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Pink-toed TarantulaPink-toed Tree Spider

Family: Theraphosidae

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Avicularia aviculariaPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Bill Korinek

     Energetic and friendly, the Pink-toed Tarantula or Pink-toed Tree Spider is one of the most rewarding species of tarantula to keep in captivity!

     Besides being docile and easily handled, the Pink-toed Tarantula is hardy and entertaining if kept properly. They are active during the day and will build extensive web tubes in their enclosure. Though they are much more docile than their close cousin the Antilles Pink Toe Tarantula they will jump, so care should be taken when handling them.

     As with the other species of Avicularia, the Pink-toed Tarantula is a little more challenging to keep. It requires the unique combination of high humidity and plenty of ventilation. This combination can be somewhat difficult to provide in captivity.

For more Information on keeping tarantulas see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Invertebrate

Distribution:      The Pink-toed Tarantula or Pink-toed Tree Spider is found in Brazil, Trinidad, Martinique, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, Venezuela, and throughout the Amazon Basin. Most of those available currently are imported from Guyana.
     The Avicularia genus itself is the most widespread group of spiders in the Americas and contains about 20 species. This genus was also the very first of the tarantulas to be described by science

Description:      The Pink-toed Tarantula is a small sized tarantula with long dense hairs. The females reach about 5" (13 cm) and males are slightly smaller, reaching about 3.5" (9 cm). They are a beautiful furry species that is an overall dark black to metallic gray. They can also have an attractive coloration on their abdominal and leg hairs varying from a shiny purple or deep violet to reddish hues, sometimes highlighted by yellows. Their most distinguishing feature is a wonderful pink to pink-orange tip to each foot.
     Mature males are long-legged and often boast a fascinating black with metallic look to its hairy carapace and abdomen. Females are a bit stockier, even for an arboreal species. They mature in 2 to 3 years and are estimated to live between 4 to 8 years.

Feeding:      The Pink-toed Tarantula or Pink-toed Tree Spider is an aggressive feeder. It will eat a variety of insect prey including adult crickets, grasshoppers, roaches, and especially flying insects such as wax moths. In nature, they will also feed on small lizards such as Anolis species, but they are not typically fed vertebrate prey in captivity.

Environment:      In the wild all the Avicularia species are primarily arboreal, They will live in human structures or on plants rather than on the ground. The Pink-toed Tree Spider should be kept in a large, vertically oriented enclosure. A modified aquarium or tall plastic storage tub will work well. Keep the enclosure dry and spray it lightly with water every few days. The cage should be allowed to dry out in between misting.
     By keeping several live plants within the enclosure you can add to the humidity. These plants can be placed within the enclosure still in their pots or can be planted in the deep substrate. Not only do live plants provide some more humidity, they will provide excellent areas for breeding and egg-laying. Provide one or two shallow water dishes in the enclosure.

Temperature and Humidity requirements:      This species will do best if you maintain the enclosure at 78 ° to 82 ° F with a humidity level of 65 to 75%.

Social Behaviors:      These are fun to keep because unlike most tarantulas, they can be kept in groups if you keep them in a large enough terrarium and keep them well fed. Pink-toed Tarantulas are one of the most docile of the arboreal species. Many of the other Avicularia species are more aggressive and will race away or even bite.

Handling:      The Pink-toed Tarantula, as an arboreal species, are very agile and active. They are quite docile if not handled roughly or pinned with their fangs near your skin. They do tend to be nervous and jittery when handled and are prone to jumping from hand to hand, hand to shoulder, or in extreme cases, from hand to floor (which can be dangerous). They will jump, so care should be taken when handling them. As with other Avicularia species, Pink Toes are also fond of shooting a small spray of fecal matter as a defense.

Breeding/Reproduction:      As with most tarantula species, the male Pink-toed Tarantula is thinner and has long, furry legs. He is equipped with hooks on his first pair of legs. These hooks are used to grapple with the female's fangs during courtship and mating. A female remains bulky and less spindly as she grows.
     An adult male should be carefully introduced into the female's enclosure after he has produced a sperm web. The male can be protected with a piece of cardboard or other tool if he is to be used for further breeding attempts. Once mating occurs, the female should be fed a variety of prey on a more frequent schedule.
     The Pink-toed tarantula will breed fairly readily. They lay between 50 to 200 eggs that hatch in six to eight weeks. The spiderlings are pretty good size and can easily be raised with crickets.

Ailments:      Tarantulas are generally quite hardy and adaptable if they are provided with the right environment. A few signs that may indicate that your pet is not acting or feeling normal are a loss of appetite, lethargy, looking overly skinny, or pacing the enclosure.
     (A tarantula on its back is probably NOT sick.   Most tarantula species flip onto their backs during molting.   Though this is a very stressful and delicate time for tarantulas, if the humidity and warmth levels are correct, they will molt their exoskeleton, roll over, harden up, and within a week or two be ready for their next meals.)

• Molting: One of the most common reasons for your pet to demonstrate unusual behavior is due to a molting period. As they outgrow their existing skin all tarantulas regularly go through an extensive molt, shedding their entire skin as well as the linings of their mouth, respiratory organs, stomach and sexual organs.
       The process starts well before the actual molt. For several weeks prior to shedding they will be growing a new skin under their old one. During this time it is not unusual for a tarantula to get quite lethargic and even stop eating. There may also be lots of web spinning activity as they prepare to molt.
       When they begin to molt, they lay on their backs with their legs up in the air looking as if they are dead. Be sure not to disturb your tarantula when you see this. The shedding process goes quickly and smoothly as long the environment has adequate humidity.
       Once they have shed, their new skin is pale and very soft. The amount of time it takes for your pet to fully recover and be back to eating well will vary from a day or so up to several weeks depending on its size. Smaller spiders recover much quicker than larger ones.
• Other Problems: Other problems are usually the result of some type of environmental stress. There may be a drop in the temperature of the enclosure, there may be parasites, or the tarantula may just not be comfortable with the depth of its hiding place. These things can be easily adjusted or changed, or you can try moving your pet to a new enclosure.

Availability:      The Pink-toed Tarantula was at one time the most abundant pet spider in the hobby. It has a large range and was imported by reptile dealers in large numbers for many years in the 1980s and 1990s. As importation has declined, it is now not commonly seen as an import but luckily is being bred in some numbers by hobbyists in the United States and Europe and is often available as captive-bred spiderlings.

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Latest Comments
I have a pink toed tarantula and it has already shed its skin once. This time it has built a bigger nest and hid himself inside it. I know he is alive as it sticks its leg out every now and then. What I want to know is it shedding again or is it hybernating, as it has not come out for nearly four weeks. And if it is ok to feed it as I know you can't feed them when they are shedding. ROSIE 2010-01-04
ive had my common pink toe for about 6 months and i dont think hes eaten that whole time! he molted when i 1st got him but hasnt done anything since! he hasnt made a web and he just paces in his tank! i mist it every other day and the temp is always around 73 degrees! i dont know what im doing wrong! plz help stefan moor 2009-12-15
I've had my pink-toe for about a week now and I absolutely adore her! I just moved her into an new enclosure last night, with some plants and some sticks for her to climb and make her web in. I felt kind of bad doing it as she had just finished building her web in the container I received her in :(! But luckily she seems to be comfortable in her new enclosure as this morning I watched her for over an hour as she started building her web... such fascinating creatures. jesse 2009-11-18
I just got my pink toe yesterday and I love him/her.He is very friendly but can be a little skiddish at times. He is a beautiful solid black with pink-orange feet and a blackish purple abdomen. I have had experience keeping other exotic pets including a ball python, a green snake, bearded dragons, a corn snake, a crested gecko, and a Russian tortoise, but this is my first tarantula. He is very funny and last night when I was watching him he, climbed the side of his cage and got to the top, but fell in his water dish. 10-6-2009 Ryan larkin 2009-10-06
OMG! my teacher bought a pink toed tarantula. Its a baby and its like really gross, but REALLY cool. Like half the time im sitting watching the spider spin a web during class. It's so interesting! evani 2009-08-20
Some of the coolest comments:
The humidity of the Pink Toe tarantula should be between 78-82% not as low as 65% and allowing the cage to dry out between spraying can also cause problems for this animal as they need to have high humidity and temperature. One thing that can make this a difficult pet to have in captivity is that they need to have ventiliation in the cage making it more difficult to keep humidity. We learnt the hard way and now have success with the pink toes and have a breeding pair. Lenette 2009-03-03
Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
My pink toed, Sorcha is very docile and friendly. I'm looking to get her a friend! I love this site, thanks for the helpful information. Amanda 2009-11-17
Hi, me (Glen) and the Mrs (Emily) bought our stunning Pink Toed Tarantula about 3 weeks ago. She is our 1st ever Tarantula and has taken some getting use too. She was only small when we purchased her but amazingly quick!. She seems to be eating and growing well and enjoying living in her Terarium. I think that she is getting ready to shed her skin because she has built an amazing web inside her log and has dug right down through her substrate to her heat mat that is placed in her terarium. (Any Help or info about making her life easy whilst molting would be very much appreciated). OW AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT AS A 1ST TIMER THIS SITE AND THERE INFO HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY AMAZINGLY HELPFUL AND DETAILED. I did alot of research about tarantulas and which 1 would be best for us and the sites we visited dont have half the info that this site has. Glen & Emily 2008-11-04
I just got my pink toe a few days ago and handled him for the first time yesterday.I was nervous because I thought he would jump off and land on the floor and die, but he didn't and I'm much more comfortable with him, lol. Although he seems to like to poop on me, even when hes not scared, and my teacher thinks its hillarious. But I mean he's not jumpy and loves to be held, so I hold him every chance I get because I love him. He likes his new house and has started building a web in it and I'm so happy for him. I love him, he's an amazing addition. It's cool because my science teacher is letting me keep him in the classroom so that everyone can enjoy him and hopefully become less afraid of the "terrifying" turantulas. Thanks for all the info. ~Kaitlin Kaitlin 2008-09-17

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