The Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula (Avicularia versicolor), known also as the Martinique Red Tree Spider or the Martinique Pinktoe, is native to Guadeloupe and Martinique within the Caribbean Sea, but is a popular spider pet because of its docile nature and unique coloration.
These tarantulas are arboreal (tree-dwelling). They spin intricate funnel webs in which they spend the majority of their time. While in captivity, cage height is much more significant than floor space. The décor is made up of tree branches or cork pieces to which the spider can attach its web.
The spiderlings of this species are bright blue with a black treetrunk pattern featured on the abdomen. As they grow, they gradually lose the blue coloration and their carapace turns green, their abdomen red, their legs green with purple hairs and pink tarsi. They are a more colorful version of their cousin, the Pinktoe Tarantula. On average, the males are slightly brighter in coloration than the females. Like most tarantulas, the males remain much smaller than the females, especially in the abdomen.
It is an aggressive feeder and will consume anything from crickets, worms, grasshoppers, cockroaches, beetles, moths, and other flying insects, to anole lizards. They will also consume mealworms and moth larvae, but these have to be given sparingly because of their fat percentage and the calcium-phosphor proportions.
Image Caption: Antilles Pinktoe Tarantula. Credit: Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
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