Avicularia purpurea
Purple Pink Toe Tarantula: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A fast, arboreal pinktoe tarantula from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Give it a tall, cross-ventilated enclosure with vertical cork, keep the substrate dry to barely damp, and use catch-cup transfers only.
Group: TarantulasDifficulty: Spice 3: IntermediateSetup: Vertical arboreal, strong cross-ventilationHandling: Transfers only, stage the catch cup first
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 | Start at 72-82°F; night cooling is fine |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 65-75%: cross-vent, local moisture, open dish |
| Setup Type | Vertical arboreal, strong cross-ventilation |
| Substrate | Shallow-moist layer, vertical cork, anchor points |
| Feeding | Slings 2x weekly to start, adjust to abdomen |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 3: Intermediate |
| Handling | Transfers only, stage the catch cup first |
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: small tall container, vents through both sides, an inch of substrate, cork strip, bottle-cap water.
- Juvenile: taller vented enclosure, cork slab, full water dish, substrate a quarter to a third of height.
- Adult: tall arboreal build sized to your spider; front or side opening, not top.
Warnings First
- Hairs irritate on direct contact, not by kicking. Avoid touching them, and wash hands after enclosure work.
- May fling feces defensively. Wear eye protection while working nearby.
- Bolts and jumps. Use catch-cup transfers in a closed, controlled space.
- One spider per enclosure.
- Keep airflow strong. A constantly wet enclosure causes losses.
Simple Care
- House one spider per enclosure.
- Use a tall enclosure with vertical cork, elevated cover, and web anchor points.
- Keep strong cross-ventilation; avoid a constantly wet enclosure.
- Hold 72-82°F; ordinary night cooling is fine.
- Keep local substrate moisture and a safely sized open water dish.
- Feed slings 2x weekly to start; adjust to abdomen condition.
- Stage a catch cup before opening the enclosure.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- In the wild it uses tree holes, epiphytes, and bark retreats. Vertical cork and elevated cover copy that.
- Cross-ventilation matters more than a humidity number here; keep airflow strong and avoid a stuffy box.
- Start at 72-82°F and adjust to behavior; ordinary night cooling is fine.
- Use a shallow open water dish, sized safely, plus localized substrate moisture.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Slings: small prey about twice weekly; adjust from abdomen condition and appetite.
- Remove leftovers promptly, and hold off feeding through a molt until it's visibly hardened.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Lowland to foothill Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, around 450-500 m, in cultivated ground, pastures with trees, tree holes and buildings.
- Habitat translation: Warm, humid Amazonian foothill forest becomes a tall, cross-ventilated enclosure with vertical cork to anchor a webbed retreat, substrate kept dry to barely damp, and a water dish kept full.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Purple Pink Toe is an accepted species with no other names in current use.
- Hairs transfer by direct contact only, not kicking, unlike many terrestrial tarantulas.
- Adult size and lifespan aren't pinned down for this species yet; size the enclosure to your spider.