Mexican Red Knee option

[cadman01]

I have a chance to get a Mexican Red Knee (I believe age to be sub adult) from my local pet shop. They got it (gender unknown) a few months ago. The T is in a glass aquarium, looks like a 5 gallon size. I have never seen it out of the burrow, which is part of the 75% of aquarium height substrate setup. The store owner is willing to give me a deal on all of it (aquarium, decor and T. He is asking 100.00, I could probably get it for 75.00. I have little knowledge of the species, and would like to set it up as a terrestrial. Would I be making a mistake by going with more terrestrial? The aquarium has also got a screen lid......

 

[MerryAdvocado]

Do your research first, there is plenty of information out there on this Sp. You will find several guides on YouTube.

I have kept one many years ago, they are relatively easy to care for, the only thing I will point out is they will often flick hairs from their abdomen if disturbed.

Regarding mesh lids, there have been reports of tarantulas getting stuck, I have sturdy wire mesh on my enclosures and have yet to experience this and I've seen my Tarantulas do a full 360° tour when being rehoused.

 

[SupremeBananus]

Terrestrial is correct. They require dry substrate and may dig but most don’t burrow as they get older as they are not fossorial. The screen lid will need to be replaced though.

 

[Stemmy101]

You will find several guides on YouTube.

Do not go to YouTube for information unless it is TomMoran. YouTube has a lot of misinformation which can kill your T. Definitely do lots of research but don't read caresheets off of Google they are useless. Use these forums for information.
Btw we go by scientific names on here, bc the name "Mexican Red Knee" could mean several different tarantulas. However whether it's a B. hamorii, B. smithi or a different "Red Knee", they are all kept in a terrestrial setup.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Terrestrial setup, keep sub mostly dry, provide a hide and water dish.

If the enclosure lid is woven wire mesh then it'll need to be replaced/covered, if it's expanded metal/coated mesh/perforated sheet metal then it's safe.

 

[cadman01]

Do not go to YouTube for information unless it is TomMoran. YouTube has a lot of misinformation which can kill your T. Definitely do lots of research but don't read caresheets off of Google they are useless. Use these forums for information.
Btw we go by scientific names on here, bc the name "Mexican Red Knee" could mean several different tarantulas. However whether it's a B. hamorii, B. smithi or a different "Red Knee", they are all kept in a terrestrial setup.

Thank you for the suggestion. I am trying to use scientific names, just was not sure of the proper one when I wrote the post. I will check out Tom's video posts.

 

[Egon]

I'd personally want to see if the pet shop could get a photo of it so you could ask people here to sex it. Maybe I'm overly cautious, but I've seen people in my area trying to sell mature males for a lot knowing they could die soon. I suppose the cost might not be an issue if you need one to breed, but I think some people are just unscrupulous about it.

 

[cold blood]

At $75 its a steal even if its a male. The only way I would avoid it would be if it were a mature male, and that's because you wouldn't know when it had matured, and from a breeding standpoint, this is pretty important.

 

[Edan bandoot]

Sounds like the petstore has it setup right if it's always hiding

 

[viper69]

I have a chance to get a Mexican Red Knee (I believe age to be sub adult) from my local pet shop. They got it (gender unknown) a few months ago. The T is in a glass aquarium, looks like a 5 gallon size. I have never seen it out of the burrow, which is part of the 75% of aquarium height substrate setup. The store owner is willing to give me a deal on all of it (aquarium, decor and T. He is asking 100.00, I could probably get it for 75.00. I have little knowledge of the species, and would like to set it up as a terrestrial. Would I be making a mistake by going with more terrestrial? The aquarium has also got a screen lid......

buying an animal you don’t know much about - BAD IDEA!

One you can’t see before purchase - HORRIBLE IDEA!!!
It is a terrestrial species! So your comment of would like to set it up….. makes no sense, you don’t have a choice how to it up

 

[JonnyTorch]

Sounds like it's already setup correctly except for the mesh screen. The sub height and cage size sounds perfect. I'd buy it, and keep it the way it is and just replace the screen with acrylic with holes in it, but please do research first.

 

[cadman01]

buying an animal you don’t know much about - BAD IDEA!

One you can’t see before purchase - HORRIBLE IDEA!!!
It is a terrestrial species! So your comment of would like to set it up….. makes no sense, you don’t have a choice how to it up

I agree that it is a bad idea to buy a species that I did not research. However, I have been researching the species, as well as its care based on data here and with YouTube as a reference. My research is what made me question the fossorial setup the pet shop has for the T in the first place. I would not be keeping it in the fossorial setup, however going to a terrestrial setup with a proper enclosure. I like the look of the species, however, I have also read that they are commonly hair kickers, which I would not be fond of.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I have also read that they are commonly hair kickers, which I would not be fond of.

Depends on the specimen in question, I keep every species from the genus, the only one that ever kicks hairs is my male B. smithi (formerly B. annitha - Mexican Giant Orange Knee).

 

[LucN]

I agree that it is a bad idea to buy a species that I did not research. However, I have been researching the species, as well as its care based on data here and with YouTube as a reference. My research is what made me question the fossorial setup the pet shop has for the T in the first place. I would not be keeping it in the fossorial setup, however going to a terrestrial setup with a proper enclosure. I like the look of the species, however, I have also read that they are commonly hair kickers, which I would not be fond of.

Be wary of YouTube... unless it is from Tom Moran or Dave Fisher (Dave's Little Beasties). The majority of channels don't always show the best husbandry practices. Aside those two sources, here is where you'll find the bulk of your information. But Brachypelma sp. aren't very complicated. The most important tip I can give you is to fill the enclosure at least halfway with sub to minimize fall incidents. Also, I'm sure you'll be wanting to create a nice enclosure. Don't clutter uneccesarily with too many decorations. The more decor, the more hiding spaces for prey items. Keep it simple.

Also, don't fall to the temptation of overfeeding. Stan (Tarantula Keeper's Guide) suggests 6-8 crickets a month. Honestly, your T would do just fine with half of that allotment. Overfeeding can become the cause for serious fall incidents. Just so you know. Good luck ! IMO, as @cold blood said, 75$ is a great price even if it's a male, unless already mature. Hopefully, you'll get a nice female to enjoy for several decades. Classic T.

 

[cadman01]

Be wary of YouTube... unless it is from Tom Moran or Dave Fisher (Dave's Little Beasties). The majority of channels don't always show the best husbandry practices. Aside those two sources, here is where you'll find the bulk of your information. But Brachypelma sp. aren't very complicated. The most important tip I can give you is to fill the enclosure at least halfway with sub to minimize fall incidents. Also, I'm sure you'll be wanting to create a nice enclosure. Don't clutter uneccesarily with too many decorations. The more decor, the more hiding spaces for prey items. Keep it simple.

Also, don't fall to the temptation of overfeeding. Stan (Tarantula Keeper's Guide) suggests 6-8 crickets a month. Honestly, your T would do just fine with half of that allotment. Overfeeding can become the cause for serious fall incidents. Just so you know. Good luck ! IMO, as @cold blood said, 75$ is a great price even if it's a male, unless already mature. Hopefully, you'll get a nice female to enjoy for several decades. Classic T.

Thank you for the suggestions. I am going to see if the T will exit their burrow and I can see what size it is. I am looking at an acrylic 8x12x8 enclosure as a start, I am not one for tons of "look good" accessories. I prefer to allow room for the animal to roam a bit.

 

[JonnyTorch]

I am going to see if the T will exit their burrow and I can see what size it is. I am looking at an acrylic 8x12x8 enclosure as a start, I am not one for tons of "look good" accessories. I prefer to allow room for the animal to roam a bit.

Why? Just keep it in the tank it comes with. It's perfect sized and it's already cozy. You don't want to mess with it or purposely get it out of the burrow either.

 

[cadman01]

Why? Just keep it in the tank it comes with. It's perfect sized and it's already cozy. You don't want to mess with it or purposely get it out of the burrow either.

My concern is the lid being wire mesh. I can change that with a piece of plexi though.... It would also be good to have more open terrestrial are for it.

 

[JonnyTorch]

My concern is the lid being wire mesh. I can change that with a piece of plexi though.... It would also be good to have more open terrestrial are for it.

The 5 gallon it's in is perfect. T's don't need too much space. Just replace the screen with plexiglass. This is just the easiest thing to do as it'd already cozy and in it's home..no need to rehouse. But you could, but I don't see why. Just replace with acrylic lid.

 

[viper69]

I agree that it is a bad idea to buy a species that I did not research. However, I have been researching the species, as well as its care based on data here and with YouTube as a reference. My research is what made me question the fossorial setup the pet shop has for the T in the first place. I would not be keeping it in the fossorial setup, however going to a terrestrial setup with a proper enclosure. I like the look of the species, however, I have also read that they are commonly hair kickers, which I would not be fond of.

owned them - they are.

 

[Tarantuland]

owned them - they are.

I've noticed that male hamorii tend to be more flicky than females. Just my limited experience but it does make me wonder if others notice this, or how temperament varies from male to female among species