Today on Charlotte’s spider facts….a really beautiful spider
The Cobalt Blue
She’s incredibly beautiful, but don’t touch!
Cobalt Blue (Haplopelma lividum)
Quick stats:
Type: Deep burrower
Size (approx): 6″? Female, 1″ unsexed
Feeding: Large crickets, roaches, zoophobas
Enclosure: ½ of a 10 gallon aquarium, small jar
Substrate: 8-10″ deep bed-a-beast/peat/vermiculite
Furnishings: Cork bark shelter, plastic water dish
Temp/Humidity: 80-84°F, 80% Humidity
Temperment: Exceptionally aggressive and secretive
Recieved on: 05/14/2000, 02/28/2001
Species Information:
Haploplema lividum is a psychotic, high-strung burrowing species from Southeast Asia found in tropical forests. They like high humidity and temperatures. There is an excellent caresheet for this species at petbugs.com.
Feeding:
Being an adult, the big girl doesn’t eat lots, but she likes her crickets. She’s big enough to take down some substantial sized prey, and she has accepted a roach and zoophoba when offered. The smaller one is still on fairly small crickets.
Not sure what she’s munching, but it’s not my hand.
Housing:
She lives in one half of a 10 gallon aquarium with deep bedding, a water dish and a cork shelter. Check out the breeding page for more details on this breeding tank. The smaller one lives in a small round pet-pal.
She started burrowing as soon as she was moved into this cage, and really has a fantastic burrow going. It goes straight down the corner of the cage behind the cork shelter, then around the side. The turret at the top is like a giant cartoon anthill.
The humidity outside the burrow isn’t particularly high, but it’s probably up around 80% in the burrow. The temp in the spider room is 80-84°F.
Temperment:
The big girl is the psychotic monster that is so well know to those who dare keep her! She’s quite unpredictable and may appear calm, but suddenly lash out at the slightest provocation. Chasing this girl around the room is a most disconcerting experience. She mostly hides in her burrow, but will occasionally venture out for a week-long vacation. Of all the spiders in my collection, this is the one I would least like to wake up next to…
The baby is not quite so nasty, but it is naughty and will go on a runabout if bothered. Surprisingly fast little bugger.
charlottecarrendar 
What a beautiful spider. Is she venomous, or merely psychotic?
All spiders are venomous to varying degrees. Cobalt bites are not life threatening but are painful. To have been bitten by this species, is to experience pain similar to a bee sting at the bite site with minor swelling. Keep in mind the effects of venom can be different among people and that if you have known allergies to bee stings or other spider bites extra care should be taken.
Cool. Thanks for the info.
You are most welcome. Feel free to check out some more spiders on my Spider facts blog. ❤
It reminds me of several things, you made my night haha First, there was a story with a spider named Charlotte (yes, yes, I’m weird enough to read all kind of stories, including the ones with talking spiders). Now I can see your profile pics more clearly, it’s a spider again! Oh my, Charlotte was a nice spider, she was my favorite character from the entire book. Then, of course I had remembered that half of the internet or more is complaining about spiders. I can’t really relate to this, I don’t feel hate against them, but I don’t know….as long as they don’t bite me in a deadly way and keep a reasonable distance, I’m ok with them, especially if they tell me stories as my Charlotte from the book did and as this Charlotte does.
Hehe, I named Charlotte Carrendar after the Charlotte in the book, since she is a demon spider, and born from an egg sac of her dying mother. You can read more about her in her biography. :3 Thanks for the follow. ❤
I’m not sure we’re talking about the same Charlotte, it’s the one from “Charlotte’s web” by E. B. White? 😀
Mhm, I am actually speaking of the same Charlotte. She is my inspiration in a sense. It’s how I came up with her name for my stories.
Amazing site! I’ve gotten a pretty good grip on my arachnophobia, but the Cobalt page did give me a bit of a turn. Still, I found the information fascinating. I look forward to exploring your blog. Thanks for visiting mine!
You’re so welcome. Hopefully I will have some new spider fact blogs up soon. ❤
Wow. Intriguing posts. Stopped by to find a cornucopia in the form of your blog. I look forward to reading your work!