Chaco Golden Knee vs Curly Hair Tarantula: Growth Speed

Chaco Golden Knee vs Curly Hair tarantula comes down to one thing: patience. The Chaco is bigger, calmer and famously slow to grow while the Curly Hair reaches full size in roughly half the time. Both make solid inexpensive beginner pets.

Chaco Golden Knee vs Curly Hair Tarantula: Key Differences at a Glance

Growth rate splits these two beginner species more than anything else. Not even close. The Curly Hair reaches breeding size at 3 to 4 years old according to a City of Idaho Falls species profile. The Chaco takes noticeably longer to fill out its full 7 to 8 inch frame.

Six traits that matter most for beginners

Which One Should You Choose

Same difficulty. Different timelines.

Choose Chaco Golden Knee if…

• You want a spider that sits out in the open instead of burrowing, since Chacos rarely disappear from view.
• You're fine paying $20 to $40 for a sling and waiting years to see it grow.
• You want the longest lived option; females often reach 20 to 25 years.

Choose Curly Hair if…

• You want visible growth sooner and don't mind a burrower for the first year or two.
• You'd rather keep the substrate slightly damp than bone dry.
• You want an equally docile species that still lives 15 to 20 years, just native to Central America instead of the Chaco's South American grasslands.

Bottom Line

Both the Chaco and the Curly Hair are docile, forgiving and cheap enough that price won't decide this for you. Growth speed will. 

The real Chaco Golden Knee vs Curly Hair tarantula question is how long you're willing to wait for a full grown spider.

If growth speed alone doesn't settle it, our 13-question quiz weighs your answers against real care data across 6 top beginner species, Chaco and Curly Hair included. Find your beginner tarantula match

Other Common Tarantula Questions: Mexican Red Knee vs Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula: Verdict