Golden Red Rump Tarantula (Brachypelma albiceps) Care Sheet

Scientific Name: Brachypelma albiceps

Common Name: Mexican Golden Red Rump Tarantula or the Amula Red Rump Tarantula

Type: Terrestrial

Category: New World

Endemic Location: Mexico

Diagonal Leg Span (DLS): 6.5”(15cm)

Urticating Hairs: Yes Type I & III

Growth Rate: Medium

Life Expectancy: Females 20 years / Males 5 years

Recommended Experience Level: Beginner

Brachypelma albiceps, known in the hobby as the Mexican Golden Red Rump Tarantula or the Amula Red Rump is one of the best tarantulas in the hobby. This species has black velvety legs and abdomen with bright red setae on the abdomen and a light gold carapace that makes this t a gorgeous addition to any collection. This is a new world tarantula that doesn't have medically significant venom but is equipped with urticating hairs which can be itchy if you are sensitive to them. The B. albiceps was described in 1903 and is found in the savanna and scrub lands of Mexico. They are found hiding in underground burrows, at the base of trees or in nests or burrows on the ground left behind by other animals. Females of this species can live as long as nearly 20 years getting to around 6” in size while males tend to live only 5 years and are a little smaller. This tarantula is known for its docile nature, rarely kicking hairs of showing defensive behaviors. Even as spiderlings, my Golden Red Rumps are slower moving and prefer to stay stationary anytime i remove their lid to feed or water. My adult specimen is a great eater, pouncing on prey as soon as it is near by, but my spiderling is a little more shy, waiting until i have put the lid back on the enclosure and placed it safely back on the shelf before even attempting to track and eat the cricket in their with her. This is a very thick and hardy species and one of the easiest NW species to care for making it an amazing beginner tarantula though they can be difficult to find for sale which usually means they are going to be more expensive than the more common Brachypelma species.

  I keep my spiderlings in my basic spiderling enclosure with more depth than height. As small slings, I have found they really like to burrow deep as spiderlings but after they get around an inch in size they tend to stay out on top most of the time. I keep the substrate for my spiderlings a little more damp than I do for larger specimens but avoid keeping things swampy. This can be accomplished by overflowing the water dish once a week or dripping water down the side corner of the enclosure. I try to keep the lower levels of substrate damp while allowing the top layers to remain dry, giving the tarantula the option to burrow deeper for more humid conditions or staying out on top for more arid conditions. I keep them on coco fiber and provide a little sphagnum moss and a tiny piece of cork bark for a hide.

   I keep my juveniles in a clear, flush lid amac box from the container store i will link in the description of this video,that measures 4x4x5 in (10x10x12.7cm). I use either a vent or dill or melt vent holes into the side and or top of the enclosure. I fill the enclosure up about ⅔ with coco fiber, provide a hide and water dish and usually a small fake plant and a little sphagnum moss and broken up dried leaves mostly for a natural look. I still pour a little water down the corner of the enclosure to keep the bottom layer of the substrate a little more damp than the top layers. My juveniles still tend to burrow but spend a lot more time out in the open on top. They are notorious for filling up their water dish with dirt or flipping it over, so I have to check on their water dish at least 3x a week. 

   Once they have outgrown that enclosure I will move them into a 2.5-5 gallon enclosure filled up at least halfway with eco earth coco fiber. I provide a large water dish, a cork bark hide, and some fake plants or moss for aesthetic purposes. I do not recommend using live plants with this species as the plants will require more light and moisture than the tarantula seems to prefer, but most importantly because this t will more than likely dig them up or cover them with dirt. I keep my B. albiceps at the same temperature as most of my tarantulas which is room temperature between 68-75f. If you are comfortable, your tarantulas are comfortable. 

When it comes to feeding, I feed my smallest spiderlings Flightless Fruit Flies and flour beetles as well as pre killed nymph roaches or pre killed small crickets, avoiding feeding them any prey larger than the tarantula. If I don't have anything small enough available to feed, i will pre kill the smallest cricket I have and drop it in its enclosure for it to scavenge or just use legs from larger crickets or cut the cricket in half. I always make sure I remove any uneaten prey 24 hours later and never leave uneaten pieces of prey in the enclosure to help prevent mold and mites.

 I feed my juveniles 3 or 4 small - medium crickets once every week or two depending on the size of their abdomen. I don't use any prey larger than ⅔ the size of the tarantula and if i have to feed something larger, i will smash the preys head before dropping it in the enclosure. This species can go weeks without eating, so i always check up on the 24 hours after feeding and remove any prey they didn't eat and try again in a week or two. I normally wait 5-7 days after a molt before feeding a juvenile again. The larger the tarantula, the longer I wait before feeding again to give them plenty of time to harden up. 

 And for adults, I feed my B. albo about 5 or 6 large crickets every 2-3 weeks and cut back to once a month as they get closer to premolt and seem less interested in food. I still make sure to remove any uneaten prey and boluses within 24 hours and wait 10-14 days after a molt before attempting to feed again. I also mix up their prey with meal worms, roaches, and other feeders from time to time to give them a little variety in their diet. 

   For many years I referred to this species as my unicorn. I wanted to add one to my collection but wasn’t able to find one for sale for a very long time. Occasionally a dealer would post some up, but as soon as I got around to placing an order they seemed to be sold out. Luckily in the past few years I have been able to acquire a few and they are one of the most treasured specimens I have. They are very docile and almost friendly and mine have never kicked any hairs or exhibited any defensive behavior, even during rehousing. They are easy to manage, easy to take care of, and generally easy going...which is my kind of tarantula for sure. They can go on hunger strikes for weeks or months, especially when they are nearing a molt, but that is nothing to worry about it. I don’t typically handle my tarantulas, but if a situation arises where I am taking a t out of its enclosure to show someone, this is one of the first T’s I usually gravitate towards.