Mexican Red Knee Tarantula

Mexican red knee tarantula, or Brachypelma hamoriis, are rightly well known for their beauty, toughness and general good nature, making them the perfect first tarantula species or a vibrant addition to a collection. They grow to a decent size, having a 16cm leg span but will take 3-7 years to reach full size, making them one of the slowest growing tarantula species. This also makes them one of the longer living tarantula species, with females living up to an impressive 25-30 years of age! The males however, have a lifespan of (a slightly less impressive) 5-10 years. The Mexican Red Knee is a terrestrial species that prefers a dry and warm environment, we recommend a humidity of 50-70% and a temperature of 18ºC to 28ºC. Hides should be provided such as cork bark to make the spider feel more comfortable, they will dig often burrows underneath these, so its important to provide a deep and suitable substrate.

In captivity we feed the Mexican Red Knee on live insects such as crickets, locust or roaches for adults and fruit flies for smaller spiderlings.