Mexican red knee

[Katielou89]

Hi I'm new to this site but just gotta a couple of questions for anyone that has more experience than me I bought a Mexican red knee about 2 months ago for my son, she never ate nothing then molted then after a week or so I put a cricket in there and she had it in her mouth but didn't completely eat it, that was 13 days ago and she's refused anything since is this normal? Could she molt again it hasn't even been a whole month since the first molt, she's very quiet rarely see her she hides in her coconut all the time.

 

[miss moxie]

If she molted a month ago then no it's pretty unlikely she is molting again a month later. Brachypelma hamorii is a slow growing species. Brachypelma can also go on periods of fasting, so it is likely she is just refusing food. As long as she has 24/7 access to water then she should be more than fine.

However I don't believe you have enough substrate in that enclosure. It's a bit hard to tell from the perspective but there should only be about 1.5x their leg span worth of space between the substrate and the top of the enclosure. Tarantulas are very susceptible to falls and drops. So if she has a leg span of 3" then there should be 4.5" between the substrate and the top.

It's also hard to tell from the picture whether your substrate is just dark in color, or wet. If it is wet then it shouldn't be. B. hamorii like dry substrate, not wet substrate.

 

[Katielou89]

We use something called 'spider life' for the bottom off it as the pet shop said to try it, I'm very new to all of it, I do clean her water pretty much everyday, and I offer her food every night but every morning it's still there.

 

[Katielou89]

All I've done is Google things lol but it says that small red knees can molt quite often?

 

[EmilzHernandez]

I would suggest adding MUCH more substrate. That is not nearly enough, if she falls she could definitely rupture her abdomen. It's definitely best to assure that a fall is prevented.

 

[Katielou89]

OK will definitely add quite a bit more now, although I never see her out she stays in the coconut all the time :/ and she hasn't webbed is that normal?

 

[miss moxie]

Alright well first of all, pet shops usually don't know jack diddly about proper tarantula husbandry. So take whatever they said with a grain of salt!

Small B. hamorii constitute slings.

THAT is a picture of a sling. Haha, slings grow faster than juveniles and adults do.

Second of all you DEFINITELY need more substrate in there. I'm also a bit wary of a substrate mixed by pet shops specifically for tarantulas. I use coconut fiber mixed with sphagnum for my slings and just plain old coco fiber for juveniles and adults with a bit of sphagnum just for aesthetics and decoration.

 

[miss moxie]

OK will definitely add quite a bit more now, although I never see her out she stays in the coconut all the time :/ and she hasn't webbed is that normal?

Brachypelma aren't much for webbing. They'll web but it isn't always the most noticeable.

 

[EmilzHernandez]

I have a 2 inch B.hamorii, and this is her enclosure. I do plan on changing the hide, but the substrate is high enough she is safe from falls overall

 

[Katielou89]

OK so maybe change the substrate altogether then? How big do you think she is, obviously when we got her she was in this little container thing just want the best stuff for her to keep her happy

 

[Katielou89]

I have a 2 inch B.hamorii, and this is her enclosure. I do plan on changing the hide, but the substrate is high enough she is safe from falls overall

Wow I'll definitely put a load more in then

 

[Katielou89]

I've put the rest of the bag in, do I still need more if so will have to get another bag tomorrow?

 

[miss moxie]

Yes, also you don't have to keep that hygrometer in there. Chasing humidity numbers is frustrating and pointless. Did the bag have an ingredients list of what they put into it?

 

[darkness975]

I've put the rest of the bag in, do I still need more if so will have to get another bag tomorrow?

Should look like this in there. Bone dry substrate, I use Eco earth personally.

There should only be 1.5 times the DLS of the spider distance from the substrate to the top.

B. hamorii

• darkness975
• Oct 10, 2016
• 4

 

[Katielou89]

Does it make a big difference on the substrate that we use? Or is it just how much we put in it?

 

[miss moxie]

Does it make a big difference on the substrate that we use? Or is it just how much we put in it?

The problem is if they used something with fertilizer or added chemicals that could harm your tarantula. Pet stores that don't know proper tarantula husbandry might not know that something they blended into their 'tarantula specific substrate' could actually be dangerous.

You wouldn't want to toss your tarantula into an enclosure full of miracle grow for example.

 

[Katielou89]

This is what we got?

 

[miss moxie]

Welp I'm not impressed with the directions. 1"-2" of substrate for non-burrowing species and 5"-6" for burrowing species is false. Substrate is subjective to the size of the enclosure. For example like yours was set up, it was about 1.5" of substrate and 6" of space for the tarantula to fall. That's no good. You need to put in as much substrate as needed for the enclosure you're working with. If I have a 3" high enclosure for a burrowing spiderling, I can't put in 5"-6" of substrate you see? Those directions are just too general.

Also I'm not a fan of the "keep substrate slightly damp" because the moisture levels vary from tarantula species. A G. porteri is kept on bone dry substrate where as a T. stirmi is kept on very damp substrate. It's more bad information.

Also the fact that they don't list what is put into it just doesn't seem right to me from an honest business stand point.

THAT SAID--I've googled it a bit and seen tarantula keepers say it doesn't have anything harmful in it but they don't like it for the same reasons I don't like it. From what I'm reading it is a mixture of peat and vermiculite, so if that is true then it is safe and won't harm your tarantula. Here is an old thread where they talk about it.

When it's all said and done, that substrate is just a gimmick. They put a label on it to sell it to you at a higher price than if you just bought cheap peat and vermiculite and mixed it yourself. Eco Earth is made of coconut fiber and it is used commonly by keepers on here.

 

[Ungoliant]

Does it make a big difference on the substrate that we use? Or is it just how much we put in it?

The type of substrate doesn't matter as much for this species as the depth and moisture level. (A substrate marketed for tarantulas is probably safe, just overpriced.) If you are buying your own, you want to avoid anything with pesticides, fungicides, or fertilizers, or other such additives.)

Once they get past the sling stage, Brachypelma generally prefer drier substrate. (One sign that they might not like the substrate is if, more than a couple of weeks after being put in a new enclosure, they are constantly crawling on the walls and otherwise trying to avoid contact with the substrate.)

 

[whovian89]

I am also a newbie so I may be wrong but does that hide/coconut look a tad too tall for a terrestrial T? I like to keep my hides semi-buried in the substrate.

EDIT: nvm, I didn't look at the second picture .. the one after you added substrate.