{"product_id":"monocentropus-balfouri-socotra-island-blue-baboon-tarantula-0-75-1-champion-event","title":"Monocentropus balfouri (Socotra Island Blue Baboon Tarantula) 0.75-1\" CHAMPION EVENT","description":"\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMonocentropus balfouri (Socotra Island Blue Baboon)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Socotra Island Blue Baboon, or Monocentropus balfouri, is an arid terrestrial tarantula from one of the most unforgiving landscapes in the world. Adults have a striking blue coloration, with blue legs and beige femurs, a gray to blue carapace (head), and a solid beige abdomen. This blue baboon is sexually dimorphic, meaning males and females look slightly different from each other. Mature males develop solid blue legs and a solid blue carapace in their last molt of life, while females display a carapace that ranges from light gray to dark blue, depending on the individual. Spiderlings start out gray, and the blue and beige coloration comes in around 2.5 to 3 inches and intensifies with age. The max size of this species is about six inches in diagonal leg span. Monocentropus balfouri is also one of the most successfully kept communal species in the hobby, where mothers have even been observed raising their own spiderlings to adulthood in communal setups in captivity. This species has a lifespan of 10 to 15 years for females, while males only live 2 to 3. The island blue baboon has the fast, alert temperament typical of most Old World baboon tarantulas. Grab this old world tarantula for sale today, offered here as a well-started sling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy do hobbyists keep the Socotra Island Blue Baboon?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBlue And Beige Coloration:\u003c\/strong\u003e The combination of blue legs, a gray-to-blue carapace, and a clean beige abdomen gives this species a look unlike anything else in the hobby, and it only gets more striking as adults intensify with age.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTrue Communal Species:\u003c\/strong\u003e M. balfouri is one of the very small handful of tarantulas that can be kept successfully in large communal colonies. Keepers have gone as far as combining spiderlings from multiple different egg sacs into single communal setups of well over 100 individuals and successfully raising them all the way to maturity, with mothers even documented raising their own young to adulthood in captivity. This one fact is the biggest reason this species is as popular as it is.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSexually Dimorphic Coloration:\u003c\/strong\u003e Mature males and females finish out looking noticeably different from each other: males develop solid blue legs and a solid blue carapace, while each female keeps her own individual mix of light gray to dark blue, so no two adult females look quite the same.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeavy Webber:\u003c\/strong\u003e A prolific webber that builds elaborate, interconnected chamber systems, especially impressive to watch develop in a communal setup.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSurprisingly Easy Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Despite coming from one of the harshest arid environments in the hobby, this species is forgiving and easy to keep, making the care side approachable even though it is not a docile or beginner-temperament animal.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eHow should Monocentropus balfouri be kept?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAdult Size:\u003c\/strong\u003e This species hatches at about 0.5 inch and reaches an adult max of about 6 inches in diagonal leg span.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEnclosure:\u003c\/strong\u003e At this size, 0.75 to 1 inch in leg span, this one lives in a 6 by 6 by 4 inch enclosure (6 by 6 by 4 inches, with about 2 inches of substrate), with a piece of cork bark or a starter hide to build from. The enclosure is sized ahead of the animal on purpose, so it has room to grow and web before it needs its next size up.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSetup Tips:\u003c\/strong\u003e Include a starter hide or a piece of cork bark to give it something to build from. M. balfouri is a heavy webber that will quickly web up the surface and dig connecting tunnels into the substrate, so give it enough loose substrate and structure to work with from the start.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRehousing:\u003c\/strong\u003e From here it moves up to a 12 by 12 by 8 inch enclosure and then an 18 by 18 by 12 inch enclosure, each stage lasting roughly 12 to 16 months at this species' medium growth rate.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTemperature:\u003c\/strong\u003e Keep this species between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Arid Old World terrestrials like this one hold up well across a wide range within that band, higher or lower, so there is no single number to chase.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHumidity:\u003c\/strong\u003e This is an arid species and should not be kept wet. The one thing that matters is never letting the substrate dry out completely, and a water dish provides enough ambient moisture to keep that from happening.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWater:\u003c\/strong\u003e A shallow textured water dish works well, something they can grip when climbing out.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDiet:\u003c\/strong\u003e Feed a 3\/16 to 1\/4 inch cricket at least once a week.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTemperament:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fast and alert, with the typical defensive attitude of most Old World baboon tarantulas.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eAre there any additional notes or considerations for Monocentropus balfouri?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCommunal Setup Tip:\u003c\/strong\u003e For the best odds of success, combine spiderlings together while they are as small as possible rather than waiting until they are larger. Most species that tolerate communal living cannot be separated back out once combined and grown, but M. balfouri is flexible enough that spiderlings from multiple different egg sacs can be combined and succeed, as long as they go in together while still small.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColoration At This Size:\u003c\/strong\u003e Still gray at this size, with the blue and beige coloration still ahead, starting to show around 2.5 to 3 inches.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpiderling Housing Basics:\u003c\/strong\u003e This baby tarantula is past the delicate first-days stage, but its spiderling housing still stays small and simple until its next size up.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eListing Notes\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA well-started sling, past the most delicate first days and feeding steadily, still small enough to add to a communal group if that is the plan.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLooking for other sizes?\u003c\/strong\u003e Check out all of our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/exoticsunlimitedusa.com\/products\/monocentropus-balfouri-socotra-island-blue-baboon-tarantula-communal-species\"\u003eSocotra Island Blue Baboon tarantulas for sale\u003c\/a\u003e to see every stage we offer, from spiderling to mature adult.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Exotics Unlimited USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55691975557439,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0701\/5828\/7167\/files\/WhatsAppImage2026-09-22at12.10.17PM.jpg?v=1790097812","url":"https:\/\/exoticsunlimitedusa.com\/products\/monocentropus-balfouri-socotra-island-blue-baboon-tarantula-0-75-1-champion-event","provider":"Exotics Unlimited","version":"1.0","type":"link"}