Caribena versicolor
Antilles Pinktoe / Martinique - complete care guide
Antilles Pinktoe / Martinique
Temperature
22-26 °C
Target ambient range
Humidity
70-80 %
Substrate / enclosure RH
Adult DLS
13-15 cm
Average - varies per individual
Moult interval
Sling 3-6w - Juv 2-3mo
Adult 8-10mo
Adult cycle = mature females; males never moult again after maturity
About
Electric blue spiderlings mature into red-bodied adults with green carapace. Loves airflow; avoid overheating.
Husbandry cheat sheet
- Origin
- Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica
- Habitat
- Caribbean rainforest canopy
- Temperament
- Docile
- In your collection
- 0
Growth, lifespan & conservation
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maturity
- ♀ 18mo ♂ 12mo
- Lifespan
- ♀ 10yr ♂ 2yr
- Continent
- Caribbean
- UK availability
- Commonly available
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Care Guide
Caribena versicolor
Antilles Pinktoe / Martinique - a complete husbandry sheet. Use as a starting point and adjust to your individual specimen.
What size enclosure does an Antilles Pinktoe / Martinique Tarantula need?
Adults
30 × 30 × 45 cm tall - height matters more than footprint. Provide generous vertical cork and anchor points for webbing.
Slings & Juveniles
Antilles pinktoe slings are the classic 'hard sling' - electric blue, tiny and fragile. Keep them in small vials with one damp side and SUPERB ventilation; they fail in big or stagnant setups. They colour-shift blue → red/pink with every moult - enjoy the journey.
To map exact floor space and substrate safety limits for your setup, use our free interactive tarantula enclosure planner.
What temperature and humidity does an Antilles Pinktoe / Martinique Tarantula need?
Heating
Antilles Pinktoe / The Martinique is comfortable at 22-26 °C. Most UK homes sit in or near this range for most of the year; heat the room rather than the enclosure if winter drops below it.
Humidity
75-85 % with the strongest ventilation you can build. Martinique is humid and windy - replicate "breezy", never "sealed".
Ventilation
The single most important husbandry factor for this species. Cross-flow (top + side mesh) is non-negotiable - stagnant air causes mould, mites and failed moults.
What substrate is best for an Antilles Pinktoe / Martinique Tarantula?
Recommended Mixes
Depth
3-5 cm
Notes
Substrate is mostly a moisture buffer - arboreals live above it. Keep one corner lightly damp, never wet throughout.
How do you set up an Antilles Pinktoe / Martinique Tarantula enclosure?
Décor
The Hide
A vertical cork tube or propped bark retreat positioned up off the floor - the higher the retreat, the more the spider uses it.
Water
Shallow dish on the floor. Even dedicated canopy dwellers descend to drink - keep it full and clean.
Lighting
Ambient room light only. Avoid basking lamps - they desiccate arboreal species quickly.
How often should you feed an Antilles Pinktoe / Martinique Tarantula?
Good Feeders
Long refusal worrying you? Separate premoult fasting from genuine problems with our "Is my T okay?" checker.
Is my Antilles Pinktoe / Martinique Tarantula dying or moulting?
Pre-moult signs to look for
Refusing food for weeks is normal before a moult - an healthy Antilles Pinktoe / Martinique Tarantula fasting is almost never an emergency in itself. Watch for slowing down and spending more time in the hide, thickening the silk hammock it sleeps in. 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
An Antilles Pinktoe / Martinique 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 21-42 days for spiderlings, every 60-90 days for juveniles, and every 135-191 days for sub-adults, with adult females moulting around every 7.5 months (up to 9.8 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 4 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 an Antilles Pinktoe / Martinique Tarantula need?
🪞 Moulting
Arboreals often moult suspended in a web hammock. Do not disturb, remove prey, and slightly raise humidity around the time. Wait 5-7 days post-moult before offering food. Adult intervals apply to mature females - males never moult after their ultimate moult. Pinktoes moult in a web hammock in the upper enclosure and can take hours - start checking at night, never intervene.
🧹 Cleaning
Spot clean webbed boluses when visible, refresh the water dish weekly. Full clean only when soiled - established webbing is valuable to the spider.
✋ Handling
Docile but skittish sprinters that bolt and jump rather than threat-post. Minimal handling at floor level; a jump from height is the danger, never aggression.
What are the most common mistakes when keeping Antilles Pinktoe / Martinique Tarantulas?
✓ What They Love
- Tall enclosure with vertical cork
- Strong cross-ventilation
- Mist one wall - let it cycle dry
- Clamping/secure lid - arboreals are escape artists
✕ Common Mistakes
- Waterlogged substrate
- Sealed, unventilated tanks
- Heat from below
- Free handling - jumps and falls kill
- Soggy substrate with poor airflow - the classic pinktoe killer
- Large open tanks for slings - keep them snug and well-ventilated
Keep exploring: related care guides
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