Care Sheet: Brachypelma vagans - Mexican Red Rump

Care Sheet: Brachypelma vagans - Mexican Red Rump

Before being concerned about specific humidity/temperature gauges, I would highly suggest having a look at this book: http://books.google.com/books?id=rIVAkA3IlHgC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
or possibly even purchasing it, as it has tons of information that clear’s up a lot of confusion as to these little creatures. There is a lot of false marketing and false opinions out there and the information represented here is meant as a guideline and not a specific rule that can be applied to all of these types of tarantulas. There are variations even in the same species born in the same egg sac! The goal of the information here is to get an in depth view on the tarantula from an owner/handlers eyes.

Common Name: Mexican Red Rump    

Scientific Name: Brachypelma vagans

Origin: Mexico

Type: New World Terrestrial

Temperature: 20-30 °C (remember this range is a guideline)

Humidity: 50-70% (remember this range is a guideline)

                 

Max Size: approx. 5"-6” (remember this range is a guideline)

Speed: Moderate (remember this is a guideline)

Temperament: Extremely calm and relaxed (remember this is a guideline)

Venom: Mild

Growth Rate: Ultra Fast (remember this is a guideline)

Description:

I do not think that it is only my B. vagans that is so relaxed, I know of a few people who have absolutely no issue when it comes to handling them. As a starter tarantula for ANYONE I would recommend this species. They are generally easily found, the do not cost much, they grow like wildfire (is keeping up with my Salmon Pink) and they eat like a starved lion at a spitbraai! The Beast (my B. vagans) has only ever refused food up until a day or two before molt. This past week I was dropping some water onto his substrate, using a syringe,  to moisten it more and the fool charged the water droplets and wanted to eat them! He moved so quickly he got 4-5drops right on the head that he was also trying to eat before I realized what was happening! As a display species these are excellent, they have beautiful bright red hair on a pitch black body. They actively hunt and will charge and pounce from the one corner of their tank to the other onto some unsuspecting food item.

Housing:

B. vagans love taking walks in their tank, the only time I have ever seen mine burrow is a week before molting.  A hide is not a necessity, but is always helpful in reducing any stress the animal ever experiences. The tanks should NOT be more than the tarantulas leg span x 2 (5cm leg span = 10cm max height on the tank) as a fall from this species could cause an injury and death. Also avoid any sharp edged decorations in the tank. The Beast seems to enjoy standing on the side of the tank with one or two feet touching the ground, but 90% of the time he is exploring his tank or laying web mats on the ground to help in detecting prey.

Temperatures should be around 25 °C, with humidity Ok at around 65%. A large water bowl is fine and will be used often. Ensure that the water bowl isn't wider/deeper than 1x your tarantula's leg span.

Feeding:

B. vagans ’s eat like there is no tomorrow! I easily (although I shouldn't) give it prey the size of its prosoma and opisthoma combined, or even twice that size! All the Beast does is pounce on them, grab them, jump on his back to subdue them with his venom, then hops back upright and lays a new web mat while eating! All of the owners I ave spoken to say these T's have an immense appetite.I have found that feeding them two crickets twice a week is similar to power feeding, which I will only do until they reach between a quarter and a third of their adult size (this rule can be applied to all T’s) then I will drop down to one cricket twice a week. However, although they would LIKE to eat all day long, one large cockroach every 2 weeks is more than enough. 

Temperament:

General: These tarantulas at a small size sometimes do have short bursts to move away from sudden disturbances, but if handled correctly are actually quite relaxed. They don’t mind being moved very much and are slow to get onto the hand, as such you shouldn’t chase them around the tank trying to get them onto your hand. Rather leave them for 10-15min and then maybe try again. I have had mine flick hairs at me once or twice when I moved too suddenly or gave it a fright but that's about all. I have never seen a threat pose towards myself or food specimens either. 

The urticating bristles these tarantulas flick off are the average in severity and they can leave itching rashes on whichever body parts come into contact with them, which really can hurt sometimes. It is very important to avoid getting them in your airways, or eyes.

Fangs, though rarely threatened, are mechanically dangerous, in that they can be up to an inch long, and the power with which adults can inflict a bite is similar to that of a small cat. Fortunately for us all, they would rather flick hairs than bite and probably not even that.

Before molt: The B. vagans goes pitch black when it starts getting close to molting, also it loses the 'red hue' of the carapace as that darkens too, the darker black it gets the closer to molt it gets. They will sometimes burrow or go into their enclosure and wall up the entrance using substrate and webbing. Close to this time they seem to be a bit more skittish and hide quickly. I have noticed with all my T’s, that if they are getting close to a molt their behavior becomes unpredictable. It IS a stressful time for them so be cautious and try AT ALL COSTS to avoid handling before a molt. Generally the specimen will go extremely dark black, will not be shiny and will have a bald patch. As with L. parahybana (the B. vagans is similar in this aspect) the best sign a few weeks ahead of a molt is stopping feeding.

After molt: The B. vagans is almost as white as paper and see through like a Perspex sheet for a short while after molting, eventually they become slightly grey and not transparent, then the grey becomes darker, you will also notice the BRIGHT red bristles immediately after the molt, then eventually the grey becomes black. Throughout this hardening process the T won’t move much and you MUST NOT move it either. After 3-5 days I put in one small cricket and wait until the B. vagans takes it then I know he is ready to feed again.

Notes:

I have seen my L. parahybana perched on the side of its container, although they are regarded as almost never climbing, they are not very good at it and he tends not to do it much. It is more of a ‘looking for a perch’ type of climbing he does. Keepers should aim to minimize injury potential by restricting the height of the enclosure.