Approximately ten monthes ago, I received a one inch spiderling of B. angustum or the Costa Rican Red tarantula from Michigan Arachnids. Quite honestly, I was not expecting this "bonus" spider and was not sure what to do with it. The care and feeding requirements were very simple and so I thought I would give this unsexed, tiny member of the Brachypelma genus a try.
Although they do not have red bodies, Costa Rican Red Tarantulas are appealing, medium-sized tarantulas. They get their name from the thick, red hairs on their legs and abdomen. Costa Rican Red Tarantulas actually have a black to dark brown overall body color. These spiders are not as docile as most others in the Brachypelma family of tarantulas and they are prolific hair kickers. They are also a little smaller than most Brachypelma tarantulas, but are still heavy bodied. Costa Rican Red Tarantulas can be pretty hard to find but surprisingly are not usually expensive. (Amanda McWilliams)
Habitat and Feeding
Our spiderling comes from Central America, Mexico which should come as no surprise. Its habitat usually features a temperature range of 70-85 degrees with relatively high hunidity in the 65 to 85% range. Since this was a very small spiderling, we opted for an intermediate sized, acrylic enclosure with a three inch substrate of coconut bark, and reptile litter along with a piece of wood and vine leaves. These tarantulas are considered opportunistic burrowers and sure enough, ours diseappered almost immediately after being introduced into its new home. In fact, it did not emerge for what seemed like monthes and after several successful molts. Pictured to the right is our Costa Rican Red emerging for the first time.
We mist the enclosure at least twice a week and soak a small corner of the substrate with distilled water in order to provide necessary moisture. Since our tarantula has emerged, it has been spending more and more time out in the open. It is a voracious eater and has been consuming at least 5-7 crickets each week. According to our research, these tarantulas have a medium growth rate. However, our speciman has grown to its current size of three inches in less than one year which is significant. We anticipate that this tarantula will ultimately grow to a size of six inches at maturity.
The Costa Rican Red are considered fairly docile relative to other species and are known to utricate their abdomen hairs as a defense mechanism. Ours seems fairly feisty and research seems to support the idea that perhaps this particular tarantula is NOT an ideal candidate for handling.
This page was last updated: March 17, 2017
January 15, 2017
Our Costa Rican Red continues to be quite active and does not sit still very long for pictures. Our T still enjoys five to six crickets a week and has successfully molted since the last pictures taken back in October.
March 6, 2017- Our Red Rump has left the building,,,
Our Costa Rican Red has found a new home! Sadly, the decision was made to donate our spider to a local tropical pet store in Rockville MD. We are making room for some new additions and felt that this was the best decision to make. This was an easy tarantula to care for, and should be a welcome addition to any owner's collection.
Approximately ten monthes ago, I received a one inch spiderling of B. angustum or the Costa Rican Red tarantula from Michigan Arachnids. Quite honestly, I was not expecting this "bonus" spider and was not sure what to do with it. The care and feeding requirements were very simple and so I thought I would give this unsexed, tiny member of the Brachypelma genus a try.
