Mexican Redleg behaviour question

[Kwyjibo]

Hello everyone. I am new to the Tarantula world, and I have a question regarding my new best friend. He is a Mexican Redleg, and I was wondering if it is normal for him to be insanely docile. I can hold him and he won't move for hours. I was told he was about a year old. Also, it may not be a he, but from what I've read online I think it is. Anyways, do you guys think I have a really cool calm little guy or do you think he is getting ready to molt? I just got him a couple days ago and I don't know when he last ate, so I can't go off of that. Although, he hasn't eaten any food since I purchased him. Are there any signs that are common with this species to help me better know if he is getting ready to molt. I have been trying to find more information about this species online, but most of my searches end up directing me to the Mexican Redknee. I would greatly appreciate any input.

Thanks

 

[Storm76]

First of all, welcome. Secondly, one thing to do is not using common names if you're searching for stuff about your T. "Mexican Redleg" as you already saw, let's you end up with the wrong T'. Use instead the scientific names, in this case Brachypelma emilia. These are, as far as I'm aware, very docile in general and seldomly even flick hairs.

Regarding your question how to see if it's close to a molt...

* denial of food
* reclusiveness (hiding, sealing itself off in hide, aso...)
* "washed-out" colors
* abdomen getting dark (the skin itself, not the bristles/hairs)

I'd suggest you get some literature or lend it from a library. Personally I got the TKG (Tarantula Keepers Guide), but there's also others that are covering a lot of subjects. Since you got your little buddy only 2 days ago, I'm not suprised it isn't yet eating. Tarantulas sometimes need to get accustomed to their new enclosure and that can take time, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. Rule of thumb is to not feed them for a week after acquring them, though personally at least for slings, I shorten that period down to 2 days which worked everytime so far for me.

If you want people to give it a try at sexing your tarantula, we'd need a "ventral" shot as a picture. Meaning the underside of your T (can be done by getting her into a catchcup and then taking a pic through the plastic for example) - however, it should not be blurry and not too small of a pic either.

One thing I forgot to add is looking at your enclosure, make sure the T can't "fall to death" in case it does decide to climb. Here's another rule of thumb 1x DLS (diagonal leg span) height from substrate to lid for terrestrials like yours. Basically meaning that if the T is "standing" up, it can reach the lid with the tip of it's front legs.


Have fun with the T and welcome to the hobby (you'll very soon get more than that one, trust me)

 

[donniedark0]

wow that looks so nice that it looks fake lol.

Search the forums, there is tons of info on just about everything. Seems like a normal happy Tarantula to me. Get the basics down and you should be good after some research.

water dish ( no sponge) , crickets / worms once a week, lightly mist away from the T for some added Humidity ( or whatever the humidity requirements are).

goodluck

 

[Kwyjibo]

I have tried to look up info via the scientific name, and I still keep coming up empty. I haven't searched too much on this forum yet, and that is my next mission.

I thought about posting a ventral picture. I just haven't taken the pic yet. This little guy is so calm he lets me hold him upside down and rub his belly, so a ventral pic will be no problem.

The tank isn't that high, it is just the angle of the picture. I made a rock cave that is just about as wide as his body. I figured he would enjoy a little hide out.

As far as molting vs behavior I haven't had him long enough to know what his normal behavior is. My biggest fear is that he is getting ready to molt, and I will stress him out too much by handling him right now. I just find his lack of energy odd. Although I do enjoy it. I take him out and let him hang out on me for hours while I do my homework. I am working on my thesis for my Master's degree in Geography, and it is nice to have a cuddle buddy while I do my research. I had another tarantula a little while back, and he was much more active. I think that is why I am thrown off by this little guy. My other one was a wild caught mature male. I don't know the species, but is is from southern California near the Los Angeles area. I wasn't going to keep him, but he was accidentally dropped by a friend and injured his leg. I didn't want to release him till he was healthy again. He ate the first day we got him, was very lively, and crawled around all over. He did make a full recovery, and is now back into the wild.

 

[bchbum11]

A mature male will naturally be more active than a juvie because they are in hunt mode for females. Refusal of food could be a sign of an upcoming molt, but it could also just be brought on by the stress of being rehoused. That could be the reason for the lack of activity also, although brachys tend to land slightly on the pet rock side of the activity spectrum even when established. I'd just leave him alone for a week or 2 to let him settle in, then attempt feeding. His abdomen looks pretty plump, so I doubt a short period without food would hurt. I would also recommend holding off on handling until he is comfortable in his new environment. Taking him out before he is established in his new home will just add stress on top of stress.

As a side note, it's hard to tell how much substrate is under the rocks you have set up in the enclosure. If there is any room to dig under them, I'd recommend removing the substrate underneath so the rocks sit directly on the glass. I have 3 juvie emelias, and one of them likes to move earth fairly regularly. Burrowing under those rocks could end poorly. Very nice T, good luck with him/her!

 

[goodoldneon]

My B. smithi is extremely docile and sedentary – to the degree that I have to give her a little poke now and again to ensure she’s still amongst the living. Post acquiring her, six months passed before she took her first cricket – I spent those six months trying to find where her batteries went, pretty much like, convinced I had purchased a very realistic, yet fake tarantula. She finally molted two weeks ago, after a year in my possession.

All of which is to say that your B. emelia’s behavior sounds about normal for the genus.

Oh and but p.s. - he/she is gorgeous.

Oh and so but p.p.s - I'll fully admit in advance that what I'm about to say is purely opinion - but, based on your pet's lovely abdomen full of "hair", I'd guess it molted fairly recently, of, if not, not all that long ago. My smithi never kicks hairs (ok, there was that one time), but she did use them to line her den, substrate, etc - which is to say, she developed a bald patch even though she almost never kicked hairs - the first and only time I witnessed her utilize them defensively was when she was nearing her molt - and that was a single, isolated event (but then of course she may have spent her days frolicking around her enclosure, flamboyantly kicking hairs while I was at work).

 

[Tarac]

All of which is to say that your B. emelia’s behavior sounds about normal for the genus.

Oh and but p.s. - he/she is gorgeous.

Oh and so but p.p.s - I'll fully admit in advance that what I'm about to say is purely opinion - but, based on your pet's lovely abdomen full of "hair", I'd guess it molted fairly recently, of, if not, not all that long ago. My smithi never kicks hairs (ok, there was that one time), but she did use them to line her den, substrate, etc - which is to say, she developed a bald patch even though she almost never kicked hairs - the first and only time I witnessed her utilize them defensively was when she was nearing her molt - and that was a single, isolated event (but then of course she may have spent her days frolicking around her enclosure, flamboyantly kicking hairs while I was at work).

My B. auratum is a crazy hair-kicker. Any little disturbance and she's ready to fire away. She molted and had a bald patch a week afterwards. She's never going to look perfect because of this flighty temperament.

She is a bit of a pet rock other than that is sometimes reluctant to feed. My other Brachy's all eat any time food is offered. B. albiceps is like rock, one of my two B. albopilosum is a rock too. Long story short is that your B. emilia (who is indeed very beautiful) isn't doing anything unusual and could exhibit a wide range of the behaviors you have read about online. No way to know for sure from spider to spider so no reason to be alarmed if it is a little (or a lot) different than your previous experience.

---------- Post added 08-31-2012 at 09:15 AM ----------

Since you got your little buddy only 2 days ago, I'm not suprised it isn't yet eating. Tarantulas sometimes need to get accustomed to their new enclosure and that can take time, sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. Rule of thumb is to not feed them for a week after acquring them, though personally at least for slings, I shorten that period down to 2 days which worked everytime so far for me.

I offer food within the day that I have first acquired a new, especially for slings. I figure it is a quick way to get them rehydrated if they shipped and also encourages them to start setting up- you know, the web-up-the-substrate, I-just-caught-dinner victory dance. It is a rare T that will not eat almost immediately in my experience. A lot of people wait longer but there are a lot of us who do not as well. I've not had a problem resulting from offering food sooner rather than later. As always, simply remove the feeder if they don't take.

 

[Chris_Skeleton]

This little guy is so calm he lets me hold him upside down and rub his belly...

I take him out and let him hang out on me for hours while I do my homework...

and it is nice to have a cuddle buddy while I do my research...

These are not cats and dogs and are not "cuddle buddies". I'm going to highly advise against any more of the above activity. All it does is put stress on the T and present opportunities for injury of yourself and the T. Handling every once in a while is fine when done properly, but a T gets nothing out of being handled. Handling is solely for the owner. These are "look, don't touch" pets aside from the needed handling for maintenance, transfers, etc. Why don't you set its enclosure so you are able to look at it while you do your work? I'm sure seeing it is more rewarding than it "hanging out on you". In addition, I would say that if you are doing your homework and research, that is taking attention off of the T and presents even more opportunities for accidental injury. They don't need to be handled, played with, rubbed, hang out on you, nor do they want to.

 

[CleanSweep]

Hello everyone. I am new to the Tarantula world, and I have a question regarding my new best friend.

Wait for it......
*grabs popcorn and a drink :coffee: *

 

[jen650s]

B. emilia

I have 2 B. emilias, about 4 years old, both female and sac mates. I got them as 1/2" slings and one is very much a pet rock who only moves at feeding time. The other is a combination bulldozer/escape artist who tries to bolt every time the enclosure is opened. The pet rock will walk up on my hand and is great for educational talks and presentations. I wouldn't even think about taking the other hair kicking demon out around kids.

Which just goes to say that even with sac mates, let alone within species there can be huge behavioral differences. Oh, and the demon is one of only 2 Ts I have been bitten by.

 

[Kwyjibo]

Well that makes me feel better to know that some of these guys are like pet rocks. I actually picked him because he was so calm. I love it! I don't want to start a handling vs not handling debate. I will say that he shows no signs of agitation or stress when I hold him. He walks into my hands and when I do my homework I lay on the couch and he rests on my stomach in front on my computer. I keep a very vigilant eye on him. Also, I don't regularly rub his "belly". I just did it the once when I was already holding him to see if he was a him or a her. I will definately need to get a picture to have you guys check it out to see if I acurrately sexed him or not.

 

[Stan Schultz]

Hello everyone. I am new to the Tarantula world, ...

[SIZE=+1]BINGO! YOU SAID THE MAGIC WORDS![/size]​

To make sure that you're starting out on the right foot and have been introduced to all the basic issues, I'm going to begin with my soon-to-be-world-notorious NEWBIE INTRODUCTION. If I'm mistaken, I apologize. But, even if you aren't a newbie I suggest that you read through it for review. (I just LUVS doing this!) Please stand by while I load the canned message.

[size=+1]HEY PEOPLE! WE'VE GOT ANOTHER NEWBIE HERE![/SIZE]​

Cue the mariachis, the confetti, and the clowns. Let's start the party!

[highlight]Kwyjibo[/highlight], please don't be offended! I've been messing with tarantulas longer than most people on this forum have been alive, and I still consider myself a newbie. I'm just having a little fun with you.

:biggrin:


Okay, let's get down to business. First, the pleasantries:

[SIZE=+1]"Welcome to the hobby!"

"Welcome to these forums!"[/size]


Now, to get you started on the right foot I urge you to read the following webpages.

Stan's Rant - A little initial boost in the right direction.
BE SURE TO READ AND HEED THE WARNINGS! They'll save you a bundle of cash and maybe a few dead tarantulas!
BE SURE TO READ THE BOOKS! The books will not only answer all your questions, but will also answer all the questions you hadn't thought to ask!

Myths, Misconceptions, and Mistakes Perpetuated by Tarantula Enthusiasts - A growing list of bad information in the hobby. Be sure to explore all the links.

And then, you should read Substrate to get to the down and dirty of the situation.

Additional Thoughts:

Good Starting Philosophy:
Most newbies start out trying to make tarantula care as complicated as possible, fretting over all sorts of silly things. For the beginner at least, and for most of us experienced aficionados as well, the best philosophy is, SIMPLE IS BETTER! As long as it supplies the basic necessities, the simpler your tarantula's cage is, the less there is to go wrong.

The Search Function:
Don't take this as a criticism, but if you don't already know about it, please learn to use the Search function at the top of the page. It'll save us all a lot of time and effort. Most novices and even many seasoned enthusiasts fail to appreciate that 95+% of all tarantula issues have already been addressed, sometimes ad nauseam, on these forums. All you need do is look for the discussions.

A Basic Operating Principle:
If you can't find an answer to your concern using the Search function (after all, search engines are far from perfect), by all means ask us. Remember,

"The only dumb questions are the ones you don't ask."
"And, dumb questions are always easier to deal with than dumb mistakes!"


Fire away! "We aims to please."


Also, has no one told you?

[size=+2]THE TARANTULA KEEPER'S LAMENT

Like those potato chips,

you can't have just one!


You've been warned![/size]

(And, we offer a tip of the ol' hat and our profound thanks to the Frito-Lay Company for institutionalizing the progenitor of this little joke.)​

Visit the webpages. Read the warnings. Read the books. Watch these forums. Do the searches.

DON'T DO ANYTHING ANYBODY TELLS YOU UNLESS ITS CONFIRMED IN ONE OF THOSE BOOKS, OR WE CONFIRM IT HERE!

IGNORE THE !@#$%! CARE SHEETS!

Then, get back to us with any concerns you may have. We're here to help.

Again, you need to read, READ, READ!

Lastly, it would help a lot if you would post several photos of your tarantula from several different angles, and several photos of its cage from several different angles. A few cell phones work okay, but most can't focus well enough, and proper focus is very important. If at all possible use a better camera. Maybe borrow one from a family member or friend? A picture is worth 1000 words! Besides, "We LUVS pichers!"


End Canned Message

... I have a question regarding my new best friend. He is a Mexican Redleg, and I was wondering if it is normal for him to be insanely docile. ...

Of all the tarantulas, B. emilia are my favorites. And, the personality you see is spot-on-typical for the species. These are among the longest living tarantulas. Marguerite and I acquired one as a fully grown adult. We had it for almost 19 years before she died of old age. If we make an educated guess of a minimum of 16 years old when we got her (based on our experiences with a number of subsequent emilia), she was at least 35 years old when she finally died for us.


(The Duchess. Brachypelma emilia. Click or right-click the thumbnail to see a larger image.)

The Duchess was directly responsible for converting literally thousands of people to being spider lovers!

... I was told he was about a year old. ...

Oh no! I can't tell how big it is from the photo, but that tarantula is a LOT OLDER than 1 year! A one year old emilia has almost no color or markings whatsoever beyond a basic tan color. It would have only one little, black patch of urticating bristles on the top of its abdomen. And, it probably wouldn't be larger than a penny. When they emerge from their eggsac they only have 3 mm (less than 1/8") leg spans! Go check a ruler to see just how small that is.

For what it's worth, the males of this species often live longer than the females of many other tarantulas. And, the females? Any potential age you may hear is merely somewhere between an educated guess and just whistling in the dark! If yours is a female, you'll want to write her into your Last Will and Testament!

:biggrin:

So, the first thing we need to know is how big it is. The common way of reporting the size of a tarantula is to measure the Diagonal Leg Span (DLS). It's not a really good way because of a lot of built-in inaccuracy, but we're not passing out gold medals here, just talking about our pet spiders. It's defined as the distance from the tip of one front leg to the tip of the rear leg on the opposite side when the tarantula is in a normal resting posture.

So, what's its size?

... Also, it may not be a he, but from what I've read online I think it is. ...

Unless you have a lot of experience with tarantulas, you can't tell with any level of accuracy by mere visual inspection. The second best way to know its sex is to examine the inside of the shed skin from its abdomen. The absolute best ways are to recognize a mature male (which yours isn't), or find a female brooding an eggsac. If yours is a female it probably isn't even mature yet.

... do you think he is getting ready to molt? ...

Definitely not getting ready to molt. Maybe next spring.

... I just got him a couple days ago and I don't know when he last ate, so I can't go off of that. ..

Food and eating is way down the list of priorities with tarantulas. And, almost only an afterthought with emilia. Yours could probably go a year without food as long as it had ready access to clean water.

Much more important is leaving it alone and letting it come to terms with it's new home and surroundings. Place the cage somewhere where there is a distinct change between daylight and nighttime, but no really bright lights, and relatively little commotion or disturbances. Just about any temperature that you're comfortable in, it'll love. Make sure it has a dish of clean water and something to crawl all the way into as a "hide." Here are some good examples, but this doesn't mean you need to run right out and pay a lot of money for one. Be creative. One of my favorites was a coconut with only 1/3 cut off one end with a hacksaw. Remove the white meat, rinse in clear tap water, and sink it a little way into the substrate so it won't roll, and on ts side with the opening level with the substrate. I also had a friend who liked to use empty Cool Whip bowls. Just turn one upside down on the substrate after cutting a hole at the rim large enough to comfortably accommodate the tarantula. If you don't like white plastic, hot glue dried moss or even gravel to the outside.

Once you set the cage up, don't bother the tarantula except perhaps once a week to check its water dish. After 2 or 3 weeks, throw in one cricket in the evening and turn off the lights. If the cricket is still there the next morning, don't panic. Unless you have some very good indications that the emilia is about to molt any day now, you can leave the cricket in with the tarantula for days. The tarantula, I'm convinced, keeps them as pets! Then, when you're just about to give up and retrieve the cricket to give to someone else, it'll disappear. Your emilia got a case of the munchies in the middle of the night and its little buddy became the equivalent of a midnight ham sandwich. (Friendship and allegiance in the tarantula's world are very ephemeral things!) When that happens, throw in several more crickets the next evening if you can. Thereafter, feed it only one or two crickets a week to a total of only 6 or 8 a month. NO MORE!

... I have been trying to find more information about this species online, but most of my searches end up directing me to the Mexican Redknee. ...

This is not too surprising since they're cared for almost the same. The major difference is that whatever the B. smithi does, the emilia does even more extremely. Mostly this is just sitting still and meditating.

Well, let's see. They're native to a fairly large area of mainland Mexico along the coast that faces Baja California. None are actually found in Baja, though. Their native habitat is deciduous tropical forest and coastal plain. In captivity they do really well when kept as an arid (desert dwelling) species.

In captivity they are extremely long lived, hardy, very docile, relatively large, pet rocks. When the Duchess died she had a DLS of about 8". They do just A LOT of meditating. Their Lotus Position is absolutely unbelievable!

Males may take as long as 15 years to mature, females may not mature until they're 15 or 20 years old, and we think may live as long as another 20 to 25 years after that. Maybe longer. While other female tarantulas usually molt every year once they become mature, these commonly switch to molting every second year instead. For the last few years of their lives they may then miss every second one of those molts! We have a very basic problem with these tarantulas because they were not bred in captivity until the 1990s. Thus, none of them are old enough to be dying of old age yet. So, we don't know how long they're capable of living in captivity.

Handling has always been a contentious issue on these forums, and I have no clue as to why. But, flame wars have been fought that rivaled the American Civil War! I won't go into detail here, but you should read as many of the books as you can find, that are suggested in Stan's Rant.

Brachypelma emilia is not kept as commonly as some other species, and I have no idea why. But, they have got to be one of the top 10 best tarantulas in the hobby.

There! I've done enough damage. Best of luck!

YOU NEEDS TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK!
Your little 8-legged buddies are going to be giving you spot quizzes daily!

:laugh:

 

[CleanSweep]

Ah, there it is :biggrin:...finishes popcorn and goes to bed...

 

[Chris_Skeleton]

Well that makes me feel better to know that some of these guys are like pet rocks. I actually picked him because he was so calm. I love it! I don't want to start a handling vs not handling debate. I will say that he shows no signs of agitation or stress when I hold him. He walks into my hands and when I do my homework I lay on the couch and he rests on my stomach in front on my computer. I keep a very vigilant eye on him. Also, I don't regularly rub his "belly". I just did it the once when I was already holding him to see if he was a him or a her. I will definately need to get a picture to have you guys check it out to see if I acurrately sexed him or not.

Stress is not always visible. In any creature....

 

[PrettyHate]

Wait for it......
*grabs popcorn and a drink :coffee: *

Ah, there it is :biggrin:...finishes popcorn and goes to bed...

AWESOME! Made my night

 

[annabelle]

Ah, there it is :biggrin:...finishes popcorn and goes to bed...

I'm cracking up! Oh how I love Stan's newbie posts!

 

[CleanSweep]

Brachypelma emilia is not kept as commonly as some other species, and I have no idea why. But, they have got to be one of the top 10 best tarantulas in the hobby.

I agree with that. They are one of the best looking t's as well.

 

[Kwyjibo]

I know understand what the popcorn and drink comment was all about. Thanks for the welcome. I'm not offfeded and I'm definitely a newbie. I thankfully have a few friends that have had many pet T's in the past. They have helped me set up my little guy's new home, and get everything going. None of them have had a B. emilia, so I am on my own with this little guy. Thanks for all the great info on this species, and it is great to hear how long lived they are.

I figured I may have the sex wrong, but I have a 50/50 chance. Plus, the one I was rehabing was a male, so it makes me more incline to call this one a male. Until the day I find out otherwise he will remail Emilio, then if he turns out to be a she it'll become Emily.

Sadly I've been sick for the past few days, so I haven't taken more pics for you guys. However, I did measure him, and his DLS is roughly 3-3.25 inches. Now my question is how old does that make him?

His tank has a couple rocks that I have assembled to make a cave. He has access to plenty of fresh water, and I gave him a cricket the other night, and now I can't find it. I'm assuming it is either hiding really well, or it has been eaten. The last few days he has become more active at night crawling around and leaving webbing all over the ground. It is actually pretty neat.

Anyways once I get more pics I'll post them in the Tarantula Pics Forum.

Thanks

 

[Stan Schultz]

... I did measure him, and his DLS is roughly 3-3.25 inches. Now my question is how old does that make him? ...

Tarantula growth rate is exceedingly variable, and dependent on both temperature and food availability. And then we have to factor in the concept that this species can be a very slow grower.

On a guess, it could be as young as 5 years and as old as 10. Maybe. On a good day. Perhaps. Sort of.


:laugh:


Regardless, write your new, little 8-legged buddy into your will!