Brazilian Fire Red Birdeater (Lasiodora Difficilis)

The Brazilian Fire Red Birdeater (Lasiodora difficilis) is a massive terrestrial beast with striking coloration and serious feeding responses. If you want a tarantula that makes feeding time a show, this is your girl. 

Quick Facts

Common Name: Brazilian Fire Red Birdeater

Scientific Name: Lasiodora difficilis

Origin: Brazil (Amazon Basin and surrounding rainforest regions)

Size:

• Adults reach 8–9 inches (20–23 cm) or more
• Big, beefy legs and body

Lifespan:

• Females: 15–20 years
• Males: ~4–6 years

Temperament: Generally calm, but can be defensive when disturbed

Very food-aggressive — feeding time is exciting!

Coloration:

• Deep brown or black body
• Fiery red hairs on the abdomen and legs
• Subtle but powerful — the “fire red” shows best under natural or bright light

Housing

Enclosure Type: Terrestrial — needs plenty of floor space

Substrate: 4–6 inches of coco fiber/topsoil mix for burrowing or surface lounging

Humidity: 65–75%

• Mist lightly a few times a week and keep a water dish full

Temperature: 72–80°F (22–27°C)

Decor:

• Large cork bark hide or half log
• Leaf litter or moss for natural cover
• Heavy water dish (they’ll knock light ones over)

Pro tip: These tanks love to bulldoze their enclosures — give them room to rearrange!

Feeding

Diet: Crickets, dubia roaches, superworms, hornworms

Feeding Frequency:

• Slings: 2–3x/week
• Juveniles: Weekly
• Adults: Every 10–14 days (they eat big, so you can feed less often)

Feeding response is insane — be ready for ambushes and slams

Why She’s a Heavy Hitter

One of the largest New World species in the hobby

Striking red hairs give her that signature fire look

Generally hardy and low-maintenance

Spectacular feeding behavior — they don’t play around at dinner time

Great display spider, usually out and about

Things to Watch

Will flick urticating hairs — and they’re pretty irritating

Not handleable — very large and heavy-bodied

Can kick hairs just from opening the enclosure

Needs a lot of space and some ventilation to keep that humidity balanced