New Mexican red knee tarantula owner need help

[Joshduran16]

I just got a female Mexican red knee on Saturday and I got a few questions. I'm kinda new to the hobby so... She's 5 years old and I'm wondering can I feed her Madagascar hissing cockroaches. I'm just worried she may not take them. Also I know they can go a while without feeding but how long. Also she seems to climb on the sides a lot instead of the ground even though the ground is dry. Is that she's just exploring. Should I be worried. Sorry for the questions. But if you can help please do. Thank you

 

[newspidermom]

Hi..congrats on your new T! First lesson..specifying age does not really equal a size. The more a T eats the faster they grow so you can have two Ts from the same sac differ in size by inches. I know this cause I currently have some like that. Same sac but vary in size from 1.5" - 3". Thus it's better to reference size versus age. Most sizing is done by Diagonal Legspan (DLS) or as close as you can get. As far as what to feed...most roaches are a good feeder. Some Ts however don't like roaches and some prefer one roach over another. There are different species to chose from. Just goole feeder roaches. Most love crickets but they can stink if you keep alot of them and they don't live long. Mealworms and superworms are a good treat. I use mealworms alot thru our cold winters here since other feeders are pricey to ship that time of year and they are easily kept in refrigerator. They are not a good permanent food source though. Crickets and roaches offer better nutrition. Absolutely NO earthworms! Whatever feeder you decide to use make sure you purchaase as a feeder to assure they are free of fertilizer and pesticides. As tempting as it may be it is not recommended to feed Ts anything you catch from your yard. You never know what yard chemicals it may be carrying which could kill your T. Feeding one to two times a week is plenty. Some Ts will eat more than that but it's really not needed. Since your T is new I'm sure it is still getting used to it's new enclosure. Until it adjusts and settles in it may not eat. Also the climbing and roaming the enclosure is normal T adjustment. Just be sure the substrate (cocoa fibre preferred) is deep enough. There should be just enough space to allow your T to keep one leg on ground when trying to climb. A fall could be fatal. Your T is an easy one to keep. They prefer it dry for the most part. Just overflow a shallow water dish on one side of container. Room temp is fine. No special heating required unless it goes below 60. Also Ts also stop eating some time before molting. When a T molts it will turn upside down on it's back. Its not dead...lol..just molting and do not touch! After molting wait at least a week to resume feeding. If it doesn't eat remove feeder and try again in a feww days. Just offer food every few days and don't wory if it refuses to eat. As long as it has water it will be fine. Oh..and NO SPONGES in water dish. That's old school and the sponges fester bacteria. So that's about it. I'm not sure where you bought your T but if it was from a pet store don't believe anything they tell you. It's best to come to forums like this for answers. We love helping newbies getting into the hobby! I know this was alot of info. Some you may already know. I just wanted to be thorough. Hope this helped. We'd love a pic!

 

[Joshduran16]

Thank you for the info just one more question I bought small Madagascar hissing cockroaches are those good or are there shells to hard

 

[Joshduran16]

Here's are some pics

 

[Joshduran16]

Does the setup in the enclosed seem right

 

[newspidermom]

madagascar hissing roaches are fine for feeders as long as your T likes them. Some Ts don't like the roaches that get a harder exoskeleton like hissers. It may like the younger hissers over the adults. Trial and error really. I love the enclosure,,however I believe
that enclosure is more of a vertical enclosure? Those are great for Arboreal (tree) spiders since they like the vertical space and have better climbing abilities. Your T is a terrestrial (ground) spider that for the most part will remain down...or should. Of course a nice piece of driftwood or something for them to sit on is fine but as I mentioned before you really want to limit their head space so if they do climb and possibly fall they won't get hurt. Ts abdomens can burst from a high fall. They are awkward climbers compared to tree spiders and I hate to see your new friend get hurt. I'm gulty of it myself. I have a couple Ts I need to add substrate to. Head space for your T shouldn't be more than 6-7" All decor should be relatively smooth with no sharp edges...just in case.

 

[Joshduran16]

She try's to climb the top what can I do to prevent this

 

[Joshduran16]

Other than add substrate

 

[Joshduran16]

I just don't want to come one day and see her hurt and thanks for your help

 

[Joshduran16]

 

[Joshduran16]

She is always around there? I thought she was a terrestrial

 

[Joshduran16]

Again sorry for all the questions newspidermom

 

[newspidermom]

She's climbing cause it's new to her. There's only a couple choices you have. Either find her a horizontal enclosure or add substrate to that one. She might stop climbing after she settles in but the still climb every once in awhile. The only other option is to make some kind of drop ceiling with maybe some cardboard with air holes punched in since her only venilation is from the top screen. You can fold it into a square U shape fitted as tight as you can get it so she can't get up past it and drop it in and tape it in place. That's about all you can do for now. I know it won't look real pretty but it's better than a dead T. Sorry to be blunt.

 

[Joshduran16]

What's a drop celling

 

[newspidermom]

The other risk to her climbing with any screened lidded container is the possibility of her getting her toes caught in the screen. They actually fall trying to pull their feet loose. I had a couple close calls with some of my Ts. They look like a monkey swinging from monkey bars. Not a good thing. Sorry I don't have any better solutions. Just a tidbit of info...most people don realize Ts are almost blind. They rely on vibration and "learning" their surroundings. That is why they explore any new enclosure. They want to know where everything is.

 

[Joshduran16]

Ya I understand what you mean but I'm still not sure what a drop celling is but I'll add more substrate

 

[Joshduran16]

Ya I understand

 

[Joshduran16]

Thank you for your help so far your the only person that actually helped I tried to contact the breeder but he hasn't responded

 

[newspidermom]

By drop ceiling I was referring to a makeshift lowered ceiling of cardboard taped in place somehow.

 

[Joshduran16]

Thank you new spider mom may I ask you more questions in the future if I can