Typhochlaena seladonia
Brazilian Jewel - complete care guide
Brazilian Jewel
Temperature
21-26 °C
Target ambient range
Humidity
70-85 %
Substrate / enclosure RH
Adult DLS
5-6 cm
Average - varies per individual
Moult interval
Sling 3-6w - Juv 1.3-2.3mo
Adult 4-7mo
Adult cycle = mature females; males never moult again after maturity
About
The Brazilian Jewel - a thumb-sized arboreal gem from Brazil's Atlantic Forest, metallic gold-green with pink-orange toes, and one of the most coveted dwarf tarantulas in the hobby. Its signature trick is the silk trapdoor: it seals itself flush against bark crevices with a hinged door of web, emerging to ambush prey. Wild export from Brazil is banned, so all legal stock is captive-bred from a limited gene pool - which is why UK slings command around £90 and vanish on arrival. Docile, sedentary and fascinating to watch build. Tiny, precious, and worth every penny of the setup.
Husbandry cheat sheet
- Origin
- Brazil (Atlantic Forest: Bahia / Sergipe)
- Habitat
- Atlantic Forest - arboreal bark crevices
- Temperament
- Docile
- In your collection
- 0
Growth, lifespan & conservation
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Maturity
- ♀ 24mo ♂ 15mo
- Lifespan
- ♀ 12yr ♂ 3yr
- Continent
- South America
- UK availability
- Rare in the hobby
Care Guide
Typhochlaena seladonia
Brazilian Jewel - a complete husbandry sheet. Use as a starting point and adjust to your individual specimen.
What size enclosure does a Brazilian Jewel Tarantula need?
Adults
A small tall arboreal tub, 15 × 15 × 20 cm, dominated by cork. Dwarfs do poorly in oversized enclosures.
Slings & Juveniles
Small arboreal sling vials with a strip of cork bark - they start building trapdoors almost immediately.
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 Brazilian Jewel Tarantula need?
Heating
The Brazilian Jewels is comfortable at 21-26 °C. Most UK homes need gentle room warming in winter; avoid heat mats under the enclosure.
Humidity
70-85 %: keep the substrate barely damp and mist the bark lightly once or twice a week - the trapdoor microclimate does the rest.
Ventilation
Cross-ventilation with stable high humidity - fine mesh, small enclosure. Stagnant wet air is the main killer of this species.
What substrate is best for a Brazilian Jewel Tarantula?
Recommended Mixes
Depth
3-5 cm
Notes
Substrate is a moisture buffer only (3-5 cm); the living space is the bark face. Keep one corner damp, never wet throughout.
How do you set up a Brazilian Jewel Tarantula enclosure?
Décor
The Hide
A vertical cork bark slab or tube with gaps against the enclosure wall - it builds its signature flush trapdoor over a crevice and seals itself in.
Water
A bottle-cap dish or damp moss patch on the substrate; most hydration comes from the humid microclimate around the bark.
Lighting
Ambient room light only. No basking lamps.
How often should you feed a Brazilian Jewel Tarantula?
Good Feeders
Long refusal worrying you? Separate premoult fasting from genuine problems with our "Is my T okay?" checker.
Is my Brazilian Jewel Tarantula dying or moulting?
Pre-moult signs to look for
Refusing food for weeks is normal before a moult - a healthy Brazilian Jewel 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
A Brazilian Jewel 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 21-40 days for spiderlings, every 40-70 days for juveniles, and every 90-150 days for sub-adults, with adult females moulting around every 4 months (up to 6.7 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 Brazilian Jewel Tarantula need?
🪞 Moulting
Moults happen behind the sealed trapdoor - you will often only know from a shed exuvium pushed out or a brighter spider afterwards. Do not open the door to check; keep humidity high and prey out, and wait several days post-moult before feeding. Adult intervals apply to mature FEMALES - a mature male never moults again.
🧹 Cleaning
Spot clean around the bark when boluses appear; keep the water source (damp moss or tiny dish) fresh. Full cleans are disruptive - do them rarely.
✋ Handling
Docile but completely unsuited to handling - a 5 cm spider with a fragile body and a jump reflex. Observe, never hold.
What are the most common mistakes when keeping Brazilian Jewel Tarantulas?
✓ What They Love
- Vertical cork bark slab to build its trapdoor against
- Small prey - fruit flies and pinheads only
- High humidity with good airflow
- Shallow substrate - the bark IS the enclosure
- Patience: you may rarely see it open the door
✕ Common Mistakes
- Large prey - a roach bigger than the spider is dangerous
- Deep soaking substrate - mould kills jewels fast
- Opening the trapdoor to check on it
- Dry conditions for extended periods
Keep exploring: related care guides
More arboreal species and close relatives from our full library:
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