Giant Green Pink Toe Tarantula (Avicularia Kwitara)

This large beautiful tarantula is just so nice to keep and so much fun to handle, it moves so graceful, quickly changing from slow to very fast, and extra care should be taken if you walk with one of these spiders in your hand as they can get very excited. My spider is about 4" at the moment, probably another 3" at least to go. So it is a large species, Once it jumped from my hand and was trying to reach my other hand, I moved as I was not expecting it, and so it fell onto my hard ceramic tiled floor, most of my other spiders would have landed with a splat, or a badly injured spider at least. Not this spider it instinctively spread open its legs and floated to floor, slower than I expected, with so many hairs and a light body, no harm came to the spider, its not something I am going to practice again, but I can imagine it jumping from a canopy of trees to avoid a predator landing on any undergrowth or safely landing on the forest floor. If you want to show people this spider jumping from hand to hand then do it low from the ground, and never pass it on to somebody who is scared on not experience in handling them.

This spider is becoming more colourful each time it changes its skin, looking forward to taking pictures when it is full grown.
As it is a arboreal Tarantula I have mine in a Exo Terra Terrarium with a large artificial plant the leaves are hanging from the roof, sometime I see the spider sometimes I don’t, often it rests on the side of the glass, or the artificial bark at the back of the tank, or spins a small silk bed, amongst the leaves.
I have crickets wandering around, and this spider captures them at an incredible speed, and will take large mealworms from long tweezers. Soon I will change to a taller tank, as tree spiders require more height than floor space, although I have a water dish I lightly spray the enclosure often.
These lovely spiders are ok to keep for a beginner upwards, I find my spider very docile, but care must be taken when handling or there behaviour will change to nervous and skittish. For any new species of tarantula I buy I always do as much research as I can from many different, sources especially on the web, so I know I have the correct set-up before I have brought the Tarantula.  Andy Newman© 03/06/10.

Temperature 27 to 30º C
Humidity 78 to 82%
Origin: Guyana - found along the Kwitara river near Brazil's border.
Lifestyle: Arboreal.
      Average Life Span: Male 3-7 Years Female: 6-15 Years Temperament: Docile and fast.