Curly Hair Tarantula
Tliltocatl albopilosus
1. Deep Soil & Low-Ceiling Safety Setup
2. Two Great Ways to Set Up Your Habitat
Sizing the Tank: Slings vs. Adults
Putting a fingernail-sized baby ('sling') in a giant 10-gallon tank makes it impossible for them to find dinner:
Option A: Spiderlings ('Slings' Under 1.5")
Keep in a vented sling vial or micro acrylic cube (about 3–4× their legspan wide) with 2" of soil, a piece of moss, and a clean tattoo-ink cap or bottlecap for water.
Option B: Juveniles & Adults (2" to 7"+)
A 5- to 10-gallon glass or acrylic enclosure filled halfway up with 4–6" of packed reptile/invertebrate soil and a curved cork bark starter cave.
Ground Burrowers vs. Tree Climbers
Make sure your setup matches where your spider actually lives in nature:
Option A: Ground / Burrowing (Curly Hair, Red Knee, Arizona Blonde)
Wide floor space, deep 4–6" soil for bulldozing, and low ceiling clearance so a clumsy climber can never take a big fall.
Option B: Tree-Dwelling (Pinktoes, Versicolor, Jumping Spiders)
Tall enclosure with lots of side-wall air holes (cross-ventilation!) and tall cork bark reaching near the ceiling.
To Handle or Not to Handle?
Real talk from our invert team: tarantulas don't get cuddly from being held—handling is mostly for us:
Option A: Hands-Off Display Pet (What We Recommend)
Safest for the spider! Use a soft paintbrush to gently tap their back legs and guide them into a catch-cup whenever you need to clean.
Option B: Sit Flat on the Floor (Calm Docile Species Only)
If you do let a calm Curly Hair or Red Knee walk on your open palm, sit on the floor or bed so a sudden bolt can never mean a fatal drop to the floor.
3. Feeding by 'Booty Size' & The Molting Rule
Best Bugs & Big No-Nos:
Top pick—nutritious and won't bite a spider!
Great hunters—MUST remove uneaten crickets after 24h!
Crush worm heads so they can't hide underground
Wild bugs carry lawn sprays & parasites that kill spiders
4. Four Keys to a Happy, Thriving Curly Hair Tarantula
Watch Out for Wire Mesh
Heavy ground tarantulas have two tiny hooks on each foot that can get snagged in cheap woven window-screen lids. Acrylic lids with drilled air holes are way safer!
Overflow the Water Dish
Tarantulas hate being sprayed in the face with a mister! Instead, just overfill their water dish a little bit once a week so one corner of the soil stays damp.
Itchy Belly Hairs
New World tarantulas kick itchy 'urticating hairs' off their butt when annoyed. Don't rub your eyes after working in the tank, and wash your hands with soap!
Upside-Down vs. Death Curl
Flat on their back = happy molting! Right-side-up with all 8 legs curled tightly *underneath* the belly = dehydrated ('death curl')—put their mouthparts right into a shallow puddle of water!
Bring-Home Shopping Checklist
Tap items to check them off on your phone while you shop at Critter Cabana.
Enclosure & Deep Soil
Water Dish & Safe Tools
Live Feeder Bugs
Complete Reference Notes & Oregon Keeping Guide
Species: Tliltocatl albopilosus (formerly Brachypelma albopilosum) | Difficulty: 1/5 — Beginner | Hardiness: 5/5 — Bulletproof
Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply — Keeping Your Pet Healthy & Thriving
At a Glance
| Common Name | Curly Hair Tarantula |
| Species | Tliltocatl albopilosus |
| Origin | Scrublands and forests of Central America |
| Adult Size | 5 to 6 inches (diagonal leg span) |
| Lifespan | Males: 3 to 5 years. Females: 10 to 25+ years. |
| Diet Type | Insectivore (Crickets, roaches, superworms) |
| Activity | Crepuscular/Nocturnal (Burrowers that wait near the entrance for prey) |
| Temperament | One of the most docile, slow-moving tarantulas in the hobby. Rarely bolts or acts defensive. |
| Handleability | Excellent. They are heavy-bodied and tolerate gentle handling well. However, like all New World tarantulas, they possess urticating (itchy) hairs on their abdomen that they can kick if frightened. |
| Difficulty | 1/5 — Beginner (The ultimate starter tarantula) |
| Hardiness | 5/5 — Bulletproof (Highly forgiving of temperature/humidity fluctuations) |
Why We Love Them: The Curly Hair is famous for its fuzzy, "bad hair day" appearance. Their long bristles curl slightly, giving them a golden, wooly look. Their incredibly calm demeanor makes them the perfect species for overcoming arachnophobia.
Housing & Enclosure
Terrarium Setup
- Type: Terrestrial / Opportunistic Burrower. They need floor space, not height.
- Size: A 5 to 10-gallon tank (or a standard terrestrial acrylic enclosure like Tarantula Cribs) is perfect for an adult.
- The Fall Hazard: Tarantulas are extremely fragile. A fall from even a few inches can rupture their abdomen, which is fatal. Ensure the enclosure has enough substrate that the distance from the dirt to the ceiling is no more than 1.5 times the spider's leg span.
Substrate & Decor
- Deep Substrate: They love to dig and bulldoze their enclosure. Provide at least 4 to 5 inches of a moisture-retaining substrate like Coco Coir (Eco-Earth), ReptiSoil, or a peat moss mix.
- Hide: Provide a half-log, cork bark tube, or a plastic flower pot half-buried in the dirt to act as a burrow starter.
Environment & Husbandry
Temperature & Humidity
- Temperature: If you are comfortable in a t-shirt, the tarantula is comfortable. Standard room temperature (70-80°F) is perfect. They do not need heat lamps or heat pads (which can cook them or dry them out).
- Humidity: Maintain around 65-70%. You do not need to constantly mist the enclosure. Instead, overflow their water dish slightly once a week to keep the bottom layers of the substrate moist while the top layer remains dry.
Water
- Provide a shallow water dish at all times. Do not use a sponge in the dish. Sponges harbor fatal bacteria and mold; tarantulas cannot drown in a shallow dish.
Diet & Feeding
- Staple Diet: Live crickets, dubia roaches, and superworms.
- Feeding Schedule:
- Slings (Babies): Feed 1-2 small prey items twice a week.
- Adults: Feed 3-5 large crickets (or 1 large roach) every 1-2 weeks.
- Overfeeding: Tarantulas will eat until their abdomens are dangerously huge. A healthy tarantula should have an abdomen roughly the same size as (or slightly larger than) its carapace (head).
Molting (The Molt Warning)
- When your tarantula is preparing to molt, it will refuse food, become sluggish, and its abdomen will turn shiny and dark. It may barricade itself in its burrow.
- When they molt, they flip upside down on their backs. DO NOT TOUCH THEM OR FLIP THEM OVER. They are not dead. Touching a molting tarantula will kill it.
- Remove all live prey from the enclosure before a molt, and do not feed them for at least 7-10 days after a molt to allow their fangs to harden.
What We Stock & Use in Our Stores
| Category | Product | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | Exo Terra Breeding Box (Large) | Ideal footprint and ventilation for adults |
| Substrate | Zoo Med Eco Earth (Loose) | Retains moisture well for burrowing |
| Decor | Zoo Med Natural Cork Bark | Creates excellent, natural-looking hides |
| Diet | Live Crickets / Dubia Roaches | The best staple feeders |
Care sheet compiled by Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply.
Last updated: 2026-08-04
How We Keep Them at Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply
- Oregon Winter Furnace Air vs. Molting Humidity: When Pacific Northwest furnaces kick on from October through April, indoor room humidity drops fast and dries out small enclosures from the top down. Rather than misting the spider or invert directly (which stresses terrestrial species and invites stagnant mold), we keep Curly Hair Tarantula at
65-70%by using a deep moisture-retaining substrate bed (ReptiSoil + Coco Fiber + Sphagnum Moss), overflowing the water dish slightly into one corner, and maintaining cross-ventilation. - Safe Room Heating in the Willamette Valley: If your house drops below 65°F on winter nights, never stick a heat pad on the bottom of a burrowing invertebrate tank—they dig down to escape heat and will cook themselves. Use a low-wattage side-mounted heat mat on a digital thermostat or warm the room ambiently to
70-80°F. - Stocked at Newberg & Gresham: At Critter Cabana (Newberg) and Gresham Pet Supply, we stock acrylic and glass invertebrate enclosures, cork bark flats and tubes, bioactive substrates, flightless fruit flies (D. melanogaster and D. hydei), pinhead to adult crickets, dubia roaches, and live Temperate White Springtail and Isopod cultures.
Common Questions (FAQ)
How do I keep my Curly Hair Tarantula warm and humid enough during an Oregon winter?
Target 70-80°F and 65-70%. When Oregon winter furnaces dry out the air, use a deep 3–5 inch substrate mix of Zoo Med ReptiSoil and coco fiber, keep a shallow water dish filled, and dampen one corner of the substrate rather than misting the animal directly. Never put a heat mat underneath a burrowing invertebrate enclosure.
What size enclosure does a Curly Hair Tarantula need?
An adult Curly Hair Tarantula thrives in 5-10 Gallon Terrestrial with secure ventilation. For terrestrial tarantulas and scorpions, floor space and deep substrate matter most (keep open fall height low so heavy-bodied species cannot rupture their abdomen); for arboreal species, prioritize vertical cork bark tubes and cross-ventilation.
Can I put isopods in a Curly Hair Tarantula bioactive enclosure?
Around molting tarantulas and scorpions, skip protein-hungry large isopods and stick to Temperate White Springtails (or gentle Dwarf White isopods in humid detritivore setups) so a soft, newly molted animal is never nibbled.
Where can I find Curly Hair Tarantula, cork bark, and feeder insects in Oregon?
We stock live invertebrates, tarantulas, jumping spiders, cork bark flats and tubes, bioactive substrates, and gut-loaded feeder insects at our two exotic animal stores: Critter Cabana in Newberg (514 E First St, 503-537-2887) and Gresham Pet Supply (2185 NW Burnside Rd, 503-665-7606).
