Davus sp. 'panama' (Lava Tarantula)

Davus sp. 'Panama' (Lava Tarantula)

The Lava Tarantula, or Davus sp. 'Panama', is a dwarf terrestrial tarantula native to Panama. Adults display a beautiful bright red orange coloration with black legs, a black carapace (head), and black markings on the abdomen, creating a high contrast pattern that makes the whole animal look like it is glowing, which is where the lava name comes from. Spiderlings start out pink and black, and that pink brightens into a vivid red orange through the juvenile stage and keeps intensifying as the animal grows. This dwarf tarantula reaches a max diagonal leg span of about 3.5 inches, and females live about 10 years while males live 2 to 3 years. This species is docile but skittish, far more likely to run than stand its ground, and is great for keepers who want a small tarantula with serious color. Grab one of the most popular dwarf new world tarantulas for sale today, offered here in many sizes, from spiderling to juvenile female.

Why do hobbyists keep Davus sp. 'Panama'?

• Stunning Coloration: A bright red orange body set against black legs, a black carapace and black markings on the abdomen. In person the contrast is high enough that the animal reads as though it is lit from inside.
• Drastic Color Change: The pink and black spiderling turns red orange as it grows, and the juvenile stage is where that color runs brightest, so the change happens in front of you rather than arriving finished.
• Popular Dwarf Species: Dwarf tarantulas suit keepers who want a small tarantula that is easier to house and less intimidating to work around, and this one gives up nothing on color for being small.
• Heavy Webber: One of the heaviest webbers we keep at this size. It will web over most of the enclosure until the setup itself becomes the display.
• Docile Temperament: Calm but skittish, and far more likely to walk away or duck into its webbing than to stand its ground. It moves quickly for a new world terrestrial this size, but it has no interest in a confrontation.

How should the Lava Tarantula be kept?

• Adult Size: Spiderlings start out around a third to half an inch (0.33 to 0.5 inch) in diagonal leg span, growing to an adult max of about 3.5 inches. A stout bodied dwarf that keeps real visual presence at a size that stays easy to house.
• Enclosure: We size every terrestrial tarantula enclosure to our standard Three Cage System, ahead of the animal rather than to its current size, with enough substrate depth to web heavily and scrape out a shallow burrow. Cage 1 runs around 4 by 4 by 3 inches, cage 2 around 8 by 8 by 5 inches, and cage 3 around 12 by 12 by 8 inches at full adult size. Pick the size above for that tier's exact setup.
• Rehousing: Two rehouses total across this species' medium to fast growth rate, reaching full adult size in about 2 to 4 years, with each enclosure lasting roughly 8 to 12 months along the way. Males often mature before ever needing that third cage. Pick the size above to see where a given animal sits on that path.
• Temperature: Keep them between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a tropical species and it does noticeably better warm, so the upper half of that range is where it feeds hardest and grows fastest.
• 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. Good ventilation is critical. Cross ventilation works best, but ample top ventilation can also be effective as long as the enclosure is not over-misted.
• Water: A shallow textured water dish works well, something they can grip when climbing out.
• Diet: Prey length should run about a quarter of the leg span, roughly the width of the carapace. Feed at least once a week at every stage. This species feeds hard and grows steadily when kept consistently. Pick the size above for that tier's exact prey measurement.
• Temperament: Docile but skittish, and quick to walk away or duck into its webbing when disturbed. This is not a species that stands its ground.

Which size should I choose?

Pick the size you want above. Each size still has its own care guidance and its own price behind it, so what you see for that size is exactly what ships.

• 0.33-0.5" (Spiderling): right at the size the species hatches at, pink and black already showing, your cheapest way to collect this species.
• 0.5-0.75" (Spiderling): a well-started spiderling, past the size the species hatches at.
• 0.5" FREE WITH QUALIFYING PURCHASE OF $750 (Spiderling): a hatch size spiderling, added free to a qualifying invertebrate order.
• 0.75-1" (Juvenile): past the spiderling stage, and heading into the stage where that pink runs brightest.
• FEMALE 1.5" (Juvenile Female): confirmed female with the red coming in strong, and the guesswork on sex already done.

Are there any additional notes or considerations for the Lava Tarantula?

• Moisture Matters: Slightly moist substrate, never wet, holds humidity, drives the heavy webbing this species is known for, and keeps the spider out where you can see it rather than tucked away.
• Spiderling Care: Spiderlings want steady moisture, and the formula is three things: keep the substrate consistently slightly damp, feed correctly sized prey every week, and leave it alone to web. Get those right from the start and the rest takes care of itself.
• Captive Bred: All Tarantulas are 100% captive bred.

Listing Notes

• This is the Species Hub for the Davus sp. 'Panama' Lava Tarantula, the page that links every size we have of it. Each size we carry has its own listing with its own enclosure guidance, prey size and price, so pick the size below and that page will tell you exactly what the animal in front of you needs. If you came here hunting a lava tarantula for sale, this is the page that shows you every size at once.