Hi All,

Figured I would introduce myself before I start asking n00b questions.

Im the proud owner of a Mexican golden red rump T. Took a few weeks and did a fair amount of reading before I took the leap the weekend and got one (see avatar)

Anyway I did a bit of searching but I did not get all the answers I needed :blush:.

Firstly my T has a bald but (is that the correct term?), I was assured that this is normal. After doing a bit of searching it seems like this may be a sign that my T is getting close to molting. Is this statement correct? I know that they flick hair and I guess this may cause the baldness as well...

Secondly, I was advised that I should wait about a week before feeding in order to let him settle into his new home. (Dont know if its really a he...) Is this correct? Should I wait a while before feeding? I am quite excited about the first feed. I went out to get crickets yesterday but the petshop only had a few boxes with them and all had dead crickets in so I decided to rather not get them. Is dead crickets in the box a bad sign or is it normal?

Lastly, he seemed to have settled in nicely under the piece of driftwood that I added. I find it amazing how he started to build a web around the open sides and how when I got up this morning the web was covered in a thin layer of peat. Wow what an amazing experience to see how they operate. Anyway my question is he hides in there and I cant really see how he will get out from under there. Is this normal? I know that they are burrowers but I've also read that as they get bigger they tend to spend time "outside". He is about (guestimate) 5 to 6 cm from right front leg to left rear leg. (is this the correct way to measure them?). Will he come out if I put a cricket or 2 in there?

Sorry for all the noob questions

HI Jouda and welcome to the forum!

Regarding it's bald butt This is a common occurrence amongst new world tarantula's with urticating hairs. These are the hair that they, when they feel threatened, kick off t in defense. The bald spot should be gone after the next moult.

On your second question: some members may disagree with me, I usually upon arrival look to see if the tarantula looks well fed or not. I have had some T's who took prey on the first day, some after a few days. My best advice on this would be to put in a prey item, and leave it for a while to see if it takes it. If not, remove the prey and wait a bit. (Do this over night, as T's venture outside more often during night time.)

And on your third question, I have a few T's that webs like that, but they do have means of getting out, believe me.

I do have a Brachypelma Albiceps (Golden red rump) of about the same size, and the only time mine webs like that is just before it's going to moult (pre-moult). It spends most of its time out in the open in other regards.

Oh, and on the crickets, they die off quite easily. You will very rarely find one of those tubs with no dead crickets in them. I you buy one of those tubs, put in some carrot shavings and if you want some cricket gel/crystals, that will make them last longer. (do not use cricket gel/crystals for the spider)

Awesome! thanks for the replies! So it seems that I might have a freshly molted T soon.

I will get a cricket or two and see what happens over night. It seems that a lot is happening in there while I am asleep.

Welcome! Soon you will have more Ts, believe me!

From what I can see on your avatar, your Ts bum is very dark - also a sign that a molt is close. If that is the case, please remember molts are very stressfull for Ts. Also, they flip onto their backs when they molt - they are not dead, and should never be disturbed while in this position. If your T is in pre-molt / busy molting, it is always better to increase the humidity slightly.

I have always fed my Ts as soon ad I get them, and they have always been fine - whether you wait for them to settle in or not, don't think it will make a difference.

In the beginning when I had few Ts I had issues keeping the crickets alive. Now I rehouse them into a clean container immedialtely when I get them. I take a piece of egg carton and soak it very well in water. I put that in the container to give them the moisture they need. I re-soak this every few days when it dries out. I also only feed them pronutro, and my crickets almost never die. I also only buy medium size crickets as these have the various size ranges I need for all my Ts - they also live longer.

Thanks for the info on the crickets Karin! If I ever decide to buy crickets again I will try that.