mexican red knee

[dominicrobed]

Hi am thinking about getting a mexican red knee my local shop has one and have fallen in love with her. And was wondering if it was a good first spider and any tips ? thanks all

[SpiderGirl33]

They do make good beginner tarantulas, some have a habit of flicking hairs though.
The scientific name for them is Brachypelma smithi, helps if you search that name if your looking for caresheets.
Here's a couple of caresheets I found for ya

B. smithi Caresheet
Brachypelma smithi - Mexican redknee Caresheet
Mexican Red-Knee (Brachypelma smithi) Care Sheet

[dominicrobed]

thank you very interesting. How often do you feed them and how much ?

[SpiderGirl33]

Depends on size really. I feed all my tarantulas over 3 to 4 inches legspan roaches (lobster roaches, they breed quickly and are easy to keep).
But before I had roaches they'd eat large brown or black crickets.
I feed the small ones (1-3inch legspans) medium brown crickets, and the ones under 1 inch are given small brown crickets.
If I dont have small crickets about, I'll kill medium ones for them instead.
I buy my crickets from this site...http://www.livefoods.co.uk/

[dominicrobed]

cool thanks again your a star

[Cleo]

Originally Posted by dominicrobed

Hi am thinking about getting a mexican red knee my local shop has one and have fallen in love with her. And was wondering if it was a good first spider and any tips ? thanks all

B. smithi was the first T I owned and the reason I got into the hobby in the first place. IMO they make an ideal first spider. Stunning colours (especially when freshly moulted).

Use an enclosure around 3 times the legspan of the spider and fill it with dried coco-fibre (or similar substrate). Make sure there's only 1.5 to 2 times the T's legspan between the sub and the lid to prevent injuries from falls. Provide a wide, shallow waterdish and a hide (half an appropriatly sized flowerpot is ideal), add 1 Red-knee and you're good to go .

I feed my brachys 1 cricket every week or two. A good rule is to feed prey no bigger than the spiders abdomen. You can feed more often if you wish, just keep an eye on the abdomen and cut back on food if it starts getting too big.

Keep your set-up in a warm room and you won't need to provide additional heating. As long as you feel comfortable in the room, the T will be fine. If your room is very cold use a heatmat, but make sure you stick it to the side of the tank and not the bottom. You won't need to worry about humidity with this species, just provide a waterdish. Some keepers overflow the waterdish every now and then to up the humidity, but I never have and they do fine.

Handling your spider is a personal choice. I don't handle for the sake of it, just when re-housing or to check for health issues. If you want to handle, then do so only if you feel confident about it. Sit on the floor or a bed and remove the spider from it's tank with a container or cup and coax it onto your hand by gently nudging it's back end with your finger or something soft. Keep your hands low over a soft surface in case the T bolts or jumps and don't breathe directly on the animal. It's a good idea to have a tub ready to place over the spider in case it decides to run for it. As mentioned, B. smithis are famous for kicking hairs, but mine seem to calm down quite quickly. If you do handle, make sure you wash your hands and arms before going near your mouth or eyes.

Thats about all i can think of at the mo. Good luck if you do decide to take the plunge, you won't regret it.

[dominicrobed]

thank you I made the plunge today and got me a little one about a year old. s/he is smashing and I cant wait untill the colours start to comr out.

[Cleo]

Originally Posted by dominicrobed

thank you I made the plunge today and got me a little one about a year old. s/he is smashing and I cant wait untill the colours start to comr out.

Excellent choice . You might want to look into moulting. It's an important process every tarantula has to go through many times in their lives and it's good to learn a few dos and don'ts about it so you know what to expect and are prepared. Once again, good luck.