Cyriopagopus 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.
Cobalt Blue & Asian Earth Tiger Tarantulas: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: The cobalt blue (C. lividus, ex-Haplopelma lividum) and the Asian earth tigers (C. schmidti, C. hainanus): gorgeous, fast, defensive obligate fossorials that live their lives in deep burrows. Some of the most peptide-rich tarantula venom in the hobby (especially C. hainanus); even a scratch from one is reported to hurt for days. Adults reach about 5-6 inches across.
Group: Industry StaplesDifficulty: Spice 3-4: Intermediate / AdvancedSetup: Deep fossorial (moist)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 | 75-82°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | Moderate-High ambient (70-80%) with cross ventilation at substrate level; moist tunnel-holding substrate |
| Setup Type | Deep fossorial (moist) |
| Substrate | Moist soil/coco/topsoil, 8-10 in, that holds a burrow; cork-bark starter burrow |
| Feeding | Strong feeder: slings weekly, adults every 1-2 weeks; prey at the burrow mouth |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 3-4: Intermediate / Advanced |
| 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 moist fossorial burrow setup for juveniles and adults: needs far more substrate depth than a Burrow Buddy can give
Warnings First
- Old World: fast, defensive, and among the more potent tarantula venoms; 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 to 10 inch moist substrate column has no gas exchange at the bottom without cross ventilation at substrate level. This is the single most overlooked part of keeping obligate fossorials.
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: formerly Haplopelma lividum), C. schmidti (Vietnamese earth tiger: formerly Haplopelma schmidti), C. hainanus, C. albostriatus (Thai zebra), C. minax (Thai chocolate), C. doriae, C. paganus. Humid forest soils of Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, southern China, Malaysia.
- Obligate fossorial: a tall column of moist, tunnel-holding substrate (8-10 in) with a cork-bark burrow entrance. The substrate stays moist throughout: this is one of the Asian species the boards specifically warn against dry-keeping.
- Keeping that whole column moist is right, and it is also why ventilation placement matters more on this genus than almost any other. A sealed burrow at the bottom of ten inches of damp substrate exchanges almost no air on its own, and the spider spends nearly all its time down there. Put vents low on two opposite walls, right at the substrate line, so air crosses the top of the column and keeps the tunnel system connected to fresh air. Lid-only venting on a deep moist build gives you a drying surface over a stagnant burrow, which is the reverse of what you want.
- Ventilation and ambient humidity are one system, and on an obligate fossorial the substrate is the humidity source rather than the air. Hold 70 to 80% by keeping the column moist and running a dish, with vents flowing freely. Never seal the enclosure to hold the number; the burrow is what needs to stay moist, not the air above it.
- Judge by the substrate rather than the gauge. It should be packable and hold a tunnel shape without weeping water when squeezed, damp all the way down, with the top half inch allowed to look drier. Tunnels collapsing means too dry; standing water or a sour smell means too wet or too still.
- Keep a water dish with pebbles or coarse grit so the waterline sits below the rim. Slings drown in dishes, and on a genus you cannot casually reach into, a safe permanent dish is worth more than on most species.
- Water the substrate at the burrow entrance and down one side of the enclosure rather than misting the surface. That recharges the column from within, which is where the microclimate actually is, and leaves the surface and the airflow undisturbed.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Strong feeders: slings weekly, adults every week or two; drop prey at the burrow mouth, remove if ignored.
- You will rarely see the spider; the cobalt blue especially is a near-permanent burrow dweller. When you do see it, it's usually because you've disturbed it, and Cyriopagopus venom (C. hainanus most of all) is cited as among the worst in the hobby, with severe symptoms reported even from minor scratches.
- 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: 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 DLS; fast growth; females ~12 years.
- Genus reshuffled in 2015 (Smith): the old Haplopelma names (lividum, schmidti, hainanum) are now Cyriopagopus. Both names still hit useful keeper threads.
- Husbandry is straightforward. Keep the burrow moist and don't disturb it. The difficulty is entirely in rehousing a defensive, blisteringly fast Old World fossorial without losing it or getting tagged.