Green Bottle Blue Tarantula (GBB) Care Guide
If you've ever seen a photo of a spider with blue legs, a green head, and a bright orange belly and assumed it was edited, welcome to the green bottle blue tarantula — one of the few animals in this hobby where the real thing actually looks more intense than the picture.
What Is a Green Bottle Blue Tarantula?
The Green Bottle Blue Tarantula (GBB), or Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens, is a terrestrial and semi-arboreal tarantula native to Venezuela, known for climbing up into bushes, shrubs, and tall grasses rather than staying strictly ground-bound. Adults display blue legs, a green carapace, and a bright orange abdomen — one of the most iconic color combinations in the entire hobby. Spiderlings start out an entirely different black-and-orange pattern and shift gradually toward that adult blue-green-orange coloring with every molt, fully arriving around two and a half inches. See what GBBs are currently in stock before sizes sell through.
Why Hobbyists Love the GBB
- That coloration. Nothing else in the hobby looks quite like it, and it only gets more saturated with age.
- A heavy, visible webber at every life stage. GBBs build elaborate web structures that become part of the display — this isn't a species that hides.
- Medium to fast growth. You're watching this animal change and grow noticeably faster than most terrestrial species.
- A genuine gateway to arboreal-adjacent keeping. Spiderlings are almost exclusively arboreal, climbing and webbing up high, before coming down to the ground more as they mature — a nice bridge if you want to try an arboreal species next.
GBB Size and Growth GBBs
hatch around 0.5 to 0.75 inches and top out at about 6 inches in diagonal leg span, with growth running medium to fast for the hobby. Females live 10 to 15 years; males mature faster and typically live only 2 to 3 years.
Enclosure & Housing Setup
Because this species climbs and webs even as a terrestrial animal, give it more height than a strict ground-dweller would need. Spiderlings (0.5–1 inch) do well in a small enclosure with at least 1.5 inches of substrate to burrow into, plus cork bark or artificial plants to climb and web on — our own Square Invertebrate Enclosure (4.5" x 4.5" x 3", $8) is a budget option we use in-house for growouts up to about 2.5 inches, and turning it on its side gives a climber like this one some vertical room. Juveniles (1.5–3 inches) move up to roughly 8x8x8 inches with the same climbing furniture, and adults (4–6 inches) are comfortable in a 12x12x10 inch enclosure with 2–3 inches of substrate and plenty of web-anchoring points like cork bark, fake plants, or both.
Keep temperatures in the semi-arid-to-semi-tropical range this species is used to — think seasonal wet-and-dry cycling rather than a constantly damp or bone-dry setup. Let the substrate dry out between light mistings, and always keep a water dish available.
Feeding
Spiderlings take pinhead crickets or fruit flies every 4–5 days; expect a strong feeding response, since a heavy webber tends to be a heavy eater too. Juveniles move to 1/4–1/2 inch prey on a similar schedule, and adults take appropriately sized crickets or roaches roughly once a week.
Is the Green Bottle Blue a Good Beginner Tarantula?
Yes. It's fast-growing, hardy, and the webbing and coloration give you a genuinely engaging display animal from week one. It can be quick to move when startled — normal for a species this active — but that's part of what makes it fun to watch, not a reason to hesitate.
Tips When Buying a GBB for Sale
Confirm captive-bred origin, check which size band you're actually getting, and ask whether the specific animal has started showing adult coloration yet if that matters to you. This 0.75–1" GBB is in stock now at $68 if you want to start with a spiderling and watch the color change happen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does GBB stand for?
GBB is the hobby shorthand for Green Bottle Blue, the common name for Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens.
How big does a green bottle blue tarantula get?
Adults reach about 6 inches in diagonal leg span, with the full blue-green-orange adult coloring coming in around two and a half inches.
Do green bottle blue slings look like the adults?
No — spiderlings show a completely separate black-and-orange pattern that shifts gradually into the adult coloring with each molt.
Is the green bottle blue tarantula aggressive?
No, but it is fast and can be quick to retreat or dart when startled. That alertness is normal for the species and isn't a sign of aggression.
How long do green bottle blue tarantulas live?
Females live 10 to 15 years; males live a shorter 2 to 3 years.
What Keepers Are Saying
GBB buyers rate this species 4.9 out of 5 across 10 verified reviews:
"Excellent communication throughout the process, spider arrived alive and healthy, packaging was very good. Overall excellent experience, would definitely recommend." — Garrett M., verified buyer
"First time ordering and it won't be the last! Arrived alive and gorgeous! Rehousing was a blast!" — Eric, verified buyer
"All 4 baby slings are really healthy and beautiful." — Christina C., verified buyer
A Few Ways to Grow the Collection Loving the arboreal-leaning behavior? The Avicularia Pink Toe takes that climbing, webbing lifestyle fully arboreal. Want to compare it against another heavy webber with warm coloration? Only 3 left of this mature 2–2.5" female at $250 if you'd rather skip straight to an animal already showing full adult color.
