Blue Tarantulas

In a way it’s a shame that most people think of the standard Chile Rose Haired and the Curly Haired spiders when they think of tarantulas because many people think that all tarantulas are a boring brown color.

Of course this couldn’t be further from the truth and if you know what species to look for one can find every color under the sun – from yellows to greens, purples to reds and with everything inbetween.

However possibly most exciting of all are the tarantulas clothed in metallic blue hairs that make them look more like living jewels than the “boring brown” most people associate with tarantulas.

Cobalt Blue Tarantula

Whilst the cobalt blue (Haplopelma lividum) is the classic blue tarantula and is reasonably regularly available it does have a few weaknesses, not least that it spends much of it’s time hiding away, can be very aggressive indeed and actually is a reasonably small tarantula overall.

However seeing the blue legs glowing up under natural light is truly a stunning sight and so for the more experienced tarantula-keeper no collection is really complete without one of these beauties.

Martinique Pink Toed Bird Eater

The Martinique Pink Toe (Avicularia versicolor) also known as the Turquoise Bird Eater manages to combine an unusual cute, “fluffy” appearance with fantastic blue/green hairs making this one of the most colorful tarantulas of all. Whilst they are typically a very expensive species to purchase (due to their popularity) they are indeed very easy to care for and are docile-enough to handle (unlike the Cobalt Blue tarantula) so if you can afford one, this arboreal tarantula should make an ideal pet for tarantua keepers of all levels of experience.

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Greenbottle Blue

Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens - greenbottle blue tarantulaThe Venezuelan Greenbottle Blue (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens) doesn’t just possess metallic navy blue hairs on it’s legs but also has bright orange hairs on the abdomen as well as a gorgeous metallic mint-green carapace. It’s a combination of colors that truly blows the mind of anyone that assumes all tarantulas are a boring brown in color!

What’s more, whilst these spiders aren’t cheap (like most of the blue tarantulas covered here) they are both easy to care for and are reasonably docile. I say reasonably because they’re highly unlikely to bite and can be held safely, but they are a little skittish so care should be taken if you opt to handle your Greenbottle Blue so that your prized specimen doesn’t get startled and try to jump off your hand.

Blue Ornamental/Gooty Saphire Ornamental

A large number of different common names are used for this particularly impressive tarantula so it’s safest that we use it’s Latin name which is Poecilotheria metallica. This Asian arboreal tarantula isn’t just clothed in rich blue hair but is also covered in an assortment of markings and patternings that really have to be seen to be believed. It’s also the spider featured in the photo at the top of this article.

This is frankly one of the single most attractive species of tarantula known in the hobby but this has had to two specific problems. Firstly these sought-after spiders are severely endagered in the wild and this problem is only worsening thanks to poaching for the pet trade. Secondly whilst some dedicated hobbyists are successfully breeding this species in captivity, the young spiderlings are still painfully expensive.

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And whilst there are very few tarantulas that are hard to keep, the special conditions and agressive nature of the Poeciltheria – together with the current price of Poeciloeria metallica – means that this species really is the pinnacle of tarantula care and due to their rarity this species should really be left to the experts.

So now it’s your turn… Have you ever kept any of these species? Which is your favorite? Please leave a comment below with your experiences…

Richard Adams

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