Psalmopoeus reduncus
Orange Mouth - complete care guide
Often searched as: Psalmpoeus reduncus.
Orange Mouth
Temperature
24-28 °C
Target ambient range
Humidity
65-80 %
Substrate / enclosure RH
Adult DLS
12-15 cm
Average - varies per individual
Moult interval
Sling 3-6w - Juv 1.5-2.5mo
Adult 10-14mo
Adult cycle = mature females; males never moult again after maturity
About
Costa Rican tree spider whose calling card is right there in the name: bright orange-red setae around the mouth, visible from the sling stage and flashed during its threat display. Dark chestnut body with bronze highlights, slender legs, and the classic Psalmopoeus build - fast, reclusive and completely without urticating hairs, so its defences are pure speed and a memorable bite. Scarce in UK shops; usually appears via specialist breeders.
Husbandry cheat sheet
- Origin
- Costa Rica / Panama
- Habitat
- Humid lowland / premontane forest
- Temperament
- Fast
- In your collection
- 0
Growth, lifespan & conservation
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maturity
- ♀ 36mo ♂ 30mo
- Lifespan
- ♀ 12yr ♂ 3yr
- Continent
- North/Central America
- UK availability
- Uncommon
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Care Guide
Psalmopoeus reduncus
Orange Mouth - a complete husbandry sheet. Use as a starting point and adjust to your individual specimen.
What size enclosure does an Orange Mouth Tarantula need?
Adults
30 × 30 × 45 cm tall - height matters more than footprint. Provide generous vertical cork and anchor points for heavy webbing.
Slings & Juveniles
Small tall vials or arboreal sling tubs with a piece of vertical cork. Upgrade as they grow - arboreal slings do best slightly cramped, not in cavernous tanks.
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 Orange Mouth Tarantula need?
Heating
The Orange Mouths is comfortable at 24-28 °C, with a slight night-time drop. Most UK homes sit below this for much of the year; heat the room rather than the enclosure if winter drops under 22 °C.
Humidity
65-80 % with strong cross-flow: one side lightly damp, never a wet box. Costa Rican premontane forest is the reference - the "breezy greenhouse" balance.
Ventilation
The single most important husbandry factor for this species. Cross-flow (top + side mesh) is non-negotiable - stagnant air causes mould, mites and failed moults.
What substrate is best for an Orange Mouth Tarantula?
Recommended Mixes
Depth
3-5 cm
Notes
Substrate is mostly a moisture buffer - arboreals live above it. Keep one corner lightly damp, never wet throughout.
How do you set up an Orange Mouth Tarantula enclosure?
Décor
The Hide
A vertical cork tube or propped bark retreat positioned up off the floor - they silk tree cavities and bark flaps into tubular retreats in the wild and will do the same here.
Water
Shallow dish on the floor. Even dedicated canopy dwellers descend to drink - keep it full and clean.
Lighting
Ambient room light only. Nocturnal species - most activity happens after dark, so a red or dim evening lamp offers the best viewing.
How often should you feed an Orange Mouth Tarantula?
Good Feeders
Long refusal worrying you? Separate premoult fasting from genuine problems with our "Is my T okay?" checker.
Is my Orange Mouth Tarantula dying or moulting?
Pre-moult signs to look for
Refusing food for weeks is normal before a moult - an healthy Orange Mouth Tarantula fasting is almost never an emergency in itself. Watch for slowing down and spending more time in the hide, thickening the silk hammock it sleeps in. 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 Orange Mouth 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 45-75 days for juveniles, and every 160-260 days for sub-adults, with adult females moulting around every 10 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 an Orange Mouth Tarantula need?
🪞 Moulting
Arboreals often moult suspended in a web hammock. Do not disturb, remove prey, and slightly raise humidity around the time. Wait 5-7 days post-moult before offering food. Adult intervals apply to mature females - males never moult after their ultimate moult.
🧹 Cleaning
Spot clean webbed boluses when visible, refresh the water dish weekly. Full clean only when soiled - established webbing is valuable to the spider.
✋ Handling
Never free-handled. Psalmopoeus are among the quickest New World genera, and with no urticating hairs the backup plan is a bite that keepers report as memorably painful. Catch cup only.
What are the most common mistakes when keeping Orange Mouth Tarantulas?
✓ What They Love
- Tall enclosure with vertical cork
- Strong cross-ventilation
- Mist one wall - let it cycle dry
- Clamping/secure lid - a fast arboreal that will find any gap
- Long tongs at feeding time - the orange mouth opens faster than you think
✕ Common Mistakes
- Free handling - fast, reclusive, and equipped with a functional bite instead of urticating hairs
- Waterlogged substrate
- Sealed, unventilated tanks
- Heat from below
- Expecting it on display by day - nocturnal and shy, it earns its keep at lights-out
Keep exploring: related care guides
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