A stunning New World species with metallic blue legs, a green carapace, and an orange abdomen, famous for spinning elaborate webs. Hardy and beginner-friendly, it is one of the most colorful pet tarantulas.
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Theraphosid spiders kept as low-maintenance display invertebrates. New World species are generally docile with mild venom but bear irritating urticating hairs, while Old World species lack those hairs but tend to be fast, defensive, and have more potent (though rarely life-threatening) venom.
From the minimum an animal needs to be kept humanely, up to the ideal setup. Bigger is almost always better — minimums are floors, not targets.
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Minimum
Juvenile / sub-adult GBB
8 × 8 × 8 in with sparse decor
Greenbottle blue (Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens) is arid and web-heavy — give very dry substrate, plenty of anchor points (cork, fake plants), and excellent ventilation.
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Recommended
Adult GBB web-house
12 × 12 × 10 in, very dry
Adults spin extensive tubular webbing across the enclosure floor and decor; provide many anchor points and keep substrate bone dry except a damp patch by the water dish.
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Ideal
Naturalistic arid web display
14 × 10 × 12 in, sparse-bioactive
Spacious arid setup with cork bark, dry leaf litter, and isopod cleanup. GBBs are stunning display animals — visibility through the webbing rewards a wider footprint.
Life & growth stages
How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
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Egg
These invertebrates lay eggs — often in a guarded clutch, a silk sac (spiders), or a brood (carried by female isopods). The eggs are small and soft and develop without a true larval or pupal transformation.
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Juvenile
Juveniles hatch as miniature versions of the adult and grow by molting their exoskeleton (or, in snails, by enlarging the shell). They gain size, segments, or leg pairs and gradually take on adult coloration with each molt.
Adult
Adults reach full size and reproductive maturity with the species' mature form and coloration. Many arachnids and myriapods continue to molt as adults, and sexes can differ in size or in specialized appendages.
Habitat & enclosure
Keep one spider in a terrestrial enclosure with good floor space (a 5-10 gallon footprint for an adult) and plenty of anchor points for webbing, such as cork bark and a few plastic plants. It is a heavy webber and will build extensive tunnel-web architecture, so include some low vertical structure. Keep dry: bone-dry substrate with a full water dish provides all the humidity needed. Temperatures of 75-85F (24-29C) suit this arid-adapted species. No UVB required.
Substrate
Use 2-4 in (5-10 cm) of dry coco fiber or a coco/topsoil mix. The spider will web extensively over the surface and structures rather than burrow deeply, so anchor points matter more than depth. Keep the substrate dry; only the water dish needs refilling.
Equipment & setup
No heater is usually needed at normal room temperatures; if needed, use a thermostat-controlled side-mounted heat mat. No UVB. Provide a ventilated terrarium, cork bark and fake plants for webbing anchors, and a shallow water dish. A hygrometer is optional given its dry care.
Diet
Feed standard feeder insects: crickets, dubia roaches, mealworms, and the occasional superworm, sized to the spider. Slings feed 2-3x weekly, juveniles weekly, adults every 1-2 weeks. It is a fast, enthusiastic eater. Remove uneaten prey, withhold food during premolt (darkened abdomen), and always offer clean water.
Behavior & temperament
A bold but not aggressive New World species. It is skittish and fast and will readily flick urticating hairs when disturbed, so it is not a handling spider, but bites are rare and the venom is mild (bee-sting level). It spends much of its time on or in its webbing rather than hiding, making it an excellent display animal.
Health
Very hardy and tolerant of dry conditions, which makes it forgiving for beginners. Main risks are dehydration (keep the water dish full) and falls. Avoid damp, stagnant substrate, which invites mold and mites. Bald abdomen patches from hair-flicking regrow after molting. Do not disturb a molting (upside-down) spider.
Tips, DIY & hacks
Give it lots of climbing and webbing anchors and you will be rewarded with dramatic tunnel-web architecture. Resist the urge to handle; it is fast and quick to kick hairs. Keep it dry. This is one of the best 'first colorful tarantula' choices for new keepers.
