Avicularia merianae (Tarapoto Pink Toe Tarantula) 0.5-0.75"

Avicularia merianae (Tarapoto Pink Toe Tarantula)

The Tarapoto Pink Toe Tarantula, or Avicularia merianae, is a dwarf arboreal tarantula from the Tarapoto region of Peru. Adults retain a pink and black coloration rather than shifting into the darker adult look most pink toes take on, which is unusual for the group. The species tops out around 3.5 inches in diagonal leg span, which makes it one of the few dwarf pink toes in the hobby, while females live about 10 to 12 years and males mature faster, typically living only 2 to 3 years. A small tarantula that stays genuinely small is what a lot of keepers are actually after, and there are not many dwarf options in this group to choose from. This species is also calm and manageable, fast when startled but not defensive, and the smaller footprint makes it far less intimidating than a full sized arboreal. We're excited to offer this new world tarantula for sale, offered here as a spiderling.

Why do hobbyists keep Tarapoto Pink Toe Tarantula?

• Popular Dwarf Species: Topping out around 3.5 inches, this is one of the very few dwarf pink toes available, and a small tarantula is what a lot of keepers actually want rather than a compromise they settle for.
• Keeps Its Coloration: Adults hold onto the pink and black coloration rather than shifting into the darker adult look most pink toes take on, so the animal keeps the look it hatched with.
• Heavy Webber: Webs heavily for its size and tubes off on cork bark, so even a small enclosure ends up looking properly furnished.
• Docile Temperament: Calm and manageable, fast when startled but not a defensive species, and the smaller size makes it far less intimidating to work around.
• Great Display Species: Stays out on its webbing rather than hiding, which counts for more in a small enclosure.
• Uncommon in the Hobby: A Peruvian dwarf that does not come up for sale as often as the standard sized pink toes.

How should Avicularia merianae be kept?

• Adult Size: Tarapoto Pink Toe Tarantula spiderlings hatch around 0.5 inch and grow to about 3.5 inches in diagonal leg span as full adults, so every enclosure below is sized ahead of where this animal is today, not just to fit it right now.
• Enclosure: At 0.5 to 0.75 inches, this arboreal tarantula cage runs 2.5x2.5x4 inches, with at least 1.5 inches of substrate and a real piece of cork bark or sterile wood to start webbing against right away. Sized a notch ahead of the animal on purpose, since a pink toe that grows into its space settles and webs faster than one that outgrows it and has to be moved again right away.
• Setup Tips: Real cork bark or a real piece of wood in the enclosure is not just decoration, it is one of the most important pieces of this setup. It gives the animal somewhere real to grip and start laying web right away, and with this genus in particular, that first piece of bark makes a drastic difference in how quickly a new arrival settles in and starts webbing. We have seen a real increase in early survival success tied directly to a bark based setup versus a bare enclosure, so this is one detail worth getting right from day one, not something to add later.
• Rehousing: From here it moves up to a 5x5x8 inch enclosure, then finally an 8x8x12 inch enclosure as a full adult, with each move coming roughly 8 to 12 months apart at this genus's medium to fast growth rate, full size in about 2 to 4 years start to finish.
• Temperature: 75 to 85°F, the optimal range for most tropical species like this one. Cooler temperatures are survivable, but increase the odds of trouble molting and growing, so we recommend staying in this range for the best results. Most keepers do not need any extra heating to hit it.
• Humidity: Moderate to high, with the substrate kept lightly moist rather than wet, and strong cross ventilation. Airflow matters more here than maximizing humidity, so skip a fully screened top, which dries an enclosure out too fast.
• Water: A shallow water dish is enough, and placing it up on a piece of cork rather than on the floor is more natural for an arboreal and keeps crickets from drowning in it before they get eaten. Add a light misting of the enclosure once a week to help keep humidity in range.
• Diet: Prey sized around 1/8", the right size for a 0.5 to 0.75 inches animal, offered at least once a week. Feed on that schedule at every stage, spiderlings included, and remove anything left uneaten after a day or two.
• Temperament: Docile but fast, quicker to bolt for its retreat than to stand its ground, and capable of jumping when startled. It tends to stay high in the enclosure and may ignore prey sitting on the ground while young, so offering food up where it is sitting works better than dropping it below. This genus is genuinely easy once one thing is right: keep the air moving with real cross ventilation, keep the substrate lightly moist rather than wet, and give it real cork bark from the sling stage. Get that airflow right and this species is straightforward to raise.

Are there any additional notes or considerations?

• Pink Toe Spiders?: You will sometimes see these called pink toe spiders online. Tarantulas are arachnids, not spiders, and definitely not true spiders, the kind most people picture when they hear the word spider. This is one of the heavy bodied, hairy, long lived tarantulas that gets lumped in with that name anyway. If you searched for a pink toe spider and landed here, you are in exactly the right place.

Looking for similar species?

• Browse our Arboreal Tarantulas and New World Tarantulas collections to explore related care profiles.

Listing Notes

• This listing is for an Avicularia merianae Tarapoto Pink Toe Tarantula spiderling measuring around half to three quarters of an inch (0.5 to 0.75 inches) in diagonal leg span, which is the size given in the title, unsexed, with roughly a 50/50 chance of male or female. Our smaller currently available size for this dwarf species, already close to the adult pink and black coloration since this is one of the few pink toes that does not change color with age.
• Looking for a different size? Check out these other options: 1-1.5", Juvenile.