In stock Asian Fossorial Tarantulas for sale All tarantulas for sale
Chilobrachys 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.
Asian Fossorial Tarantulas: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: Build the retreat first: deep, firm substrate, cork cover, a water dish and secure ventilation. Keep the lower soil damp and leave the tunnels intact.
Group: TarantulasDifficulty: Spice 4: AdvancedSetup: Deep burrowing, cork cover, web anchorsHandling: No handling, catch cup and 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 | Start at 70-78°F for Electric Blue |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 65-80%: damp lower layer, drier surface, open dish |
| Setup Type | Deep burrowing, cork cover, web anchors |
| Substrate | Firm diggable soil/coir, 1/2-3/4 fill |
| Feeding | Size-appropriate prey, adjust to abdomen and response |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 4: Advanced |
| Handling | No handling, catch cup and 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
- Spiderling: secure enclosure or Baby Buddy, with a full retreat, molt space and reachable water.
- Larger animals: Burrow Buddy only while it fits burrow, turning and molt room; otherwise size up to a custom build.
- Size the enclosure to the animal in front of you; size alone doesn't tell you sex or age.
Warnings First
- Bites can cause serious symptoms. Get medical care if bitten.
- Keep hands away. Use a catch cup and tools for every transfer.
- House one spider per enclosure; they fight and cannibalize each other.
- Anchor furnishings so digging can't collapse them; keep hard objects out of any fall zone.
- Never leave live prey with a molting or freshly molted spider.
- Do not dig out or flood a sealed burrow just to check on it.
Simple Care
- House individually; they fight and cannibalize.
- Secure the lid and check every ventilation gap before adding the spider.
- Give a firm starter retreat under anchored cork and let it dig from there.
- Keep the lower substrate damp and the surface drier, without sealing the enclosure.
- Water gradually along an edge, away from the retreat.
- Offer size-appropriate prey and remove leftovers.
- Leave sealed burrows and molting spiders alone.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Choose the enclosure from the spider's leg span, burrow space, and room to turn and molt, not from a fill fraction alone.
- Pack the substrate enough to hold a tunnel; it should hold together when squeezed without releasing water.
- Anchor cork and web supports securely; keep the water dish reachable without dismantling the retreat.
- Water gradually along a visible edge rather than on a fixed schedule; surface misting alone can leave the deep substrate dry.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Offer prey near the retreat and close the enclosure promptly; don't hold food against the fangs with tongs.
- Young growing spiders need smaller, more frequent portions; go by the abdomen and feeding response, not a calendar.
- If it refuses, remove the feeder and keep water available rather than repeatedly offering more prey.
- After a molt, wait until the new fangs and body have hardened before feeding again; skip the fixed day count.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Chilobrachys species are found across Asia. Electric Blue comes from Thailand.
- Habitat translation: Electric Blue is found in tree hollows as well as ground and tree burrows. Build with digging depth plus securely anchored cork and web supports; don't assume it only wants a bare ground burrow.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Electric Blue is Chilobrachys natanicharum; it's a different species from C. dyscolus.
- Hidden periods are normal for burrowers. Keep water fresh and let it be.
- See a vet experienced with invertebrates for lasting loss of condition, injury, or molting trouble.