Mexican red-knee tarantula - New

[MannOManx]

Hey folks,
I’ve been a big fan of the true spiders, but ventured out to tarantulas and bought my first Mexican Red Knee last month.
I’ve set up a camera, thermometer heat lamp and humidity thermostats (probably not worth it, reliable?)
The problem is for a month now, my red knee has been discouraged by food. I’ve tried several types mealworms, crickets, but just not interested.

do you think this is getting to know the environment issue, or something else?

temp is usually kept between 16c and 20c (can go higher) humidity seems fine.
I do see him venture out at night which is kool

many tips? I’ve included a shot of my enclosure - it does have a large bark burrow to the left of the photo

thanks J

 

[UtilityTurkey]

Brachypelma will often go without food for a while once their abdomens get nice and plump, it might just be close to molting.

As for heat they do fine at room temperature. If you're comfortable, they are. But increasing the temperature a bit into the mid 20s will let then grow faster.

 

[MannOManx]

This is really helpful - Thankyou.
I am watching his abdomen and at the moment looks healthy

 

[UtilityTurkey]

This is really helpful - Thankyou.
I am watching his abdomen and at the moment looks healthy

Yeah I wouldn't be too worried, looks like a good setup.

These tarantulas are pretty bulletproof, they come from Mexico where it's relatively dry for most of the year. Just give it a water dish and offer it food every week or two. Great pick.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

Looks like you're using coco husk chips as substrate which aren't suitable. Suitable substrates are topsoil, coco fibre, peat, a mixture of those.

Ditch the heat lamp, heat mats are safer if you have to heat the enclosure (if you throw "heat mats are perfectly safe" in the search box on here then you should find a post from me with a list of do's and don'ts for using heat mats properly, I've written about it enough times). If your temps are staying above 16°C without heating then you don't really need it. Also, don't listen to the "If you're comfortable they're comfortable" rule, different people are comfortable at different temperatures, I could comfortably sit in a freezer for longer than it takes a tarantula to freeze to death whereas temperatures that I find uncomfortably hot wouldn't even phase them.

Don't bother measuring humidity (anything that tells you tarantulas need specific humidity percentage ranges to survive is garbage), this species does fine on mostly dry/dry substrate with a water dish.

As for the not eating, this is a slow growing species that are very easy to overfeed, when they're overfed they tend to refuse to eat for anything for several months (even well upwards of a year) at a time. An adult specimen only really needs to be fed once every month - month and a half.

 

[MannOManx]

Looks like you're using coco husk chips as substrate which aren't suitable. Suitable substrates are topsoil, coco fibre, peat, a mixture of those.

Ditch the heat lamp, heat mats are safer if you have to heat the enclosure (if you throw "heat mats are perfectly safe" in the search box on here then you should find a post from me with a list of do's and don'ts for using heat mats properly, I've written about it enough times). If your temps are staying above 16°C without heating then you don't really need it. Also, don't listen to the "If you're comfortable they're comfortable" rule, different people are comfortable at different temperatures, I could comfortably sit in a freezer for longer than it takes a tarantula to freeze to death whereas temperatures that I find uncomfortably hot wouldn't even phase them.

Don't bother measuring humidity (anything that tells you tarantulas need specific humidity percentage ranges to survive is garbage), this species does fine on mostly dry/dry substrate with a water dish.

As for the not eating, this is a slow growing species that are very easy to overfeed, when they're overfed they tend to refuse to eat for anything for several months (even well upwards of a year) at a time. An adult specimen only really needs to be fed once every month - month and a half.

Thanks for your feedback, I tried a heat mat but it took forever to heat the tank once it went below 16c, - I find the lamp is a quick temp riser which once above 16 I turn off (Alexa smart plug) it was just for something that can give it temp heat to make sure it doesn’t go below 16 for a long time.

I used co co fibre mainly with a sprinkle of husk chips, there are only a few chips in the tank, I could take them out?

Thanks again for your advice, I really appreciate it

Few more..

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I tried a heat mat but it took forever to heat the tank once it went below 16c, - I find the lamp is a quick temp riser which once above 16 I turn off (Alexa smart plug) it was just for something that can give it temp heat to make sure it doesn’t go below 16 for a long time.

The problem with lamps is that they dry things out much faster and have the potential to desiccate your tarantula. The mat isn't meant to heat the entire enclosure, it warms the surfaces it's placed against providing a warm spot in the enclosure.

I used co co fibre mainly with a sprinkle of husk chips, there are only a few chips in the tank, I could take them out?

Yeah, just take the chunks out, they provide no benefit, I'd ditch the moss too, tarantulas don't like walking on loose substrate/moss as it sticks to their feet.

I'm not sure how big the spider is compared to the enclosure but smaller is better as oversized enclosures can cave a negative impact on feeding/behaviour in smaller specimens.

 

[NMTs]

I'd take out the rock and add another few inches of substrate. There's too much room between the surface of the sub and the top of the enclosure, and if your T climbs and falls onto the rock, it's going to injure itself (or kill itself). It can get injured even if it doesn't land on a hard surface, so add sub to limit the distance it can potentially fall (1.5-2X the size of the T at most).

 

[kingshockey]

pick out all those big wood chips you added they offer too many lil cracks and nooks for crickets to hide from your t then sink that hide down so the opening is a slit so if/when the t choses to use it for a hide it can dig and expand it out as it wants

 

[MannOManx]

Better?


High enough?

 

[kingshockey]

yeah much better man enjoy your t

 

[NMTs]

High enough?
View attachment 416170

Yes, that's great! Maybe not as visually appealing now, but it will be way more functional and your T can be the star of the show in there!!

 

[Matt Man]

nice changes, looks great. You could level out the dirt on top of the hide would be my only suggestion, and way to implement suggestions

 

[viper69]

Heat lamps kill Ts- case closed

 

[MannOManx]

Back to the heated mat it is

 

[Benzen]

Ditch the heat lamp,

I really don't understand the hate for heat lamps. I prefer them over heat mats. Heat lamps simulate a more natural way of their natural environment: light and warmth from the top similar to sunlight. I know for a fact that my B.Smithi seems to like it and comes out of its hide every morning when the lamp turns on. I have a thermometer and regulate the temp around 22°-25° celsius. I simulate their natural environment as close as possible (mexican dry desert like). It's so easy to regulate the warmth because it only depends on distance. My heat lamp is 30 cm above the enclosure, so pretty safe distance. Heat mats however...ugh...i dunno...

Heat lamps kill Ts- case closed

It all depends how you use them. If you use a 100w lamp and put it next to the enclosure...yeah...of course it will cook the T. Heat mats also kill Ts....if you put it under the enclosure and the T burrows deep down, it will also get cooked. Use your brain, and mats as well as lamps will be safe. Case closed.

 

[MannOManx]

Thanks! I only use it to ensure the temperature doesn’t drop below 15/16c as I live on a very cold island - it does seem more effective in regulating the heat and up until now he/she has not been out when it’s been on. I appreciate both sides of info. 30 cm is certainly something g to consider

 

[Benzen]

Thanks! I only use it to ensure the temperature doesn’t drop below 15/16c as I live on a very cold island

No problem. I also live in a cold place and i need to supplement heat somehow so my sub-tropical Ts don't freeze to death. Anyways: lamps are fine, so are mats, just use them right. Lamps seem more natural to me..so i prefer them. You do you however.

 

[MannOManx]

Thanks for all the input, completely make sense when you think about the changes I’ve made. I was thinking at one point, how will my T find food especially being slightly smaller than the Terrain it has been put in. However removing all the ‘landscape’ has actually made the camera view a lot easier viewing him .. just one more question, I’m going to be looking for a glass display in the future any recommendations? The terrain/tub I have is good, but being plastic it doesn’t really give that clear screen to view. Can you get ones with in built lights?

 

[Benzen]

Can you get ones with in built lights?

Exo Terra has some with built in lights...but they are overpriced and lack cross ventilation, doesn't allow for deep substrate because the front vent/opening is too low and the top lid mesh is kind of dangerous for spiders (you can replace it though). Not a fan.
You could get a noname glass enclosure with cross ventilation and then get lamp something like this. Just a suggestion. The fun part about this hobby is the DIY part...so, get creative. You can even build your own enclosures if you're crafty...it's not hard.