Idiothele mira
Blue Foot Baboon - complete care guide
Blue Foot Baboon
Temperature
23-28 °C
Target ambient range
Humidity
60-70 %
Substrate / enclosure RH
Adult DLS
10-13 cm
Average - varies per individual
Moult interval
Sling 3-6w - Juv 1.7-2.8mo
Adult 9-14mo
Adult cycle = mature females; males never moult again after maturity
About
The Blue Foot Baboon - the only African tarantula (with its rare congener) that builds a true TRAPDOOR: a hinged silk-and-soil lid flush with the ground. Metallic-gold carapace, smoky frame, and the famous powder-blue feet that fade after each moult and re-bloom over the following weeks. A South African sand-forest fossorial that grows fast, stays reclusive ("pet hole" par excellence) and can put on a genuinely fast ambush strike when the door opens. Regularly bred in the UK from small sacs, and one of the most rewarding behaviour-watch fossorials in the hobby.
Husbandry cheat sheet
- Origin
- South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal)
- Habitat
- Sand forest - true trapdoor burrows
- Temperament
- Defensive
- In your collection
- 0
Growth, lifespan & conservation
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maturity
- ♀ 24mo ♂ 18mo
- Lifespan
- ♀ 14yr ♂ 3yr
- Continent
- Africa
- UK availability
- Uncommon
Care Guide
Idiothele mira
Blue Foot Baboon - a complete husbandry sheet. Use as a starting point and adjust to your individual specimen.
What size enclosure does a Blue Foot Baboon Tarantula need?
Adults
25 × 25 cm footprint with 15-20 cm of substrate - the trapdoor system needs depth.
Slings & Juveniles
Small tubs with 8-10 cm of substrate - trapdoor construction starts early.
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 Foot Baboon Tarantula need?
Heating
The Blue Foot Baboons is comfortable at 23-28 °C. UK homes need supplementary warmth for much of the year; warm the room, never the tank floor.
Humidity
60-70 %: dry-side substrate with periodic one-sided wetting and a full water dish - sand-forest, not swamp.
Ventilation
Cross-ventilation with moderate humidity - airflow over the door area matters.
What substrate is best for a Blue Foot Baboon Tarantula?
Recommended Mixes
Depth
15-20 cm
Notes
Deep and packed firm so the trapdoor hinge and shaft hold; keep the surface layer dryish with slight moisture below.
How do you set up a Blue Foot Baboon Tarantula enclosure?
Décor
The Hide
Its own trapdoor - a silk-soil hinged lid over a deep shaft. Give 15 cm+ of substrate and leave the architecture to the spider.
Water
Always provide a shallow water dish at surface level - it drinks on night patrols.
Lighting
No special lighting needed. Ambient room light is enough.
How often should you feed a Blue Foot Baboon Tarantula?
Good Feeders
Long refusal worrying you? Separate premoult fasting from genuine problems with our "Is my T okay?" checker.
Is my Blue Foot Baboon Tarantula dying or moulting?
Pre-moult signs to look for
Refusing food for weeks is normal before a moult - a healthy Blue Foot Baboon Tarantula fasting is almost never an emergency in itself. Watch for slowing down and spending more time in the hide, sealing the burrow entrance with silk (a sealed door usually means "do not disturb - moulting in progress"), laying a thick moult mat of web on the floor. Old World species do not flick urticating hairs, so there is no bald patch to watch - rely on fasting, lethargy and hide time instead.
On its back is MOULTING, not dying
A Blue Foot Baboon 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 50-85 days for juveniles, and every 120-190 days for sub-adults, with adult females moulting around every 9.3 months (up to 14 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 Blue Foot Baboon Tarantula need?
🪞 Moulting
Moults below the closed trapdoor. Do not open the door. Keep the water dish full and humidity steady; wait until it reopens with hard black fangs before feeding. Adult intervals apply to mature FEMALES - a mature male never moults again.
🧹 Cleaning
Weekly: refresh the water dish and clear boluses near the door. Deep cleans are full rehouses - plan with a catch cup.
✋ Handling
Reclusive rather than aggressive, but a genuinely fast strike when provoked - never handled. Catch cup for rehouses.
What are the most common mistakes when keeping Blue Foot Baboon Tarantulas?
✓ What They Love
- Deep substrate for a true trapdoor burrow
- Warm with moderate humidity and airflow
- Feeding at the door with long tongs
- Watching for the door to crack open at dusk
- Respect: fast ambush striker
✕ Common Mistakes
- Shallow substrate - it will compensate with heavy surface webbing
- Opening the trapdoor to check on it
- Free handling - fast Old World strike
- Wet substrate
Keep exploring: related care guides
More deep-burrowing species and close relatives from our full library:
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