Monocentropus balfouri (Socotra Island Blue Baboon Tarantula) (Communal Species)

Monocentropus balfouri (Socotra Island Blue Baboon)

The Socotra Island Blue Baboon, or Monocentropus balfouri, is an arid terrestrial tarantula from one of the most unforgiving landscapes in the world. Adults have a striking blue coloration, with blue legs and beige femurs, a gray to blue carapace (head), and a solid beige abdomen. This blue baboon is sexually dimorphic, meaning males and females look slightly different from each other. Mature males develop solid blue legs and a solid blue carapace in their last molt of life, while females display a carapace that ranges from light gray to dark blue, depending on the individual. Spiderlings start out gray, and the blue and beige coloration comes in around 2.5 to 3 inches and intensifies with age. The max size of this species is about six inches in diagonal leg span. Monocentropus balfouri is also one of the most successfully kept communal species in the hobby, where mothers have even been observed raising their own spiderlings to adulthood in communal setups in captivity. This species has a lifespan of 10 to 15 years for females, while males only live 2 to 3. The island blue baboon has the fast, alert temperament typical of most Old World baboon tarantulas. Grab this old world tarantula for sale today, offered here as a full size run, from spiderling to mature adult.

Why do hobbyists keep the Socotra Island Blue Baboon?

• Blue And Beige Coloration: The combination of blue legs, a gray-to-blue carapace, and a clean beige abdomen gives this species a look unlike anything else in the hobby, and it only gets more striking as adults intensify with age.
• True Communal Species: M. balfouri is one of the very small handful of tarantulas that can be kept successfully in large communal colonies. Keepers have gone as far as combining spiderlings from multiple different egg sacs into single communal setups of well over 100 individuals and successfully raising them all the way to maturity, with mothers even documented raising their own young to adulthood in captivity. This one fact is the biggest reason this species is as popular as it is.
• Sexually Dimorphic Coloration: Mature males and females finish out looking noticeably different from each other: males develop solid blue legs and a solid blue carapace, while each female keeps her own individual mix of light gray to dark blue, so no two adult females look quite the same.
• Heavy Webber: A prolific webber that builds elaborate, interconnected chamber systems, especially impressive to watch develop in a communal setup.
• Surprisingly Easy Care: Despite coming from one of the harshest arid environments in the hobby, this species is forgiving and easy to keep, making the care side approachable even though it is not a docile or beginner-temperament animal.

How should Monocentropus balfouri be kept?

• Adult Size: This species hatches at about 0.5 inch and reaches an adult max of about 6 inches in diagonal leg span.
• Enclosure: Each size below is listed with the actual enclosure it needs at that stage rather than one dimension for the whole species. See the size chart below, then check that size's own page for the exact inches and substrate depth.
• Setup Tips: Include a starter hide or a piece of cork bark to give it something to build from. M. balfouri is a heavy webber that will quickly web up the surface and dig connecting tunnels into the substrate, so give it enough loose substrate and structure to work with from the start.
• Rehousing: Three enclosures cover this species from spiderling to full adult size, with two rehouses along the way. Each size page below lays out exactly where a given size sits in that progression.
• Temperature: Keep this species between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Arid Old World terrestrials like this one hold up well across a wide range within that band, higher or lower, so there is no single number to chase.
• Humidity: This is an arid species and should not be kept wet. The one thing that matters is never letting the substrate dry out completely, and a water dish provides enough ambient moisture to keep that from happening.
• Water: A shallow textured water dish works well, something they can grip when climbing out.
• Diet: Prey size scales with the animal, from a pinhead cricket at spiderling size up to a full-grown cricket for an adult. Each size page below gives the exact prey measurement for that size.
• Temperament: Fast and alert, with the typical defensive attitude of most Old World baboon tarantulas.

Which size should I choose?

• 0.5 to 0.75 inch, Spiderling: Choose this size if you want the earliest entry point into this species, and the size most keepers choose when starting a fresh communal group.
• 0.75 to 1 inch, Well-Started Sling: Choose this size if you want past the most delicate first days and feeding steadily, still small enough to add to a communal group.
• 1 to 1.25 inches, Juvenile: Choose this size if you want an easy-feeding juvenile still comfortably within the window for combining into a communal setup.
• 1.25 to 1.5 inches, Juvenile: Choose this size if you want the same easy-feeding stage, a little further along, still workable for a communal setup if you start soon.
• 2 to 2.5 inches, Juvenile: Choose this size if you want a settled, actively growing juvenile, kept individually from this size on.
• 4 inches and up, Mature Male: Choose this size if you want a fully colored adult male, already showing solid blue legs and carapace.
• 4.5 to 5 inches, Juvenile Female: Choose this size if you want a confirmed female with some growth still ahead of her.
• 5.5 to 6 inches, Mature Female: Choose this size if you want at or very near full adult size, our top display specimen for this species.

Are there any additional notes or considerations for Monocentropus balfouri?

• True Communal Species: M. balfouri is one of the very small handful of tarantulas that can be kept successfully in large communal colonies. Keepers have gone as far as combining spiderlings from multiple different egg sacs into single communal setups of well over 100 individuals and successfully raising them all the way to maturity, with mothers even documented raising their own young to adulthood in captivity. This one fact is the biggest reason this species is as popular as it is.
• Communal Setup Tip: For the best odds of success, combine spiderlings together while they are as small as possible rather than waiting until they are larger. Most species that tolerate communal living cannot be separated back out once combined and grown, but M. balfouri is flexible enough that spiderlings from multiple different egg sacs can be combined and succeed, as long as they go in together while still small.
• Heavy Webbing: Expect this species to web up the surface of its enclosure and dig connecting tunnels into the substrate at every size, especially dramatic to watch develop across a large communal setup.

Frequently asked questions about the Socotra Island Blue Baboon

• Can I really combine spiderlings from different egg sacs into one communal setup? Yes, this is one of the few species in the hobby where that has been done successfully, with keepers combining spiderlings from multiple egg sacs into communal setups of well over 100 individuals and raising them all the way to maturity. The best odds still come from combining them as small as possible rather than waiting, since most communal-tolerant species cannot be separated back out once they are combined and grown.
• How much does a tarantula like this cost? Price depends on size and life stage rather than one flat number, since a spiderling just starting out and a mature adult further along represent very different amounts of growing already done. See the size chart above for every stage and its own price.