Brachypelma Emilia advice needed

[jennifer2370]

I recently just got a very small Brachypelma Emilia (mexican red legged) i originally asked for a Brachypelma Smithi (mexican red knee) and i had done all my research on this tarantula and when i got to the pet store the owner said mexican red legged. He told me there was no different between the species and they were the same, this already annoyed me because i didn't get what i paid and asked for but i took him home anyway. I did some research on the red legged and some of the care is different and i have no clue who or what to believe now.
He is currently on the lid of the vivarium which is okay but i really dont want him to fall and hurt himself, but i feel the instant he touched the ground he hated the texture and ive read that people have had issues with tarantulas not liking the texture of vermiculite (the substrate the pet shop owner recommended) so i was thinking if i should change it to coco fiber?
Overall; Is the care different for a Emilia to a Smithi? should i switch to coco fiber instead of vermiculite? When should i do this (as to not cause stress)?

(PLEASE DONT BE HARSH THIS IS MY FIRST TARANTULA AND ALL I WANT IS THE BEST CARE FOR HIM)

 

[Tortoise Tom]

Hello and welcome!

We won't be harsh. We are not that kind of forum. We wish to be helpful and encouraging, especially with someone new to the hobby.

The first thing is to stop taking any advice from that pet store. I don't know if it is innocent ignorance, or intentional lies to separate you from your money, but either way I think you've already realized it is bad advice. I don't have this species, but I have raised B. smithii (Now called B. hamorii…) in the past and have a couple of the closely related B. beohmei now. I will always defer to those more experienced than me, but I would not use vermiculite as a substrate. I've used many things over the years and I prefer coco coir exclusively nowadays. Any kind of bought-in-a-bag soil makes me nervous because you can't know what composted material it is made of. Here in southern CA, we put our yard trimmings in a bin and these bins are collected, composted, and re-sold as soil in stores. There is a long list of toxic chemicals that are sold and used on people's yards, so I won't use this soil in any animal enclosure. If you are composting your own soil from safe source material, then soil is probably fine.

I've recently learned that most care sheets are rubbish. I don't know what would be different in the care of a red leg, fire leg, or red knee. They all come from the same part of the world and all need the same care: Dry-ish substrate, room temp (70-80 degrees), somewhere to hide, and a water dish.

This whole genus tend to be excellent eaters and not finicky.

Your new spider is gorgeous. Even though the guy at the store is either ignorant or dishonest, you still managed to get a nice tarantula from him and I think you will be very happy in the end. Just for fun, here is a pic of my B. boehmei set up:

 

[Enn49]

Hi Jennifer, welcome to the wonderful world of tarantulas. No one here will be harsh with you, we've all been beginners at some point.
As @Tortoise Tom says mostly all Brachypelmas need the same care and they're pretty tough. I agree on dry substrate, they hate it wet and will often climb to avoid it and I always use coco fibre. .

 

[jennifer2370]

The pet store owner has had tarantulas in before so he should probably know the care. I've just ordered some coco fiber and hopefully it comes soon but even before i got my tarantula the coconut hide he gave me went moldy so i don't think ill be going back there for supplies anytime soon.
Thank you for the advice

 

[Enn49]

The pet store owner has had tarantulas in before so he should probably know the care. I've just ordered some coco fiber and hopefully it comes soon but even before i got my tarantula the coconut hide he gave me went moldy so i don't think ill be going back there for supplies anytime soon.
Thank you for the advice

Sadly pet shop owners rarely tell the customer the truth as they are more interested in getting the sale.
Please don't be afraid to ask here if anything is worrying you.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Welcome to the group....first off this species likes dry substrate. If you use dry vermiculite it with suck the moisture out of it our tarantula. Coco fiber or plain topsoil will work great. B. Emilias are great spiders...their care is the same as a B. Smithi or B. Hamorii (which is two totally different species...not renamed.) Hopefully they didn't charge you the B. Smithi price because they are super expensive. Just give it a nice hide to crawl into and a deep water dish and you will be fine.