Homoeomma orellanai
Chilean Yellow Flame - complete care guide
Chilean Yellow Flame
Temperature
18-23 °C
Target ambient range
Humidity
40-50 %
Substrate / enclosure RH
Adult DLS
7-10 cm
Average - varies per individual
Moult interval
Sling 5-10w - Juv 3-4.8mo
Adult 13-18mo
Adult cycle = mature females; males never moult again after maturity
About
The Chilean Yellow Flame (Chilean Bumblebee) - the hobby's old "Euathlus sp. yellow", formally described in 2018 and revised into Homoeomma in 2024. A sooty dwarf with a golden-yellow abdominal fringe from 2,500 m Andean steppe, where daytime heat and nighttime frost bred a spider that is honestly happier in a British living room than a heated vivarium: keep it cool, dry and patient. Among the most docile tarantulas in existence - curious rather than defensive - with glacial growth and 20-25 year female lifespans. Demand outstrips supply; CB slings command premium prices.
Husbandry cheat sheet
- Origin
- Chile (high Andes)
- Habitat
- High Andean scrub (~2,500 m)
- Temperament
- Docile
- In your collection
- 0
Growth, lifespan & conservation
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maturity
- ♀ 60mo ♂ 48mo
- Lifespan
- ♀ 22yr ♂ 5yr
- Continent
- South America
- UK availability
- Rare in the hobby
Care Guide
Homoeomma orellanai
Chilean Yellow Flame - a complete husbandry sheet. Use as a starting point and adjust to your individual specimen.
What size enclosure does a Chilean Yellow Flame Tarantula need?
Adults
20 × 20 cm (8 × 8 in) is plenty. 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 Chilean Yellow Flame Tarantula need?
Heating
The Chilean Yellow Flames is comfortable at 18-23 °C and need NO supplementary heat in UK homes - genuinely better kept cool. Only avoid prolonged spells under 14 °C.
Humidity
40-50 %: dry substrate and a full water dish is the entire recipe - Andean steppe husbandry.
Ventilation
Cross-ventilation is essential - side-vented enclosures, never stagnant.
What substrate is best for a Chilean Yellow Flame Tarantula?
Recommended Mixes
Depth
5-8 cm
Notes
Keep substrate dry - never even damp. Pack firm for stable scrapes.
How do you set up a Chilean Yellow Flame Tarantula enclosure?
Décor
The Hide
A low cork bark slab or half-log; they adopt shallow scrapes under décor.
Water
Always provide a shallow fresh water dish.
Lighting
No special lighting needed. Ambient room light is more than enough.
How often should you feed a Chilean Yellow Flame Tarantula?
Good Feeders
Long refusal worrying you? Separate premoult fasting from genuine problems with our "Is my T okay?" checker.
Is my Chilean Yellow Flame Tarantula dying or moulting?
Pre-moult signs to look for
Refusing food for weeks is normal before a moult - a healthy Chilean Yellow Flame 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 Chilean Yellow Flame 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 35-70 days for spiderlings, every 90-145 days for juveniles, and every 200-320 days for sub-adults, with adult females moulting around every 13.3 months (up to 18.3 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 8 days in this species. Offer no food and no handling for about 8 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 Chilean Yellow Flame 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 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.
✋ Handling
Famously among the calmest tarantulas kept - inquisitive, rarely defensive, walks toward the open door. Still handle rarely and low.
What are the most common mistakes when keeping Chilean Yellow Flame Tarantulas?
✓ What They Love
- Cool room temperature - no heat mat, ever
- Dry substrate with a full water dish
- Patience measured in years
- Cross-ventilation
- A low hide and firm substrate
✕ Common Mistakes
- Heating - above ~25 °C high Andean species decline
- Wet substrate
- Impatience with feeding schedules - slow metabolism
- Expecting quick growth even as slings
Keep exploring: related care guides
More ground-dwelling species and close relatives from our full library:
Homoeomma chilensis
Chilean Blue Tarantula
Same genus - full guide →
Homoeomma sp. blue
Peruvian Blue Flame Leg
Same genus - full guide →
Acanthoscurria cordubensis
Argentinian Bronze Birdeater
Terrestrial - full guide →
Acanthoscurria geniculata
Brazilian Giant White Knee
Terrestrial - full guide →
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