Basic Tarantula keeping info

[Tracey McDermott]

Hi, I'm hoping to buy a Mexican red knee Tarantula next month, and just wanted the basics for looking after them.
I've searched online, and every write up I find is different in it's information, regarding temperatures, humidity and feeding etc.

I'll browse this forum, of course, but thought I'd ask for info in the hope of getting advice faster than me having to look for it myself. I'm useless!

So thanks in advance for any tips and advice offered

[Colin D Wilson]

One of the main problems with care sheets is there all written by different people who keep their spiders slightly differently, but with the same guidelines.
an example of this could be one person, who lives in a cold house will have the need for a heating source (ie a heat mat) where as another person who has a temperature controlled room wil not need any additional heating. if they both write a general care sheet, the first person may include the heat mat in his write up and many people will take it as read that they need one too (even if they have a warmer house).
I suggest that you read as many information sheets as you can and pick out the most constant information, couple this with any information you have read on this forum (and in answer to this thread) and go from there.

I would personally maintain a B. smithi (mexican red knee) as follows (although as i have said, peoples views may vary)

Temp 75 - 90 farenheit
humidity 70 - 80%
substrate for an adult 2-4 inches (for the option to burrow)
small water dish (for an adult, for spiderlings spray the sides of tank occasionally)
a hide (to suit the size of the spider, ie just a bit bigger than the spider itself)
feed it twice or three times a week with the appropriate food size.

these are the basics for an adult that i kept in good health for about 8 years

Welcome to the forum

Colin

[Larry Shone]

If you have a nearby library borrow a copy of The Tarantula Keeper's Guide by Stanley and Marguerite Schulz,Barron's Books 1998. Its very in depth and tho some of the names of The Ts have changed since it has everything you need to know,and a lot more.

[Ray Gabriel]

Hello How big will this spid be?

Ray

[Mikhail F. Bagaturov]

Hello Tracey!
this also may be of some help to you.
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Brachypelma smithi (F. O. P.-Cambridge, 1897) (Mexican Red-knee)
Origin: Mexico
Adult size: 7-8 cm of BL, 14-15 in LS!
Humidity: 60%-65%
Temp: 26-28°С
Lifestyle: terrestrial

Description: This is the classical and a legendary species in tarantula-keeping hobby! The most popular spider and the one which is really must been in every collection, both advanced and beginner.
Extremely docile, nice looking and long lived, large and robust - this spider also does not require special keeping conditions and always rank the top of wish-list of terrestrial tarantula species.
Its coloration of black overall body and distinctive wide red bands on leg segments and the edge of carapace are familiar to everybody!
It’s maybe the first species of tarantula in the World introducing the hobby. It is also a nice display tarantula because it does not need a retreat.

It is fossorial species, in nature inhabits both dry forests and tropical deciduous forests. Usually founds under rocks or tree roots (West, R., 2005). The first theraphosid species placed on CITES in 1985 and it is illegal to collect it in the wild.

Can be kept in standard terrestrial-type terrarium, on the 5-6 cm of slightly moistened substratum, with a shallow water bowl for drinking. You can provide it with the retreat, but this is not necessary.

This beautiful spider regularly bred in captivity. The cocoon contains 400-600 eggs. Young spiderlings grows on the slow to average rate, becoming mature according the various sources of information to 5-8 years (females later).

Two other species looking identical to Brachypelma smithi – B. annitha (very rarely presented) and B. hammori (unknown in hobby) considered by many specialists just as a color forms of B. smithi, but do not mix them and keep these “forms” separately till this suggestions would be proved or rejected by the further genus revision.

This is one of the “pet-rock” spiders, which do not possess any aggression and can be considered as a good starting tarantula for beginner. The only one it’s stain - some specimens readily flick urticating hairs, but those, as well as of other representatives of genus Brachypelma, do not harmless for human.

[Mikhail F. Bagaturov]

Ref.
1. WWW
1. http://www.arachnopets.com/tarantula...s/bsmithic.htm care sheet
2. http://www.arachnofreaks.com/caresheets/bsmithi.htm - short care sheet
3. http://tarantulas.tropica.ru/en/evol...ae/Brachypelma – short care sheet and general info of genus Brachypelma
4. http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/taran...mexredknee.htm - care sheet
5. http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/in...ypelma_smithi/ - care sheet and other
6. http://www.bighairyspiders.com/smithi.shtml - care sheet
7. http://cluestick.me.uk/burrow/caresh...lma_smithi.htm care sheet and info
8. http://homepage.ntlworld.com/the.tar...e-B.smithi.htm - care sheet
9. http://www.brachypelmas.co.uk/just%2...ets/smithi.htm - care sheet
10. http://www.aqua-terra-vita.com/MRKTWP/Care.html - care sheet
11. http://www.herpkingdom.com/CS/mexredknee.html - care sheet
12. http://inst.sfcc.edu/~zoo/tarant.htm - info
13. http://www.alfred-kucera.com/other/Tara/ - info
14. http://home.arcor.de/schwaara-mail/smithi.htm - info and care sheet in German
15. http://www.whozoo.org/Intro2000/owlp...VR_RedKnee.htm - a lot of info
16. http://www.achtbeiner.de/Seiten/Artenteil/smithi.htm - care sheet in German
17. http://members.chello.nl/l.hesteren/smithi.html - some caresheet and info in Netherlands
18. http://www.sklipkani.cz/polozka.php?id=350 – some info in Czech
19. http://www.madarpok.hu/smithi.htm - page in Hungarian
20. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.ed...ma_smithi.html - info
21. http://www.atshq.org/articles/cites.html - debates of inclusion Brachypelma spp into CITES.
2. Literature
1. STRIFFLER, B.F. & A. GRAMINSKE. 2003. Brachypelma – die bunten Vogelspinnen aus Mexiko. Draco 4(16): 52-61.
2. LOCHT, A., M. YÁÑEZ & I. VÁZQUEZ. 1999. Distribution and natural history of Mexican species of Brachypelma and Brachypelmides (Theraphosidae, Theraphosinae) with morphological evidence of their synonymy. J. Arachnol. 27: 196-200 – online: http://www.americanarachnology.org/J...27_01_0196.pdf
3. WEST, R.C. 2005. The Brachypelma of Mexico. Journal of the British Tarantula Society 20(4): 108-119.
4. M. Tesmoingt, F. Cleton, J. M. Verdez. Description of Brachypelma annitha n. sp. and Brachypelma hamorii n. sp. males and females, new species related to Brachypelma smithi (Cambridge, 1897) from Mexico. Study and taxonomic relations of the two species and comparison with Brachypelma auratum. Arachnides, 32:8-20 (1997)
5. M. Tesmoingt, F. Cleton, J. M. Verdez. Description of the males and females of Brachypelma annitha n. sp. and of Brachypelma hamorii n. sp., new species related to Brachypelma smithi (Cambridge, 1897) from Mexico. Study and taxonomic relations of the two species in comparison with Brachypelma Arachnides, 33:2-10 (1997)
6. S. Skinner. Tarantula bondage: subduing tarantulas. Forum of the American Tarantula Society, 1:61-62 (1992)
7. Tannia Sels. Huidje uit huidje aan. [From one skin to another.] Aquarium (Hilversum), 72:302-304 (2002)
8. G. Schmidt. Brachypelma auratum sp. n., die sogenannte Hochlandform von Brachypelma smithi (Araneida: Theraphosidae: Theraphosinae). Arachnologischer anzeiger, 3:9-14 (1992)
9. Leslie Saul Gershenz. Laboratory culture techniques for the goliath tarantula (Theraphosa blondi) (Latreille, 1804) and the Mexican redknee tarantula (Brachypelma smithi) (Araneae: Theraphosidae). American Zoo and aquarium association Regional Conference Proceedings, :773-777 (1996)
10. PORTMAN, S. 2000. Breeding Brachypelma smithi. Journal of the British Tarantula Society 15(4): 135-138.
11. P. Nussle. Breeding B. smithii. Exotic Entomology Group Newsletter, : (1990)
12. D. Morris. Brachypelma smithi observations. Journal of the British Tarantula Society, 8:20-21 (1993)
13. Frantisek Kovarik. Sklipkani rodu Brachypelma. [Tarantulas of the genus Brachypelma.]. Akvarium Terarium, 45:56-61 (2002)
14. I. I. Kaiser, P. R. Griffin, S. D. Aird, S. Hudiburg, J. Shabanowitz, B. Francis, T. R. John, D. F. Hunt, G. V. Odell. Primary structures of two proteins from the venom of the Mexican red knee tarantula (Brachypelma smithii). Toxicon, 32:1083-1093 (1994)
15. Radan Kaderka. Ze zivota mexickych brachypelem. [From the life of Mexican tarantulas from the genus Brachypelma.] Akvarium Terarium, 47:56-61 (2004) – online in Czech: http://www.sweb.cz/radan.kaderka/tar.../artbramex.htm
16. C. Iser. Rearing notes: heat above all! Arachnides, 23:13 (1994)
17. FRITZSCHE, B. 1999. Vogelspinnensteckbrief Nr. 3. Brachypelma smithi (F.O.P.-Cambridge, 1897). [Tarantula info sheet 3 - Brachypelma smithi (F.O.P.-Cambridge, 1897)]. Arthropoda 8(1): 17.
18. G. Dupre. Protection des especes (2 partie). Arachnides, 25:11-13 (1995)
19. J. A. Dunlop. Molting mortality in Brachypelma smithi (F.O.P.-Cambridge) (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Mygalomorph, 1:18-20 (1993)
20. Nigel Carter. The CITES debacle. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Forum of the american Tarantula Society, 6:149 (1997)
21. Diane Callaway. Tarantulas in captivity: population trends with an emphasis on Brachypelma species. Sonoran arthropod Studies institute: (1997)
22. T. bij't Vuur. Brachypelma smithi. Lacerta, 53:66-67 (1995)
23. .B. Randall, W.H. Whitcomb. Notes on the molting of a Tarantula, Brachypelma smithi (Araneae: Theraphosidae). Florida Entomol., 59:438 (1976)
24. R. Pulz. Patterns of evaporative water loss in tarantulas. (Araneae, Theraphosidae): transpiration and secretion. Eberhard, W.G., Lubin, Y.D. & Robinson, B.C. Proceedings of the Ninth international Congress of arachnology, Panama, : (1983)
25. W. Meng. (Abstract). Beobachtung und aufzeichnung akustischer signale bei den theraphosiden spinnen: Brachypelma smithii (Cambridge 1897), Brachypelma albopilosum (Valerio 1980). Rep. Dept. Biol. Univ. Turku (Xi intern. Cong. arachnology), 19:66 (1989)
26. Cambridge Tarantula Project 1988. Cambridge Expeditions Journal. (198
27. K. Veltman. The mexican red kneed bird spider - an endangered species. Dieren, 7:144-148 (1991)
28. A. Webb. Whether the weather? Journal of the British Tarantula Society, 8:22 (1992)
29. R. C. West. Some natural history field notes on three Brachypelma species from Mexico (Araneae, Theraphosidae). Journal of the British Tarantula Society, 10:111-116 (1995)
30. CAMBRIDGE, F.O.P.-. 1897. Arachnida - Araneida and Opiliones. In Biologia Centrali-Americana, Zoology. London, 2: 1-40. [p. 20, pl. 1, f. 4].
31. DUPRE, G. 1994. Réflexions sur la protection d'EUATHLUS smithi. Arachnides 21.
32. KIRK, P. 1988. A tale of Brachypelma smithi, Part 1. Journal of the British Tarantula Society 4(1): 10-11.
33. KIRK, P. 1988. A tale of Brachypelma smithi, Part 2. Journal of the British Tarantula Society 4(2): 20-21.
34. KLATTER, F. 2002. Geslaagde kweek met Brachypelma smithii. Tijdschrift van Vogelspinnen Vereniging Nederland 10(35).
35. LAYZELL, J. 1990. Trying to breed B. smithi. Journal of the British Tarantula Society 6(2): 16.
36. PORTMAN, C. & S. PORTMAN. Brachypelma smithi egg laying. – online: http://www.thebts.co.uk/bsmithi.htm
37. SCHNEIDER, S. 2005. Krankheitsverlauf und Heilung bei einer an »Vogelspinnenkrebs« erkrankten Brachypelma smithi. Arachne 10(3): 4-5.
38. STRIFFLER, B.F. 2004. Die Rotknievogelspinne - Brachypelma smithi. Natur und Tier - Verlag Münster. (BOOK)
39. TANSLEY, G. 1992. Size differences between two specimens of Euathlus smithi (Mexican red knee). Journal of the British Tarantula Society 7(4): 5.
40. VERDEZ, J.-M. 1993. Fiche d'élevage: EUATHLUS smithi (Cambridge, 1897). Arachnides 16.
41. Smith A. M., 1994 : Tarantulas of U.S.A. and Mexico. Fitzgerald Publishing London: 75, 76, 158-176 (BOOK)
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This was written far ago, so some links may not work.

[Tracey McDermott]

Hello How big will this spid be?

Ray

I'm not sure exactly how big it is. It's not tiny, but didn't look fully grown. It was in a smallish plastic tank. I'll go look agan at the weekend and get some definate info on it.

Thanks everyone for the help