Time for GBB Chromatopelma

[Orangebiteything]

Hi guys. Ok, it’s official, getting my very first Chromatopelma cycanopubescens (I think I spelled that right) the green bottle blue. I have wanted one for a while, and my dear husband has got one for me. So, I know they are heavy Webber’s, can be arboreal, but can tend to hang out, need anchors for webbing, etc. What else is good to know about this species? For those that have this species, is there anything that surprised you? Not had any experience with this genus, want to make sure I do this right. Thanks!

 

[ArdorAphonopelma]

I heard that they sometimes have serious mood swings. maybe someone with a gbb can confirm.

 

[Tortoise Tom]

Keep them dry, but with a water bowl. Dampness can kill them.

I have three and all of them are a bit skittish, but I still regularly see them out. If I touch the cage to open the lid and feed or water them, they bolt for their lair. All three are excellent eaters and hard hitters. They only refuse food when in pre-molt.

Sounds like you've got the rest of the info already. I've never heard the aboreal thing. I have mine set up as terrestrials and they are always on the ground except when on top of their web lairs. I've never seen them high up in their enclosures.

This is from when I first got my biggest girl:

I don't have a current pic, but the enclosure and spider look totally different now. I'll try to get a current pic tomorrow.

 

[Orangebiteything]

Awesome. Thank you for the info. Even as slings they like it real dry huh? Okie dokie. One thing I wanted to make sure. I understood they need dry as adults. I like that setup.. thinking of grape wood..all twisty and such. Glad they sit out and are more terrestrial, I want to enjoy that beautiful blue when it matures.

 

[Tortoise Tom]

Awesome. Thank you for the info. Even as slings they like it real dry huh? Okie dokie. One thing I wanted to make sure. I understood they need dry as adults. I like that setup.. thinking of grape wood..all twisty and such. Glad they sit out and are more terrestrial, I want to enjoy that beautiful blue when it matures.

For slings, I used a tip that I've seen often repeated here on this forum to simply over flow the water bowl a little bit once a week or so. This seems to be all the substrate moisture this species needs. I've read many accounts of the old days when this species first became available and popular and people thought they were a sensitive species and difficult to keep alive because everyone was housing them with dampness. As soon as we figured out the dry thing, all of them survived, thrived and proved to be very easy keepers.

My first girl was already about 3" when I got her, but my other two were smaller. All did well with dry coco coir and a water bowl over in the corner.

I think it was already mentioned, but be aware that this species is a heavy webber. No matter how beautiful you make the enclosure, it will all look like a white nightmare before Christmas in the space of a few weeks. I'm hoping to snap some pics to post after work this afternoon.

 

[WolfSpider]

I second all of the above—especially the voracious appetite. I’m pretty confident my GBB would try to eat a pizza if I presented it to him. I would add that they are very fast growers.

 

[Tortoise Tom]

I got some pics today!

This is one of my younger ones. It was about 3/4" when I bought it a few months ago. Its looking pretty leggy. Might be a male which would be great since my older bigger one is a female.

Here is the other small cage for web reference:

And here is the same cage from the pic in the previous post. Big momma ducked into her hole as soon as I touched the cage:

 

[Rs50matt]

They're semi arboreal. In the wild they tend to spend their time in the bottoms of bushes (so I've read). people successfully keep them in terrestrial and arboreal . I believe @Enn49 keeps hers semi arboreal? If I remember rightly. My sling spends very little time on the sub and most of the time up high where it's built it's web

 

[Orangebiteything]

I second all of the above—especially the voracious appetite. I’m pretty confident my GBB would try to eat a pizza if I presented it to him. I would add that they are very fast growers.

Good! I was hoping they were. Looking forward to seeing that green blue...lol, pizza eating spiders. Can’t get better than that.

 

[Orangebiteything]

They're semi arboreal. In the wild they tend to spend their time in the bottoms of bushes (so I've read). people successfully keep them in terrestrial and arboreal . I believe @Enn49 keeps hers semi arboreal? If I remember rightly. My sling spends very little time on the sub and most of the time up high where it's built it's web

Hah, well, I’ll get a tall wide zoo med is what I’m thinking, or the small exo terra. Just proves that every T is an individual within its own species even. Will have to see what it prefers and go from there.

 

[Orangebiteything]

I got some pics today!

This is one of my younger ones. It was about 3/4" when I bought it a few months ago. Its looking pretty leggy. Might be a male which would be great since my older bigger one is a female.
View attachment 33514

View attachment 33515 View attachment 33516



Here is the other small cage for web reference:
View attachment 33517


And here is the same cage from the pic in the previous post. Big momma ducked into her hole as soon as I touched the cage:
View attachment 33518

View attachment 33519

This is cool. When little sling grows up I will need to do a picture series like that. I love that webbing. It’s fantastic.

 

[Tortoise Tom]

This is cool. When little sling grows up I will need to do a picture series like that. I love that webbing. It’s fantastic.

I caught my big girl out today and she let me snap some pics.

I just can't believe how gorgeous these spiders are.

 

[WolfSpider]

@Tortoise Tom : Stunning. Should be a part of every collection IMHO.

 

[timc]

My girl is not very friendly and rehousings we’re more like an OBT than a Brachypelma, that just might be her though. Otherwise, probably my favorite spider considering the webbing, feeding response and general quirkiness. Plus they are the most beautiful tarantula from sling to adulthood in natural light. You’re about to have a lot of fun, because these things rule.