Care guide
Haplopelma doriae Tarantula
Haplopelma doriae (supplier synonym: Cyriopagopus doriae)
An advanced deep-burrow tarantula: give depth, humidity control, and a maintenance plan that assumes speed.
Haplopelma doriae (supplier synonym: Cyriopagopus doriae)
Identity confidence: needs verification. We have not confirmed what this animal is. Ask us before you set anything up off the name alone.
Haplopelma doriae Tarantula: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: An advanced deep-burrow tarantula: give depth, humidity control, and a maintenance plan that assumes speed.
Group: TarantulasDifficulty: Spice 4: AdvancedSetup: Deep fossorial Old World tarantulaHandling: Never handle. Fast fossorial Old World tarantula with painful bite potential.
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 | 76-82 F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | Moderate-High ambient (70-80%) with cross ventilation at substrate level; damp lower column, ventilated top |
| Setup Type | Deep fossorial Old World tarantula |
| Substrate | 8+ in damp, packed, burrowable substrate with a starter tunnel. |
| Feeding | Weekly for juveniles; adults every 1-2 weeks |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 4: Advanced |
| Handling | Never handle. Fast fossorial Old World tarantula with painful bite potential. |
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
- Juvenile/subadult: tall deli or fossorial enclosure with deep packed substrate.
- Adult: deep terrestrial/fossorial enclosure with strong lid security.
Warnings First
- Old World tarantula: no urticating hairs, but painful bite potential.
- Expect defensive speed if the burrow is disturbed.
- Do not flood the burrow.
- A deep damp burrow column has no gas exchange at the bottom on its own. Cross ventilation at the substrate line is what keeps the tunnel connected to fresh air.
Simple Care
- Pre-dig a starter burrow.
- Keep lower substrate lightly damp and top layers ventilated.
- Cross ventilation low on two opposite walls, at the substrate line, so the burrow column breathes.
- Water dish with pebbles in it so slings cannot drown.
- Use catch cups for rehousing.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Depth is the feature, not decoration.
- Pack the substrate enough that tunnels hold shape.
- Side access or a large catch cup makes maintenance safer.
- Lower substrate damp, top layers ventilated. You get that with vent placement, nothing else. Put vents low on two opposite walls, right at the substrate line, so air crosses the top of the damp column and stays connected to the tunnel below. Lid-only venting dries the surface while the burrow bottom holds motionless, saturated air, which is the reverse of what a fossorial wants and the usual reason a deep moist build goes sour.
- Ventilation and ambient humidity are one system, and on a fossorial the substrate is the humidity source rather than the air. Hold 70 to 80% by keeping the lower column damp and running a dish, with vents flowing freely. Never seal the enclosure to raise the reading.
- Judge by the substrate rather than a gauge. It should hold a tunnel shape when packed and feel damp at depth without weeping water when squeezed, while the top half inch can look drier. A sour smell or standing water at the bottom 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 defensive Old World fossorial a permanently safe dish means fewer reasons to open the enclosure.
- Water down one side of the enclosure or at the burrow entrance rather than misting the surface. That recharges the column where the microclimate actually is, without flooding the burrow the critical notes warn against.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Strong, fast feeder. Drop prey near the burrow entrance and remove it if ignored within a day.
- This is an advanced, defensive Old World fossorial: expect a permanent burrow, rare sightings, and a fast defensive strike if disturbed. Tools and a catch cup for every interaction, never hands.
- 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: Malaysia, including Borneo records in catalog references.
- Habitat translation: Humid forest floor burrows with stable lower moisture.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Use the exact product label, size, and behavior in front of you before adjusting care.
- Heat should be measured at the animal's level, not guessed from the room or lid.
- Sources: the full Big Z APA 7 reference list lives at References.
Haplopelma doriae (supplier synonym: Cyriopagopus doriae)
Identity confidence: needs verification. We have not confirmed what this animal is. Ask us before you set anything up off the name alone.
Haplopelma doriae Tarantula
Big Z's Quick Verdict: An advanced deep-burrow tarantula: give depth, humidity control, and a maintenance plan that assumes speed.
Group: TarantulasDifficulty: Spice 4: AdvancedSetup: Deep fossorial Old World tarantulaHandling: Never handle. Fast fossorial Old World tarantula with painful bite potential.
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 Care Snapshot
| Temp | 76-82 F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | Moderate-High ambient (70-80%) with cross ventilation at substrate level; damp lower column, ventilated top |
| Setup | Deep fossorial Old World tarantula |
| Substrate | 8+ in damp, packed, burrowable substrate with a starter tunnel. |
| Feeding | Weekly for juveniles; adults every 1-2 weeks |
| Handling | Never handle. Fast fossorial Old World tarantula with painful bite potential. |
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%+
Recommended Big Z's Setup
- Burrow Buddy
- Deep tropical burrow mix
- Starter burrow
- Long forceps
Critical Notes
- Old World tarantula: no urticating hairs, but painful bite potential.
- Expect defensive speed if the burrow is disturbed.
- Do not flood the burrow.
- A deep damp burrow column has no gas exchange at the bottom on its own. Cross ventilation at the substrate line is what keeps the tunnel connected to fresh air.
Care Basics
- Pre-dig a starter burrow.
- Keep lower substrate lightly damp and top layers ventilated.
- Cross ventilation low on two opposite walls, at the substrate line, so the burrow column breathes.
- Water dish with pebbles in it so slings cannot drown.
- Use catch cups for rehousing.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Strong, fast feeder. Drop prey near the burrow entrance and remove it if ignored within a day.
- This is an advanced, defensive Old World fossorial: expect a permanent burrow, rare sightings, and a fast defensive strike if disturbed. Tools and a catch cup for every interaction, never hands.
- 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.
Current Big Z's catalog: No
Haplopelma doriae (supplier synonym: Cyriopagopus doriae)
Identity confidence: needs verification. We have not confirmed what this animal is. Ask us before you set anything up off the name alone.
Haplopelma doriae Tarantula: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: An advanced deep-burrow tarantula: give depth, humidity control, and a maintenance plan that assumes speed.
Group: TarantulasDifficulty: Spice 4: AdvancedSetup: Deep fossorial Old World tarantulaHandling: Never handle. Fast fossorial Old World tarantula with painful bite potential.
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 | 76-82 F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | Moderate-High ambient (70-80%) with cross ventilation at substrate level; damp lower column, ventilated top |
| Setup Type | Deep fossorial Old World tarantula |
| Substrate | 8+ in damp, packed, burrowable substrate with a starter tunnel. |
| Feeding | Weekly for juveniles; adults every 1-2 weeks |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 4: Advanced |
| Handling | Never handle. Fast fossorial Old World tarantula with painful bite potential. |
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
- Juvenile/subadult: tall deli or fossorial enclosure with deep packed substrate.
- Adult: deep terrestrial/fossorial enclosure with strong lid security.
Warnings First
- Old World tarantula: no urticating hairs, but painful bite potential.
- Expect defensive speed if the burrow is disturbed.
- Do not flood the burrow.
- A deep damp burrow column has no gas exchange at the bottom on its own. Cross ventilation at the substrate line is what keeps the tunnel connected to fresh air.
Simple Care
- Pre-dig a starter burrow.
- Keep lower substrate lightly damp and top layers ventilated.
- Cross ventilation low on two opposite walls, at the substrate line, so the burrow column breathes.
- Water dish with pebbles in it so slings cannot drown.
- Use catch cups for rehousing.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Depth is the feature, not decoration.
- Pack the substrate enough that tunnels hold shape.
- Side access or a large catch cup makes maintenance safer.
- Lower substrate damp, top layers ventilated. You get that with vent placement, nothing else. Put vents low on two opposite walls, right at the substrate line, so air crosses the top of the damp column and stays connected to the tunnel below. Lid-only venting dries the surface while the burrow bottom holds motionless, saturated air, which is the reverse of what a fossorial wants and the usual reason a deep moist build goes sour.
- Ventilation and ambient humidity are one system, and on a fossorial the substrate is the humidity source rather than the air. Hold 70 to 80% by keeping the lower column damp and running a dish, with vents flowing freely. Never seal the enclosure to raise the reading.
- Judge by the substrate rather than a gauge. It should hold a tunnel shape when packed and feel damp at depth without weeping water when squeezed, while the top half inch can look drier. A sour smell or standing water at the bottom 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 defensive Old World fossorial a permanently safe dish means fewer reasons to open the enclosure.
- Water down one side of the enclosure or at the burrow entrance rather than misting the surface. That recharges the column where the microclimate actually is, without flooding the burrow the critical notes warn against.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Strong, fast feeder. Drop prey near the burrow entrance and remove it if ignored within a day.
- This is an advanced, defensive Old World fossorial: expect a permanent burrow, rare sightings, and a fast defensive strike if disturbed. Tools and a catch cup for every interaction, never hands.
- 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: Malaysia, including Borneo records in catalog references.
- Habitat translation: Humid forest floor burrows with stable lower moisture.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Use the exact product label, size, and behavior in front of you before adjusting care.
- Heat should be measured at the animal's level, not guessed from the room or lid.
- Sources: the full Big Z APA 7 reference list lives at References.