Augacephalus spp.
Sold under its hobby name. This guide covers the group or trade name this fella is sold as, so the ranges fit the whole group. Start in the middle and watch how your animal settles in.
Mozambique Baboon Tarantulas: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: Southeast African obligate burrowers, rarely seen once settled: basically a pet hole you maintain by maintaining its burrow. Old World speed and a potent, painful bite. Adults reach about 4-5 in across.
Group: Industry StaplesDifficulty: Spice 3: IntermediateSetup: Fossorial (deep, dry burrow)Handling: No handling, tools only
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 | 35-50%, ventilated at substrate level, dry column |
| Setup Type | Fossorial (deep, dry burrow) |
| Substrate | Dry soil/coco/topsoil, 6-8 in, starter burrow |
| Feeding | Slings weekly, adults every 1-2 weeks, near burrow |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 3: Intermediate |
| Handling | No handling, tools only |
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
- Sling: compact secure enclosure.
- Juveniles and adults: deep dry fossorial burrow setup, more depth than a shallow build can give.
Warnings First
- Old World: fast and defensive when exposed. No handling.
- Obligate burrower. Deep substrate, 6-8 in, is non-negotiable.
- Keep it dry. Don't dig it out unless you have to.
- You'll rarely see this spider, so build the airflow right the first time. Vent low on two opposite walls so the deep column doesn't hold stale air.
Simple Care
- Deep dry substrate, 6-8 in, with a pre-started burrow.
- Vent low on two opposite walls, at the substrate line, so the column stays connected to fresh air.
- A water dish with pebbles so slings cannot drown. Keep the substrate dry.
- Maintain the burrow environment, not the spider. Stage a catch cup if you ever rehouse.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- 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. Ventilation is fine, but humidity isn't the point for this genus.
- You get no early warning down in an 8 in burrow, so build the airflow right the first time. Vent low on two opposite walls at the substrate line.
- More airflow is always better here. Ambient at 35-50% or lower is fine, the spider drinks from the dish, not the air.
- Keep the dish full, with pebbles or grit so the waterline sits below the rim. You can't easily check on a sling down a burrow.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Medium feeder: slings weekly, adults every week or two. Drop prey near the burrow mouth, 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.
- Turns sluggish, seals into its burrow, and refuses food for days or weeks before a molt. Pull uneaten feeders, leave it alone, wait 5-10 days after the molt 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 about 4-5 in leg span, medium growth, females about 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 the real difficulty is rehousing a defensive, extremely fast burrower.