Cyriopagopus 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.
Cobalt Blue & Asian Earth Tiger Tarantulas: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: The cobalt blue and Asian earth tigers: gorgeous, fast, defensive obligate fossorials in deep burrows. Some of the most peptide-rich venom in the hobby; even a scratch is reported to hurt for days. Adults reach about 5-6 in across.
Group: Industry StaplesDifficulty: Spice 4: AdvancedSetup: Deep fossorial, moistHandling: No handling
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 | 75-82°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 70-80%, moist tunnel-holding substrate |
| Setup Type | Deep fossorial, moist |
| Substrate | Moist soil/coco, 8-10 in, holds a burrow, cork entrance |
| Feeding | Strong feeder: slings weekly, adults every 1-2 weeks |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 4: Advanced |
| Handling | No handling |
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 moist fossorial burrow setup for juveniles and adults: needs far more substrate depth than a Burrow Buddy can give
Warnings First
- Medically significant: a severe, peptide-rich Old World bite. A scratch is reported to hurt for days. Never handle.
- Obligate fossorial: deep (8-10 in) moist substrate; don't dig it out.
- Care is simple; rehousing a defensive, teleporting Asian fossorial is the real challenge.
- An 8-10 in moist column has no gas exchange at the bottom without cross ventilation at the substrate line. Easy to overlook.
Simple Care
- Deep (8-10 in) substrate kept moist throughout, holding the shape of a burrow; cork-bark entrance.
- Cross ventilation low on two opposite walls, at the substrate line, so the burrow column can breathe.
- A water dish with pebbles in it so slings cannot drown.
- Maintain the burrow, not the spider; never excavate casually: catch cup, tubs, deliberate movement.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- The hobby names: C. lividus (cobalt blue), C. schmidti (Vietnamese earth tiger), C. hainanus, C. albostriatus, C. minax, C. doriae, C. paganus: Southeast Asia.
- Obligate fossorial: a tall column of moist, tunnel-holding substrate (8-10 in) with a cork-bark entrance, kept moist throughout. Never dry-keep this one.
- Put vents low on two opposite walls, at the substrate line, so air crosses the top of the column. Lid-only venting leaves a dry surface over a stagnant burrow.
- Judge by the substrate, not a gauge. Packable, holds a tunnel without weeping water when squeezed, damp all the way down. Collapsing means too dry; sour means too wet.
- Keep a water dish with pebbles or coarse grit so the waterline sits below the rim, and water at the burrow entrance rather than misting the surface.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Strong feeders: slings weekly, adults every week or two; drop prey at the burrow mouth, remove if ignored.
- You'll rarely see it; the cobalt blue especially is a near-permanent burrow dweller. C. hainanus venom ranks among the worst in the hobby, severe even from minor scratches.
- Molting: a premolt tarantula turns sluggish, seals into its burrow, and refuses food for days or weeks. Leave it alone and wait 5-10 days before feeding again.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Southeast Asia: Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, southern China, Malaysia; humid forest soils.
- Habitat translation: A deep column of moist, tunnel-holding substrate with a cork-bark burrow entrance, kept moist throughout, plus a water dish; the burrow microclimate is what you maintain.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Adult size 5-6 in leg span; fast growth; females about 12 yrs.
- The old Haplopelma names (lividum, schmidti, hainanum) are now grouped under Cyriopagopus; both names still work in a search.
- Husbandry is simple: keep the burrow moist and don't disturb it. The difficulty is entirely in rehousing a defensive, blisteringly fast fossorial without losing it.