Antilles Pink Toe Tarantula (Caribena versicolor)
Tarantula
$64.99
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Spice 3 · Intermediate
How the Spice System works
CB: Captive bred
Bred and hatched in captivity, not collected from the wild.
Big Z's notes
About this Fella
Brazilian Red Tarantula for sale from Big Z's (Nhandu carapoensis). Comes with a Spice rating and a care guide, and ships packed for the weather.
Warm rust-red hair on a heavy Brazilian frame, with the attitude to match
Nhandu carapoensis, the Brazilian Red, is a large Brazilian terrestrial carrying dense rust and copper hair over a dark body, brightest in the days right after a molt. At 2.5 to 3 inches this is a solid juvenile with a long way still to go: adults push seven to eight inches on the heavy build the genus is known for.
Nhandu have a reputation and it is earned. This is a skittish, quick-to-bolt spider that is generous with urticating hair and will kick a cloud of it at very little provocation. None of that makes it hard to keep, because the husbandry is simple: dry terrestrial substrate, a hide, a water dish, good ventilation. It does make it a display animal, not a handling one, with maintenance done using tongs and a little patience. Spice 3, intermediate lane, and the care guide covers both the setup and the temperament.
Full care is in the care guide. It covers enclosure size, temperature, humidity, feeding, molting signs and handling limits for this species. Read the Advanced guide, or the shorter Simple guide →
- Lane
- Spice 3 · Intermediate
- Source
- CB: captive-bred.
- Handling
- None. Forceps and a catch cup for all maintenance.
- Keeping
- Display animal. Kept in its enclosure, not handled.
Brazilian Red Tarantula (Nhandu carapoensis)
Tarantula
Keeper feedbackYour experience can help another keeper.
$79.992.5-3" (Juvenile, Unsexed) CB selected
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Spice 3 · Intermediate
How the Spice System works
Only 2 left
2 available right now
Ready to ship
At a glance
The quick read on this fella
- Adult size
- 6-7 in
- Leg span
- Venom
- Strongly irritating hairs
- Kicks readily
- Type
- Terrestrial
- Ground dweller
- Climate
- 73-80°F · 50-65%
- Dry surface, one moist lower area
- Feeding
- Slings 2x weekly
- Juveniles weekly, adults every 10-14 days
- Housing
- Solo only
From our Brazilian Red Tarantula care guide. Read the full guide
Live animals ship Mon to Wed
FedEx Standard Overnight $44.99 or Priority Overnight $49.99, both with the Live Arrival Guarantee; free overnight on orders $499.99 and up. FedEx 2Day $34.99 has no guarantee and needs a signed waiver. Pickup in the Phoenix area or at an expo is free (arrange with Big Z first). Weather holds are free and we message you first.
Live arrival support
Every order is packed for that week’s weather. Not sure if Brazilian Red Tarantula is your spice level? Message us and we’ll talk it through.
Big Z's here to help
Not sure if Brazilian Red Tarantula is your spice level? Message us and we’ll talk it through.
Care guide Shipping and Live Arrival Guarantee
About this Fella Big Z's notes
Brazilian Red Tarantula for sale from Big Z's (Nhandu carapoensis). Comes with a Spice rating and a care guide, and ships packed for the weather.
Warm rust-red hair on a heavy Brazilian frame, with the attitude to match
Nhandu carapoensis, the Brazilian Red, is a large Brazilian terrestrial carrying dense rust and copper hair over a dark body, brightest in the days right after a molt. At 2.5 to 3 inches this is a solid juvenile with a long way still to go: adults push seven to eight inches on the heavy build the genus is known for.
Nhandu have a reputation and it is earned. This is a skittish, quick-to-bolt spider that is generous with urticating hair and will kick a cloud of it at very little provocation. None of that makes it hard to keep, because the husbandry is simple: dry terrestrial substrate, a hide, a water dish, good ventilation. It does make it a display animal, not a handling one, with maintenance done using tongs and a little patience. Spice 3, intermediate lane, and the care guide covers both the setup and the temperament.
Full care is in the care guide. It covers enclosure size, temperature, humidity, feeding, molting signs and handling limits for this species. Read the Advanced guide, or the shorter Simple guide →
- Lane
- Spice 3 · Intermediate
- Source
- CB: captive-bred.
- Handling
- None. Forceps and a catch cup for all maintenance.
- Keeping
- Display animal. Kept in its enclosure, not handled.
What ships with this order Care + shipping
- A free care guide for this species
- A heat or cold pack when the forecast calls for it
- Tracking and an arrival window before it ships
- Message Big Z about your animal for as long as you keep it
Care guideSpice 3 · Intermediate
Matched care guide
View in Care Guides library
Brazilian Red Tarantula
Nhandu carapoensis · Spice 3: Intermediate. Baby Buddy: small spiderlings only, with openings too narrow to pass and enough packed substrate for a started retreat. Burrow Buddy: short grow-out around 2.5-3 in, while it stays 1/2 to 2/3 full with an anchored hide and a low fall zone. Custom build: adults need a low horizontal build, 5+ in of packed substrate, a full-body hide and strong cross vents.
Nhandu carapoensis
Brazilian Red Tarantula
Big Z's Quick Verdict: A rarely kept New World terrestrial that kicks strongly irritating hairs. Give it deep packed substrate, a secure hide, a mostly dry surface with one moist lower area and strong cross vents. Catch cup only.
Group: TarantulasDifficulty: Spice 3: IntermediateSetup: Low terrestrial, deep packed soil, secure hideHandling: Transfers only, catch cup and 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 Care Snapshot
| Temp | 73-80°F days, 68-73°F room nights OK |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 50-65%: dry surface, one moist lower area |
| Setup | Low terrestrial, deep packed soil, secure hide |
| Substrate | Packed coco/topsoil, 1/2-2/3 fill, 5+ in for adults |
| Feeding | Slings 2x weekly, juveniles weekly, adults every 10-14 days |
| Handling | Transfers only, catch cup and 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%+
Recommended Big Z's Setup
- Baby Buddy: small spiderlings only, with openings too narrow to pass and enough packed substrate for a started retreat.
- Burrow Buddy: short grow-out around 2.5-3 in, while it stays 1/2 to 2/3 full with an anchored hide and a low fall zone.
- Custom build: adults need a low horizontal build, 5+ in of packed substrate, a full-body hide and strong cross vents.
Critical Notes
- Catch cup transfers only. It kicks strongly irritating hairs and can be defensive or nervous. Use tongs for maintenance.
- Keep maintenance low to the ground. This heavy-bodied terrestrial can be injured in a fall, so keep hard objects out of the fall zone.
- Remove all live prey when premolt starts. Crickets can attack a molting tarantula's soft cuticle.
- Pull any uneaten prey within 24 hours.
- Keep pebbles in the water dish so the waterline sits below the rim. That cuts the risk, but no dish is risk-free.
Care Basics
- Hold 73-80°F with no concentrated hot spot.
- Use a low horizontal enclosure with deep packed substrate and an anchored cork hide over a started retreat.
- Keep most of the surface dry with light moisture low in one corner. Water the substrate, not the spider.
- Put vents low on two opposite walls at substrate level.
- Keep a pebble-filled dish full on the dry side, away from the retreat entrance.
- Feed by size and abdomen, and pull uneaten prey within 24 hours.
- Have a catch cup ready before opening, and use tongs for maintenance.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Slings: small prey 2x weekly. Around 2.5-3 in: one right-sized cricket or roach every 7 days. Larger adults: one meal every 10-14 days.
- Use crickets, roaches or similar captive-bred prey no longer than the spider's body. Pre-kill prey over about 2/3 of a small sling's size.
- Feed less often when the abdomen is already broad. Pull uneaten prey within 24 hours, and all live prey once premolt starts.
- After a molt, wait until the fangs are dark, the exoskeleton is firm and it moves normally before feeding.
Current Big Z's catalog: No
Nhandu carapoensis
Brazilian Red Tarantula: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A rarely kept New World terrestrial that kicks strongly irritating hairs. Give it deep packed substrate, a secure hide, a mostly dry surface with one moist lower area and strong cross vents. Catch cup only.
Group: TarantulasDifficulty: Spice 3: IntermediateSetup: Low terrestrial, deep packed soil, secure hideHandling: Transfers only, catch cup and 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 | 73-80°F days, 68-73°F room nights OK |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 50-65%: dry surface, one moist lower area |
| Setup Type | Low terrestrial, deep packed soil, secure hide |
| Substrate | Packed coco/topsoil, 1/2-2/3 fill, 5+ in for adults |
| Feeding | Slings 2x weekly, juveniles weekly, adults every 10-14 days |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 3: Intermediate |
| Handling | Transfers only, catch cup and 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: compact enclosure with openings too narrow to pass, reachable prey and stable partial moisture
- Mid-size (2.5-3 in): low grow-out with deep packed substrate, 1/2 to 2/3 full, and a secure hide
- Adult: low horizontal enclosure with 5+ in packed substrate, sized to your spider, no hard fall hazards
Warnings First
- Catch cup transfers only. It kicks strongly irritating hairs and can be defensive or nervous. Use tongs for maintenance.
- Keep maintenance low to the ground. This heavy-bodied terrestrial can be injured in a fall, so keep hard objects out of the fall zone.
- Remove all live prey when premolt starts. Crickets can attack a molting tarantula's soft cuticle.
- Pull any uneaten prey within 24 hours.
- Keep pebbles in the water dish so the waterline sits below the rim. That cuts the risk, but no dish is risk-free.
Simple Care
- Hold 73-80°F with no concentrated hot spot.
- Use a low horizontal enclosure with deep packed substrate and an anchored cork hide over a started retreat.
- Keep most of the surface dry with light moisture low in one corner. Water the substrate, not the spider.
- Put vents low on two opposite walls at substrate level.
- Keep a pebble-filled dish full on the dry side, away from the retreat entrance.
- Feed by size and abdomen, and pull uneaten prey within 24 hours.
- Have a catch cup ready before opening, and use tongs for maintenance.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Build low and horizontal with floor space, a full-body shelter, and deep substrate it can reshape. Larger animals get 5+ in, filled 1/2 to 2/3, with a low fall zone.
- Use coco fiber and topsoil or another additive-free soil mix that holds shape when packed. Anchor the hide; this species moves a lot of soil.
- Skip the gauge. Keep most of the surface dry, one visibly darker lower area, a full dish, and strong cross ventilation.
- Keep the dish on the drier side, away from the retreat mouth, so a spill doesn't drain into its shelter. Add moisture under the hide or into the substrate, never over the spider.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Slings: small prey 2x weekly. Around 2.5-3 in: one right-sized cricket or roach every 7 days. Larger adults: one meal every 10-14 days.
- Use crickets, roaches or similar captive-bred prey no longer than the spider's body. Pre-kill prey over about 2/3 of a small sling's size.
- Feed less often when the abdomen is already broad. Pull uneaten prey within 24 hours, and all live prey once premolt starts.
- After a molt, wait until the fangs are dark, the exoskeleton is firm and it moves normally before feeding.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Brazil and Paraguay.
- Habitat translation: A low terrestrial build with deep form-holding substrate, a secure ground-level retreat, a mostly dry surface with light moisture low in one area, strong cross vents, and a pebble-filled dish away from the retreat.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Its hairs are strongly irritating and it kicks them readily. Tongs and a catch cup, every time.
- Nhandu carapoensis is the type species of Nhandu. Nhandu tripartitus is an old synonym.
- Adult size, growth and lifespan figures conflict, so size the enclosure and meals to your spider and its abdomen.
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