Anqasha picta
Blue Femur Tiger Rump - complete care guide
Blue Femur Tiger Rump
Temperature
20-26 °C
Target ambient range
Humidity
60-70 %
Substrate / enclosure RH
Adult DLS
8-10 cm
Average - varies per individual
Moult interval
Sling 4-8w - Juv 2.3-3.8mo
Adult 10-15mo
Adult cycle = mature females; males never moult again after maturity
About
A high-Andean tiger rump dwarf from the Cordillera Blanca of Peru - dark body, metallic blue-grey femora and a red-bronze abdominal pattern, renamed into the genus Anqasha (Sherwood & Gabriel, 2022, after the Quechua word for blue and the Áncash region). Photographed in the wild at 2,500 m, this is a genuinely cool-climate tarantula that thrives at UK room temperature. Quick and flighty rather than defensive, 8-10 cm, and a relative newcomer to UK shops at around £35 a sling. Taxonomic flux note: "picta" stock may also involve the closely related A. lima or A. minaperinensis lineages.
Husbandry cheat sheet
- Origin
- Peru (Cordillera Blanca, Áncash)
- Habitat
- High Andean scrubland (~2,500 m)
- Temperament
- Skittish
- In your collection
- 0
Growth, lifespan & conservation
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maturity
- ♀ 42mo ♂ 30mo
- Lifespan
- ♀ 15yr ♂ 4yr
- Continent
- South America
- UK availability
- Uncommon
Care Guide
Anqasha picta
Blue Femur Tiger Rump - a complete husbandry sheet. Use as a starting point and adjust to your individual specimen.
What size enclosure does a Blue Femur Tiger Rump Tarantula need?
Adults
20 × 20 cm (8 × 8 in) is plenty for a mature adult. Floor space matters more than height.
Slings & Juveniles
House spiderlings in small, appropriately sized deli cups or sling enclosures.
To map exact floor space and substrate safety limits for your setup, use our free interactive tarantula enclosure planner.
What temperature and humidity does a Blue Femur Tiger Rump Tarantula need?
Heating
The Blue Femur Tiger Rumps is comfortable at 20-26 °C - genuinely happy in UK homes without supplementary heat; warm the room only if it stays under 15 °C.
Humidity
60-70 %: dry substrate, full water dish, occasional corner overflow - Andean scrub husbandry, not rainforest.
Ventilation
Cross-ventilation is essential - side-vented enclosures, never stagnant.
What substrate is best for a Blue Femur Tiger Rump Tarantula?
Recommended Mixes
Depth
5-8 cm
Notes
Keep substrate dry to barely moist - never soaking. Pack it firm for stable scrapes.
How do you set up a Blue Femur Tiger Rump Tarantula enclosure?
Décor
The Hide
A low cork bark slab or half-log; they adopt shallow scrapes and burrow mouths under décor.
Water
Always provide a shallow fresh water dish. Keep it full and clean it regularly.
Lighting
No special lighting needed. Ambient room light is enough.
How often should you feed a Blue Femur Tiger Rump Tarantula?
Good Feeders
Long refusal worrying you? Separate premoult fasting from genuine problems with our "Is my T okay?" checker.
Is my Blue Femur Tiger Rump Tarantula dying or moulting?
Pre-moult signs to look for
Refusing food for weeks is normal before a moult - a healthy Blue Femur Tiger Rump Tarantula fasting is almost never an emergency in itself. Watch for slowing down and spending more time in the hide, laying a thick moult mat of web on the floor. New World species like this one often show a bald spot on the abdomen that darkens to near-black as the new skin underneath readies - a darkening bald patch is a reliable countdown, not a disease.
On its back is MOULTING, not dying
A Blue Femur Tiger Rump Tarantula lying upside down or on its side with legs curled inwards is almost certainly mid-moult. Do not touch it, do not right it, do not mist it - just remove any live prey (crickets can kill a defenceless moulter) and leave the room.
How long between moults?
For this species, expect a moult roughly every 28-55 days for spiderlings, every 70-115 days for juveniles, and every 150-240 days for sub-adults, with adult females moulting around every 10 months (up to 14.7 months at the extreme). Males never moult again after their ultimate (mature) moult.
After the moult: fang hardening time
The new exoskeleton stays soft, with fangs that cannot grip, for roughly 6 days in this species. Offer no food and no handling for about 7 days - feeding too early is how fresh moulters get injured. The shed exuvium is also the best sexing tool there is - see our tarantula sexing guide for what to look for.
Genuinely worried about behaviour that is not moulting? Our "Is my T okay?" triage tool walks the danger signs one by one.
What ongoing care does a Blue Femur Tiger Rump Tarantula need?
🪞 Moulting
Signs: refuses food, abdomen darkens and goes glossy, becomes sluggish, often seals the hide entrance. During the moult: do not disturb, remove any live prey, keep water available. Wait until the fangs are black and hard (several days for adults, 1-2 for slings) before feeding again. Adult intervals apply to mature FEMALES - a mature male never moults again.
🧹 Cleaning
Daily: check the water dish. Weekly: remove uneaten prey boluses and spot-clean. Full deep clean only every few months.
✋ Handling
Docile but darting-fast when startled - catch cup only, never free-handled.
What are the most common mistakes when keeping Blue Femur Tiger Rump Tarantulas?
✓ What They Love
- Cool, stable room temperature - it is a highland species
- Dry-side substrate with a full water dish
- Cross-ventilation
- A low hide and firm substrate for scrapes
- Escape-proof lid - it is quick
✕ Common Mistakes
- Overheating - above ~28 °C highland species suffer
- Soaking-wet substrate
- Daily misting
- Free handling - fast and flicky
Keep exploring: related care guides
More ground-dwelling species and close relatives from our full library:
Acanthoscurria cordubensis
Argentinian Bronze Birdeater
Terrestrial - full guide →
Acanthoscurria geniculata
Brazilian Giant White Knee
Terrestrial - full guide →
Acanthoscurria musculosa
Black Velvet Rump
Terrestrial - full guide →
Acanthoscurria natalensis
Natal Brown Birdeater
Terrestrial - full guide →
⭐ Community Ratings
No ratings yet - be the first to rate this species!