Meet the animal
Caribena versicolor comes from Martinique. Older care literature calls it Avicularia versicolor. Blue juveniles develop different adult colours. A vivid portrait or pinktoe label does not prove another island origin.
Before you choose one
Keep one observation animal and ask for stage and moult history. Small spiderlings need closer hydration and finer containment than adults. This spider can move quickly; arrange servicing that does not depend on hand handling.
Set up its home
The proposed adult layout is 30 × 30 × 45 cm with stable vertical cover and web anchors. A perforated acrylic lid must match the exact enclosure latch and retain effective airflow. Check all gaps against spiderlings and prey. Keep sharp hard objects out of fall zones.
Temperature and safe heating
Keeper guidance suggests a stable room in the low-to-mid twenties Celsius. Have this checked for your animal. Measure elevated retreats and room extremes. Avoid direct sun and hot basking lamps; controlled extra warmth must preserve cooler shade.
Daylight, shade and UV
Provide ambient daytime light, shaded vertical retreats and dark nights. No mandatory UVB or exact UVI target is established in the retrieved guidance. Do not heat or intensely illuminate the webbed refuge for viewing.
Water, moisture and airflow
Provide clean drinking water and suitable moisture support without sealing or saturating the enclosure. Ventilation is essential. Review the routine for the actual stage; a high air reading cannot prove drinking access or healthy refuge conditions.
Food and nutrition
Offer cultured prey suited to size near usable routes without tearing web. Set frequency by growth, abdomen condition and moult stage. Remove leftovers and all prey before moulting; wait for hardened body and fangs afterwards.
Behaviour and handling
Leave closed elevated retreats undisturbed and avoid routine handling. Plan a calm guided-container transfer with experienced help when needed. Do not pull the spider or web from the enclosure simply to improve visibility.
Health and life stages
Injury, persistent weakness or failed moulting needs experienced invertebrate-veterinary help. Check water and airflow before chasing higher humidity. Avoid chemical mite treatments, airtight wet recovery boxes and forced skin removal.
Buying and keeping records
Choose documented captive-bred C. versicolor and retain the older genus as an alias. Confirm current import or trade requirements. Check enclosure and replacement-lid compatibility for the exact latch version before purchase.
Your care routine
Test containment, airflow and water access before arrival. Check conditions and remove prey remains without destroying the retreat. Leave the last meal and moult status for holiday care. Recheck gaps and ventilation after any lid modification.
YOUR CHECKLIST
0 of 7 ticked
Antilles pinktoe tarantula — Caribena versicolor
Care hub: wildformexotics.co.uk/animals/antilles-pinktoe/
Ticks are kept only while this page is open. Print or download a copy before leaving. Completing the checklist does not establish that an animal is well or an installation is safe.
Use these reminders alongside the full guide. Adjust feeding and maintenance to your animal’s condition and measured enclosure conditions.
Sources
- Antilles pinktoe firsthand husbandry (older genus name) (Tom Moran, Tom's Big Spiders)
- Martinique pinktoe: Caribena versicolor UK listing (Exotic-Pets.co.uk)
- General tarantula care guide (The Spider Shop)
- Guidance on section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (GOV.UK / Defra)
- Import of pet invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles: IIN (GOV.UK / APHA and Defra)
- Import or export endangered species: check if you need a CITES permit (GOV.UK / APHA and Defra)
Equipment checklist
Equipment examples for Antilles pinktoe tarantula, grouped by care need. Read the checks before choosing. Shop links are Amazon affiliate links. Items without a verified Amazon match have no shop link.
Plan the whole setup: These examples cover only part of the setup. Meet every care need and test the finished enclosure before arrival. Suitable equipment you already own may meet the need; optional tools are labelled.
Check each item for your animal’s size and life stage, safe access, compatible controls and measured conditions. The list does not certify an installation.
Adult enclosure, substrate and shelter
Read the care guidance for this need
Also plan for: Choose suitable adult arboreal housing around the proposed 30 x 30 x 45 cm layout, with safe perforated ventilation, vertical web anchors and water access. Verify any replacement lid with the maker for the exact enclosure/latch version; do not leave exposed snag-prone wire mesh. Add the substrate, hides, cover and secure supports described in the care guide. The enclosure alone does not provide them.
Temperature and safe heating
Read the care guidance for this need
Exo Terra Digital Thermometer
Model: PT2472
Records minimum and maximum air temperatures near a shelter your animal uses, to help you check the temperature plan.
Fit check: The remote probe measures air at one location. Keep it away from direct lamp heat, secure it safely and keep the display outside. Use separate probes for warm and cool areas where needed. Minimum/maximum readings help track changes; this device does not measure surfaces or control heating. Use a water-rated thermometer for submerged readings.
Lighting, shade and UV
Read the care guidance for this need
Existing lighting may already provide a suitable day-night cycle. If you need extra lighting, use a switch or timer confirmed as compatible with its exact load, including any UVB ballast.
Water, humidity and ventilation
Read the care guidance for this need
Exo Terra Water Dish Small
Model: PT2801
Provides accessible drinking water for a suitably sized established spider without forcing high enclosure humidity.
Fit check: PT2801 measures 5.5 × 6.5 × 3 cm externally. Check the usable basin, stability, safe water depth and easy entry and exit for your animal. Outside measurements do not establish a soaking fit. Clean and refresh water at least daily and whenever soiled. This is a small drinking dish, not an adult snake, dragon, frog or tortoise basin. Tiny spiderlings may need a smaller receptacle.
Exo Terra Digital Hygrometer
Model: PT2477
Optional air-humidity monitor
Tracks the air humidity cycle near an occupied area.
Fit check: Place the remote humidity sensor inside the enclosure, away from direct heat. The reading describes air at that point, so record its position and check other areas where needed. Inspect the substrate and damp retreats directly, and keep ventilation clear. A humidity reading cannot show whether an animal has drinking water.
Also plan for: Provide the drinking water, damp retreats or safe water area described in the care guide. A sprayer and humidity gauge cannot provide these on their own.
Feeding and nutrition
Read the care guidance for this need
Also plan for: Offer cultured prey suited to size near usable routes without tearing web.
Equipment notes: Temperature and safe heating
EQUIPMENT TO CONSIDER
Exo Terra Digital Thermometer
Model PT2472 · Remote air probe and minimum/maximum memory; place away from direct lamp radiation. Check the supplier’s current price and availability, and confirm that the item suits your installation.
Records minimum and maximum air temperatures near a shelter your animal uses, to help you check the temperature plan.
Check before choosing: The remote probe measures air at one location. Keep it away from direct lamp heat, secure it safely and keep the display outside. Use separate probes for warm and cool areas where needed. Minimum/maximum readings help track changes; this device does not measure surfaces or control heating. Use a water-rated thermometer for submerged readings.
Equipment notes: Water, moisture and airflow
EQUIPMENT TO CONSIDER
Exo Terra Water Dish Small
Model PT2801 · Small drinker for appropriately sized animals; not a large soaking basin. Reduce water depth when needed. Check the supplier’s current price and availability, and confirm that the item suits your installation.
Provides accessible drinking water for a suitably sized established spider without forcing high enclosure humidity.
Check before choosing: PT2801 measures 5.5 × 6.5 × 3 cm externally. Check the usable basin, stability, safe water depth and easy entry and exit for your animal. Outside measurements do not establish a soaking fit. Clean and refresh water at least daily and whenever soiled. This is a small drinking dish, not an adult snake, dragon, frog or tortoise basin. Tiny spiderlings may need a smaller receptacle.
EQUIPMENT TO CONSIDER
Exo Terra Digital Hygrometer
Optional air-humidity monitor
Model PT2477 · Remote humidity probe; readings describe air at the probe, not substrate moisture. Check the supplier’s current price and availability, and confirm that the item suits your installation.
Tracks the air humidity cycle near an occupied area.
Check before choosing: Place the remote humidity sensor inside the enclosure, away from direct heat. The reading describes air at that point, so record its position and check other areas where needed. Inspect the substrate and damp retreats directly, and keep ventilation clear. A humidity reading cannot show whether an animal has drinking water.