Tapinauchenius plumipes (purple tree tarantula)

*JUVENILES*

Lightning on legs with sleek, velvety tones and a tidy silk retreat. This is a “blink and it’s somewhere else” arboreal—beautiful, bold, and absolutely not a handle-pet. If you like active webby tree spiders with attitude, this one delivers.

Quick care

• Lifestyle: Arboreal; ultra-fast; builds a tubular retreat and patrols at night.
• Enclosure: Tall setup, tons of cross-vent, very secure latch (sprinter!). Add a vertical cork tube + clutter for anchor points.
• Substrate: 3–5 cm; keep a small area lightly damp for slings, mostly dry as they size up. Leaf litter is a nice touch.
• Temps/Humidity: 22–26 °C; moderate humidity with strong airflow
• Feeding: Smaller prey more often works well; juveniles/sub-adults every 5–7 days. Pause if it walls itself in (premoult).
• Temperament: Skittish/defensive if cornered; no urticating hairs—relies on speed. Look, don’t touch.