A. moderatum (Rio Grande Gold)

[connorpj]

Hey there,

I'm brand new to tarantulas and just got a juvenile Rio Grande Gold. I'm curious how quickly it will grow (he/she's currently about 1.5" from leg to leg). I'm pretty sure it is a female (dark brown with clearly different markings on her legs). This is a burrowing species, correct? Not arboreal? What size cage should it be in? It is currently in a terrarium about 3 times its legspan. Thanks.

 

[xhexdx]

They grow very slowly, but are also smaller - about 4" max.
Your methods for sexing it are all wrong.
They're not burrowers or arboreal - they are terrestrial. Your current setup will be fine until the next molt or two - you could keep it in a 2.5 or 5.5 gallon without an issue.

Dry substrate, a hide, and a water dish.

 

[connorpj]

Okay thanks, I thought they were sexually dimorphic. Also, do you know how long it will be before it reaches max size? Thanks.

 

[xhexdx]

They are sexually dimorphic, but only after the male matures. Immature males have the same coloration as females.

 

[Stan Schultz]

Hey there,

I'm brand new to tarantulas and just got a juvenile Rio Grande Gold. I'm curious how quickly it will grow (he/she's currently about 1.5" from leg to leg). I'm pretty sure it is a female (dark brown with clearly different markings on her legs). This is a burrowing species, correct? Not arboreal? What size cage should it be in? It is currently in a terrarium about 3 times its legspan. Thanks.

Aphonopelma moderatum. Found in Texas along the Rio Grande River valley from about Roma-Los Saenz in the south to Del Rio in the north. I've never found any farther inland than about 15 miles from the river but others report finding them somewhat farther inland. And, I've never found any farther north than the split of US-90 and US-277/US-377.

Not readily handleable. Usually tries to bite if you try to pick them up.

Not a terribly long lived species, in contrast to many other Aphonopelma species. Life expectancy for a female in captivity may be 10 to 15 years as a guesstimate.

Terrestrial/fossorial species. Care for them as a typical arid species.

One of the prettier North American species.

Enjoy your little 8-legged wonder!

 

[LucN]

Not a terribly long lived species, in contrast to many other Aphonopelma species. Life expectancy for a female in captivity may be 10 to 15 years as a guesstimate.

Woah !! Now that is news for me !! Time to cross it off the ol' wishlist and attempt to find the "blander" A. hentzi then. I was sure it would have a life expectancy similar to B. smithi or B. emilia. Thanks for the tip, Stan ! You'll have saved me some 200+ $ in the long run.

 

[connorpj]

Great, this $20 dollars on Craigslist is turning out to be more an adventure than expected.

He looks pretty much just like this... http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af136/xericbayou/Aphonopelmamoderatumjuv.jpg

I'd assume this is late enough in development for it's dimorphic female characteristics to be apparent. Unless you can't say whether or not that image is of a male or female.

It's bedding is "jungle... something or other". I'm pretty sure its a vermiculite, sphagnum, and peat mixture, which the guy at the local pet store recommended. Before that, it was in sand, which I thought would be best for a "desert" environment, but the tarantula wasn't burrowing at all. Since, the switch, he has made a large burrow, despite my worries about increased humidity...

How often do they need to be fed?

 

[Shell]

I'd assume this is late enough in development for it's dimorphic female characteristics to be apparent. Unless you can't say whether or not that image is of a male or female.

Males and females will look the same until the male matures.....that's when the sexual dimorphism becomes apparent.

 

[xhexdx]

I'd assume this is late enough in development for it's dimorphic female characteristics to be apparent. Unless you can't say whether or not that image is of a male or female.

I'll say again...sexually dimorphic in the sense that mature males exhibit this only. This means that unless yours is a mature male, it will look just like a female.

No, I cannot tell based on that picture whether that is a male or female. Nobody can.

Here are three pics of mine. What gender do you think it is?

 

[wickee]

I recently got one. Burrowed down to the bottom of nearly 4 inches of substrate. The spider is a bit nervous but has never shown any defensive behaviors, threat poses, or kicking hairs. I typically don't handle my spiders but I don't get a sense that this one is a high risk of biting. My Brazilian Black is just as nervous and flighty.

 

[sasker]

Erm... you just resurrected a ten-year old threat

The people commenting are likely not even in the hobby anymore, or at least they haven't checked in for a very long time.

 

[wickee]

Ahhh, So anyone looking up this animal like I did will just move on and not bother reading since the post is 10 years old. Is that what you are saying? I guess the information is outdated? I was merely adding a perspective on my experience with the species not attempting to continue the discussion but I guess that has little or no value. I'm not sure what the point of your comment was except to somehow think you were pointing out some clever observation. I wasn't trying to resurrect anything merely trying to add more information about the species from someone who owns one of these animals. In a hobby that is frequently littered by misinformation and self proclaimed experts I think that actual experience with a species is never wasted and I thought that was part of the purpose of this website.

 

[sasker]

First of all, no need to get defensive. Keep your shirt on!

I see that you have only posted three times yet, so you are quite new to AB. Welcome by the way Some people new to AB often don't realise that using the search button will get them many older threat. I just wanted to warn you that you should not get disappointed if the people you reacted to will not reply.

Ahhh, So anyone looking up this animal like I did will just move on and not bother reading since the post is 10 years old. Is that what you are saying? I guess the information is outdated?

Well, actually, insights about tarantulas, the way to keep them, scientific names etc. have changed quite a lot over the past 10 years. Some older threads indeed contain outdated information that no-one benefits from if it gets perpetuated by reviving them. I went through the information above and a few things stand out as somewhat outdated. For example, the 'clear distinction' between fossorial and terrestrial. Also, the mentioning of handability is a non-issue as it is generally agreed that handling tarantulas should be avoided altogether. I am also having doubts about the validity of the information that A. moderatum is relatively short-lived. I don't know for sure, but I don't think such a slow grower will only live about 10 years. Perhaps someone with experience with this species could shed some light.


Anyway, unless you have something groundbreaking to add, it is generally best to avoid responding to old threads. If you want to share your knowledge with the rest of AB, it is best to start a new thread.

 

[starlight_kitsune]

Ahhh, So anyone looking up this animal like I did will just move on and not bother reading since the post is 10 years old. Is that what you are saying? I guess the information is outdated? I was merely adding a perspective on my experience with the species not attempting to continue the discussion but I guess that has little or no value. I'm not sure what the point of your comment was except to somehow think you were pointing out some clever observation. I wasn't trying to resurrect anything merely trying to add more information about the species from someone who owns one of these animals. In a hobby that is frequently littered by misinformation and self proclaimed experts I think that actual experience with a species is never wasted and I thought that was part of the purpose of this website.

As someone who was gone the better part of ten years and only sporadically peeked into the hobby during that time, A LOT of info and care recommendations have changed. Also species have been reclassified and renamed, husbandry practices have been updated.

That's not to say older information might not still be good, but its just better to go off of fresher information. With older threads there's just always the risk of outdated information. For example when I originally kept avics, the hobby was still largely obsessed with humidity and temp levels and now that's basically been totally abandoned in most species husbandry. Now its toss a water dish in there with some ventilation and call it good husbandry wise.