Lasiodora sp. Adobe
Adobe Giant Birdeater - complete care guide
Often searched as: Lasidora sp. Adobe.
Adobe Giant Birdeater
Temperature
22-26 °C
Target ambient range
Humidity
70-80 %
Substrate / enclosure RH
Adult DLS
15-20 cm
Average - varies per individual
Moult interval
Sling 3-7w - Juv 2-3.3mo
Adult 10-14mo
Adult cycle = mature females; males never moult again after maturity
About
The Adobe Birdeater - coppery-adobe tones with darker femurs and a pink-washed carapace, brand new to the hobby (first UK slings 2026). Identification caveat: sold in the UK as Lasiodora sp. "Adobe", but US trade labels the same stock Lasiodorides sp. "Adobe" - a much smaller Peruvian genus - so treat the giant 20 cm size claim with caution until lineages settle. Either way: nervous, flicky, more bluff than bite, and straightforward big-South-American husbandry. New, cheap-ish (£35 slings) and unproven - an early-adopter species.
Husbandry cheat sheet
- Origin
- South America (trade)
- Habitat
- Tropical forest floor
- Temperament
- Nervous
- In your collection
- 0
Growth, lifespan & conservation
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maturity
- ♀ 48mo ♂ 30mo
- Lifespan
- ♀ 18yr ♂ 4yr
- Continent
- South America
- UK availability
- Rare in the hobby
Care Guide
Lasiodora sp. Adobe
Adobe Giant Birdeater - a complete husbandry sheet. Use as a starting point and adjust to your individual specimen.
What size enclosure does an Adobe Giant Birdeater Tarantula need?
Adults
40 × 30 cm (16 × 12 in) for a mature adult. 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 an Adobe Giant Birdeater Tarantula need?
Heating
The Adobe Birdeaters is comfortable at 22-26 °C; most UK homes manage with little or no supplementary heat.
Humidity
70-80 %: overflow the water dish weekly and let it dry back.
Ventilation
Cross-ventilation is essential - side-vented enclosures, never stagnant.
What substrate is best for an Adobe Giant Birdeater Tarantula?
Recommended Mixes
Depth
8-10 cm
Notes
Keep substrate dry to barely moist - never soaking. Pack firm; give 8 cm for opportunistic digging.
How do you set up an Adobe Giant Birdeater Tarantula enclosure?
Décor
The Hide
A cork bark half-log or leaning slab retreat.
Water
Always provide a large shallow water dish. Keep it full and clean it regularly.
Lighting
No special lighting needed. Ambient room light is enough.
How often should you feed an Adobe Giant Birdeater Tarantula?
Good Feeders
Long refusal worrying you? Separate premoult fasting from genuine problems with our "Is my T okay?" checker.
Is my Adobe Giant Birdeater Tarantula dying or moulting?
Pre-moult signs to look for
Refusing food for weeks is normal before a moult - an healthy Adobe Giant Birdeater 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
An Adobe Giant Birdeater 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 24-48 days for spiderlings, every 60-100 days for juveniles, and every 140-220 days for sub-adults, with adult females moulting around every 10 months (up to 14.3 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 an Adobe Giant Birdeater Tarantula need?
🪞 Moulting
Signs: refuses food, abdomen darkens and goes glossy, becomes sluggish, often heavy webbing or a moult mat. Do not disturb; 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
Nervous hair-kicker - look, do not hold.
What are the most common mistakes when keeping Adobe Giant Birdeater Tarantulas?
✓ What They Love
- Fresh water dish at all times
- Stable warm-room temperature
- Cross-ventilation
- A proper hide and deep substrate
- Patience - husbandry data is still thin
✕ Common Mistakes
- Trusting the size estimate until lineages settle
- Soaking-wet substrate
- Free handling - heavy hair-kicker
- Overheating
Keep exploring: related care guides
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