I purchased a Mexican Red Knee a few days ago. I have been doing a lot of reading and research and have come up with some incosistent information, so I thought I would ask people and see what ya'll have to say.
They told me he is young and that he finished his first molt about two weeks ago. I have him in a ten gallon tank (with lid) and vermiculite as the ground cover. He has half a log to hide under and a small succulent (no hard edges or pricklies) plant to make things more homey for him. I have the temperature humidity gauage in the tank also. He had a few live crickets in his cage at the store, but the guy said to come back in a couple of days and get him more crickets, so I did, but he did not eat them. Here are my questions:
1. Should I go ahead and take out those three crickets tonight? How often should I feed him from now on? They said twice a week, but I am reading once a week to once a month. Is just crickets enough or would other foods (like mealworms) be good for him?
2. What humidity level should I keep? I've read 50%-80% and that's a wide range.
3. Should I handle him very often? I know to be gentle, move slow, etc., but I have read a lot to not handle them because they don't like it. Then I see pictures and read that some people do handle them regularly. The pet store said handle him often (like 15 minutes a day) to keep him used to me and to not be afraid of being handled.
3a. If I do handle him, should I take the aquarium into the bathroom and put a towel under the door for just in case? I know to keep him low to the ground so that he won't hurt himself if he should fall. I don't plan on spooking him and I will move very slowly and be very careful, but I don't want him to get hurt.
4. Should I be worried about mites if I keep the cage clean and clean up eaten/uneaten crickets within a couple of days? Can they harm my spider?
5. Any other information you'd like to pass on to someone who wants to take good care of her spider? Thank you in advance for any help you can give me.
They told me he is young and that he finished his first molt about two weeks ago. I have him in a ten gallon tank (with lid) and vermiculite as the ground cover. He has half a log to hide under and a small succulent (no hard edges or pricklies) plant to make things more homey for him. I have the temperature humidity gauage in the tank also. He had a few live crickets in his cage at the store, but the guy said to come back in a couple of days and get him more crickets, so I did, but he did not eat them. Here are my questions:
1. Should I go ahead and take out those three crickets tonight? How often should I feed him from now on? They said twice a week, but I am reading once a week to once a month. Is just crickets enough or would other foods (like mealworms) be good for him?
2. What humidity level should I keep? I've read 50%-80% and that's a wide range.
3. Should I handle him very often? I know to be gentle, move slow, etc., but I have read a lot to not handle them because they don't like it. Then I see pictures and read that some people do handle them regularly. The pet store said handle him often (like 15 minutes a day) to keep him used to me and to not be afraid of being handled.
3a. If I do handle him, should I take the aquarium into the bathroom and put a towel under the door for just in case? I know to keep him low to the ground so that he won't hurt himself if he should fall. I don't plan on spooking him and I will move very slowly and be very careful, but I don't want him to get hurt.
4. Should I be worried about mites if I keep the cage clean and clean up eaten/uneaten crickets within a couple of days? Can they harm my spider?
5. Any other information you'd like to pass on to someone who wants to take good care of her spider? Thank you in advance for any help you can give me.