Ecuadorian Purple Tarantula
Avicularia purpurea
1. Breezy Cross-Ventilated Canopy & Upstairs Web Zone
2. Two Great Ways to Set Up Your Habitat
Why Old Care Sheets Were Wrong About Pinktoes!
Old 1990s books told people to put Pinktoes in glass tanks with sopping-wet moss and no airflow—and they died! In Ecuador, they live high in windy treetops:
Option A: Zilla Arboreal Micro Habitat (Our #1 Pick for Juveniles!)
Crystal-clear acrylic with cross-ventilation air slots on the sides and a front door that won't rip their top web.
Option B: Exo Terra 8"×8"×12" or 12"×12"×18" Tall Glass Terrarium
Has built-in front air vents right under the doors + a screen roof so fresh air circulates like a chimney and never gets stuffy!
Water Dish Yes, Swamp No!
Keep the bottom dirt mostly dry, and hydrate them the right way:
Option A: Elevated Magnetic Water Cup + Floor Water Dish
Hot-glue or magnet a little water cup high up on the wall right next to their cork bark (or on the floor) and keep it full 24/7!
Option B: Light Water Droplets on Leaves 1× a Week
Once a week, spritz a few water drops onto the fake leaves outside their web tunnel so they can sip raindrops without soaking the dirt.
Setting Up Their 'Upstairs Apartment'
Pinktoes want to spin a cozy silk tube hammock right near the ceiling:
Option A: Tall Cork Bark Tube + Leafy Cluster at the Top
Stand a cork tube or slab vertically so it stops 2 inches below the roof, and pack fake leaves around the top corner for privacy.
Option B: Front-Opening Door
Always pick a front-opening enclosure so opening the door doesn't rip their silk web at the top!
3. Canopy Bug Feeding & Molting Guide
Best Treetop Spider Feeders:
Naturally climb right up to the top web zone!
Touch gently to the edge of their silk funnel
Awesome juicy treat after a molt
Don't feed until their new fangs turn jet-black
4. Four Keys to a Happy, Thriving Ecuadorian Purple Tarantula
Side Vents Are Everything
Never keep a Pinktoe in a tank that only has air holes on the lid! Side-to-side cross-ventilation is the secret to keeping Avicularia healthy.
Pack Clutter at the Top
Put 80% of your fake leaves and cork bark in the top third of the tank—they barely ever touch the floor!
Cute Little Hops
Pinktoes almost never bite, but when spooked they take funny little frog-hops from hand to hand! Always sit over a table or bed when rehousing.
Watch the Purple Glow Up!
Babies start out dusty blue-grey with dark stripes, and every single molt unlocks brighter electric violet metallic fuzz!
Bring-Home Shopping Checklist
Tap items to check them off on your phone while you shop at Critter Cabana.
Cross-Ventilated Tall Tank & Decor
Water Cup & Tools
Live Feeder Bugs
Complete Reference Notes & Oregon Keeping Guide
Species: Avicularia purpurea | Difficulty: 3/5 — Intermediate | Hardiness: 2/5 — Delicate
Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply — Keeping Your Pet Healthy & Thriving
At a Glance
| Common Name | Ecuadorian Purple Tarantula | |
| Species | Avicularia purpurea | |
| Origin | Rainforest canopy in the Amazon Basin of Ecuador | |
| Adult Size | 4–5 inch leg span | |
| Lifespan | Females: 10–12 years | Males: 2–3 years |
| Diet Type | Insectivore (Crickets, Roaches) | |
| Activity | Nocturnal (Builds tubular webs high in trees) | |
| Temperament | Docile, but extremely fast and prone to jumping. | |
| Handleability | Not recommended. They can jump incredible distances and are easily startled. | |
| Venom | Medically insignificant (Comparable to a bee sting, unless allergic) | |
| Urticating Hairs | Yes (However, they do not "kick" them; they must rub their abdomen directly on a threat) | |
| Difficulty | 3/5 — Intermediate (Requires a strict balance of humidity and cross-ventilation) | |
| Hardiness | 2/5 — Delicate (Highly susceptible to stagnant air and SADS) |
Why We Love Them: The Avicularia purpurea is arguably one of the most stunning tarantulas in the world. As adults, their entire body flashes a brilliant, iridescent purple under light. Like all "Pink Toe" species, they have incredibly adorable, fluffy "toes" that give them excellent grip for climbing glass and branches.
Safety Information
Venom/Defense: Their venom is medically insignificant. Their most common defense mechanism is actually to shoot feces at a perceived threat! If startled, they can accurately shoot a stream of white excrement several feet into the air.
First Aid: If bitten, wash the area with soap and water.
Handling Precautions: Do not handle this species. They are arboreal spiders that can run at lightning speed and jump massive distances. If they jump out of your hands, they can easily get lost or injure themselves.
Housing & Enclosure
Enclosure Type & Size
- Type: Arboreal. This species lives high in the trees. The enclosure must be taller than it is wide.
- Minimum: A 12x12x18 Exo Terra or similar arboreal terrarium for an adult.
- Spiderlings (Slings): Must be kept in small, tall deli cups or acrylic sling enclosures.
- The Mesh Warning: If your enclosure has a wire mesh screen top, it is highly recommended to replace it with drilled acrylic. Arboreal tarantulas will climb on the ceiling, and their tiny claws can get stuck in the mesh, causing them to lose legs or bleed to death.
The Ventilation Rule (CRITICAL)
- Sudden Avic Death Syndrome (SADS): The #1 killer of this species in captivity is "SADS". SADS is caused by keeping the enclosure too humid with stagnant air.
- Cross-Ventilation: You must provide cross-ventilation (air flowing horizontally through the tank). If you only have a screen top (which only provides top ventilation), the heavy, humid air will sit at the bottom of the tank and suffocate the spider. If condensation forms on the glass, you do not have enough ventilation.
Substrate
- Recommended: Coconut fiber (Eco Earth) or organic topsoil.
- Depth: 1–2 inches is fine. They will never burrow; they use the soil simply to catch moisture.
Décor & Enrichment
- Anchor Points (CRITICAL): You must provide vertical structures (tall cork bark tubes, thick branches, fake vines) that reach near the top of the enclosure. The spider will build a tubular web hammock high up in these branches.
- Water Dish: Provide a small water dish. Note: You must often glue or magnetize the water dish high up on the glass wall, as many arboreal tarantulas refuse to walk down to the dirt to drink.
Temperature
| Zone | Temperature |
|---|---|
| Ambient | 72–80°F (22–27°C) |
- Heating: Room temperature is perfect. Never use a heat lamp or heat pad.
Humidity
- Target Range: 70–80% (Moderate-High).
- How to Maintain: Do not soak the dirt to achieve this humidity (which causes stagnant air). Instead, keep the dirt mostly dry, provide a large water dish, and lightly mist the webbing or one side of the glass once a week so the spider can drink the droplets. Let it dry out completely before misting again.
Diet & Nutrition
Primary Diet
- Live crickets or dubia roaches. Toss the prey directly into the spider's web hammock if possible, as they rarely hunt on the ground.
Feeding Schedule
| Life Stage | Frequency | Prey Size |
|---|---|---|
| Spiderling (Sling) | Every 4–5 days | Pinhead crickets |
| Juvenile | Every 7 days | Small crickets |
| Adult | Every 10–14 days | 2-3 Large crickets or 1 Large Roach |
Molting
During the Molt
- DO NOT disturb or handle the spider. Unlike terrestrial spiders that flip on their backs, arboreal tarantulas often molt suspended high in their web hammocks. This is normal.
- Remove any live crickets from the enclosure immediately.
Post-Molt Care
- Wait at least 7–10 days before offering food so their new fangs have time to harden.
What We Stock & Use in Our Stores
These are products we carry and recommend for this species. Ask any associate for help finding them in-store.
| Category | Product | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Enclosure | Exo Terra 12x12x18 Glass Terrarium | Perfect arboreal size. Highly recommend modifying the screen lid. |
| Substrate | Zoo Med Eco Earth (Coco Fiber) | A shallow layer to help catch moisture |
| Hides | Zoo Med Natural Cork Bark (Tall Tubes) | Essential for them to build their web hammocks inside |
| Water Dish | Magnaturals Magnetic Water Dish | Allows you to put the water dish high up on the glass |
| Décor | Fluker's Repta-Vines | Gives them plenty of anchor points near the ceiling |
| Feeder Insects | Live Crickets | Crickets tend to climb better than roaches, making them easier for arboreals to catch |
Care sheet compiled by Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply. For questions, ask any livestock specialist in-store.
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 Ecuadorian Purple Tarantula at
70-80% (Moderate-High with HIGH ventilation)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
species-appropriate warm zone. - 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 Ecuadorian Purple Tarantula warm and humid enough during an Oregon winter?
Target species-appropriate warm zone and 70-80% (Moderate-High with HIGH ventilation). 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 Ecuadorian Purple Tarantula need?
An adult Ecuadorian Purple Tarantula thrives in 12x12x18 Arboreal Terrarium 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 Ecuadorian Purple 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 Ecuadorian Purple 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).
