Care Sheet: Lasiodora parahybana - Salmon Pink Birdeater

Care Sheet:  Lasiodora parahybana - Salmon Pink Birdeater

Before being concerned about specific humidity/temperature gauges, I would highly suggest having a look at this book: http://books.google.com/books?id=rIVAkA3IlHgC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
or possibly even purchasing it, as it has tons of information that clear’s up a lot of confusion as to these little creatures. There is a lot of false marketing and false opinions out there and the information represented here is meant as a guideline and not a specific rule that can be applied to all of these types of tarantulas. There are variations even in the same species! The goal of the information here is to get an in depth view on the tarantula from an owner/handlers eyes.

Common Name: Salmon Pink Birdeater         

Scientific Name: Lasiodora parahybana

Origin: Brazil

Type: New World Terrestrial

Temperature: 20-30 °C (remember this range is a guideline)

Humidity: 65-85% (remember this range is a guideline)

                 

Max Size: approx. 10"-12” (remember this range is a guideline)

Speed: Slow (remember this is a guideline)

Temperament: Tolerant but moody (remember this is a guideline)

Venom: Mild

Growth Rate: Ultra Fast (remember this is a guideline)

Description:

The top 3 largest tarantulas in the world are L. parahybana T. blondi and T. apophysis, adult male L. parahybana’s can reach epic leg spans of 11 inches+. Most people are intensely frightened by this sheer size possibility, coupled with a Hollywood induced phobia, but this is completely uncalled for. These tarantulas don’t charge you on sight to rip out a jugular, actually quite the opposite! They can be successfully handled if given the due respect and a person is aware of their warning signs if they are not in the mood. Velvety black all over, but with bright pink hairs covering nearly all of their bodies, these tarantulas are awesome display animals and choose to sit out in the open the majority of the time. This might be because their massive size gives them a sense of confidence not present in most tarantulas.

Housing:

L. parahybana love taking walks in their tank, thus they benefit from a larger tank which also helps due to the fact that they are so large combined with the fact that they grow extremely fast (growth from 1” to 6” in a year is VERY possible).  I have found that my L. parahybana enjoys different ‘textured’ surfaces to climb on and play around from any bark/wood section to a smooth pebble etc. At some stage in it’s adult life this species could require a medium to large fish tank as its home. A hide is not a necessity, but is always helpful in reducing any stress the animal ever experiences. The tanks should NOT be more than the tarantulas leg span x 2 (5cm leg span = 10cm max height on the tank) as a fall from this bulky species could cause an injury and death. Also avoid any sharp edged decorations in the tank.

Temperatures should be around 25 °C, with humidity Ok at around 75%. A large water bowl is fine, and will be used often.

Feeding:

L. parahybana’s are reminiscent of living trash compactors. They eat and eat and eat and eat and eat and then eat some more, and will tackle any prey of pretty much any size. They do need to eat more than most, to sustain their epic growth rate, which is amongst the fastest of any tarantula anywhere. I have found that feeding them two crickets twice a week is similar to power feeding, which I will only do until they reach between a quarter and a third of their adult size (this rule can be applied to all T’s) then I will drop down to one cricket twice a week. However, although they would LIKE to eat all day long, one large cockroach every 2 weeks is more than enough. This species, due to its sheer size, will actually benefit from eating a pinky every once or twice a month.

Temperament:

General: These tarantulas at a small size sometimes do have short bursts to move away from disturbances, but if handled correctly are actually quite gentle giants. They don’t like being moved very much and as such you shouldn’t chase them around the tank trying to get them onto your hand. Rather leave them for 10-15min and then maybe try again. I have had mine flick hairs at me once or twice when changing enclosures; this is most probably due to me giving it a fright or moving jerkily/too quickly. I have never seen a threat pose towards myself or food specimens either. They are truly slow to be angered.

The urticating bristles these tarantulas flick off are the MOST urticating type of any tarantula they can leave itching rashes on whichever body parts come into contact with them, which really can hurt sometimes. It is very important to avoid getting them in your airways, or eyes.

Fangs, though rarely threatened, are mechanically dangerous, in that they can be up to an inch long, and the power with which adults can inflict a bite is similar to that of a small cat. Fortunately for us all, they would rather flick hairs than bite, and probably not even that.

Before molt: I have noticed with all my T’s, that if they are getting close to a molt their behavior becomes unpredictable, non-burrowing specimens will burrow, calm specimens will become nervous and dart away from you etc etc. It IS a stressful time for them so be cautious and try AT ALL COSTS to avoid handling before a molt. Generally the specimen will go extremely dark black, will not be shiny and will have a bald patch. If you see all of these three signs a molt is VERY close by. With my L. parahybana the best sign a few weeks ahead of a molt is stopping feeding.

After molt: The L. parahybana is almost as white as paper and see through like a Perspex sheet for a short while after molting, eventually they become slightly grey and not transparent, then the grey becomes darker, you will also notice the pink hairs more easily, then eventually the grey becomes black. Throughout this hardening process the T won’t move much and you MUST NOT move it either. After 3-5 days I put in one small cricket and wait until the L. parahybana takes it then I know he is ready to feed again.

Notes:

I have seen my L. parahybana perched on the side of its container, although they are regarded as almost never climbing, they are not very good at it and he tends not to do it much. It is more of a ‘looking for a perch’ type of climbing he does. Keepers should aim to minimize injury potential by restricting the height of the enclosure.