Avicularia rufa (Yellow Banded Pinktoe Tarantula) (Brazil Local)

Avicularia rufa (Yellow Banded Pinktoe Tarantula)

The Yellow Banded Pinktoe Tarantula, or Avicularia rufa, is an arboreal tarantula from Brazil, and this is the Brazil locality of the species. Adults have a gold carapace (head) and a gold and black abdomen, with gold legs finished in brighter yellow banding over the leg joints, which is where the yellow banded name comes from. Spiderlings start out in the traditional pink and black most pink toes hatch with, and they change slowly into that adult gold and black. The species grows to about 6 inches in diagonal leg span, which makes it larger than most pink toes, while females live about 10 to 12 years and males mature faster, typically living only 2 to 3 years. This species is also calm and manageable, fast when startled but not defensive, and a good fit for a keeper who wants a gold arboreal rather than another purple or blue one. Own this new world tarantula for sale today and start your journey with a calm, manageable arboreal, offered here as a spiderling.

Why do hobbyists keep Yellow Banded Pinktoe Tarantula?

• Stunning Coloration: Gold across the legs and carapace with brighter yellow banding over the leg joints, and a gold and black abdomen. Gold is a rare thing to find in this group.
• Colorful Spiderlings: Slings come in the traditional pink and black of a classic pink toe and turn over slowly into the adult gold and black, so the change is a long slow reward rather than one molt.
• Large Arboreal Species: About 6 inches in diagonal leg span, larger than most pink toes, so the gold banding ends up on a properly sized animal.
• Heavy Webber: Webs heavily up high and tubes off against cork bark within days of a rehouse.
• Docile Temperament: Calm and manageable, quick when startled but not a species that stands its ground.
• Uncommon in the Hobby: Not something you see offered often, so a gold pink toe this size tends to move quickly when it is available.

How should Avicularia rufa be kept?

• Adult Size: Yellow Banded Pinktoe Tarantula spiderlings hatch around 0.5 to 0.75 inch and grow to about 6 inches in diagonal leg span as full adults, so every size below is sized ahead of where that animal is today.
• Enclosure and Rehousing: Sized in three stages as this species grows toward its adult max, from a first enclosure through two rehouses. See the size you're considering below for the exact dimensions at that stage.
• 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.
• 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 size scales with the animal, from pinhead sized feeders on the smallest spiderlings up to larger prey as it grows. See the size you're considering below for the exact prey measurement at that stage.
• Temperament: Docile but fast, quicker to bolt for its retreat than to stand its ground, and capable of jumping when startled. 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.

Which size should I choose?

• 0.5-0.75", Spiderling: the lowest cost way in, and the one that lets you watch its entire growth and color change happen under your own care from the very start.
• 1", Spiderling: a little bigger than our smallest offering, past the trickiest early days but still at spiderling pricing.

Pick the size you want above. Each size still has its own care guidance suited to exactly where that animal is today, not a generic version stretched across every size.

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.