Theraphosa stirmi

Hey guys, alright so I'm thinking of getting a t.stirmi sling. Like today... But I've read and watched numerous vids/care sheets... About how incredibly difficult they are to care for and a very lot die... But also read/watched that it's not difficult at all just gotta keep very humid... Well fed etc.. And they'll be fine.. So just after a few opinions really. About if it's true and what not etc... And was also wondering I always thought stirmi, was the second biggest outta the three blondi been 1st but read that apophysis was 2nd in size, but stirmi the easiest to care for.... Is that true? Also just might add getting a new lp female juvie in morning cheers guys...

in my experience , they arent bad at all....way easier than avics.
my stirmi was kept in a room 79-88 degrees
from the time she was 1.5"-4" i kept her in a shoe box size container with a 2oz water dish...only the substrate around her water dish was wet. she lived that way for about 1.5-2 years. she is now in a much larger terrarium (12 gallon maybe) i still only keep a small portion of her substrate moist with lots of water dishes available. she is currently 7"+
i also have seven 2"ers that have been doing just fine for 1 year...same conditions
make sure you vent holes are on the sides, not on the lid.

IMO they're quite standard in care but eat much more than others and grow exponentially fast....I got my sling 1 year ago at 1/4 inch and she's now 6 inches and lives in her rather large enclosure happy as can be. Once a week I mist, feed, clean-up and refresh all my T's water bowls. Her enclosure is kept at 76F and she's doing very well. So pretty standard as I'd say.

many deaths seem to be due to impaction.. They're so large that small particles can easily be ingested while they drink.

I just keep mine moist and make sure she has adequate cross ventilation. No problems thus far, her last molt went off without a hitch. I heard all about how hard they were to keep but honestly I haven't found mine all that complicated.

They aren't easy to care for like a Rosie. They're some techniques to keep them happy. For instance they prefer to be walking on damp substrate over dry, and they like A LOT of coverage, like foliage. I keep mine in a 20g long viv with a bunch of plants, a deep hide, and it lives happy, just molted to around 7-8" last week. Confirming it's a male. But make sure is humidity is high. Very high. I keep isos in my tank to help with gnats and fungi as well. Good luck.


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I may be getting one too... do they NEED high temperatures? the ambient temp in the tank I have set up is like 72-75*. would that be good?

oooo35980 said:

I just keep mine moist and make sure she has adequate cross ventilation. No problems thus far, her last molt went off without a hitch.

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+1. For me, those are the keys to Theraphosa, along with fattening up their abdomens. I've gotten 16 w/c Theraphosa in the past year, adults to juveniles, and all are doing well, and all but the latest 2 have shed (without issue). They need moist substrate and humidity, as long as you balance that with airflow, so you don't have a soggy cage with regular condensation. Mine always have full water bowls and a hide too (PVC elbows with 3" internal diameters). If people did that, they wouldn't have the reputation for having high losses. Part of the problem is that the typical plastic cup containers that dealers use don't lend themselves to long-term Theraphosa care (they don't have the space for big cages for each one), and many gradually get weak while sitting on shelves. The ones I've gotten (at wholesale from a local reptile dealer) have all intentionally been thin when I picked them out, so that I could give them some TLC. They've quickly bounced back. Given the right conditions, which isn't hard to do, they're hardy spiders.