Tarantulas of the World

The Mexican Fireleg Tarantula also called the Mexican Rustleg tarantula is another crowd favorite from Mexico. They come from the dry savannahs of Mexico and grow to be about  6.5 inches with a life span of 7 to 11 years with females growing to be older. They are very beautiful with their nice red/orange and black colors. They are good at being beginner tarantulas but we recommend you do some research on them before purchasing one due to their skittishness and no hesitation to flick urticating hairs.

Habitat:

The Mexican Fireleg tarantula tends to burrow and so we do recommend an enclosure with 4 to 5 inches of damp substrate preferably  of coconut fiber (such as eco earth). You should also have a medium bark  in your enclosure so that it can use it as a hide to burrow under.  As most B. boehmei do not grow to be very large a 5 gallon tank should be just fine for the majority of its life as it reaches adulthood it might just end up getting slightly bigger requiring a 10 gallon tank but that can take years to happen. They usually prefer very dry environments and so overfilling its water dish in a corner should be plenty for it to get the right humidity it is looking for. Temperature wise you are looking at keeping it at a steady 75 to 85 degrees. If its a comfortable temperature for you chances are it will be the same for your tarantula.

Feeding:

Your Mexican Fireleg Tarantula is easily a great eater, you just have to make sure they do not overfeed. Feeding slings a couple of times a week, juveniles once a week and adults once every other week should do the trick. Their food should consist of small flightless fruit flies and small crickets as spiderlings to large crickets, roaches and meal worms as juveniles and adults. As always never feed your tarantula something bigger then its body to prevent the tarantula from injuring itself while attacking the prey. The reason you should keep such a feeding pattern is that as they get older it is key to check up on them going through molting phases. Most adults can go 3 or more weeks without eating if they are getting ready to molt and this pattern of feeding might help with stressing your tarantula less. If after 24 hours you see your tarantula not eating you should remove its food source out of the enclosure.

Attitude:

The Mexican Fireleg is quite docile as compared to other species of tarantulas. Handling should be easy but you should always check your tarantula to see if it is in the mood to be handled before picking him or her up. They are the most nervous of all brachypelmas and do not hesitate in flicking their hairs. Being that they are brachypelmas they are equipped with type 3 urticaing hairs which are quite distressful. They are not known for biting but that does not mean they will never bite. Though painful their bite should not feel any worse then a bee sting. Their venom though potent to kill insects only causes minor pain if not any pain at all for humans.

The Mexican Fireleg is one of the easiest tarantulas to fall in love with. They are low maintenance and docile in nature. . Though you can easily handle them make sure you do so carefully to prevent getting urticating hairs all over your arms (it will be one annoying rash). We highly recommend this as a beginner/intermediate tarantula.

Do you have a Mexican Fireleg? Have any questions about your B. boehmei? Tell us about it! Comment down below we’d love to hear from you.

The Chaco Golden Knee Tarantula has become a very sought after tarantula. It is originally from Mexico. Its docile nature, color and size has made it perfect for beginner/intermediate tarantula enthusiasts. With most Chaco Golden Knees growing to be about 8 to 10 inches in length. They tend to be steady growers and most reach adult size within 3 to 4 years. Females can live out to be anywhere between 15 to 25 years while males tend to make it to be about 5 to 6 years old.

Habitat:

The Chaco Golden Knee Tarantula is known to be a burrower. In addition to burrowing they also tend to be extremely active at night and move around quite a bit. Due to its size we do recommend a 10 to 15 gallon tank for it to live in with at least 5 to 6 inches of substrate for it to burrow. It is also advised to add ad a nice size bark as a hide in its enclosure, though you might not see your tarantula use its hide it has been known to relieve it of stress. Being that it is a native of Mexico it prefers dry environments. You can wet a quarter of the enclosure preferably overfilling its water dish to provide enough humidity for your G.pulchripes (we normally recommend about 50% humidity). Temperature wise you should be good by keeping this tarantula nice and warm anywhere between 77 to 85 degrees.

Feeding:

Feeding should not be an issue at all. The G.pulchripes eats very well with females eating ravenously anything thrown their way, males tend to not eat as much. A steady feeding of large crickets, roaches and locusts should be just fine. Remember to never feed your tarantula something bigger than its size as this might end up injuring your tarantula when it’s trying to take down its prey.

Attitude:

They are known as being extremely docile and slow moving however with that being said they do know how to defend themselves. Being a new world tarantula they come equipped with urticating hairs on their abdomen which they will use should they feel threatened. Worst case scenario they might bite which can consist of a “dry” bite or “wet” bite. A dry bite does not contain venom but still causes some pain especially from a full grown tarantula that has bigger fangs. You can also experience a wet bite which on top of getting the pain from a dry bite would also have the tarantula’s venom. Though its not potent enough to be considered a medical threat it does sting a bit and can cause light headaches or muscle cramps (to some it causes nothing at all). If you think you might be allergic you should seek medical attention (same as you would should you be allergic to bee or wasp stings).

We would highly recommend the Chaco Golden Knee Tarantula for any hobbyist. They are very low cost and low maintenance. Full sized they love sitting outside their hide/burrow as a showcase piece. Females can be a pet for a long time and with great care chances are you will grow old with them. Definitely one of my favorite picks.

Do you have a Chaco Golden Knee? Tell us about it and drop a comment down below! Do you have any questions? Ask in the comment box and we will surely answer them for you.

The Arizona Blond Tarantula is a species common in the deserts of Arizona and Southern North America. It is very well liked in the amateur community due to it being extremely docile. For the most part these are medium sized tarantulas with mature females having a body length between 2 to 3 inches and leg spans of about 4 to 5 inches. Some can be significantly smaller then this all together.  Females live to be 12+ years while males usually live to be about 8 to 10 years.

Habitat:

These species of tarantulas spend most of their life in the wild in the dry hot dessert. In captivity they are rather easy to handle with not needing more then a 5 to 10 gallon tank (depending on the size of your tarantula). Make sure you have a very dry substrate with a water dish. You can decorate it as much as you want with shrubs but make sure you also have a hide for your tarantula. Preferably a nice piece of bark.

Feeding:

The Arizona Blond tarantula is also an easy one to feed. Feeding them 1 to 2 times a week should be enough. Their diet should consist of crickets and roaches. And they do tend to not eat before a molt is to occur.

Attitude:

These animals are extremely slow and as stated before are extremely docile. It takes a bit to provoke them, however that does not mean they will never feel threatened. They do come with urticating hairs that they release as a defense mechanism. They might bite but only as a last resort and should not feel any worse then a bee sting. The venom though potent to insects is very harmless to humans (unless yo might have specific allergies).

The Arizona Blond Tarantula is great as a first tarantula due to its docile nature. They are easy to handle and require low maintenance. They also are very cheap in comparison to other tarantulas and an Arizona Blond could cost you around $20. We would highly recommend this as your first or even second tarantula to have if you are still a novice to the hobby.

Have a A.Chalcodes? Tell us about it. Show us your pictures! Even ask us some quetions. Comment always welcomed.