birthday coming soon...

[keen]

my bday is just around the corner and i think i want an arachnid. a mexican fireleg more specifically. my girlfriend said she would get it for me. can i keep it in a 2.5 gallon tank? i have an extra one that i had a frog in. tank is really nice and i'd like to use it.

also...
is this a good starter T? i read a lot of care sheets and the say "get a rose" but i dont want a rose or curly or red butt... kinda leanin towards the fireleg, i really fell in love with their color.

i keep a bunch of reps and fish so i can handle the care of the T just makin sure this one in particular will work out for me.
thanks

 

[Anastasia]

sure, get the fireleg
Am not sure what they are but sounds interesting
post a pictures
Welcome to hobby

 

[Redneck]

I believe the mexican fireleg is also know as the B. emilia... I think I aint 100% positive..

But it should be just fine in a 2.5 gallon.. If it is a sling then you might want to consider something smaller to put it in..

 

[zbrewer88]

Fireleg

The Mexican Firleg is the B. boehmei. This is a tarantula I haven't owned yet, but it is next on my list. Since not knowing from experience what the temperment of this sp. is; this is what Ken The Bug Guy has on his website:

This is a semi uncommon tarantula in the hobby. This beutiful tarantula has start redish/orange and black colors. They reach up to sizes of about 5 to 6 inches.

-Terrestrial
-50% humidity
-Slow moving tarantula
-65 to 85 degrees
-semi handleable - they can be nervous tarantulas and kick hairs a lot
-Females usually live up to 25 years or longer

I don't think this sp. would be a terrible beginner tarantula, but they are rather expensive. If you are ISO a sling it'll be around $45 plus shipping and for an adult female $150 plus shipping. IMHO if you like the Mexican Fireleg I would start off with the B. smithi(Mexican Redknee). This sp. is more affordable and a very beautiful tarantula, but if you've got the money to spend and really want the B. boehmei then go for it. I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever tarantula you start off with.

 

[Redneck]

Oh now I feel like a big dummy... :8o I should have googled it before I jumped in and said anything... LoL!! Thanks for the correction zbrewer88..

 

[Terry D]

keen, all, Out of the 4 spp that I currently have- all nw terrestrials- B. boehmei is definitely the most nervous. One individual kicks hairs alot. The other indiv. still kicks more than my A. genic, N. tripepii, or G. pulchra. However, they do eat well and IME (thus far) grow extremely fast. I will disagree on one thing in an above post. These are the fastest terrestrials I've seen yet- mainly when first opening their enclosures- and are very prone to bursts of speed at that time. They will make it from one end of a 2 quart container to the other in half a second. Thankfully these quick movements usually only carry the spider a few inches. They're not near as troublesome in this respect as some arboreals I've seen in other collections in Fla. some years ago. On the rare occasions when removed from their enclosures, they calm down fairly quickly, kick much less, and are handleable- even in higher temps. That's my 2 cents. Terry

 

[keen]

hey thanks everyone. im not really looking to make it a handling pet, at least not very often. i have chameleons and can only hold them MAYBE twice or three times a month when cleaning cages. so i think i will be okay with it. i'll probably get a spiderling, but, what are the chances of it being female? 50/50 right? can they be sexed that young?

 

[Anastasia]

Oh now I feel like a big dummy... :8o I should have googled it before I jumped in and said anything... LoL!! Thanks for the correction zbrewer88..

dont, I been keeping spiders for years dont know any other names besides Latin

 

[Teal]

I absolutely despise the use of common names!

That being said...

Usually you have to wait until the spider is about 2" before you can try to sex it... either ventrally, or you might have to wait longer to sex the molt for a 100% definite answer.