Greenbottle Blue Tarantula
Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens
1. Deep Soil & Low-Ceiling Safety Setup
2. Two Great Ways to Set Up Your Habitat
Sizing the Tank: Slings vs. Adults
Putting a fingernail-sized baby ('sling') in a giant 10-gallon tank makes it impossible for them to find dinner:
Option A: Spiderlings ('Slings' Under 1.5")
Keep in a vented sling vial or micro acrylic cube (about 3–4× their legspan wide) with 2" of soil, a piece of moss, and a clean tattoo-ink cap or bottlecap for water.
Option B: Juveniles & Adults (2" to 7"+)
A 5- to 10-gallon glass or acrylic enclosure filled halfway up with 4–6" of packed reptile/invertebrate soil and a curved cork bark starter cave.
Ground Burrowers vs. Tree Climbers
Make sure your setup matches where your spider actually lives in nature:
Option A: Ground / Burrowing (Curly Hair, Red Knee, Arizona Blonde)
Wide floor space, deep 4–6" soil for bulldozing, and low ceiling clearance so a clumsy climber can never take a big fall.
Option B: Tree-Dwelling (Pinktoes, Versicolor, Jumping Spiders)
Tall enclosure with lots of side-wall air holes (cross-ventilation!) and tall cork bark reaching near the ceiling.
To Handle or Not to Handle?
Real talk from our invert team: tarantulas don't get cuddly from being held—handling is mostly for us:
Option A: Hands-Off Display Pet (What We Recommend)
Safest for the spider! Use a soft paintbrush to gently tap their back legs and guide them into a catch-cup whenever you need to clean.
Option B: Sit Flat on the Floor (Calm Docile Species Only)
If you do let a calm Curly Hair or Red Knee walk on your open palm, sit on the floor or bed so a sudden bolt can never mean a fatal drop to the floor.
3. Feeding by 'Booty Size' & The Molting Rule
Best Bugs & Big No-Nos:
Top pick—nutritious and won't bite a spider!
Great hunters—MUST remove uneaten crickets after 24h!
Crush worm heads so they can't hide underground
Wild bugs carry lawn sprays & parasites that kill spiders
4. Four Keys to a Happy, Thriving Greenbottle Blue Tarantula
Watch Out for Wire Mesh
Heavy ground tarantulas have two tiny hooks on each foot that can get snagged in cheap woven window-screen lids. Acrylic lids with drilled air holes are way safer!
Overflow the Water Dish
Tarantulas hate being sprayed in the face with a mister! Instead, just overfill their water dish a little bit once a week so one corner of the soil stays damp.
Itchy Belly Hairs
New World tarantulas kick itchy 'urticating hairs' off their butt when annoyed. Don't rub your eyes after working in the tank, and wash your hands with soap!
Upside-Down vs. Death Curl
Flat on their back = happy molting! Right-side-up with all 8 legs curled tightly *underneath* the belly = dehydrated ('death curl')—put their mouthparts right into a shallow puddle of water!
Bring-Home Shopping Checklist
Tap items to check them off on your phone while you shop at Critter Cabana.
Enclosure & Deep Soil
Water Dish & Safe Tools
Live Feeder Bugs
Complete Reference Notes & Oregon Keeping Guide
Species: Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens | Difficulty: 2/5 — Easy | Hardiness: 4/5 — Hardy
Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply — Keeping Your Pet Healthy & Thriving
At a Glance
| Common Name | Greenbottle Blue Tarantula, GBB | |
| Species | Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens | |
| Origin | Arid scrublands of the Paraguaná Peninsula in Venezuela | |
| Adult Size | 5–6 inch leg span | |
| Lifespan | Females: 12–14 years | Males: 3–4 years |
| Diet Type | Insectivore (Crickets, Roaches) | |
| Activity | Diurnal / Nocturnal (Spends most of its time sitting out in the open) | |
| Temperament | Skittish and fast, but very rarely defensive. | |
| Handleability | Not recommended. They are prone to bolting. | |
| Venom | Medically insignificant (Comparable to a bee sting, unless allergic) | |
| Urticating Hairs | Yes (They will kick itchy hairs from their abdomen if threatened) | |
| Difficulty | 2/5 — Easy (Excellent beginner species due to dry care requirements) | |
| Hardiness | 4/5 — Hardy (Very forgiving of beginner mistakes, as long as kept dry) |
Why We Love Them: The GBB is widely considered one of the most stunning display tarantulas in the hobby. As adults, they have bright metallic blue legs, a blue-green carapace, and a vibrant orange abdomen. Also, they are "heavy webbers"—they will completely coat their enclosure in massive, intricate, beautiful webs and spend all day sitting right on top of them in plain sight.
Safety Information
Venom/Defense: Like all New World tarantulas, their venom is medically insignificant to humans. Their primary defense is kicking urticating hairs.
First Aid: If bitten, wash the area with soap and water. If you get hairs on your skin, use tape to pull them out, then wash with warm water. If hairs get into your eyes or lungs, seek medical attention immediately.
Handling Precautions: Do not handle this species. They are very fast and can bolt off your hand, falling to the floor. A fall from even a few feet will rupture a tarantula's abdomen, which is 100% fatal.
Housing & Enclosure
Enclosure Type & Size
- Type: Semi-Arboreal / Terrestrial. They need floor space, but also enough vertical height to build their elaborate webs.
- Minimum: A standard 10-gallon glass aquarium (or 12x12x12 Exo Terra).
- Spiderlings (Slings): Must be kept in small deli cups or acrylic sling enclosures. Do not put a baby tarantula in a 10-gallon tank; it will never find its food.
- Ventilation: Excellent cross-ventilation is required. Stagnant, humid air will kill them.
Substrate
- Recommended: Dry coconut fiber (Eco Earth), peat moss, or organic topsoil.
- Depth: 2–3 inches is sufficient. They rarely burrow; they prefer to build web castles above ground.
- The "Bone Dry" Rule (CRITICAL): The substrate must be kept completely dry. This species originates from a harsh, arid desert scrubland. Do not mist the enclosure. Overmisting will cause fatal fungal or bacterial infections.
Décor & Enrichment
- Hides & Anchor Points: You MUST provide lots of fake plants, cork bark tubes, and branches crisscrossing the enclosure. They need these structures as "anchor points" to attach their heavy webbing to.
- Water Dish: Provide a small, shallow water dish. You can slightly overflow it once a month to provide a tiny microclimate of humidity, but let it dry out completely afterward.
Temperature
| Zone | Temperature |
|---|---|
| Ambient | 70–80°F (21–27°C) |
| Avoid exceeding | 85°F (29°C) |
- Heating: Room temperature is perfect. Never use a heat lamp or under-tank heater. Heat pads will cook a tarantula to death because they burrow down to escape heat in the wild.
Diet & Nutrition
GBBs are famous for their incredibly aggressive feeding response. They rarely refuse meals unless they are in pre-molt.
Primary Diet
- Live crickets or dubia roaches. The prey item should be no larger than the spider's abdomen.
Feeding Schedule
| Life Stage | Frequency | Prey Size |
|---|---|---|
| Spiderling (Sling) | Every 4–5 days | Pinhead crickets or pre-killed prey |
| Juvenile | Every 7 days | Small crickets |
| Adult | Every 10–14 days | 2-3 Adult crickets or 1 Large Roach |
Pre-Molt Fasting
- If your tarantula refuses food, hides in its web, and its abdomen turns dark/shiny, it is in pre-molt. Stop offering food immediately and wait for it to molt.
Molting
Molting is the process of shedding the exoskeleton to grow. It is the most vulnerable and critical period in a tarantula's life.
During the Molt
- DO NOT disturb, handle, or feed the spider. It will likely flip on its back. It is not dead. Do not flip it over.
- Remove any live crickets from the enclosure immediately. A live cricket will eat a molting tarantula alive.
Post-Molt Care
- Wait at least 7–10 days before offering food. The new exoskeleton (including their fangs) is soft like rubber and needs over a week to harden. If they bite a cricket too soon, their fangs will break off, and the spider will starve to death.
Health & Husbandry
Common Health Issues
- Dehydration — Symptoms: The tarantula's abdomen becomes shriveled (looks like a raisin), and its legs begin to curl tightly under its body (the "death curl"). / Cause: Lack of a water dish. / Treatment: Carefully place the spider's mouthparts over a shallow water dish or wet cotton swab.
- Fungal Infection — Symptoms: White, fuzzy patches on the spider's joints or abdomen. / Cause: Keeping the enclosure too wet/humid. / Prevention: Keep the substrate bone dry and ensure good ventilation.
What We Stock & Use in Our Stores
These are products we carry and recommend for this species. Ask any associate for help finding them in-store.
| Category | Product | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Enclosure | Exo Terra 12x12x12 Glass Terrarium | Perfect size for an adult GBB, provides cross-ventilation |
| Substrate | Zoo Med Eco Earth (Dry Block) | Use the dry bricks, do not soak them prior to use! |
| Hides | Zoo Med Natural Cork Bark | Buy multiple pieces to create anchor points for webbing |
| Water Dish | Exo Terra Shallow Water Dish (Small) | Keep filled with fresh water, no sponges needed |
| Feeder Insects | Live Crickets or Dubia Roaches | Size appropriately to the spider's abdomen |
| Décor | Fluker's Repta-Vines | Great for providing mid-air anchor points for their webs |
Care sheet compiled by Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply. For questions, ask any livestock specialist in-store.
Last updated: 2026-08-04
How We Keep Them at Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply
- Oregon Winter Furnace Air vs. Molting Humidity: When Pacific Northwest furnaces kick on from October through April, indoor room humidity drops fast and dries out small enclosures from the top down. Rather than misting the spider or invert directly (which stresses terrestrial species and invites stagnant mold), we keep Greenbottle Blue Tarantula at
30-50% (Bone Dry)by using a deep moisture-retaining substrate bed (ReptiSoil + Coco Fiber + Sphagnum Moss), overflowing the water dish slightly into one corner, and maintaining cross-ventilation. - Safe Room Heating in the Willamette Valley: If your house drops below 65°F on winter nights, never stick a heat pad on the bottom of a burrowing invertebrate tank—they dig down to escape heat and will cook themselves. Use a low-wattage side-mounted heat mat on a digital thermostat or warm the room ambiently to
species-appropriate warm zone. - Stocked at Newberg & Gresham: At Critter Cabana (Newberg) and Gresham Pet Supply, we stock acrylic and glass invertebrate enclosures, cork bark flats and tubes, bioactive substrates, flightless fruit flies (D. melanogaster and D. hydei), pinhead to adult crickets, dubia roaches, and live Temperate White Springtail and Isopod cultures.
Common Questions (FAQ)
How do I keep my Greenbottle Blue Tarantula warm and humid enough during an Oregon winter?
Target species-appropriate warm zone and 30-50% (Bone Dry). When Oregon winter furnaces dry out the air, use a deep 3–5 inch substrate mix of Zoo Med ReptiSoil and coco fiber, keep a shallow water dish filled, and dampen one corner of the substrate rather than misting the animal directly. Never put a heat mat underneath a burrowing invertebrate enclosure.
What size enclosure does a Greenbottle Blue Tarantula need?
An adult Greenbottle Blue Tarantula thrives in 10-gallon tank with secure ventilation. For terrestrial tarantulas and scorpions, floor space and deep substrate matter most (keep open fall height low so heavy-bodied species cannot rupture their abdomen); for arboreal species, prioritize vertical cork bark tubes and cross-ventilation.
Can I put isopods in a Greenbottle Blue Tarantula bioactive enclosure?
Around molting tarantulas and scorpions, skip protein-hungry large isopods and stick to Temperate White Springtails (or gentle Dwarf White isopods in humid detritivore setups) so a soft, newly molted animal is never nibbled.
Where can I find Greenbottle Blue Tarantula, cork bark, and feeder insects in Oregon?
We stock live invertebrates, tarantulas, jumping spiders, cork bark flats and tubes, bioactive substrates, and gut-loaded feeder insects at our two exotic animal stores: Critter Cabana in Newberg (514 E First St, 503-537-2887) and Gresham Pet Supply (2185 NW Burnside Rd, 503-665-7606).
