Red Rump Tarantula

External Since: Apr 06, 2006 Posts: 6

Hi all,

We got given a mexican red rump tarantula as a wedding present, which was a
bit of a shock. But she's part of our family now so we feel like we need to
look after her. She's been feeding off crickets, and we have cotton wool in
a small dish to give her water. She has a large bit of bark, which she's now
burrowed under, and whenever we lift the top of her tank, she scuttles back
into it.

She seems to be growing, and the crickets have no chance when put in there.
She drinks daily too. But the bark she built her burrow under, and her tank
in general, seems to be getting moldy... is that ok?

We were also told she shouldn't be handled because she's fast (definitely)
and aggressive (we're putting that down to not liking us that much at the
mo), although we're all a bit to scared to handle her anyway, so no worries
there. But the mold is a bit worrying.. is this normal? Her tank is the
right humidity etc.

Any help for someone who never envisaged owning a spider, will be greatly
appreciated :)

Many thanks,

Gavin

External Since: Nov 24, 2003 Posts: 4

"Likewise" wrote:

>Hi all,
>
>We got given a mexican red rump tarantula as a wedding present, which was a
>bit of a shock. But she's part of our family now so we feel like we need to
>look after her. She's been feeding off crickets, and we have cotton wool in
>a small dish to give her water. She has a large bit of bark, which she's now
>burrowed under, and whenever we lift the top of her tank, she scuttles back
>into it.
>
>She seems to be growing, and the crickets have no chance when put in there.
>She drinks daily too. But the bark she built her burrow under, and her tank
>in general, seems to be getting moldy... is that ok?
>
>We were also told she shouldn't be handled because she's fast (definitely)
>and aggressive (we're putting that down to not liking us that much at the
>mo), although we're all a bit to scared to handle her anyway, so no worries
>there. But the mold is a bit worrying.. is this normal? Her tank is the
>right humidity etc.
>
>Any help for someone who never envisaged owning a spider, will be greatly
>appreciated :)
>
>Many thanks,
>
>Gavin

Sounds like you need to lighten up the humidity if it's really mold.
Actual dampness is only more of an issue when they need to molt.

And don;t bother with the cotton balls. How big is she? Use an
appropriately sized water container, be it a soft drink plastic cap, a
peanut can plastic lid, or even a peanut butter jar lid. They're not
as dumb as crickets, they're not likely to drown themselves - just
keep the size appropriate to her size.