Environmental Caution:

When a damp environment has too little air circulation, this can lead to an anaerobic environment.

Where the typical aerobic bacteria helps keep certain types of waste from building up, they are instead replaced by anaerobic bacteria whose waste is more likely to be toxic and harmful. This is often accompanied by a strong swampy smell.

To guard against anaerobic environments, it is important to monitor and control moisture in the environment as well as air quality. One way to maximize both is to have plentiful live plants as the byproduct of photosynthesis is oxygen and water.

Defining Characteristics:

• This species has a medium growth rate
• This has been described as the largest species of Hapolopus, reaching upwards of 4 inches
• This is still considered a dwarf species of tarantula

Name: Hapalopus sp. “Guerilla” is commonly known as the “Speckle PatchTarantula”

Recommended Enclosure Size & Setup: Hapalopus sp. “Guerilla” is a fossorial species, meaning this animal will spend a lot of time underground and may need additional substrate to burrow. Surface area of the enclosure should be no less than two times the spider's diagonal leg span in one direction and three times the diagonal leg span in the other. The enclosure will need to be upgraded as the animal continues to grow.

We recommend against allowing your fossorial spider more than two times their diagonal leg span as head space above their substrate as a fall from any higher could result in serious injury.

The enclosure should be tall enough to accommodate 2-3 inches of substrate for slings and 5+ inches for adults. ABG mix, coco cradle, or Dig-It are good substrate options, but our Pet Bug Team prefers ABG all the way!

Want to spice up your enclosure with live plants? Our experts have curated kits of easy-to-care-for and SAFE plants for your tarantula. Check them out here!

Temperature (°F): This species thrives in the mid 70s to low 80s, so a temperature of 75 degrees is ideal.

Temperatures regularly dipping below 65 degrees, or spiking above 85 degrees should be avoided.

Humidity: These spiders thrive in a humid environment. The recommended ambient humidity should stay between 70% and 75% This can be achieved by making sure the substrate is always at least slightly moistened. Depending on your location, you may need tools such as a humidifier to achieve this environment. A hygrometer is a great way to monitor the humidity for your animal and see any needed adjustments.

The enclosure sides and decor should be spritzed lightly around twice a week to provide your animal droplets to drink from and keep humidity up, but do not spray your spider directly.

Size: At the time of sale, this animal will be at least 1/8 of an inch. Females can grow to be up to 3 inches, and typically the males are a bit smaller.

We use diagonal leg span to measure our spiders.

Age: Before making this species available to our customers, we ensure that they are well-established. This means our spiders are generally molted to a minimum of third instar and will have hatched two to three months prior to being listed for sale.

For spiders that we have not produced in house, we like to get 2 to 3 solid feedings in as well as the aforementioned minimums. They go through a 2-week minimum quarantine process to ensure the health of the animal.

For this species, the average lifespan is 3-4 years in males, and 8-10 years in females when provided the adequate environment.

Feeding: At the time of sale, this animal is eating 5-8 melanogaster fruit flies once a week. Prey items should be no larger than the size of the spider’s abdomen and grow in size as the animal does.

Remove uneaten prey items after 24 hours, these may stress your animal out or endanger the spider during molting.

Never attempt to feed a freshly molted tarantula less than a week after their molt to prevent injury to the spider. Depending on its age, the hardening process could take anywhere from 48 hours all the way up to a week.

Sexing: Due to age, Hapalopus sp. “Guerilla” sold by Josh’s Frogs are sold as unsexed.

Check out our individually listed animals to see if we have what you’re looking for!

Coloration/Patterning: As spiderlings, they show slight tints of their adult colors, but due to size it is hard to see and they appear brownish. As they mature, their colors come in more prominently. They appear to have a ‘pumpkin patch’ looking abdomen, being orange and black. In contrast, their carapace stays a yellowing to light orange with a black starburst in the center.

Social Behavior: Hapalopus sp. “Guerilla” is not a sociable animal and should be housed as an individual. Attempts at cohabitation can result in cannibalism.

Natural Range: Hapalopus sp. “Guerilla” are native to Colombia.

Links of Interest:

• Arachnoboards: a community of spider enthusiasts that will be able to or have already answered almost any question you can think of with regards to tarantulas.

http://arachnoboards.com/

Still not sure if Hapalopus sp. “Guerilla” from Josh's Frogs is the right pet bug for you? Read the reviews below and see what other customers are saying!