In stock Borneo Black Tarantula for sale All tarantulas for sale
Phormingochilus arboricola
Borneo Black Tarantula: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A shy, jet-black Bornean tree tarantula that also digs. Give it height and real substrate depth, moist soil with strong airflow, and a dark spot in the room; it comes out at night when hungry.
Group: TarantulasDifficulty: Spice 4: AdvancedSetup: Tall arboreal with deep substrate to digHandling: No handling, fast and shy Old World
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 | 72-80°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 70-80%: moist lower soil, dry cork, airflow |
| Setup Type | Tall arboreal with deep substrate to dig |
| Substrate | 4-5 in moist soil/coir under vertical cork |
| Feeding | Size-matched prey weekly, offered at night |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 4: Advanced |
| Handling | No handling, fast and shy Old World |
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
- Slings (about 0.5 in): Baby Buddy set up tall, with moist soil and a small cork piece.
- Juveniles and adults: tall custom build with deep soil and full-height cork.
Warnings First
- Fast with a potent Old World bite. Catch cup and long tongs only.
- No urticating hairs: it bolts or bites.
- Keep the lid secured and open it slowly; arboreals exit upward fast.
- Moist soil without airflow goes sour. Keep vents open.
Simple Care
- House it alone.
- Height plus deep soil: it uses both.
- Vertical cork tube or slab to climb and retreat in.
- Moist lower soil, dry cork, open vents.
- Shallow pebble-filled dish.
- Keep it somewhere dim.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Keepers describe it as less arboreal than other Asian tree species: it climbs and burrows.
- It is light-shy. A darker room and covered sides help it settle and show itself.
- Vents low and high on opposite walls so air moves past the moist soil.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Prey no bigger than the abdomen. Slings weekly; adults every 1-2 weeks.
- Feed at night near its retreat and remove leftovers next day.
- No food around a molt.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Borneo; exact country and collecting locality are not recorded in the species catalog.
- Habitat translation: Bornean rainforest becomes a tall, dim enclosure with vertical cork and a deep, moisture-holding soil layer, plus cross ventilation so the air never goes stale.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Originally described as a subspecies of Lampropelma nigerrimum; now Phormingochilus arboricola.
- Sizes and lifespans for this species are not published. Grow it by condition, not a chart.