Keeping a tarantula is not for the weak-hearted. Only a professional enthusiast or an award-winning entomologist should have a cobalt blue tarantula in their home. Let’s start by talking about caring for your cobalt blue tarantula spider.
Overview of Cobalt Blue Tarantula: Cobalt blue tarantulas are named after the color of their legs. In comparison, their bodies and carapaces are drab, with a grayish-blue color.
- However, this blue appears only in high light; otherwise, they appear black or very dark gray.
They have a glittery metallic look reflected off the hairs when you can see the blue. The color of some hairs can even be white or yellow.
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Care Guidance for a Cobalt Blue Tarantula
They are native to Myanmar but also originate in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Singapore. They make deep burrows in the ground to live in tropical woods. When it’s time to search for food, these tarantulas depart their lairs.
- So, if you want to keep one as a pet, you must recreate their natural environment. It must be warm and humid, with plenty of burrowing substrate.
Cobalt blue tarantulas are medium-sized spiders that grow quickly, molting every four to six months. When spiderlings attain sexual maturity, they reveal their gender. Males develop a blue-gray color, while females remain blue.
1. Feeding and Diet
A cobalt blue tarantula only emerges from its burrow when it’s time to eat, and these spiders are formidable predators.
They move fast and seize prey at the burrow’s farthest margins. They pull it back to their lair and consume it alive after injecting it with poisonous venom.
Categories of Food
Amphibians, insects such as cockroaches and crickets, mice, and other spiders are eaten by cobalt blues. Some people label their eating habits as “greedy” because they need a lot of energy to keep up with their quick growth.
Whatever they eat must be smaller than their carapace and must be alive and fresh, rather than frozen or dead. Each week, they can consume up to five huge insects.
- It is not a good idea to feed your tarantula insects such as crickets or cockroaches from your yard. To guarantee they’re clear of worms or parasites, buy them from a pet food shop instead.
However, there isn’t much you can do if a bug slips into your spider’s enclosure and starts eating it. Just make sure any leftovers are thrown away.
2. Lifespan and Health Concerns
Female cobalt blue tarantulas can live for 20 to 25 years in captivity. Males have a shorter lifespan than females, ranging from five to ten years. They can live up to 30 or 20 years in the wild, depending on the species.
- The most common health problem for these arachnids in captivity is staying hydrated. They frequently become dehydrated. Critical factors for the roach include a moist substrate, water + humidity.
Also, if you don’t clean the tank at least once a month, uneaten food might cause bacterial concerns in the substrate. If leftovers are left out for too long, parasites and mites might infect the tarantula.
3. Nature of Conduct
Cobalt blue tarantulas spend most of their time underground in burrows. They will come out at night to eat or build a spider web. They are usually pretty placid, yet they can be highly defensive and “touchy” in humans’ eyes.
- When threatened, cobalt blue tarantulas are not afraid to attack anyone or anything.
They also have a strong bite that injects a little amount of poison into its victim. Aside from that, they are peaceful, chill, and docile. To keep them occupied, they do not require a lot of exploration space or other sophisticated toys.
4. Molting Process
They will cease feeding when they start shedding or molting skin. They will lie down on their backs on the substrate and appear to be dead.
- If you see something like this, do not be alarmed; it’s very normal.
Exoskeleton removal might take anywhere from 15 minutes to many hours. During this time, do not touch or bother the spider because it could lead to their death.
5. Procreation Habits
When a male is ready to reproduce, he makes a little silk sack to deposit his sperm inside.
He then stores this in his pedipalps and seeks out a female to mate with. If she accepts, a perilous and life-threatening mating ritual will be followed by them.
How to Safeguard the Cobalt Blue Tarantula
The best way to keep a Cobalt blue tarantula secure is to learn everything there is to know about them before obtaining one as a pet, and there is a lot to learn.
- Learn as much as you can about the animal’s behavior in the wild and in captivity. Then you will want to make sure your tarantula comes from a trustworthy breeder. Do not get one that has just been caught in the wild.
Then, to ensure that the tarantula’s surroundings are to its liking, make sure you have a large enough glass tank with a secure top. Other pets, big or tiny, should be kept away from your tarantula.
Do Humans Face a Threat from the Cobalt Blue Tarantula?
Cobalt blues are naturally defensive; therefore if they feel threatened, they will attack.
- The good news is that no one has died or been seriously injured as a result of a bite from this spider. When a cobalt blue tarantula stomps the ground and raises its legs, you know it is preparing to attack.
This is a signal to take a step back. They will also roll their teeth back or extend them forward to show them.
To Sum Up
This is the complete guide to caring for a cobalt blue tarantula – If you want to buy your first tarantula, we encourage you to consider this species after carefully reading the care instructions above. They must eat a specific diet and live in a specific environment to thrive.