Psalmopoeus cambridgei (Trinidad Chevron Tarantula) 0.5-0.75"

Psalmopoeus cambridgei (Trinidad Chevron Tarantula)

The Trinidad Chevron, or Psalmopoeus cambridgei, is an arboreal tube dweller tarantula from Trinidad. Adults have a beautiful blonde coloration, with striping on the abdomen and orange highlights on the legs, colorful throughout its life. Even from spiderlings the species is colorful, hatching out with a striped abdomen and striping on the legs as well, then building into that full blonde and orange adult look as it grows. This species only grows to about 5 to 6 inches in diagonal leg span, with a fast growth rate, one of the fastest growing genera in the hobby. Females live about 10 years while males typically live only 2 to 3. This is a fast, alert species that keeps you on your toes rather than a calm handler's pet, and we recommend it for keepers who already have some arboreal experience. Grab this new world tarantula for sale today, offered here as a spiderling.

Why do hobbyists keep the Trinidad Chevron?

• Blonde Coloration: A beautiful blonde base with striping on the abdomen and orange highlights on the legs.
• Colorful Spiderlings: Even from spiderlings the species is colorful, hatching out with a striped abdomen and striped legs rather than starting out plain.
• Great Feeding Response: Fast, eager, and fun to watch take down prey.
• Heavy Webber: Builds dense, visible web retreats that become part of the display.
• Fast Growth Rate: One of the fastest growing genera in the hobby.

How should Psalmopoeus cambridgei be kept?

• Adult Size: Hatches around 0.5 to 0.75 inch, this animal's current size, and reaches about 5 to 6 inches in diagonal leg span as an adult, so plan on upsizing a few times along the way.
• Enclosure: Spiderling housing starts at a 4x4x6 inch enclosure with 0.5 to 1 inch of substrate, good cross ventilation, and a cork bark tube or piece of wood to climb and web around.
• Setup Tips: Real cork bark or wood pieces make a significant difference for this species, helping it settle faster and giving it natural climbing surfaces and webbing anchor points at this size.
• Rehousing: Expect two more upsizes, to around 8x8x12 inches and then 12x12x18 inches as an adult, roughly every 6 to 8 months with this species' fast growth rate.
• Temperature: 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, the optimal range for this tropical rainforest species. 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: At this size, offer a 1/8 to 3/16 inch cricket or roach, roughly the size of the carapace (head), at least once a week. Spiderlings do well with 2 to 3 smaller prey items per feeding instead of one larger one.
• Temperament: Success with this species comes down to three things: confident and decisive husbandry, a secure arboreal enclosure it can retreat into, and respecting its speed during maintenance. Keepers who do this find it a rewarding, highly active arboreal to watch.

Are there any additional notes or considerations for Psalmopoeus cambridgei?

• A Blend Of Two Looks: This species sits in an interesting middle ground within the genus, carrying a bit of the Venezuelan Suntiger's bold contrast and a bit of the Panama Blonde's lighter coloring in one animal.
• Captive Bred: All tarantulas at Exotics Unlimited are captive bred.

Looking for similar species?

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

Listing Notes

• This listing is for a Psalmopoeus cambridgei Trinidad Chevron Tarantula spiderling measuring around 0.5 to 0.75 inch in diagonal leg span, which is the size given in the title, unsexed, with roughly a 50/50 chance of male or female. At this size the blonde and orange coloration and chevron striping are already showing, and it only grows more striking with every molt. This is about the size the species hatches at, the most affordable entry to this stunning species.
• Looking for other sizes? This species is also available as a 0.75-1 inch Spiderling or a 1.5 inch Juvenile.