juvinile mexican red knee tarantula

tonym

hi guys

i have come across a juvinile mexican red knee i have never had a juvi before so im not sure what to feed him meal worms? he is only about 1 inch leg span if even he looks like a big house spider any help would be helpfull

thanx

Hellrazer

Feed it quarter inch crickets(not mealworms) and make sure its humid in there.

Juvenile Tarantulas need it humid to stop them drying out.I recommend spraying with a misting bottle once a day.Also feed them till they look like theyre about to pop.You really want to push as many moults as you can to get them over this "dangerous" period.

What substrate are you using??Vermiculite is best at this early stage since it holds moisture well.
You also really shouldnt need any extra heat if you are keeping it in the house.But if you are finding it cold use a heat mat stuck to the back wall of the cage and not under the cage.
Hope this helps.
Richie

tonym

he dose not seem interested in the cricket any ideas

Hellrazer

If its not interested in the crickets it either one of two things.

1.Temperatures are a too low--Increase the temps by using a 15watt bulb or heat mat on the back of the cage.

2.Its about to moult--How long have you got it??Has it moulted since you got it??If its a small as you say then a Redknee this size is more than likely going to moult every 2-3 weeks or even less.They go off their food for about a week or so before moulting.

tonym

thanx richie she just had one she seem much more active and fast now one more question when should i start to handle him will he bite and any ideas on how to go about it

Hellrazer

Start handling it now.Dont try to pick it up but gently nudge its bum with one hand while the other hand is in front of it.Basically hand over hand and let it walk from one to the other.
The sooner you do it the calmer the Tarantula will be as it gets older.
15 minutes a day is usually enough to calm a tarantula down to the point that you could even let kids hold it.

Be careful of the urticating(itching) hairs though.Redknees have some of the worst you can get.If you notice your skin getting red and itchy then stop holding it for a bit.And definatelt dont rub your eyes if you have been handling the redknee.

tonym

whats the chances of it biting now cos while it was feeding i noticed even now he has a fine set of fangs he moves really fast

Hellrazer

You cant say for certain if its going to bite but at this stage the fangs probably wouldnt pierce the skin.
You just have to watch for the signs ie if it rears up (lifts its 2 front legs off the ground) then back off.
Redknees are fairly docile but I had one that was nuts--I even had to feed it with long tweezers it was that bad.
If you handle them from young they very rarely bite.
Richie

tonym

hey richie thanx for all the help