This fascinating addition to our collection features an absolutely striking iridescent blue appearance but its origins are somewhat of a mystery as well. These gorgous spiders are found in the ecological islands in the highlands of Eastern Brazil near the Chapada Diamantina National Park at elevations as high as 4300 feet above sea level. This area is classified as a subtropical savannah where temperatures are fairly mild and rainfall can range from heavy to almost non existent. This is generally considered a burrowing spider although it can sometimes be found in low lying shrubs or trees in carefully spun webs. They are considered to be very fast moving and somewhat shy or skittish by nature. Very little is known about the toxicity of their venom and handling of this tarantula is not a good idea until they mature.
The Brazilian Blue was originally discovered in 1901 but was rediscovered or revalidated by Dr. Sazimai in 2011 and very little is known of this species. Captive bred juveniles are hard to come by and many believe that it is a matter of time before this tarantula is included on the CITES list for endangered species. Its habitat is considered at risk which could further threaten its future.
Care and Feeding
Our subadult female is a burrower so we will be providing a temporary enclosure with a coco bark substrate. Several owners of this unique spider have noted that it does not prefer a moist or wet substrate so care must be given to provide sufficient moisture as well as a dry portion of the enclosure. Several breeders have also noted that the Brazilian Blue does not do well in particularly warm environments whereby care should be given for cooler temperatures in the evening when it is most active.
Our hope is that our new arrival will remain active above ground without disappearing for long periods of time underground. Keeping humidity levels up will be a challenge especially during the winter monthes when central home heating systems dry the air considerably. We will offer both juvenile crickets and small dubia roaches to our female with the hope of encouraging it to grow quickly.
This page was last updated: April 2, 2017
The First Pictures (3/30/16)
Pictured to the left is our spiderling prior to shipment. Its legspan is approximately 1.75 inches and its too soon to determine its sex. This tarantula is considered by many to be endangered and finding a suitable addition to our collection is challenging. So when this spiderling became available, we jumped at the chance to own one regardless of its gender. We purchased our spiderling through Jason at Tarantula Breeders who did not waste any time in packing our spider and sending it on its way 24 hours later.
We are happy that our spiderling is female for the simple reason that the females are the most colorful. Males tend to be black or gray upon reaching maturity. Their legspans usually reach about six inches which means that this is a fairly robust tarantula but not significantly large.
April 10, 2016
Our Brazilian Blue is making itself at home in its temporary enclosure by digging a cave underneath the wood. It has been eating a steady diet of juvenile crickets which we will continue until we have exhausted our current supply and then move onto Dubia roaches. We are taking care to keep one half of the enclosure moist while providing a dry area as well.
May 27, 2016- First Molt
Last night we were able to capture a rare glimpse of our juvenile Brazilian Blue and were pleasently surprised to see that she has molted. Her body mass has increased significantly and her coloration is much darker. Her abdomen in particular is showing the rust colored bristles characteristic of the female for this species.
We are feeding her a steady diet of crickets which are disappearing very quickly. We are hoping that we will be able to see more of her as she increases in size and confidence.
July 17, 2016 (pictured right)
Our Brazilian Blue's appetite has increased substantially and she has molted once again. She is appearing more often outside of her burrow and is much more aggressive when she attacks her cricket dinner. You can see in the picture on the right that the dark blue coloration is beginning to reveal itself. She has also dramatically increased in size.
August 21, 2016 (Pictured left)
This morning we were surprised to find our Brazilian Blue in the middle of a molt. She was lying on her back and had already removed herself from the exoskeleton as seen on the left. About 30 minutes later, she was standing upright but still unable to move freely.
March 16, 2017 (Pictured left)
Last night after returning home from work, I discovered our P. sazimai was lying on her back and clearly preparing to molt. After taking a quick picture of our friend, I turned off the lights and eagerly waited for the morning to arrive to see how she had fared during the evening.
March 17, 2017 (one day after molt)
Approximately 24 hours later, our female blue is increasing in size as her exoskeleton hardens and her coloration is changing as well. She is turning a darker shade of blue.
April 2nd, 2017 (A new home!)
Our female has increased in size following her recent molt and she is ready to move into her new home. I picked up a clear acrylic container, applied coconut husk substrate, constructed a simple "cave" out of cork bark pieces and added a water dish. The new enclosure will give our brazilian blue more room and a place to hide.
This fascinating addition to our collection features an absolutely striking iridescent blue appearance but its origins are somewhat of a mystery as well. These gorgous spiders are found in the ecological islands in the highlands of Eastern Brazil near the Chapada Diamantina National Park at elevations as high as 4300 feet above sea level. This area is classified as a subtropical savannah where temperatures are fairly mild and rainfall can range from heavy to almost non existent. This is generally considered a burrowing spider although it can sometimes be found in low lying shrubs or trees in carefully spun webs. They are considered to be very fast moving and somewhat shy or skittish by nature. Very little is known about the toxicity of their venom and handling of this tarantula is not a good idea until they mature.
