Giant white knee tarantula (Acanthoscurria geniculata)

Short answers

Giant white knee tarantula: How big does the enclosure need to be?

40×30×30 cm (terrestrial, a thick digging layer, little height).

Giant white knee tarantula: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 24–28 °C, at night 20–22 °C.

Giant white knee tarantula: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: No UVB needed (nocturnal).

Giant white knee tarantula: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: females 12–20 years, males 3–5 years.

Giant white knee tarantula: Is it suitable for beginners?

Rather not – it is considered an intermediate species (difficulty: Intermediate).

Climate

Daytime temperature

24–28 °C

Night temperature

20–22 °C

Basking spot

—

Humidity

70–80 %

UVB

No UVB needed (nocturnal)

Enclosure

Minimum size

40×30×30 cm (terrestrial, a thick digging layer, little height)

Substrate

8–15 cm of substrate they can dig in (coco humus, potting or loam soil), a water dish

Feeding

Food

Insects (crickets, house crickets, roaches, locusts); micro crickets or fruit flies for juveniles

Feeding interval

adults 1×/week to every 10–14 days, juveniles 2–3×/week

Key facts

Adult size

body ~8–9 cm, leg span ~18–20 cm

Life expectancy

females 12–20 years, males 3–5 years

Origin

Brazil (the rainforest–Cerrado transition)

Protection status

Not protected (no CITES appendix); captive-bred animals are the norm

Brumation

None

Cohabitation

Single keeping. The sources describe keeping each animal in its own container with its own hide and burrow; there is no evidence for groups. A second animal in the enclosure makes no sense: downsides are territory defence, injury while moulting and the risk that one spider eats the other. For breeding only put a mature male briefly with the female.

Notes

Very defensive and skittish; when disturbed it bombards with urticating hairs (irritation of skin, airways and eyes – wear goggles); a pronounced digging drive; no handling; do not feed during a moult.

Do you keep this species?

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Related species

• Brazilian black and white tarantula (Acanthoscurria brocklehursti) – Intermediate
• Amazon birdeater (Iridopelma hirsutum) – Intermediate
• Arizona blonde tarantula (Aphonopelma chalcodes) – Beginner
• Pinktoe tarantula (Avicularia avicularia) – Beginner
• Cobalt blue tarantula (Cyriopagopus lividus) – Expert
• Gooty sapphire ornamental tarantula (Poecilotheria metallica) – Expert
• Peruvian blue tarantula (Thrixopelma cyaneolum) – Beginner
• Singapore blue tarantula (Omothymus violaceopes) – Expert

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep Giant white knee tarantula (Acanthoscurria geniculata) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (40×30×30 cm (terrestrial, a thick digging layer, little height)), substrate (8–15 cm of substrate they can dig in (coco humus, potting or loam soil), a water dish), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.