Brachypelma vagans Slings

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Picked up some Brachypelma vagans (Mexican Red-Rump) slings locally from a breeder. The slings are captive bred (cb) and about 0.3″ – 0.5″ in legspan. There eating well. I have been feeding newborn B. lateralis nymphs twice a week. Fascinating to watch something so small catch its prey. I have plenty available for those interested. Click the link above to get started!

Brachypelma vagans (Mexican Red-Rump) are native of Mexico, and frequently found in Belize, El Salvador and Guatemala in deep burrows. This is a very beautiful New World Terrestrial species of tarantula, with very distinctive jet black legs and abdomen. As they mature, the abdomen is covered with fine red hairs (hense the common name Red-Rump). The carapace is edged with cream and has thin radiating lines of cream coloring. They are typically docile, though they can appear aggressive, are a bit skittish and are prone to kicking urticating hairs, so not recomended for handling. If handling, use caution! They can move very quickly when startled! They reach a legspan of around 5 inches with males generally a little smaller. Females can live up to 15 years.

Valid comments on/about/experience are all welcome. Spam, hate, offensive, etc… will be ignored/deleted. Your welcome to share videos as long as it is doesn’t violate any terms. Thanks for reading, Greg Hagedorn.

Aphonopelma chalcodes Care Sheet

Scientific Name: Aphonopelma chalcodes

Common Name: Desert Blonde Tarantula

Geographic Range: Southwestern United States, especially Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern California

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/High

Growth/Size: Fast / 6″ legspan Experience Level: Beginner

Temperament: Little aggressive
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 damp 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 gal tank, 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: 8 to 10 years for males and females to mature and Females live (up to 20 years).

Description:
Aphonopelma chalcodes cepholothorax is gray to dark brown and the abdomen is dark brown to black. Aphonopelma chalcodes often resides in burrows in the desert soil. It makes its burrows by digging itself under stones or by utilizing burrows discarded by rodents or other animals. It may live in the same burrow for decades. Males come out when mature after 10-12 years and search for a mate. Since it lives in the desert, Aphonopelma chalcodes is acclimated to harsh weather conditions. It does not require much water to survive, and can therefore survive in the extreme heat of the desert.

Keeping in captivity as pets:
Use medium to large Kritter Keepers, 5 gal tanks, etc… for juveniles, up to adults. This species prefers dry substrate, so moderate/high 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. Aphonopelma chalcodes can be a little more aggressive then other beginner species.

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.

Aphonopelma hentzi Drinking!

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While down in the city picking up some B. vagans slings, the seller gave me a free Aphonopelma hentzi (Oklahoma Brown). She was in a yogurt cup and needed to be transfered to a new container. As soon as I put her in her new home, she went sraight for the water, so I thought I would film it.

Its important to keep water in with all your tarantulas and scorpions regardless of size. I use little ink caps for my slings, they work well. This species will get a legspan of about 4″-5″ and make a great beginner tarantula. Takes 8-10 to mature after which females have been know to live up to 35 years and males up to 12.

Valid comments on/about/experience are all welcome. Spam, hate, offensive, etc… will be ignored/deleted. Your welcome to share videos as long as it is doesn’t violate any terms. Thanks for reading, Greg Hagedorn.

Grammostola pulchripes Care Sheet

Grammostola pulchripes - Chaco Golden Knee

Scientific Name: Grammostola pulchripes – formerly Grammostola aureostriata

 

Common Name: Chaco Golden Knee

Geographic Range: Paraguay, Argentina

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 venemous, 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: 70*F-85*F Humidity: Low-Moderate

Growth Size: Fast / Up to 8.5″ legspan Experience Level: Beginner

Temperament: Docile, urticating hairs
Tarantulas vary from docile to very aggressive, skittish, nervous, urticating hair flicker. Read “WARNING” at the end of this care sheet!

Food: Crickets and 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.
Provide 4″-12″ of substrate packed down for burrowers. Tarantulas that require low-moderate humidity should be kept on a dry substrate.

Enclosure/Cage: Up to a 20 gal. tank.
Rule of thumb for enclosures is about 1½-2 times the width and length of your tarantula for terrestrial. For arboreal, they need more height then ground space, 1″-2″ of substrate. Provide long pieces of cork bard, branches, etc. to climb on for arboreal. You may provide a hide for a quick retreat if it is startled or feels threatened..

Longevity: ?

Description:
Grammostola pulchripes tends to be one of the more docile and calm species of tarantula and therefore makes a great first pet. Grammostola pulchripes is an opportunistic burrowing terrestrial tarantula. They tend to burrow when younger and adopt a pre-existing hide as its home when it begins to mature. It is quite flashy in appearance, bearing long light-colored hairs all over its body and gold stripes on its legs, particularly at the “knees”, hence “Golden Knee”.

Keeping in captivity as pets:
You can use medium to large Kritter Keepers, 5 gal tanks, etc… for juveniles, up to 20 gal. tank for adults. This species prefers the dry side, so moderate humidity levels will work and temps between 72*F-85*F 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. Grammostola pulchripes makes a great display tarantula, they are very docile and perfect for any beginner. Care is very similar to the Grammostola rosea, except this species will eat more and grow much faster.

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 herin represents various resources and my own personal experience with this particular species. 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.