Pumpkin Patch Tarantula (Hapolopus sp. Colombia) Care Sheet

Scientific Name: Hapalopus sp Colombia

Common Name: Colombian Pumpkin Patch 

Type: Terrestrial

Category: New World

Endemic Location: Colombia

Diagonal Leg Span (DLS): Groot/Large 4” (10cm) Klein/Small 2.5” (6cm)

Urticating Hairs: Yes

Growth Rate: Fast

Life Expectancy: Females 10 years / Males 3 years

Recommended Experience Level: Beginner

Hapolopus sp. Colombia aka the Pumpkin Patch Tarantula is a highly sought after Dwarf tarantula known for its bright orange and deep black coloration and gorgeous pattern. Its scientific name comes from the root word hapalo which means simple and the pus which translates to foot and the common name refers to the pumpkin color of this t that some say even resemble the look of a pumpkin patch due to the pattern. There are two different types of this species that you most likely see noted when looking to purchase this tarantula. There is the Groot, meaning the large form and the Klein, meaning the small form. The groot in know to grow to about 3-4 inches while the Klein typically doesn’t get larger than 2.5 inches or so. Males of this species will be smaller in size, mature in about 1 year and only live for 3 or 4 years, while females live about 8-10 years and mature in as little as 2 years. This species is endemic to the Pacific coats of Colombia where it is accustomed to warmer temperature and higher humidity. Being a new world tarantula, this T does not posses medically significant venom, and being a dwarf tarantula, its fangs are much smaller than normal Ts and one would assume much less painful if you were to be bit. I have also noticed that its urticating hairs seem to be much less irritating than other species but could potentially still cause serious problems if they were to get in your eyes, nose or mouth, so keep the T away from your face and be sure to wash your hands before touching your face any time you handle the T or are moving things around in its enclosure. Being a dwarf tarantula they do not require large enclosures and especially tiny as spiderlings. 

   I keep my slings in 30 or 50 dram vials, the type of vial most juvenile tarantulas are shipped in when you order them online. I also have a link in my amazon store under enclosures where you can purchase them if you have none available. I provide very small ventilation holes using a thumb tack to ensure that there is no chance for the spiderling to escape through an air hole. I fill the vial up about ¾ with substrate and start a little burrow hole for the sling to retreat into and begin making its burrow. I put in a little sphagnum moss to provide some cover and anchor point for the tarantulas web and it also help to keep the humidity up. I keep the substrate moist and drop a little water on its web once or twice a week so it can get a drink when it needs. If mold starts to grow in the substrate, i will let it dry out before moistening the substrate again. 

  I keep juveniles in a basic acrylic juvenile enclosure filled about halfway up with substrate as this species tends to still enjoy its burrow at this size., I also place branches, fake plants, or thin slivers of cork bark around the enclosure for the T to use as anchor points as they tend to web up their enclosure and it helps them feel more secure and comfortable. I keep the substrate a little damp and provide a water dish I keep filled with clean water at all times. I let the substrate dry out before overflowing the water dish again to minimize mold growth. I do not mist my Pumpkin Patch enclosures as I find keeping a water dish full and overflowing it to dampen the substrate provides ample humidity for this species. 

  And for adults I keep my Pumpkin Patch ts in a 1-2.5 gallon enclosure filled ½ way with substrate and put in branches and plants again for the t to use to make its webbing. This species is a prolific webber and will create some gorgeous web tunnels if given the chance.

  I feed my spiderling Flightless fruit flies 2-3 times a week. I drop in 2-3 at a time and don’t feed them for about 2-3 days after a molt to give them a little time to harden up. Spiderling are ready to eat mush sooner after a molt than adult tarantulas. For juveniles I usually drop in 1 or 2 small crickets every week and make sure the cricket is no larger than ⅔ the size of the tarantula and remove any uneaten prey with in 24 hours. If they don’t eat, I wait a week or two before trying to feed them again and make sure to remove the prey quickly if the t appears to be near a molt. For adults I drop in a medium-large cricket once a week, again, making sure that the cricket isnt much larger than ⅔ the size of the t. At this stage I also mix it up sometimes with small dubia roaches or small mealworms. Again I remove any uneaten prey within 24 hours and even sooner if the T is near premolt. I don’t want to leave live prey wandering around the enclosure when the T starts to molt as it could stress out the T and possibly endanger the T if the cricket attacks it while it is molting or shortly after. I wait about a week to two weeks after a molt before attempting the feed the tarantula again, making to sure to give it plenty of time to harden up.

  This tarantula is very docile though a little skittish. Mine have never kicked any hairs or shown me a threat pose and usually just retreat into their burrow any time I disturb their enclosure. If your Pumpkin Patch is acting defensive and shows a threat pose, you may want to look into how you have the enclosure set up and consider re-configuring the lay out to give more places to retreat and web up so that it feels more secure and comfortable. As adults, my pumpkin patches spend a lot of time out in the open and on display. They can be very quick for a little T, so I refraining from holding mine in most cases as I don’t want to risk them getting away or falling from my hands and injuring themselves if they tried to bolt off. This T is fairly hardy and easy to care for and people seem to have a lot of success breeding them, though I have not yet had the opportunity to breed them myself. These Ts are very brightly colored and gorgeous to look at and make for a great display tarantula to add to your collection. They are also fairly inexpensive and a lot of time you can get them as a freebie when you order from an online dealer like Fear Not Tarantulas. Just be aware that these spiders are very tiny as slings and can be a little worrisome for you if you haven’t kept tiny slings before, but luckily they are a fast growing species so they wont stay that small for long.