Kochiana Brunnipes Questions!

[Otesha]

Today, I got an extra surprise when my B.Vagan arrived and I've no idea what to do about it!
I received a 1/8" sling of a Kochiana Brunnipes as a freebie without even knowing what the species was before having to look the name up, but I've discovered that there..wasn't much out there to discover other than it's a relatively new addition to the whole collecting scene.
Suppose the only things I haven't been able to dig up this far would be How long do these little critters live for, male and female, and what sorts of bites do they pack if they every for some reason do so.
Anyone able to help fill in the blanks?

 

[Vanessa]

I have two, females probably. I'm guessing that they would have matured by now if they were male. They are a dwarf species which tops out at probably around 2". My guess is that females will live in the 8-12 year range. Males will mature far earlier, maybe even as early as 18 months.
They are burrowers and I never see mine... and I mean never. For spiderlings of that size, I kept mine in a vial with a lot of substrate that was kept moist, but not wet. When they were large enough, I moved them into an enclosure with about 2.5" of substrate. I used to have a hide, but I took it out when they burrowed right down to the bottom. They have a water dish that I overflow regularly.
Being a NW dwarf species, chances are that their venom is not going to be medically significant. They are extremely fast and skittish. Always be on your guard when doing feeding and maintenance. They are very reclusive.

 

[Mini8leggedfreak]

Wow totally different than mine. How crazy is that? I have two and they both haven’t burrowed but that could change I guess. The largest one (maybe an inch) eats like a monster. And the smaller one, maybe 1/4” is a good eater as well. It also was a freebie. I’m bad at naming pets so I named it freebie

Also I just rehoused my bigger one and it was very calm, didn’t wanna go in so it just walked up the tongs and then I coaxed it back down into the enclosure. Didn’t bolt or move quick at all. Maybe I have the one exception to the species

 

[Vanessa]

Maybe I have the one exception to the species

Dwarf species on a whole are very fast and skittish. I have several and they are some of the fastest tarantulas I have had. I was warned, by a couple of people, that K.brunnipes are extremely fast and prone to bolting, so I believe that is probably the norm for this species. Because of those warnings, I opted to move them to an adult sized home earlier to cut down on the amount of times I would have to rehouse.
When it comes to any of the dwarf species - my advice would always be to err on the side of caution and expect to encounter a very fast and skittish individual.

 

[Mini8leggedfreak]

Always best to be cautious with any tarantulas. Better to be safe and have a tarantula in its enclosure than to try something iffy and have no tarantula or a dead one

 

[WolfSoon]

I have two, females probably. I'm guessing that they would have matured by now if they were male. They are a dwarf species which tops out at probably around 2". My guess is that females will live in the 8-12 year range. Males will mature far earlier, maybe even as early as 18 months.
They are burrowers and I never see mine... and I mean never. For spiderlings of that size, I kept mine in a vial with a lot of substrate that was kept moist, but not wet. When they were large enough, I moved them into an enclosure with about 2.5" of substrate. I used to have a hide, but I took it out when they burrowed right down to the bottom. They have a water dish that I overflow regularly.
Being a NW dwarf species, chances are that their venom is not going to be medically significant. They are extremely fast and skittish. Always be on your guard when doing feeding and maintenance. They are very reclusive.

I’ve been interested in these and have read that they poke their little legs out of their burrows regularly. Just curious, do you not see yours at all or do you get to see the pink leggies?

 

[Vanessa]

I’ve been interested in these and have read that they poke their little legs out of their burrows regularly. Just curious, do you not see yours at all or do you get to see the pink leggies?

With all obligate burrowers, if you do not overfeed them, they will often sit at the mouth of their burrow waiting for food. I feed mine one prey item, once a week, so they are not overfed. I don't see the toes, although I have heard that some people do. Mine are always at the very bottom of their burrow and I might see part of them from the bottom with a flashlight.
They might sit like that, but the minute I move the enclosure... they're gone.

 

[WolfSoon]

With all obligate burrowers, if you do not overfeed them, they will often sit at the mouth of their burrow waiting for food. I feed mine one prey item, once a week, so they are not overfed. I don't see the toes, although I have heard that some people do. Mine are always at the very bottom of their burrow and I might see part of them from the bottom with a flashlight.
They might sit like that, but the minute I move the enclosure... they're gone.

Thank you for the reply! I’m curious about obligate burrowers, so I think I’ll try to find one of these, and to work on my overfeeding problem.

 

[Ztesch]

Jon3800 on YouTube recently did a tarantula myth busters on said species.

 

[Otesha]

With all obligate burrowers, if you do not overfeed them, they will often sit at the mouth of their burrow waiting for food. I feed mine one prey item, once a week, so they are not overfed. I don't see the toes, although I have heard that some people do. Mine are always at the very bottom of their burrow and I might see part of them from the bottom with a flashlight.
They might sit like that, but the minute I move the enclosure... they're gone.

Thank you for all the great info! I tend to always remain on the side of caution when dealing with all my Ts due to my luck with always getting the pissy "docile" species, so I'll be sure to give this little rice grain the needed extra attentiveness so I don't accidentally lose it or blow it away if it tries to bolt.

 

[Shannon1978]

Wow totally different than mine. How crazy is that? I have two and they both haven’t burrowed but that could change I guess. The largest one (maybe an inch) eats like a monster. And the smaller one, maybe 1/4” is a good eater as well. It also was a freebie. I’m bad at naming pets so I named it freebie

Also I just rehoused my bigger one and it was very calm, didn’t wanna go in so it just walked up the tongs and then I coaxed it back down into the enclosure. Didn’t bolt or move quick at all. Maybe I have the one exception to the species

That's been pretty much my exact experience with the 2 I have also. Always out, relatively slow moving and always happy to eat. They're both small slings though, biggest is probably 1/2". So who knows, as they mature it might totally change.

 

[StampFan]

Dwarf species on a whole are very fast and skittish. I have several and they are some of the fastest tarantulas I have had. I was warned, by a couple of people, that K.brunnipes are extremely fast and prone to bolting, so I believe that is probably the norm for this species. Because of those warnings, I opted to move them to an adult sized home earlier to cut down on the amount of times I would have to rehouse.
When it comes to any of the dwarf species - my advice would always be to err on the side of caution and expect to encounter a very fast and skittish individual.

How big is the "adult" home that you used? I'm curious, Jon3800's video gives me one idea for size, curious what you've been using. Thanks!

 

[DanBsTs]

With all obligate burrowers, if you do not overfeed them, they will often sit at the mouth of their burrow waiting for food.

I have noticed this in my C. Fimbriatus. I have her/him on a once weekly feeding schedule and he/she is at the mouth of its burrow on a nightly basis.

 

[Vanessa]

How big is the "adult" home that you used? I'm curious, Jon3800's video gives me one idea for size, curious what you've been using. Thanks!

I use the KIS container for my Neoholothele incei, but I use a small KK type container from Dollarama for the other dwarfs. It's called an 'Insect Keeper' and they sell them in the spring.

 

[StampFan]

I use the KIS container for my Neoholothele incei, but I use a small KK type container from Dollarama for the other dwarfs. It's called an 'Insect Keeper' and they sell them in the spring.

Sweet thanks, another Dollarama enclosure I didn't know about!

 

[Oliver Newton]

Has any K. Brunnipes owner ever seen them build a trapdoor?

 

[Vanisher]

With all obligate burrowers, if you do not overfeed them, they will often sit at the mouth of their burrow waiting for food. I feed mine one prey item, once a week, so they are not overfed. I don't see the toes, although I have heard that some people do. Mine are always at the very bottom of their burrow and I might see part of them from the bottom with a flashlight.
They might sit like that, but the minute I move the enclosure... they're gone.

Same with my E murinus. I feed it once a week or once every 2 weeks and she almost always sits in the burrow mouth

 

[StampFan]

Has any K. Brunnipes owner ever seen them build a trapdoor?

Not exactly a trap door but they burrow like no other spider I have. Very hidden with a small entrance.

 

[Urzeitmensch]

I have one, too. It made a whoke network of tunnels in its deli cup. I can see it most if the time since it made an opening against the wall of the enclosure. It is also out at times but bolts down into the burrow if even slightly startled. Very small and very skittish.

 

[Arachnid Addicted]

Here's my personal experiences with these guys:

Have 2 of this species, got them when they were slings. At first, I put a little piece of cork bark in their delicup and they spent most of the times under it.

While they were growing (imo, they did it fast), they started to burrow under the bark, and made really awesome tunnel galleries under the soil (and the bark, lol).

One thing I've noticed about these 2 is that, now and then, they show off a lil bit, most of the times they hide as soon as I touch their enclo, but rare times, they stand still and that's when I get some pics of them.

Behaviour wise, I believe Vanessa said everything, mines however, once they hid under the bark and dug under the soil, they continued to be skittish but never left their burrows even when poked, which I did 2 or 3x just to check if they were still alive. Lol. Just a reminder, they have mirror patch so, they will kick urticanting setae at you when provoked.

I'm keeping them at medium humidity, didnt provide a water dish but I always checking on them about this and the soil is slightly moist. If I remember correctly, they can be found in Brazil's Northeast coast, which means, they are very tolerant to dry seasons too.

I think that's it, here's a picture of one of mine, few days after a molt.