Light for the mexican flame knee?

[Fyorax]

I know most tarantulas dont like light but i read this on my specific tarantulas care sheet for the mexican flame knee

Unusually for tarantulas, the Flame-knee is not adverse to light, and rather enjoys ʻbaskingʼ at the entrance to itʼs burrow. As such, a keeper may choose to place a piece of cork bark outside the hide entrance and angle a desk-lamp over the enclosure.

so does this mean i am able to get lighting for my tarantula?
cuz my tanks heat mat not helping much

 

[codykrr]

Not really. The so called "basking" IMHO would be more less laying in wait.

Or it could be getting some sort of vitamins from the sun(if that is even possible)

I wouldnt chance stressing out your T with light. but thats just me.

 

[smuey]

receiving vitamins from the sun is very well possible (or, to be more exact, UV radiation triggers your body to create vitamin D3, which helps metabolising calcium) and a well-established part of care for reptiles that are active during the day. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if it would have some effect on a spider...

 

[xhexdx]

Since spiders don't have bones or need calcium, this wouldn't apply to them.

Tarantula caresheets are generally not a great source of accurate information, unfortunately.

 

[curiousme]

I know most tarantulas dont like light but i read this on my specific tarantulas care sheet for the mexican flame knee

Unusually for tarantulas, the Flame-knee is not adverse to light, and rather enjoys ʻbaskingʼ at the entrance to itʼs burrow. As such, a keeper may choose to place a piece of cork bark outside the hide entrance and angle a desk-lamp over the enclosure.

so does this mean i am able to get lighting for my tarantula?
cuz my tanks heat mat not helping much

The myth that tarantulas 'don't like light' is just that. There are Ts that stay out in the open when lights are on and some that even seem to bask in it. We have lights for plants on all of our adult enclosures, with no problems. But that said, most internet caresheets are pure crap and it sounds as if the one you are reading is one of those. I would recommend some research here on this site, using the advanced search on the specific species you own. To say a certain species enjoys light and to make the enclosure built around that, just doesn't bode well for the rest of the information.

I am unsure what temp. you keep your rooms at, but we keep our Ts at about 66 degrees F with no ill effects. Perhaps worrying over the heatmat or putting extra lighting on the enclosure isn't needed.

 

[sjl197]

Indeed, i read alot of rubbish in caresheets, of course i cant speak for the particular one you got this from. But, dont believe everything you read, much information seems just general for many species, other info is just based on how people have kept spiders alive. Doesnt necesarily mean it was optimum nor even prefered conditions, just the spiders survived.

Now, to me the best information on the spider preferences come from the habitat and niche they are found in the wild, and I have worked with all the redleg Brachypelma species in the wild. I never yet saw B.auratum outside burrows in the daytime. Doesnt mean its not possible, of course it is. I have though seen B.smithi outside burrows or at entrances commonly, and these are closely related species. Some i saw were well outside burrows, but retreated when disturbed. Also i saw B.baumgarteni at entrances in day. Now, it is likely the spiders come to the entrance of burrows in the morning to heat up after a cold night. I cant see any reason why the spiders would need light, but they do need warmth. After a cold night, heating up in the sun seems like a good strategy. Other species like redrumps seem to favour putting the abdomen only in the sun, the rest facing down the burrow ready to retreat if disturbed. Some Aphonopemla do the same, abdomens only.

So, really whether you prefer to use a lamp or not depends on the other temperatures in the enclosure. Spiders should always be given a choice of temperature and light access, then its movement can inform you whether it prefers being 'out in the sun', actively avoids any light, or moves towards it. In the wild where B.auratum lives, it actually gets very hot outside, so my guess is the spiders only come to the burrow entrance at dawn to warm up, then retreat to cool shade deep in burrows during the day (which keep better humidity), then come out again at night to hunt. So, if you enclosure is good temperature, then a lamp is probably unnecessary, but if its too cool then the spider might seek out warmth from it... particularly in the morning.

Anyway, give the spider choices/ options is my suggestion
s