The Mexican Fireleg Tarantula is a species of tarantula that is native to the Guerrero state in Mexico. They are a terrestrial, burrowing species of spider.
Like most New World tarantulas, they have uricating hairs that they can flick off themselves when they feel threatened. These hairs cause a lot of irritation and are used to deter predators.
Some of the other commonly kept species of New World Tarantulas include the Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula, Green Bottle Blue Tarantula, Guyana Pink Toe Tarantula, Pumpkin Patch Tarantula and the Venezuelan Suntiger Tarantula.
Mexican Fireleg Tarantula Taxonomy
The Mexican Fireleg Tarantula belongs to the Family Theraphosidae. This essentially means that the spider is a tarantula and over 1,000 different spiders have been identified as part of the family Theraphosidae.
Theraphosidae belongs to the infraorder Mygalomorphae. While many of the other species in this infraorder are often referred to as tarantulas or ‘false tarantulas’, the species in the family Theraphosidae are considered the ‘true’ tarantulas.
Tarantulas can be found throughout the American Continent (excluding Canada), Africa, parts of Mediterranean Europe, South-East Asia and Australia.
The Mexican Fireleg Tarantula belongs to the Brachypelma genus of spiders. This genus was first described in 1891 by Eugene Simon and continues to be debated and changed to this day.
In 2019 the Brachypelma genus was split into Brachypelma and Tliltocatl, with a number of species in Brachypelma moving to the Tliltocatl genus such as the Curly Hair Tarantula.
This means that all the species left in the Brachypelma genus are tarantulas native to Mexico such as the Mexican Red Knee Tarantula. The scientific name for the Mexican Fireleg Tarantula is Brachypelma boehmei.
Mexican Fireleg Tarantula Description
The Mexican Fireleg Tarantula is a medium sized tarantula that can grow to 5 or 6 inches in length. They have a contrasting orange and black coloration.
The carapace of the tarantula is bright orange while they have a black abdomen. The spiders’ legs are black from the carapace down as far as their knees.
The knees of the Mexican Fireleg Tarantula are a bright red which fade to orange as you move towards the bottom of the spiders’ legs. This is why they get their name ‘Fireleg’.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
Like all species remaining in the Brachypelma genus, the Mexican Fireleg Tarantula is native to parts of Mexico.
This species can be found in Southern Mexico in the state of Guerrero. They are found around the Pacific Coast where they live in dry, arid shrubland.
They are a burrowing species and will often make their own burrows or will also take over abandoned rodent or lizard burrows if the opportunity arises.
They will also make use of natural shelters to make them feel secure such as hiding under fallen logs or in rock crevices.
Mexican Fireleg Tarantula as Pets
The Mexican Fireleg Tarantula is a slow growing tarantula species that can live for a long time. Females can live for as long as 25 years while males can live for 7 or 8 years in captivity.
While most species in the Brachypelma genus are considered quite docile, this species tends to be a bit more defensive. However, it isn’t anywhere near as defensive as species such as the Orange Baboon Tarantula.
These spiders can be quite skittish and will prefer to retreat to their burrow if they feel threatened. However, if any tarantula is cornered and feels threatened, they have the ability to bite.
As this is a New World species, the Mexican Fireleg Tarantula also has uricating hairs that it can flick which causes skin irritation and itching.
Mexican Fireleg Tarantula Feeding
A spiderling Mexican Fireleg Tarantula can be fed twice a week. At this age they can be fed flightless fruit flies or pre-killed small crickets. If you are feeding large prey items, they must be pre-killed.
Any uneaten food should be removed from the enclosure within 24 hours. It is normal for a tarantula to refuse food when they are in pre-molt and you should wait for their skin to harden after a molt before offering food again.
A good rule of thumb is to offer insects that are no larger than the length of the spider’s abdomen, although you can go a bit smaller if you wish.
As the Mexican Fireleg Tarantula grows, you can increase the duration between feeds. This is because their growth rate slows down so they don’t use as much energy.
A juvenile can be fed 3-4 medium crickets (depending on its size) once a week while an adult Mexican Fireleg Tarantula can be fed 4 or 5 crickets every 2-3 weeks.
There is no set amount to feed a tarantula and you really have to judge it based on the condition of the spider. If they are starting to look skinny, increase the meal sizes or reduce the duration between feeds.
If they are starting to look fat, reduce meal sizes or increase the duration between feeds. You can also supplement their diet with different insects such as roaches’ mealworms, super worms and locusts.
Housing
As the Mexican Fireleg Tarantula is a terrestrial species, floor space is more important in their enclosure than height. In fact, too much height can be dangerous as a fall from excessive heights can be fatal.
A Spiderling can be housed in a small plastic container with ventilation holes drilled in the sides. This will promote cross ventilation and help with air quality.
The container should be 3-4 times the size of the spider in terms of length. You should also fill the enclosure with 2-3 inches of substrate to allow them to burrow.
Don’t have too much height in the enclosure as a fall can be fatal from excessive heights. If you feel there is too much height, add more substrate so there is less distance between the floor and the lid of the container.
You can add some cork bark to add as a surface hide. A very small, shallow water dish should also be present. Keep in mind that these tarantulas come from arid scrubland regions so their substrate should be kept dry.
As the tarantula grows, you will need to move it into a bigger enclosure. A good rule of thumb is to provide at least 3 times the spiders leg span in floor space.
An adult Mexican Fireleg Tarantula can be comfortably housed in an enclosure measuring 18″ long x 12″ wide x 12″ high. This can then be filled with around 5 inches of substrate.
Temperature
You can keep your Mexican Fireleg Tarantula at room temperature. If the temperature is comfortable for you, it will be comfortable for them. This adds to their ease of care as you don’t need any special heating equipment.
However, if you live in a cold climate, you may want to add some supplemental heat during the winter months. You typically want to keep them between a temperature range of 70F-75F.
If you need to add heat to your enclosure, an under-tank heat mat is your best option. This should be connected to a good quality thermostat to ensure the cage doesn’t get too hot.
You don’t need to provide your tarantula with any special kind of lighting such as UVB. An adequate day/night cycle is all they need.
Mexican Fireleg Tarantula Handling
The Mexican Fireleg Tarantula can be quite skittish and will prefer to retreat to their burrow if they feel threatened. However, if any tarantula is cornered and feels threatened, they have the ability to bite.
This species is probably best kept as a display species as they are probably the most defensive and skittish species in the Brachypelma genus.
That said, every individual is different and you might be lucky enough to get a docile spider that does not spook as easily.
One thing to watch out for is uricating hairs. The Mexican Fireleg Tarantula will flick hairs if it feels threatened. These hairs are renowned for being very irritating so you should use gloves while transporting or cleaning this spiders cage.