Carolina Wolf Spider (Hogna carolinensis)
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Spice 2 · Beginner
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
Carlsbad Green Tarantula for sale from Big Z's (Aphonopelma gabeli). Comes with a Spice rating and a care guide, and ships packed for the weather.
A New Mexico native wearing an olive-green cast most Aphonopelma never get
Aphonopelma gabeli, the Carlsbad Green, is a Chihuahuan Desert native from southern New Mexico and west Texas, named for the country around Carlsbad Caverns. It carries a muted olive-to-bronze wash over the carapace that sets it apart from the plain browns most of the genus wears. These arrive at subadult to adult size, which means the notoriously slow part of the growing is already behind them.
Everything good about North American Aphonopelma applies here. It is slow, calm, exceptionally hardy, and asks for close to nothing: dry substrate deep enough to burrow into, a hide, a shallow water dish, and room temperature. Pushed hard enough it kicks hair rather than biting, and mostly it simply does not get pushed. That combination makes it both an excellent first tarantula and a great native display animal, sitting comfortably at Spice 2. The care guide covers the desert setup.
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 2 · Beginner
- Source
- CB: captive-bred.
Carlsbad Green Tarantula (Aphonopelma gabeli)
Tarantula
Keeper feedbackYour experience can help another keeper.
$49.992.5-6" leg span (Subadult/Adult, Unsexed) CB selected
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At a glance
The quick read on this fella
- Venom
- Mild venom
- Kicks urticating hairs
- Type
- Terrestrial
- Ground dweller · US native
- Climate
- 70-80°F · 40-55%
- Dry surface, pebble dish, ventilate low
- Feeding
- Juveniles weekly
- Subadults/adults every 10-14 days
- Housing
- Solo only
- Water
- Pebble-filled dish
- Always full
From our Carlsbad Green 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 Carlsbad Green Tarantula is your spice level? Message us and we’ll talk it through.
Big Z's here to help
Not sure if Carlsbad Green 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
Carlsbad Green Tarantula for sale from Big Z's (Aphonopelma gabeli). Comes with a Spice rating and a care guide, and ships packed for the weather.
A New Mexico native wearing an olive-green cast most Aphonopelma never get
Aphonopelma gabeli, the Carlsbad Green, is a Chihuahuan Desert native from southern New Mexico and west Texas, named for the country around Carlsbad Caverns. It carries a muted olive-to-bronze wash over the carapace that sets it apart from the plain browns most of the genus wears. These arrive at subadult to adult size, which means the notoriously slow part of the growing is already behind them.
Everything good about North American Aphonopelma applies here. It is slow, calm, exceptionally hardy, and asks for close to nothing: dry substrate deep enough to burrow into, a hide, a shallow water dish, and room temperature. Pushed hard enough it kicks hair rather than biting, and mostly it simply does not get pushed. That combination makes it both an excellent first tarantula and a great native display animal, sitting comfortably at Spice 2. The care guide covers the desert setup.
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 2 · Beginner
- Source
- CB: captive-bred.
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 2 · Beginner
Matched care guide
View in Care Guides library
Carlsbad Green Tarantula
Aphonopelma gabeli · Spice 2: Beginner. Burrow Buddy: the right home for subadult to adult animals at this size. Adult custom build: sized to the animal, low profile, wide floor. Baby Buddy: slings only.
Aphonopelma gabeli
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.
Carlsbad Green Tarantula
Big Z's Quick Verdict: A Chihuahuan Desert native and about as forgiving as tarantulas get: dry substrate, a hide, and a full water dish, and it largely looks after itself. Usually kept from subadult to adult size, so the slow years are already behind it.
Group: TarantulasDifficulty: Spice 2: BeginnerSetup: Dry desert terrestrial, scrape or shallow burrowHandling: Transfers only, catch cup
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 | 70-80°F; nights into the 60s are fine |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 40-55%: dry surface, pebble dish, ventilate low |
| Setup | Dry desert terrestrial, scrape or shallow burrow |
| Substrate | 3-4 in dry packed coco/topsoil, holds a scrape |
| Feeding | Juveniles weekly, subadults/adults every 10-14 days |
| Handling | Transfers only, catch cup |
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: the right home for subadult to adult animals at this size.
- Adult custom build: sized to the animal, low profile, wide floor.
- Baby Buddy: slings only.
Critical Notes
- Damp substrate is the top cause of death in captive desert Aphonopelma. When in doubt, go drier.
- Docile does not mean handleable. Urticating hairs and a fall can rupture the abdomen. Catch cup only.
- Kicks hair rather than biting when pushed. Keep loose hairs away from eyes and airways during maintenance.
- Slow growth and months-long fasts are normal for this genus, not signs of illness.
- Wild-caught North American Aphonopelma fall under state collection rules; keep documentation for native animals.
Care Basics
- Room temperature is fine: 70-80°F with an ordinary night drop, no heat mat.
- Low horizontal enclosure, 3-4 in of dry packed substrate, anchored cork hide.
- Keep it dry. That is the whole husbandry challenge for a desert Aphonopelma.
- Cross-ventilate low on two opposite walls at substrate level.
- Keep a pebble-filled water dish full at all times.
- Feed every 10-14 days at this size; adjust by abdomen condition.
- Keep the enclosure low. A fall injures a heavy terrestrial badly.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Feeding cadence is conservative, keyed to abdomen condition, not a fixed schedule.
- At subadult to adult size it is on the slow end of the feeding range; overfeeding is more common than underfeeding.
- Post-molt timing uses physical checks (dark fangs, firm exoskeleton, normal movement), not a day count.
Current Big Z's catalog: Yes
Aphonopelma gabeli
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.
Carlsbad Green Tarantula: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A Chihuahuan Desert native and about as forgiving as tarantulas get: dry substrate, a hide, and a full water dish, and it largely looks after itself. Usually kept from subadult to adult size, so the slow years are already behind it.
Group: TarantulasDifficulty: Spice 2: BeginnerSetup: Dry desert terrestrial, scrape or shallow burrowHandling: Transfers only, catch cup
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 | 70-80°F; nights into the 60s are fine |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 40-55%: dry surface, pebble dish, ventilate low |
| Setup Type | Dry desert terrestrial, scrape or shallow burrow |
| Substrate | 3-4 in dry packed coco/topsoil, holds a scrape |
| Feeding | Juveniles weekly, subadults/adults every 10-14 days |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 2: Beginner |
| Handling | Transfers only, catch cup |
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, dry substrate with one moist corner, openings narrower than the animal.
- Juvenile: low grow-out, 3 in packed dry substrate, anchored hide.
- Subadult to adult: low horizontal enclosure, generous floor, 3-4 in packed substrate, full-body hide.
Warnings First
- Damp substrate is the top cause of death in captive desert Aphonopelma. When in doubt, go drier.
- Docile does not mean handleable. Urticating hairs and a fall can rupture the abdomen. Catch cup only.
- Kicks hair rather than biting when pushed. Keep loose hairs away from eyes and airways during maintenance.
- Slow growth and months-long fasts are normal for this genus, not signs of illness.
- Wild-caught North American Aphonopelma fall under state collection rules; keep documentation for native animals.
Simple Care
- Room temperature is fine: 70-80°F with an ordinary night drop, no heat mat.
- Low horizontal enclosure, 3-4 in of dry packed substrate, anchored cork hide.
- Keep it dry. That is the whole husbandry challenge for a desert Aphonopelma.
- Cross-ventilate low on two opposite walls at substrate level.
- Keep a pebble-filled water dish full at all times.
- Feed every 10-14 days at this size; adjust by abdomen condition.
- Keep the enclosure low. A fall injures a heavy terrestrial badly.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- North American Aphonopelma are kept dry with a permanent water source: a dry surface plus a full dish, not a humidity percentage.
- Floor area matters more than height. Keep the fall zone short: a climbing adult should not be able to reach higher than roughly its own leg span.
- A natural indoor night temperature drop matches the sharp swings of its native range and needs no equipment to copy.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Feeding cadence is conservative, keyed to abdomen condition, not a fixed schedule.
- At subadult to adult size it is on the slow end of the feeding range; overfeeding is more common than underfeeding.
- Post-molt timing uses physical checks (dark fangs, firm exoskeleton, normal movement), not a day count.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico and west Texas, around Carlsbad. No finer locality is known.
- Habitat translation: High Chihuahuan Desert becomes a low horizontal enclosure with dry packed substrate, a shallow anchored retreat, strong low ventilation, an ordinary indoor temperature range with a natural night drop, and a permanent water dish.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Aphonopelma gabeli is the accepted name, though trade material sold under this name may represent a broader regional complex; treat the ID as a working name.
- An olive-to-bronze cast over the carapace is the trade-distinguishing feature, most visible right after a molt.
- No sex or exact life stage is on record; 'subadult to adult' is a general size description, not an exact measurement.
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