Kochiana brunnipes
Dwarf Pink Leg - complete care guide
Dwarf Pink Leg
Temperature
23-27 °C
Target ambient range
Humidity
60-75 %
Substrate / enclosure RH
Adult DLS
5-7 cm
Average - varies per individual
Moult interval
Sling 3-5w - Juv 1.5-2.3mo
Adult 5-7mo
Adult cycle = mature females; males never moult again after maturity
About
The Dwarf Pink Leg (Kochiana brunnipes) is a true dwarf Brazilian fossorial - adult females top out around 6 cm, glossy black with salmon-pink legs. A nomen dubium lost to science for over 50 years until its 2008 redescription, it is calm but lightning-quick, living almost entirely in its burrow. Its tiny footprint, cheap price and big personality in miniature make it a favourite "desk pet" for keepers who like dwarves.
Husbandry cheat sheet
- Origin
- North-eastern Brazil
- Habitat
- Tropical forest / grassland
- Temperament
- Skittish
- In your collection
- 0
Growth, lifespan & conservation
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Maturity
- ♀ 30mo ♂ 24mo
- Lifespan
- ♀ 10yr ♂ 3yr
- Continent
- South America
- UK availability
- Commonly available
Care Guide
Kochiana brunnipes
Dwarf Pink Leg - a complete husbandry sheet. Use as a starting point and adjust to your individual specimen.
What size enclosure does a Dwarf Pink Leg Tarantula need?
Adults
True dwarves - a mature female is happy in a 15-20 cm cube. Give 10+ cm of packed substrate for burrowing; the enclosure size that feels "too small" for most species is correct here.
Slings & Juveniles
Sling vials with 5-8 cm of firmly packed substrate and a starter burrow entrance against the wall. Too much open space stresses burrowers.
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 Dwarf Pink Leg Tarantula need?
Heating
The Dwarf Pink Leg is comfortable at 23-27 °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. For burrowers this matters double: under-tank heating cooks the moist lower substrate column and warps the burrow gradient dangerously.
Humidity
Hold 60-75 % via the substrate moisture itself, not surface misting - deep packed substrate is the humidity buffer. Keep the top inch drier.
Ventilation
Moderate cross-ventilation. Avoid top-vent-only designs that wick moisture out of the substrate column too fast.
What substrate is best for a Dwarf Pink Leg Tarantula?
Recommended Mixes
Depth
15-20 cm
Notes
Damp enough to hold a tunnel shape when squeezed, never wet. Pack it HARD when filling - a collapsed burrow can trap and kill the spider.
How do you set up a Dwarf Pink Leg Tarantula enclosure?
Décor
The Hide
The burrow itself. Start an entrance under cork against the side glass so the spider excavates where you can see it.
Water
Shallow dish on the surface, always full. Many fossorials plug their burrows for weeks - they drink when they surface, so the dish must be ready.
Lighting
Ambient room light only - fossorials spend most of their lives underground and bright light offers nothing.
How often should you feed a Dwarf Pink Leg Tarantula?
Good Feeders
Long refusal worrying you? Separate premoult fasting from genuine problems with our "Is my T okay?" checker.
Is my Dwarf Pink Leg Tarantula dying or moulting?
Pre-moult signs to look for
Refusing food for weeks is normal before a moult - a healthy Dwarf Pink Leg 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. 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 Dwarf Pink Leg 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 18-35 days for spiderlings, every 45-70 days for juveniles, and every 110-160 days for sub-adults, with adult females moulting around every 5 months (up to 7.3 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 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 a Dwarf Pink Leg Tarantula need?
🪞 Moulting
Fossorials moult underground and often seal the burrow for days or weeks beforehand. A sealed spider is usually a fine spider - never dig one out. Remove prey from the entrance and wait. Adult intervals apply to mature females - males never moult after their ultimate moult.
🧹 Cleaning
Spot clean the surface only. Never excavate to clean - destroying a burrow network is a serious setback and stress event.
✋ Handling
Docile in temperament but lightning-fast bolters that vanish down their burrow at speed. A display species in miniature - better watched than held.
What are the most common mistakes when keeping Dwarf Pink Leg Tarantulas?
✓ What They Love
- Deep, firmly packed, slightly damp substrate
- Starter burrow against the side glass
- Stable temperatures
- Patience - sealed burrows are normal, sometimes for weeks
✕ Common Mistakes
- Shallow substrate
- Digging them up to "check on them"
- Heat mat underneath
- Loose, dry substrate that collapses
Keep exploring: related care guides
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