Hapalotremus hananqheswa
High Valley Blue - complete care guide
High Valley Blue
Temperature
18-24 °C
Target ambient range
Humidity
70-80 %
Substrate / enclosure RH
Adult DLS
8-10 cm
Average - varies per individual
Moult interval
Sling 4-9w - Juv 2.7-4.3mo
Adult 11-16mo
Adult cycle = mature females; males never moult again after maturity
About
The High Valley Blue (Hapalotremus hananqheswa, 2021 - Quechua for "high valley") - a blue Peruvian Andean with a mirror patch, from genuinely high altitude. Cool-kept like its cousin the "Puma" (18-24 °C, no heat mat), skittish and reclusive rather than defensive, with a bank-substrate burrowing habit. Super-rare at £60 a sling and slow-growing - a keeper's piece rather than a starter, despite the easy temperament.
Husbandry cheat sheet
- Origin
- Peru (high Andes)
- Habitat
- High-altitude valley slopes - burrows
- Temperament
- Skittish
- In your collection
- 0
Growth, lifespan & conservation
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maturity
- ♀ 60mo ♂ 42mo
- Lifespan
- ♀ 15yr ♂ 4yr
- Continent
- South America
- UK availability
- Rare in the hobby
Care Guide
Hapalotremus hananqheswa
High Valley Blue - a complete husbandry sheet. Use as a starting point and adjust to your individual specimen.
What size enclosure does a High Valley Blue Tarantula need?
Adults
25 × 25 cm footprint with 8 cm of banked substrate.
Slings & Juveniles
Small tubs with 5 cm of substrate and a hide.
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 High Valley Blue Tarantula need?
Heating
The High Valley Blues is comfortable at 18-24 °C - genuinely cool-kept; UK room temperature usually suffices and supplementary heat is a mistake.
Humidity
70-80 %: keep the substrate lightly and consistently moist - Andean cloud, not desert.
Ventilation
Cross-ventilation with moderate-high humidity.
What substrate is best for a High Valley Blue Tarantula?
Recommended Mixes
Depth
8 cm
Notes
Deep and packable, banked against one side for burrow construction.
How do you set up a High Valley Blue Tarantula enclosure?
Décor
The Hide
A burrow excavated into banked substrate under cork or stone.
Water
Always provide a shallow fresh water dish.
Lighting
No special lighting needed.
How often should you feed a High Valley Blue Tarantula?
Good Feeders
Long refusal worrying you? Separate premoult fasting from genuine problems with our "Is my T okay?" checker.
Is my High Valley Blue Tarantula dying or moulting?
Pre-moult signs to look for
Refusing food for weeks is normal before a moult - a healthy High Valley Blue 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 High Valley Blue 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 30-60 days for spiderlings, every 80-130 days for juveniles, and every 180-290 days for sub-adults, with adult females moulting around every 11.3 months (up to 16 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 7 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 High Valley Blue Tarantula need?
🪞 Moulting
Signs: refuses food, abdomen darkens, becomes sluggish. Do not disturb; keep humidity steady; wait for black hard fangs before feeding. Adult intervals apply to mature FEMALES - a mature male never moults again.
🧹 Cleaning
Daily: check the water dish. Weekly: remove boluses and spot-clean.
✋ Handling
Skittish but harmless - observe rather than handle.
What are the most common mistakes when keeping High Valley Blue Tarantulas?
✓ What They Love
- Cool room temperature - high Andean stock
- Moist (not wet) substrate with airflow
- Banked substrate for burrowing
- Cross-ventilation
- Patience with slow growth
✕ Common Mistakes
- Heating - above ~26 °C highland stock declines
- Bone-dry substrate
- Expecting a display spider
- Fast growth
Keep exploring: related care guides
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