Possible injured tarantula

Stevo96

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 24, 2020
Messages
6
Got a Mexican red knee that seemed to have a difficult molt. Humidity was fine and she's usually OK but just seemed to take longer this time. Left her to it but noticed that she seemed unsteady on her feet at first and now noticed red "sores" on the ends of her pedipalps, never noticed anything like this before. Not sure if it's a common thing or a wound, any advice would be appreciated
 

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Stevo96

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 24, 2020
Messages
6
Oh OK 😅 we were told she was a she when we got her, she's called penelope so that will have to change 😂 any ideas on why we've never seen these before and why his behaviour had changed then? It did take a while for him to molt but it has been a week and he still doesn't seem 100%
 

moricollins

Arachno search engine
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 15, 2003
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3,687
Oh OK 😅 we were told she was a she when we got her, she's called penelope so that will have to change 😂 any ideas on why we've never seen these before and why his behaviour had changed then? It did take a while for him to molt but it has been a week and he still doesn't seem 100%
Male tarantulas don't have them until their final molt. He is unlikely to ever molt again.
 

MrTwister

Arachnoknight
Joined
Mar 17, 2017
Messages
251
Males develop the “boxing gloves” once fully mature. Your spider will most likely start to wander the enclosure and eat very little for the next year or two before expiring. If there are any breeders local to you, it may be possible to trade him off.
 

Jess S

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 10, 2019
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572
Lucky you, you have a mature male Brachypelma auratum and I'm sure if you were to look, you'll find a breeder who would love to breed him with their female.

The reason he appeared to have a difficult moult is that it's the biggest change to the spiders anatomy they can go through. So they do take more time to recover. He will be more prone to dehydration from now on, so it's best to be sure the waterbowl never runs dry.
 

Stevo96

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 24, 2020
Messages
6
Ah ok, the person we got him off wasn't sure how old he was so I didn't know he was that old. As long as he's healthy I'm happy, we'll keep him till he dies. Will he perk up any at all or do they go docile once they reach maturity?
 

Jess S

Arachnobaron
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Mar 10, 2019
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572
In a few weeks, he'll perk up considerably and make what's called a sperm web (he'll periodically continue to make these usually in the corner of the enclosure). After that you'll see a level of activity from him you didn't know existed as he will be climbing and wandering around his enclosure much of the time, in search of a mate.

He will feed but not as often as before. They often lose much if not all interest in food, which is why old mature males look so skinny.

It would be a good idea to make sure that the enclosure isn't too big as he'll wear himself out wandering a large space. And also doesn't present fall risks.

Ask yourself the following:

Is there too much height from substrate surface to lid? 1.5 times the DLS of the spider is considered to be a safe height.
Are there any decorations that could cause a rupture if he fell on them?

Hope that's somewhat helpful to you.
 

Stevo96

Arachnopeon
Joined
Oct 24, 2020
Messages
6
That's awesome thanks everyone for the advice and clearing that up so quick! Sad that we won't have much longer with him but happy he's healthy. His tank should be more than fine for him but we'll keep an eye on him and move him a smaller one if we need to 👍
 

Jess S

Arachnobaron
Joined
Mar 10, 2019
Messages
572
Take good care of him and keep him at high 60's, low 70's f and you could have him for quite some time longer. Maybe even a couple of years more.
 

Liquifin

Arachnoking
Active Member
Joined
May 30, 2017
Messages
2,110
Everyone has already provided good information, but just a bit of a correction on your spider. You actually have a Brachypelma auratum aka. Mexican Flame Leg and not a Brachypelma hamorii aka. Mexican Red Knee. Also he's a male that is high on demand since mature male Brachypelma auratum do not come by often in the hobby. Someone will most likely need him for breeding.
 

EtienneN

Arachno-enigma
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Jul 15, 2017
Messages
1,038
He may not be interested in food or he still might maintain a regular appetite. All of my mature males have been fairly good eaters, so if he doesn't eat one week, wait a couple of weeks and try again. Or he might never eat again and put all of his energy into making sperm webs to the exclusion of all else. You just gotta offer prey and see if he takes it. Just be sure to remove it within like eight hours if he isn't interested so he isn't stressed by the crickets.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 8, 2006
Messages
17,851
Got a Mexican red knee that seemed to have a difficult molt. Humidity was fine and she's usually OK but just seemed to take longer this time. Left her to it but noticed that she seemed unsteady on her feet at first and now noticed red "sores" on the ends of her pedipalps, never noticed anything like this before. Not sure if it's a common thing or a wound, any advice would be appreciated
You have a mature male B. auratum if Im
not mistaken.
 

EnigmaNyx

Arachnoknight
Joined
Oct 21, 2020
Messages
273
Oh OK 😅 we were told she was a she when we got her, she's called penelope so that will have to change 😂 any ideas on why we've never seen these before and why his behaviour had changed then? It did take a while for him to molt but it has been a week and he still doesn't seem 100%
Pre-molt: Penelope

Post-molt: PenelopHe
 
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