AKA: Theraphosa stirmi
 
Experience: Intermediate
 
Growth Rate: Very Fast
 
Venom: Very Mild. Rarely has any effect on a human. but due to its sheer size, a bite from this species would still be painful considering the size of its fangs.
 
Urticating Hairs: Yes, some say one of the worst hairs.
 
Adult Size: DLS 9"-11"
 
Expected Life Span: Females 25 years - Males up to 5 years
 
Temperature: 75°F - 85°F is ideal. Please avoid the use of heat pads
 
Humidity: 70-85%
 
Natural Origins: North Brazil, French Guiana, Guiana, Suriname, South Venezuela.
 
Habitat:  15-20 gallon glass aquarium with clips to keep them from pushing the lid open is the easiest option. If you are wanting something a bit more pleasing to the eye you can use an Exo Terra medium-low enclosure with little modification. The mesh screen of the Exo terra will need removed and replaced with an acrylic sheet with ventilation holes drilled in and secured in with silicone. A drainage layer of clay balls or small gravel is beneficial in getting the substrate saturated but not leaving it a watery mush, adding a layer of mesh screen keeps the substrate and drainage level separated, and finally a layer of a good substrate on top. Its recommended to Provide a large water dish, a large hide, and plenty of substrate for the T to burrow in, though at this size they tend to spend a lot of time out in the open. You can also add in a few clumps of moist sphagnum moss to keep the humidity higher, wetting them down once a week. For a bioactive tank, you can add Springtails, and even live plants that help keep the humidity up.
 
Substrate: A Peat moss and coco fiber mixture with added clumps of sphagnum moss and some vermiculite help keep humidity stay up. You want to keep the substrate as deep as possible as they are opportunistic borrowers.
 
Diet: 
Sling (1/4"-1")
      Sm. crickets, or Sm. Dubia 2x a week.
Sub-Adult(1-3")
       3-4 medium crickets, Md. Dubia every 7-10 days
Adult(4"+)
      3 or 4 large dubia roaches every other week or about a dozen crickets every 2 to 3 weeks
 
As an Adult, you can mix up the diet with Red Runner Roaches, Superworms, and even Horned Worms. Feeding Live Pinkie Mice can be Risky and is best to avoid.
 
Sexing: Not all species of Tarantulas are dimorphic, Visual Differences in color and/or pattern, between each sex. The best way to sex your tarantula is to examine its exuvia or molted exoskeleton. if you are having trouble you can always send up a pic and we will do our best to help you.
 
Extra Info. :  This tarantula can climb the glass walls of the enclosure, despite its size, and can be quite strong and will easily push off any lid that isn’t securely locked down. It also has very large and powerful fangs that can chew through nearly any mesh lid.