Like its purple cousin, this is also one of the rarest and most demanded tarantulas in the hobby. We selected this particular species due to the striking coloration featured on the adult males which consists of beautiful deep pink "bloom" found on their femurs as well as the carapace. This spider also has short urticating hairs located on the abdomen and other parts of the body which can be used as a defensive mechanism.
This creature is indigenous to Ecuador situated on the equator and is accustomed to a broad range of temperatures. It can tolerate temperatures in the high 50's to the low 100's as well as high altitudes. This is a fairly large species with adult females reaching over 8 inches in length.
P. platyomma is a fast growing species and if kept in a warm, humid habitat and fed frequently can mature in 1-2 years. It should be noted that this is a semi aggressive species which can be easily provoked whereby we do not anticipate handling the spider unless absolutely necessary.
Care and Feeding
Our spiderling is a female and was purchased from Michigan Arachnids. It was extremely difficult to locate any specimens of the Pink Bloom in the United States or in Europe. Typically, females are not as striking as the males but they live much longer lives and by having a female means that we may have the opportunity to breed her in the future. Males obtain their amazing coloration after their ultimate molt which means their lifespans are coming to an end. Fortunately, this tarantula genus has been successfully bred in captivity whereby it is a fairly peaceful process provided you dont leave the male in the same enclosure with the female overnight once mating has been achieved. She will eat the male.
Pictured to the right is a female P. Platyomma showing a modest amount of pink and browns along with the characteristic starburst pattern on the carapace.
This page was last updated: March 7, 2017
Our Female (Pictured left)
Bryan at Michigan Arachnids sent us a picture of our female prior to her getting ready for shipping. She has been through several molts but still spans only three inches in length. She will not ship until the weather improves since heat packs last for only 30 hours which means a weather related delay could be lethal.
We have also purchased a terrestrial enclosure from Jamie's Tarantulas which will need to be prepped before our Pink Bloom arrives in her new home.
In her enclosure pictured on the right, we have provided a coco husk substrate with plenty of room for burrowing. A bark "cave" was added of which should make our new arrival feel more at home thus reducing stress etc. Typically, tarantulas are seen more often outside their burrows when there are plenty of natural furnishings inside their home. We plan on testing this theory.
After several weeks of hiding in her burrow, our female finally made an appearance on April 21. Our hope is that she is hungry and looking for food.
May 11- 18th, 2016
This morning, our female emerged from her den having just completed her next molt. Not only has she dramatically increased in size but her coloration has changed to a darker, almost bluish hue. Her abdomen has not completely filled out yet and it is hard to tell what her final color will be once her exoskeleton has completely dried and hardened.
May 28th, 2016
We have switched her diet to include large crickets which she snatched up very quickly. However, pictured on the right, she is in the process of devouring a Dubia roach who probably thought it was safe to venture near our Pink Bloom's lair. Big mistake.
June 4th, 2016
We could not help but notice that our Platy is spending more and more time outside of her lair. In the picture on the left, she chased down a Dubia roach that was running for cover amongst the branches and leaves in her enclosure. She is definitely more aggressive in her feeding and is less concerned about whats going on outside of the cage. You can the Dubia roach in her cheliserae struggling to get free.
August 4th, 2016
After returning from a recent vacation, our Platy has molted once again and this time we were able to retrieve the discarded exoskeleton pictured on the right. What is impressive are the size of the cheliserae which are clearly evident in the picture.
March 7th, 2017- SHE'S LEAVING!!!!
After much deliberation and in anticipation of adding not one, but at least four new tarantulas to my collection, I am saying "good bye" to our P. Platyomma. I contacted my friends at the tropical pet store where I buy crickets for the "children" and they have gladly agreed to assume the parenting responsibilities for my female. She probably wont miss me very much.
Like its purple cousin, this is also one of the rarest and most demanded tarantulas in the hobby. We selected this particular species due to the striking coloration featured on the adult males which consists of beautiful deep pink "bloom" found on their femurs as well as the carapace. This spider also has short urticating hairs located on the abdomen and other parts of the body which can be used as a defensive mechanism.
