirinae, ventilation is fine but humidity isn't the point.
- You will not see this spider, so you get no early warning. Build the airflow right the first time. An eight-inch burrow exchanges almost no air at the bottom on its own, and you have no visual check on the animal down there. Vents low on two opposite walls, at the substrate line, keep the column connected to moving air, so a dish spill or a humid week does not sit in the tunnel unnoticed.
- The trade is one-directional on a dry fossorial: more airflow is always better, and ambient at 35 to 50% or lower is fine because the spider drinks from the dish rather than the air.
- Judge by the substrate rather than a gauge. It should stay packable and dry all the way down, holding a tunnel shape without any damp feel at depth.
- Keep the dish full and put pebbles or coarse grit in it so the waterline sits below the rim. On an obligate burrower you cannot easily check on a sling, so a dish that is safe by construction matters more than usual.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Medium feeder: slings weekly, adults every week or two; drop prey near the burrow mouth and remove it if ignored.
- Defensive when forced into the open; otherwise unseen. Never excavate it casually; a rehouse means a tub, tongs, and a catch cup.
- Molting: a premolt tarantula turns sluggish, seals into its burrow, and refuses food for days or even weeks. Pull any uneaten feeders, leave it strictly alone, and wait 5-10 days after the molt (until the new fangs and exoskeleton harden) before feeding again.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Southeastern Africa: savanna and dry woodland.
- Habitat translation: A deep column of dry, burrowable substrate with a pre-started burrow and a water dish; maintain the burrow microclimate rather than the animal.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Adult size ~4-5 in DLS; medium growth; females ~12-15 years.
- A connoisseur's 'pet hole': bought for the burrow architecture and the occasional glimpse, not for display behavior.
- Old World bite risk: painful and worth avoiding, but not in the medically significant tier. The difficulty is rehousing a defensive, extremely fast burrower, not treating the venom like a hospital-case species.