🐾 LandCare difficulty: IntermediateLegal complexity: Low
Trinidad chevron tarantula
Psalmopoeus cambridgei · also called Trinidad chevron, Chevron tarantula
A fast, semi-arboreal New World tarantula from Trinidad with a velvety olive-brown body and chevron markings on the abdomen. It lacks urticating hairs and is quick and defensive, making it a step up from docile terrestrial beginners.
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Quick facts
| Size | Large; leg span about 6-7 in (15-18 cm), slender arboreal build. |
| Lifespan | 4–14 years |
| Social needs | solo |
| Native region | Trinidad (Caribbean), with relatives across northern South America |
| Origin | New World |
| Climate | 🌴 Tropical |
| Family | Theraphosidae |
| Genus | Psalmopoeus |
Part of the Tarantulas
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.
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Habitat & space requirements
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.
Life & growth stages
How this animal changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
Habitat & enclosure
House one spider alone in an arboreal-style enclosure that is taller than it is wide, with secure vertical cork bark for climbing and a hide. A footprint around 12x12x18 in (30x30x45 cm) suits an adult. Provide anchor points for webbing and a shallow water dish. Keep at 75-82F (24-28C) with moderate humidity: keep part of the substrate lightly moist, mist occasionally, and allow ventilation to prevent stagnation. No UVB or special lighting is required.
Substrate
Use 2-4 in (5-10 cm) of a coco-fiber and topsoil mix at the base, kept lightly moist on one side. Most activity is vertical, so prioritize tall cork-bark slabs and anchor points for the silk retreat the spider will build off the ground.
Equipment & setup
No heater is usually needed at normal room temperatures; if required, use a thermostat-controlled side-mounted heat mat. No UVB. Provide a tall, well-sealed arboreal enclosure (escapes are a major risk with this fast species), vertical cork bark, webbing anchors, and a shallow water dish. A hygrometer helps maintain moderate humidity.
Diet
An opportunistic insectivore and a voracious, fast feeder. Feed appropriately sized crickets, dubia roaches, and the occasional larger feeder for adults; slings take flightless fruit flies and pinhead crickets. Slings eat 2-3x weekly, juveniles weekly, adults every 1-2 weeks. Remove uneaten prey within 24 hours and withhold food during premolt. Always provide clean water.
Behavior & temperament
Although a New World genus, Psalmopoeus lacks urticating hairs and behaves more like an Old World spider: very fast, skittish, and prone to bolting or, if cornered, throwing a threat posture. It is a defensive, not-for-handling species. Its venom is more potent than that of docile beginner tarantulas, and although not considered life-threatening, a bite delivered by its long fangs can be genuinely painful and has been reported to cause local swelling, and in some cases systemic effects such as muscle cramping, nausea, or dizziness. Treat it as a strictly hands-off display animal and always work over a contained surface.
Health
Hardy and fast-growing when humidity and ventilation are balanced. Main risks are escapes (it is extremely fast), dehydration if kept too dry, and mold or mites if kept soggy and stagnant. Keep the water dish full and provide good airflow. Watch for premolt (it will web up and refuse food); never disturb a molting spider, which for an arboreal species often happens in its silk retreat.
Tips, DIY & hacks
Do all maintenance with a catch cup ready and over a bin, because this spider can bolt out of an opened enclosure in an instant. Never handle it. Give it tall vertical structure and it will build an attractive silk-lined tube retreat. A good first 'fast and defensive' species for keepers ready to graduate from docile terrestrials, but respect its speed and its painful bite.