Megaphobema robustum (Colombian Giant Tarantula) Care Guide
This is a beautiful red-and-black tarantula, in my opinion better looking than even some Poecilotheria sp. The problem with this species is that you will NEVER see them, they are notorious pet holes. They're still suprisingly active despite never leaving their burrow, aggressive feeders and have an array of interesting defensive techniques.
Adult size: Up to 8 inches (20cm)
Maxiumum Lifespan: Males - approx 5 years, Females - approx 20.
(NOTE: Don’t just take my word for it. Thoroughly research any species you buy and how to care for the appropriate age group. Many people may disagree with some of the points I’ve made in this care sheet, but it is compiled from my own experience and my own successes and failures.)
This should go without saying but never use any chemicals around your tarantula. Tarantulas are extremely susceptible to pesticides. Do not smoke, spray deoderant, pest spray or get soap or bleach of any kind near your tarantula. Never believe any pesticide that claims to be ‘Tarantula safe’. Always wash your hands with warm water before and after handling of any kind, and between handling different tarantulas. For more information on the effects of chemicals on tarantulas, see my “Tarantula First Aid” page.
IF YOU FIND YOUR TARANTULA ON THEIR BACK, DO NOT TOUCH THEM. If you already moved them, do not touch them again. They are molting, sit back and watch quietly, it’s an amazing (and stressful and difficult) process. Tarantulas generally die on their front with their legs curled under them and their “knees” on the floor. Even then, sometimes tarantulas in this position are still molting or saveable (see my “tarantula first aid” page), so never throw a dead tarantula away until it starts to smell.
This is a terrestrial tarantula, meaning they need good floor space (at least 4 times the legspan) and deep substrate (at least 5 inches). You don't want too much height above the top of the substrate as a very short fall can kill a terrestrial. Just enough room for the tarantula to flip onto its back comfortably is fine. Good substrates to use include Peat, Vermiculite (Ideally a mixture of both) or Coconut Coir/Fibre. Make sure any soil you use is free from pesticides or parasites. Many invertebrate supply sites sell pre-mixed bags of substrate safe for spiders.
For the enclosure I use deli cups or plastic screw-top pots with ventilation holes for smaller spiders, and a 20"x20"x20" vivarium or large plastic (wham) storage container with ventilation for adults.
You MUST provide at least one good hide, such as half of a plastic plant pot, half of a coconut, a spider cave or a cork bark tube. The more enclosed, the better. The spider should be able to make themselves 'invisible'. Ideally place more than one hide to choose from, and dig a small starter burrow beneath to encourage burrowing behaviour. It's a good idea to add some fake plants around the enclosure to create a more interesting environment. This may encourage the spider to be less of a 'pet hole' and explore more.
An M robustum will let you know when they are hungry as they tend to stick their legs out of their burrow and be invisible at all other times. A good rule of thumb is 1-2 food items a week, slightly more often for smaller spiders. Generally I find feeding procedure for an M robustum amounts to throwing the cricket in the hole and listening for a 'thunk'.
Tarantulas only eat live food, with the exception of small spiderlings which are best fed on freshly killed food items. Primarily this food is crickets. Other options are Mealworms, Waxworms, Silkworms, Roaches or beetle grubs. You can buy livefood from most pet stores or there's a great variety at any of these online sources, among many others:
Any tarantula, from the moment it is the size of a bottle cap onwards should have a shallow water dish roughly the same size as its legspan. DO NOT USE A SPONGE OR WATER GEL. The tarantula cannot drink from these and it creates a cesspit of bacteria. You may never observe your tarantula drinking from their water dish, but when it does need it it will need clean, fresh water immediately. If you're concerned about drowning, add a couple of marbles or pebbles to the water dish to make climbing out easier, but drowning a spider is difficult.
You should mist or moisten the substrate regularly. M robustum requires higher humidity than most spiders so do this once every one or two days. The substrate doesn't want to be wet, just moist. Hydrometers are often inaccurate but between 75-90% humidity is a good guide.
This species really needs no heating and no special lighting. UV lights and similar hot bulbs will almost definitely kill the spider, as would an under-tank heat mat. NEVER PUT THE TANK IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT as it will heat up like a furnace and fry the spider. The normal overhead room light will do absolutely fine, turned on in the day and off at night. M Robustum likes it cool, but really if you feel okay in a t-shirt, the temperature is fine. Do not go below 60F or above 85F (16-30C). At the higher temperature end you must mist much more frequently.
If the room is freezing and you must heat the tank, use a small heat mat covering no more than half of one SIDE of the tank. Make sure there is only a single 'hot spot' and the rest of the tank is cool so that the tarantula can move away from the heat.
While not an ideal candidate for a first tarantula, this species' temperament is very manageable. This species would rather just be left alone. If bothered, they will normally first resort to retreat. If this isn't possible, you get an interesting threat dance that consists of raising the abdomen and bobbing up and down. They also have an interesting jumping-spin-melee-attack using the knife-like protrusions on their back legs, though it's rare to see this occur. Being New World tarantulas, they can flick itchy urticating hair which you should avoid breathing in or getting in your eyes as this will be very uncomfortable. If they are provoked so far as to bite, M robustum venom is relatively mild, resulting in swelling and pain around the area for a couple of days. There is always the incredibly rare chance of an allergic reaction. Anaphylaxis should be taken very seriously.
Tarantulas are venomous (though not deadly to humans) and this breed has urticating hairs (sharp, irritating, projectile-like bristles) and a complicated temperament. I do not recommend handling tarantulas of any species, and would not reccomend handling this species in particular. If you want to handle, try a Brachypelma, Grammostola or Avicularia species. That said, many people still decide to handle their tarantulas and sometimes you might have to, so here are a few tips:
Have a paintbrush and pot handy. The best way to get a tarantula to walk in a direction is to gently brush the hairs on their back legs using the paintbrush. If they do not respond, tap decisively but not hard. If anything goes wrong and the tarantula runs away, you can catch it in the pot. Tarantulas are always capable of running much faster than you think.
Never hold a tarantula (particularly a terrestrial) higher than 5 inches from the ground. You should always put the tarantula’s tank on the floor before getting them out. A very small fall could cause a fatal abdomen rupture in a large terrestrial spider, and spiders can often get skittish and run fast or jump.
If you get bitten, firstly DO NOT DROP OR THROW THE TARANTULA, this will kill it. Remember that no-one has ever died from a tarantula bite, and most tarantula bites are “dry” meaning no venom is even injected. Depending on the venom of the species that bites you, symptoms will range from those of a mild bee sting to some severe muscle pain. It is advised you research “bite reports” of your species before buying (obviously you should research any pet thoroughly anyway). Most new world (western hemisphere) tarantulas will not bite unless it is an absolute last resort, and would far sooner run away or kick urticating hairs. Like bee stings, it is possible to be allergic to tarantula venom, but very rare.
If your tarantula is kicking urticating hairs they will rub their back legs very fast against their abdomen (bum) and you will see a fine cloud of bristles. Avoid getting these in your eyes or mouth as this will result in great discomfort and a doctor’s trip. If a tarantula kicks hairs, they don’t want to be bothered. Leave them alone.
Caring for Spiderlings (Tarantula babies)
Spiderling care is very different to adult care. Spiderlings need higher humidity as at a very young age they cannot have a water bowl. This higher humidity can be achieved by putting a few drops of clean water on one patch of the substrate every day. When a spiderling’s legspan is the same size as a soda bottle lid, you can give them one as a water bowl, then increase it as they grow,
Make absolutely sure that the ventilation holes are smaller than the spiderling’s abdomen, or you will have an escapee on your hands.
Spiderlings should ideally be fed a beheaded small cricket or freshly killed abdomen-sided lump, once or twice a week. This is because a single bite can be fatal to a spider, and it is not worth risking at a very small age. Fruit flies and also to some extent pinhead crickets are known to cause malnutrition and deformation in spiderlings due to their tiny size. When the first water bowl is given, a spiderling can be weaned onto live food and a more adult care regimen. When feeding live food to spiderlings, make sure it is no larger than the abdomen of the tarantula (bum section).
Just like the grown-ups, spiderlings need a place to hide. A small section of cork bark or a film canister makes a good hide-out for a tiny tarantula, and for this species digging an inch-or-so-deep ‘starter burrow’ is much appreciated.
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