Brachypelma smithi - Mexica Red Knee
Scientific Name: Brachypelma smithi
Common Name: Mexican Red-Knee
Geographic Range: Mexico
Habitat/Species type: Terrestrial, New World
- Terrestrial refers to ground dweller, burrower.
- Arboreal refers to tree dwellers.
- New World species found in the Americas tend to be more docile, less venomous, kick urticating hairs for defense.
- Old World species found throughout the rest of the world, like Asia, Africa, Europe, etc… generally more aggressive, stronger venom, more apt to bite.
Temperature: 72°F-85°F Humidity: Moderate
Growth/Size: Slow / 5.5″ – 6.5″ legspan Experience Level: Beginner
Temperament: Considered docile, but may be skittish too.
Tarantulas vary from docile to very aggressive, skittish, nervous, urticating hair flicker. Read “WARNING” at the end of this care sheet!
Food: Crickets and feeder roaches are most common in captivity. You can also offer mealworms, superworms, etc… DO NOT USE wild caught insects due to insecticides/pesticides and parasites threat.
Water: It is IMPORTANT to always keep an open water dish, full of water in your tarantulas enclosure at all times. This keeps them hydrated and helps keep humidity up! For slings, keep substrate moist. For juveniles and adults, water dish should be non-toxic, shallow and no wider than the body length of your tarantula. NEVER USE cotton balls or sponges to supply water or moisture, may promote mold and harmful bacteria that could be harmful to your tarantula and/or it’s enclosure.
Substrate: Peat moss, coco fiber or a mixer of peat moss, vermiculite. Kept on the dry side.
Provide 4″-12″ of substrate packed down for burrowers. Tarantulas that require low-moderate humidity should be kept on a dry substrate.
Enclosure/Cage: 5 – 10 gal tank, double showbox size sterile plastic container, etc. is adequate.
Rule of thumb for enclosures is about 1½-2 times the width and length of your tarantula for terrestrial along with 3″-8″ of substrate packed for burrowers. For arboreals, they need more height then ground space, 1″-2″ of substrate. Provide long pieces of cork bard, branches, etc. to climb on for aboreals. You may provide a hide for a quick retreat if it is startled or feels threatened..
Longevity: 5-7 years to maturity and Females (up to 20 years).
Description:
Brachypelma smithi originates from Mexico and Panama where it lives in semi-desert scrubland. The abdomen is usually jet black in color. The legs are black with stripes of orange/tan/cream variations. The carapace is usually creamy/beige with a distinctive black patch. Brachypelma smithi is a suitable starter tarantula, due to it’s forgiving nature and relatively easy temperament. Be warned as it can be a bit of a hair-flicker and tends to be a little skittish. Overall a great tarantula have as a display specimen.
Keeping in captivity as pets:
For adults you can use medium to large Kritter Keepers, 5 gal tanks, etc… for juveniles, up to 10 gal. tank for adults. This species prefers the dry side, so moderate humidity levels will work and temps between 72F-85F work. Substrate can be peat moss, coco fiber or a mixer of peat moss, vermiculite mixture and should be at least 2″-4″ deep to provide adequate burrowing for slings and juveniles. Young Brachypelma smithi may burrow, but once they become adults (5-7 years), they tend to just sit around on the surface. I refer to these as “Pet Rocks”. Brachypelma smithi are considered the ideal starter Tarantula, due there forgiving nature and easy temperament. Brachypelma smithi are generally considered a docile species, certainly handling is possible, but not considered, due to their urticating hairs.
WARNING: Tarantulas are unpredictable and can change there disposition at anytime and may bite. So handling is never advised unless you’re experienced. Old World species tend to be more venomous (stronger venom) than New World species who have urticating hairs. Take all precautions, do some research on the species you plan to own, etc…before handling these wonderful creatures.
DISCLAIMER: Information contained herein represents various resources and my own personal experience with this particular species. Valid comments on/about/experience are all welcome. There are still allot unknown about certain species, so if you feel this article needs correcting/clarification, please comment below and I will make adjustments where necessary. Spam, hate, offensive, etc… will be ignored/deleted. Thanks for reading, Greg Hagedorn.
