In stock Mexican Flame Knee Tarantula for sale All tarantulas for sale
Brachypelma auratum
Mexican Flame Knee Tarantula: Advanced Care Guide
Keeper Snapshot: A slow, steady Mexican terrestrial for a patient keeper. Keep it dry with a full water dish and a hide, feed on a relaxed schedule, and enjoy the flame knees from outside the glass.
Group: TarantulasDifficulty: Spice 2: BeginnerSetup: Dry terrestrial, hide and open floorHandling: Not recommended, kicks hairs when bothered
Use This Guide Safely
- Confirm the exact animal. Match this guide to the species, locality, size, and life stage on your label. If the ID is uncertain, use the more conservative part of the range and ask before changing the setup.
- Change one thing at a time. Treat temperature and humidity as target zones, then watch posture, burrowing, drinking, feeding, and molt behavior before making another adjustment.
- Respect the handling boundary. If the guide says no handling, fast, defensive, or medically significant, plan transfers with catch cups, locked lids, and no bare hands. For serious bites, stings, or symptoms, seek emergency medical care.
Quick Snapshot
| Temperature | 68-80°F |
|---|---|
| Humidity | 40-60%: damp for slings, dry adults, full dish |
| Setup Type | Dry terrestrial, hide and open floor |
| Substrate | Dry soil/coco mix, 3-4 in, cork hide |
| Feeding | Slings weekly, adults every 1-2 weeks |
| Care Difficulty | Spice 2: Beginner |
| Handling | Not recommended, kicks hairs when bothered |
Humidity zones: Very Low under 30% - Low 30-60% - Low-Moderate 40-70% - Moderate 60-80% - Moderate-High 70-85% - High 80%+ - Very High 90%+
Enclosure Format / Size Class
- Slings (0.5-0.75 in): Baby Buddy with a lightly damp lower layer and a bottle-cap dish.
- Juveniles: Burrow Buddy, dry top layer, hide and full dish.
- Adults (about 5.5 in): larger custom terrestrial build with more floor than height.
Warnings First
- Kicks urticating hairs when stressed. Keep your face out of the enclosure and wash up after maintenance.
- Hairs in the eye need medical attention. Don't rub, rinse and get help.
- Slow grower. Don't power-feed it to rush size; a fat, steady spider is the goal.
- CITES-listed genus: keep the captive-bred paperwork that came with your animal.
Simple Care
- House it alone.
- Dry substrate on top, a full pebble-filled water dish at all times.
- Give a cork hide and some open floor.
- Slings: keep the lower layer lightly damp and let the surface dry.
- Feed by abdomen size, not by the calendar.
- Use a catch cup and soft tongs for moves and cleanups.
Advanced Keeper Notes
Enclosure & Microclimate
- Floor space beats height for a terrestrial this size. Keep the drop from lid to floor short so a climb can't turn into a bad fall.
- Cross ventilation keeps a dry setup fresh. Stuffy and damp invites mold and mites.
- A starter scrape under the hide helps a new arrival settle in.
Feeding, Growth & Maintenance
- Slings: one small prey item weekly. Juveniles and adults: every 1-2 weeks, prey no bigger than the abdomen.
- Long fasts before a molt are normal. Pull uneaten prey within a day.
- After a molt, wait about a week before the next meal.
Possible Origin / Range
- Likely native range: Pacific side of southwestern Mexico, reported from Guerrero and Michoacán.
- Habitat translation: Seasonally dry Mexican hillsides become a dry, well-ventilated floor with a snug hide and a water dish that never runs empty. Slings get a lightly damp lower layer.
Advanced Keeper Details
- Same red-knee group as the classic Mexican red-knees, but darker with tighter orange knee bands.
- Docile reputation does not make it a handling pet; hair kicks are its first line of defense.