Caribena versicolor (Antilles Pink Toe Tarantula)

The Antilles Pink Toe Tarantula, or Caribena versicolor (ex Avicularia versicolor), is an arboreal tarantula native to the island of Martinique in the eastern Caribbean. Adults have red legs, a blue to green carapace (head), and a red abdomen with purple hues showing throughout, creating a stunning and unique coloration in the tarantula world. Spiderlings hatch out a bright blue, nicknamed blueberries in the hobby, and that adult purple, red and green coloration comes in around 3 inches. The species only grows to about 5 to 6 inches in diagonal leg span, with a medium to fast growth rate. As with most pink toe tarantulas, expect females to live 10 to 15 years, while males typically live only 2 to 3. This species is fast moving but docile, rarely defensive even when startled, appealing to keepers who want serious color without an aggressive animal. Grab this docile new world tarantula for sale today, offered here as a Spiderling.

Why do hobbyists keep the Antilles Pink Toe Tarantula?

• Red, Blue-Green And Purple Coloration: Adults carry red legs, a blue to green carapace, and a red abdomen touched with purple throughout, a combination that is one of a kind in the hobby.
• Colorful Spiderlings: Spiderlings hatch out a bright blue, nicknamed blueberries, so you get that striking blue phase before the adult colors take over.
• Heavy Webber: This species is a heavy webber and builds thick retreats in the upper part of the enclosure, giving it a lot of presence even when it is tucked away.
• Great Display Species: Fast moving and quick to explore its enclosure, this is a species that stays visible rather than hiding, so you actually get to watch it.
• Docile Temperament: Despite moving quickly, this species is docile and rarely defensive even when startled, appealing to keepers who want serious color without an aggressive animal.

How should Caribena versicolor be kept?

• Adult Size: Hatchlings start around 0.5 to 0.75 inch, and the species only grows to about 5 to 6 inches in diagonal leg span as an adult, so there is plenty of growing left ahead of it at every size we carry.
• Enclosure: A young Caribena versicolor like this one does well in an enclosure around 4 by 4 by 6 inches, with cross ventilation and vertical cork bark, foliage, and multiple anchor points for webbing. At least 1.5 inches of substrate at every stage keeps humidity steady without turning the enclosure into a swamp.
• Setup Tips: Real cork bark or wood pieces make a big difference for this species. They help it settle in faster and give it natural climbing surfaces and webbing anchor points at every size, spiderling included.
• Rehousing: From here, plan on two more moves: an 8 by 8 by 12 inch enclosure, then a 12 by 12 by 18 inch enclosure as an adult. At this species' medium to fast growth rate, each enclosure typically lasts around 8 to 14 months, with full size reached in about 2 to 4 years.
• 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: Never let the substrate dry out completely. This is a tropical species and it likes things a little wetter than most terrestrials, so keep it slightly damp and top it up before it goes dry rather than after.
• Water: Provide a shallow water dish placed in an elevated position if possible. This is more natural for arboreal species and helps prevent crickets from falling in and drowning. A weekly misting is suggested as well, so the animal can drink off the side of the enclosure or its own webbing if it prefers that to the dish, as long as you are wetting surfaces rather than soaking the substrate.
• Diet: We recommend prey size from a pinhead cricket up to a 5/8 inch cricket depending on the size you choose, offered at least once a week.
• Temperament: This species moves quickly and explores its enclosure readily, but it is docile and rarely defensive even when startled.

Are there any additional notes or considerations for Caribena versicolor?

• Pink Toe Spiders? Like every tarantula, this arachnid gets called a pink toe spider in casual conversation. Tarantulas and true spiders are both arachnids, though tarantulas are the heavy bodied, long lived branch of the family, and a pink toe's habit of showing off its brightly colored feet while it walks is exactly why the nickname stuck.
• Fast But Not Aggressive: This species moves quickly and covers ground fast when it wants to, which sometimes gets mistaken for defensiveness. It is docile, and quick movement toward cover is not the same thing as an aggressive animal.
• Captive Bred: All tarantulas at Exotics Unlimited are captive bred.

Which size should I choose?

• 0.5 to 0.75 inch (Spiderling): The smallest size we carry, right around the size the species hatches at, with all of its blue sling color and growing still ahead.
• 0.75 to 1 inch (Well-Started Sling): Past the most delicate early stage while still affordable and still showing that blue sling color.
• 1 to 1.5 inches (Juvenile): The size most keepers land on, well grown in but still well before the color change begins.
• 2 inches (Juvenile): Still in its blue phase, with the color change a little further ahead, for a keeper who wants more size on the animal already.
• About 2.5 inches (Juvenile Female, confirmed female): A confirmed female right where the color change begins, so you know what you are building toward.

Looking for similar species?

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