Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula Care Guide and Maintenance

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Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula, Martinique Pink Toe, or Martinique Red Tree Spider

(Caribena versicolor) Care Guide

Difficulty: Easy

The Caribena versicolor is a gorgeous species of tarantula that starts off as a bright blue spiderling, but its color and patterns will change with each molt until they reach their adult coloration of bright greens and reds.

This tarantula is also known by their more familiar common names; the Martinique or Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula. Though they were known for a long time as the Avicularia versicolor until they were reclassified to the genus Caribena in 2017. This is an arboreal New World tarantula that is endemic to the areas of the Caribbean, Martinique, and the Lesser Antilles. They have a medium growth rate with females living growing to maximum diagonal leg span of nearly 5.5 to 6 inches. Females live around 12 years in captivity, while the males only live around 2 -3 years and are an inch or two smaller than the females. The C. versicolor is a very docile tarantula species, known to have mild venom that poses no medically significant risk to humans. They do possess Type II urticating hairs, which are the least irritating type of urticating hairs to humans, but what sets the Caribena versicolor apart (and why they were moved from the Avicularia genus to Caribena) is their ability to kick their urticating setae into a cloud when they feel threatened. They are also famous for their propensity to jump away from any perceived threats. They will even resort to turning their back to the threat, raising their abdomen, and shooting their poop toward the threat. These defensive behaviors are usually more cute than threatening which is why they are one of the most popular species of pet tarantula.

What You Need for a Bioactive Adult Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula Enclosure:

You can also use The Dude’s comprehensive species-specific kit for the Caribena versicolor.

Housing

The rule of thumb when deciding the size of your tarantula's enclosure is to make sure there is a minimum height or width of 3 times the leg span of the tarantula. Since the Caribena will not grow beyond the diagonal leg span of 6 inches, an arboreal enclosure with a minimum height of 18 inches will be sufficient. You can go a little larger and give them an enclosure that measures 12x12x24 if you really want to upgrade them to an optimal setup. However, providing tarantulas with an enclosure that’s too large could begin to present some problems. Tarantulas do not typically venture very far from their burrows, even if they are web in the trees. These spiders are ambush hunters, they do not track and stalk their prey, so if they are in an enclosure that is too large, you might have issues ensuring that the tarantula is finding and eating the prey you provide. You may also find that a large portion of the massive enclosure you have provided will go completely unused. So for this species, there is no need to go much larger than an 18x18x24. If you are starting off with a spiderling or juvenile Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula, there are arboreal acrylic enclosures made specifically for tarantulas of this size, that you get from Tarantula Cribs. When choosing an enclosure for this species of tarantula there are two things to keep in mind. First is that you need an arboreal enclosure, meaning an enclosure that is taller than it is wide. This species lives in the trees and spends very little time on the ground, so vertical space is the priority. The second is to make sure the enclosure you choose provides ample cross-ventilation. For many years tarantula keepers were plagued with what was called SADS (Sudden Avic Death Syndrome), where Avicularia and Caribena tarantulas would randomly die despite being kept in optimal conditions. One leading cause was the lack of cross ventilation causing the air to become too stagnant and humid. This tarantula spends its life in the trees, so while the ground temperature in the area may be very warm and humid, the temperature and humidity up in the trees or overhangs of buildings is cooler and drier due to the constant breeze and shade. Therefore, it is best to choose an enclosure that not only has top ventilation but one with ventilation holes on the front or sides near the bottom as well to provide a cross breeze for your spider.

It is important to choose an enclosure with a front opening door to access the enclosure for maintenance and feeding purposes. If you choose a top opening enclosure for this species, you will inevitably destroy the web tunnels they have worked so hard to create every time you open the enclosure.

Can you keep multiple Caribena versicolor tarantulas in one enclosure?

While you may find some random websites, posts, or videos claiming to successfully keep Avicularia or Caribena species together in a communal enclosure, the overall consensus is that it is very irresponsible to attempt this in captivity. In nature you may find several Caribena versicolor tarantulas living in close proximity on trees or fence posts, but this is usually a case of these tarantulas tolerating the close living conditions out of necessity. Cannibalism is common in nearly all species of tarantulas, and in most cases if you put 2 or more tarantulas in one enclosure, within a month or two you will only be left with one very overweight tarantula. In nearly every instance of someone attempting to keep this species communally, it has failed disastrously. So it is never recommended to keep this species in a communal enclosure.

Lighting

As this species is both nocturnal and an invertebrate, there are no real special lighting needs. They have no real UVA or UVB requirements to speak of, so any lighting provided will mostly be for the benefit of the plants growing in the enclosure and to give a day/night cycle for the tarantula’s circadian rhythm. Tarantulas are typically photosensitive and will retreat into hiding when the lights are on. Sometimes after weeks or months, the tarantulas seem to get used to the light and may be more willing to come out on display during the day. This species also seems to enjoy the warmth given off by the lights and are sometimes known to come out and bask in even the slight warmth given off by LED lights.

Some great options for lighting your Caribena enclosure are:

Temperature and Humidity

Most tarantulas should be kept at room temperature, around 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit. It is important to keep in mind that the use of heat, incandescent, or halogen lights is not recommended for this species. Tarantulas are ectotherms, meaning they cannot regulate their body temperature and rely on environmental heat sources. However, providing a heat source that is too intense can quickly dehydrate the tarantula and create a greenhouse effect in the enclosure making it much too warm and humid for the spider to survive. The warmth from an LED plant light will be more than sufficient for the Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula.

Humidity requirements for the Caribena versicolor can be a tricky thing. They are a tropical species from a humid environment, but they also live in the trees and the rafters and eaves of buildings, where there is usually a breeze and shade. After years of fine tuning their husbandry, it has become generally accepted that focusing on the humidity levels inside the enclosure and trying to hit a specific percentage is a futile endeavor that causes more stress than benefit. Instead, the recommended way to achieve an optimal humidity level is to keep them in a bioactive tropical enclosure with live plants and a large water dish. By keeping the substrate moist enough for tropical plants to thrive and providing a wide water dish on the floor of the enclosure, the evaporation that takes place naturally in the enclosure is more than adequate. Once you have the bioactive enclosure set up properly, there is no need to worry about the specific humidity level in the enclosure as you are providing a naturally optimal environment.

Substrate

Since the Martinique Pink Toe Tarantula is an arboreal species, they will not spend much time on the floor of the enclosure. They will spend a lot of time climbing on and webbing up the plants that are in the enclosure. It is important to provide the plants with a deep and rich substrate so that they can root well and thrive. The Terra Aranea is the ideal substrate for this species as it was designed specifically for tarantulas and other invertebrates. To really give it that natural look and make it a true bioactive soil, I like to mix in some moist Sphagnum Moss and Leaf Litter, BioShot, along with some tropical springtails for waste management. These bioactive elements work together to support the plants and clean up crew. Your substrate should be about 4-6 inches deep so the plants have enough room to root well and so that hardscape elements like cork bark tubes have stability.

Decorating

Since the Caribena versicolor in an arboreal tarantula, you will want to simulate the environment they find most appealing in nature. Strong, leafy plants like pothos and ferns are great choices for live plants. The more leaf cover you provide your Antilles Pinktoe tarantula, the less stressed and timid they seem to act and the more likely they will be to come out on display. They love hiding under cork bark, in tree hollows or any dark secluded space they can find off the ground. So cork bark tubes, cork flats, cork branches, and textured pieces of driftwood are an ideal decoration and retreat for them. You can let The Dude do the work for you with a Terra Aranea Accent Pack. A simple hardscape can be created by placing one or two cork bark rounds vertically in the enclosure, burying them deep into the substrate, leaving them either sticking straight up or leaning on the back or sides of the enclosure. Your C. versicolor will most likely hide inside the cork tube until they settle into the new enclosure, which can take days, weeks, or even months. Once they feel secure in their new surroundings, they will venture out and start creating intricate web tubes around the cork bark, typically in the top corners of the enclosure, where they will start hanging out waiting for any prey to cross their path. You will also want to add a large and wide water dish on the floor of the enclosure. The large surface area will help facilitate evaporation to maintain optimal humidity. I also like to add a small water dish on a ledge near the top of the enclosure. These tarantulas will venture down to the ground for a drink of water, but if you provide a small water dish at the level they are at in the enclosure, they will make quick use of it.

For spiderlings, make sure any water dish you use is no wider than your spiderlings leg span. Some keepers use a small bottle cap. Most slings will just drink from water droplets on their web or the side of their enclosure, so a quick mist every few days will provide ample water. Just don't overdo it with the misting.

You can also add any other “reptile or pet safe” decorations that you would like. Just make sure that they have no sharp points or edges that your tarantula could harm themselves on if they were to fall.

Feeding

I give my smallest spiderlings small, pre-killed crickets or roaches, and once the slings are large enough to take down live prey I no longer pre-kill. You don’t want to feed them any live prey larger than ⅔ the size of the spiderling. These spiderlings will scavenge, so there is no harm in playing it safe and dropping pre-killed prey on their webbing or near the entrance of their burrow.

Juveniles can be fed two medium crickets once a week. You can feed more or less prey, depending on their appetite and the size of their abdomen. If their abdomen appears swollen but they’re still taking food, I may only feed them one cricket at a time until they refuse food or molt. Typically you do not want their abdomen to be larger than their carapace, but for spiderlings you can allow them to get a little more plump than that. Just avoid overfeeding them, leading to them becoming obese. Sometimes an overfed tarantula can experience problems molting leading to the loss of limbs or even death. Overfeeding your tarantula and causing them to become very plump will not accelerate their growth or make them molt quicker.

Adults can be fed 2 or 3 large crickets every week or two. These tarantulas are excellent eaters as adults and can surprise you by quickly jumping on their prey as soon as they sense it. Try not to overfeed your tarantula, but if their abdomen isn’t looking too disproportionately big, you can feed them closer to every week or ten days. You can add dietary variety by feeding them mealworms, dubia roaches, red runners, green hornworms or even wax worms occasionally. The most important thing to consider when choosing the best feeder for this species is that the feeder will cross paths with the tarantula. Mealworms and most roaches will quickly burrow into the substrate, making the chances of the tarantula finding them and eating slim. I believe crickets are the best choice for most arboreal tarantulas because the crickets will almost always climb upwards and usually walk right into the lair of the tarantula.

It is important to note that you NEVER dust your feeders when feeding tarantulas. Tarantulas and their supplies may be commonly sold alongside reptiles, but they are not the same and neither is their care (though there are some similarities). There is even some anecdotal evidence and strong beliefs on the internet that using calcium supplement dust on tarantula feeders can actually be very harmful and lead to issues with molting. The best way to ensure your tarantula is getting all the necessary vitamins and minerals from their prey is to gutload the feeders. Provide the crickets or roaches with some fresh fruit and vegetables 24 hours before feeding them to your spider. Some leafy greens, carrots, oranges, apples, or really any produce you have rotting in the vegetable drawer of your fridge will work great!

It is also important to mention while discussing feeding that tarantulas are famously known for going on hunger strikes. When a tarantula is pre-molt, they will typically hide away in their burrow for weeks or months at a time. During this time they will usually also show little to no interest in eating. Some keepers get very concerned that their tarantula is not eating, but this is very typical behavior. When the spider is stressed, like after being shipped or moved into a new enclosure, they might go weeks without eating until they settle in. Not only will they not eat while preparing for a molt, but you should also wait 10-14 days after an adult tarantula molts before even attempting to feed them because they need time to allow their exoskeleton (including their fangs) to harden before trying to take down prey. And sometimes, for no reason whatsoever, except maybe that they just aren't hungry, your tarantula will randomly refuse to eat from time to time. When this happens, do not panic. Anytime you feed your tarantula, check back in on them in a few hours and if they have not eaten the prey or seem disinterested, remove the prey and try again next time. It is best not to leave live prey in their enclosure for extended periods of time. The prey could further stress them out, leading to an even longer wait for them to relax and eat. If the tarantula molts while live prey is in the enclosure, the cricket or mealworm might take advantage of the tarantula in a vulnerable position and start checking on them as they are hardening up and unable to protect themselves. So anytime they refuse food, just remove the feeders and try again in a week or two.

Handling

If you go on most tarantula message boards and Facebook groups, the handling of pet tarantulas is generally discouraged. That being said, many keepers enjoy handling their tarantulas on a regular basis. Some species are more tolerant than others and some specimens within a species might be more or less willing to be handled. It is important to check your tarantula’s temperament BEFORE attempting to handle them. Tarantulas cannot be tamed like many pet mammals and reptiles. Spiders are very instinct-driven and will not recognize your voice or smell in the way many other pets do. At best we can hope the tarantula will remain calm and tolerate being held. There are no upsides for the tarantula when it comes to handling. They do not enjoy being handled and they derive no pleasure or bonding from the experience. Handling is solely for the enjoyment of the handler and that is something to always keep in the front of your mind when deciding whether to handle your spider or not. The Caribena versicolor does possess urticating hairs they might rub or kick on you when they feel threatened. While typically these hairs are not known to be irritating to humans, every person is different and you may have a more extreme reaction to their urticating setae than most people. Urticating hairs can leave a red rash and even bumps on the skin that are very itchy. While their venom is not known to be medically significant, they still have large fangs, so a bite would still be somewhat painful, and envenomation could lead to a tingling sensation, numbness, warmth, or even slight swelling and pain. As mentioned before, they are most commonly prone to shoot poop at any perceived threat and while that is not dangerous, it is kind of gross. They will point their rump at you and—with amazing aim—shoot a white liquid that looks like bird poop right towards your hands or face. The last thing to consider when attempting to handle this species is that they can move very quickly in short bursts and love to jump. Without any warning, your Antilles Pinktoe tarantula might leap from your hand towards your chest, back into their enclosure, or even just to the table and ground, where they will typically quickly scurry off. If you want more information on how to safely handle your tarantula, check out this video of safe tarantula handling tips: https://youtu.be/0LhT5_SNRO8?si=rHPMZy2gtGEv77wE

Where to buy a Caribena versicolor

Depending on where you live, some pet stores may sell tarantulas. It is usually best to avoid large chain stores as you can never be sure where the tarantulas come from. There is a huge issue with wild caught tarantulas making their way into the pet hobby. These spiders are irresponsibly and sometimes illegally removed from the wild to be sold as pets. This not only reflects poorly on tarantula keepers, but has devastating and long-lasting repercussions to the environments from which these tarantulas were removed. There is a large network of captive breeders in the USA as well as many other countries around the world, so finding a captive bred specimen is always the best option. While you can find many different dealers at local reptile expos or shows selling tarantulas at their table, it is always ideal to find a booth or business that is specifically dedicated to breeding and dealing in tarantulas. They will most likely have ethically sourced, legal, captive bred specimens available for sale. They will also know a lot more about the specific species and their care needs and may have some insight into the specific specimen you are looking at that has been in their care. Supporting your local bug dealer is almost always a better avenue than purchasing from large chain stores. Here is a list of tarantula dealers I recommend with some discount codes to save you a few bucks: https://www.thetarantulacollective.com/dealers

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