Pamphobeteus sp. Cascada
Ecuadorian Purple Bloom - complete care guide
Ecuadorian Purple Bloom
Temperature
22-26 °C
Target ambient range
Humidity
70-80 %
Substrate / enclosure RH
Adult DLS
18-22 cm
Average - varies per individual
Moult interval
Sling 4-6w - Juv 2-3mo
Adult 11-13mo
Adult cycle = mature females; males never moult again after maturity
About
The Ecuadorian Purple Bloom - a big, violet-sheened Pamphobeteus locality form from Ecuador's Pacific foothills, traded as sp. "Cascada" (Spanish for waterfall) after the cloud-forest collecting localities. Females are heavy, chocolate-dark animals with a violet carapace starburst and purple hints flushing the femurs; mature males ignite into the full purple bloom the form is named for, the colour arriving with the ultimate moult and belonging entirely to the boys. Trade labels overlap heavily across the Ecuadorian cluster - the neighbouring locality form is the Machala purple (P. sp. Machala) and the pink cousin is the Pink Bloom (P. sp. platyomma) - Cascada is the most violet of the three and the one to buy if the purple is the point. An undescribed species: no formal name exists yet, so expect sellers to shuffle labels. Slings surface in the UK sporadically at £40-60 with established sub-adult females well into three figures. Standard Pamphobeteus husbandry - warm, humid but airy, deep substrate, and respect for the hairs.
Husbandry cheat sheet
- Origin
- Ecuador (Pacific Andean foothills - humid cloud-forest localities)
- Habitat
- Humid montane foothill forest - deep burrows in banks and root tangles
- Temperament
- Defensive
- In your collection
- 0
Growth, lifespan & conservation
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Maturity
- ♀ 38mo ♂ 26mo
- Lifespan
- ♀ 16yr ♂ 4yr
- Continent
- South America
- UK availability
- Rare in the hobby
Care Guide
Pamphobeteus sp. Cascada
Ecuadorian Purple Bloom - a complete husbandry sheet. Use as a starting point and adjust to your individual specimen.
What size enclosure does an Ecuadorian Purple Bloom Tarantula need?
Adults
45 × 30 cm low terrestrial with deep substrate. Floor space over height, always.
Slings & Juveniles
Appropriately sized tubs with 5-10 cm substrate and an anchored cork piece. Upgrade every 2-3 moults.
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 Ecuadorian Purple Bloom Tarantula need?
Heating
22-26 °C. A heat mat on a thermostat on one side of the enclosure suits the foothill origin; most UK rooms need gentle supplemental heat through winter.
Humidity
70-80 %: overflow the water dish weekly and let the surface dry back between. Humid and airy - Pacific foothill forest, not a swamp.
Ventilation
Cross-ventilation is essential - side-vented enclosures. Humid foothill air with constant airflow, never stagnant: stagnant + 75 % is how cloud-forest setups go mouldy.
What substrate is best for an Ecuadorian Purple Bloom Tarantula?
Recommended Mixes
Depth
10-15 cm
Notes
Coco fibre / topsoil mix, packed firm to support decor. Dry-to-barely-moist walking surface with damp depths - they dig shallow scrapes and remodel constantly.
How do you set up an Ecuadorian Purple Bloom Tarantula enclosure?
Décor
The Hide
A cork bark half-log or heavy slab, wedged stable - established Cascada web generously around it and anchor everything else or they will bulldoze it.
Water
Always provide a LARGE shallow dish and keep it full - a 20 cm spider drinks properly. Overflowing it weekly is the easiest humidity tool.
Lighting
No special lighting - ambient room light. They settle and show well once established.
How often should you feed an Ecuadorian Purple Bloom Tarantula?
Good Feeders
Long refusal worrying you? Separate premoult fasting from genuine problems with our "Is my T okay?" checker.
Is my Ecuadorian Purple Bloom Tarantula dying or moulting?
Pre-moult signs to look for
Refusing food for weeks is normal before a moult - an healthy Ecuadorian Purple Bloom 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 Ecuadorian Purple Bloom 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 28-45 days for spiderlings, every 60-90 days for juveniles, and every 170-240 days for sub-adults, with adult females moulting around every 11 months (up to 13.3 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 9 days in this species. Offer no food and no handling for about 9 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 Ecuadorian Purple Bloom Tarantula need?
🪞 Moulting
Signs: refuses food, abdomen darkens and goes glossy, sluggish, often a thick moult mat or a sealed burrow entrance. Do not disturb or excavate - a sealed Pamphobeteus is usually mid-moult. Remove live prey, keep water available, and wait until the fangs are black and hard (7-10 days for a big adult) 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. Deep clean rarely - they hate disruption and will re-silk the whole enclosure anyway.
✋ Handling
Not a handling species. Defensive threat postures come quickly, the type III urticating hairs are genuinely irritating, and they are faster than they look. Catch cup only, gloves and eye protection for rehouses.
What are the most common mistakes when keeping Ecuadorian Purple Bloom Tarantulas?
✓ What They Love
- Low, wide terrestrial setup - a 20 cm heavyweight must not fall
- 10-15 cm of packed substrate with an anchored cork hide
- 22-26 °C with a gradient and good cross-flow
- A LARGE water dish, overflowed weekly for the 70-80 % band
- Feed with tongs - the strike from a Pamphobeteus is violent
✕ Common Mistakes
- Tall enclosures - heavy terrestrials rupture abdomens falling from height
- Sopping-wet substrate - cloud forest wants humid AIR, not a swamp floor
- Free handling - defensive, fast, and a serious hair-kicker
- Buying a female expecting male purple - the bloom is the ultimate-moult male's
- Trusting labels blindly - Machala, Cascada and Pink Bloom get shuffled by sellers
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