Selenocosmiinae sp. 'Dak Man'
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.
Dak Man Earth Tiger Tarantula: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: An undescribed Vietnamese earth tiger: fast, defensive, no hairs, and a bite you don't want. Pack it deep, damp below and drier on top, feed small, and let it vanish underground. - Big Z
Group: TarantulasDifficulty: Spice 4: AdvancedSetup: Deep burrower, packed soil, low cross ventsHandling: No handling, catch cup and long tongs
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 | 70-78°F room temp, no heat mat |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 65-80%: damp lower layer, drier surface |
| Setup Type | Deep burrower, packed soil, low cross vents |
| Substrate | Packed coco/topsoil, 2/3 cup for slings, deeper |
| Feeding | Slings 2x weekly; adults every 10-14 days |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 4: Advanced |
| Handling | No handling, catch cup and long tongs |
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 (1/4-1/2 in): small cup, fine vents, packed soil 2/3 deep with a started hole, damp lower layer, cap dish
- Juvenile (1-2.5 in): deep grow-out, 5+ in packed soil at 1/2-3/4 fill, cork over a started burrow, low cross vents
- Adult: deep build, 6-8+ in packed soil at 1/2-3/4 fill, room for a full burrow, locking lid, low cross vents
Warnings First
- Bites from related Asian earth tigers have caused days of severe pain and swelling, some needing hospital care. Any bite needs medical care.
- Fast and defensive with no hairs to warn you. Catch cup and long tongs for every service.
- It climbs smooth plastic and glass. Locking lid, vents smaller than its body.
- Pull live prey the moment premolt shows.
- Never bone dry, never mud. Damp lower layer, drier top, full dish.
- Check your local laws before you buy.
Simple Care
- 70-78°F room temp, no heat mat.
- Pack the substrate deep and start a hole.
- Damp lower layer, drier surface; water a corner, not the spider.
- Fine vents low on two opposite walls.
- Small pebble dish on the drier side.
- Prey no longer than the body; pull leftovers within 24 hours.
- Stage a catch cup before the lid moves.
- Expect a pet hole. Don't dig it out.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Build deep, not tall: packed soil that holds a tunnel, a started hole against a wall or under cork, no tall decor.
- Depth by size: slings 2/3 of the cup, juveniles 5+ in at 1/2-3/4 fill, adults 6-8+ in.
- Pour water into a corner so it soaks the bottom; never mist the spider or flood the burrow.
- Vents low on two walls plus a few in the lid. Damp soil with stale air grows mold.
- Numbers here come from keepers of related Vietnamese earth tigers; this spider has no published care data yet.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Slings: small crickets, fruit flies or pre-killed pieces 2x weekly. Juveniles weekly; adults every 10-14 days.
- Fast grower when warm and fed. Expect several molts the first year.
- Drop prey near the burrow at night and walk away. A sealed burrow means leave it alone.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Vietnam. The name reads like a Vietnamese place name, but no collection site came with this group and nobody has matched this spider to a described species. Vietnam's earth tigers live in warm monsoon country with a long wet season and a drier stretch, from lowland forest up into cooler hills.
- Habitat translation: Wild relatives dig deep, branched, silk-lined burrows in firm soil, often near streams, and ride out heat and dry spells underground where it stays cooler and damper than the surface. In the box that means packed form-holding substrate deep enough to tunnel, a damp lower layer with a drier top, low cross vents on two walls, room temperature with no hot spot, a full dish away from the burrow mouth, and dim light. Do not chase a humidity number; keep the bottom damp and the top dry.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Related species hiss by rubbing mouthparts when disturbed. If you hear it, close the lid.
- Its closest documented relative is kept around 5-6 in, females over a decade. Plan around that until this one proves otherwise.
- Undescribed; sold first as Selenocosmia sp., now Selenocosmiinae sp. Keep the label and don't breed it to other labels.
- Rehouse as little as possible, inside a big tub with the room dim.