Mexican Red Rump Tarantula (Tliltocatl / Brachypelma vagans) Care Sheet

Scientific Name: Tliltocatl vagans (formerly Brachypelma vagans)

Common Name: Mexican Red Rump

Type: Terrestrial

Category: New World

Endemic Location: Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica

Body Length: 3” (8cm)

Diagonal Leg Span (DLS): 6.5” (16.5cm)

Urticating Hairs: Yes Type I & III

Growth Rate: Medium

Life Expectancy: Females 25 years / Males 5 years

Recommended Experience Level: Beginner

Tliltocatl vagans, known throughout the hobby as the Mexican Red Rump tarantula but has also been imported and sold under the common names Central American, Guatemalan, Honduran, or Mexican black velvet tarantula.This species is a New World, terrestrial, opportunistic burrower that comes from the Yucatan peninsula, but also it has been observed in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala and northeastern Costa Rica. Most recently, The Mexican Red Rump has been discovered in a citrus grove outside Ft. Pierce, Florida. It is assumed that this species was introduced into the area, either intentionally or accidentally, by a gravid female escaping or being released into the area and laying an egg sac. It is believed this species has existed in this area since at least 1986 and has thrived as the environment in this area is similar to the Yucatan peninsula where this T is originally from. Though there have been attempts to eradicate this species from the area, it has so far not been successful and these T’s can still be found in that small area of Florida today. [This isn't the only place this species has been introduced by humans, there are also Red Rumps found on Cozumel Island, Mexico, where scientists found that over time this species grew much larger than the mainland variety.]

   The T. vagans has become a very common tarantula in the hobby due to its beautiful black velvet color with red setae on the abdomen. They are easy to keep and breed and are normally very inexpensive and given away as freebies when people purchase tarantulas from breeders. Due to the common nature of this tarantula, their beauty has become familiar and over looked, and the species has been turned into an on going meme due to the fact people misidentify other more rare tarantulas with the phrase “looks like my T. vagans”.

 This tarantula grows at a medium pace with males reaching around 5″ with very long legs and small abdomen and Females reaching a leg span of 6″ or more and being more thick and hardy. Males can live as long as 8yrs and reach sexual maturity around 4 years. Females can live up to 20-25 years and reach sexual maturity after about 7 years. Females typically lay egg sacs with between 100-300 eggs though some unconfirmed reports have stated their can be as many as 500-600.

 I keep my spiderlings in a basic acrylic spiderling enclosure filled up about ⅔ the way with substrate. I consider spiderlings in this case to be slings under 2 in in leg span. I keep the substrate a little moist, like with most slings, and provide a hide and small water dish if possible. Once they molt and over 1.5-2”, I move them into an acrylic juvenile terrestrial enclosure. I fill these enclosures over half way with substrate, provide a hide and water dish, and keep the substrate dry but overflow the water dish every 3 weeks or so and let the substrate dry out completely before overflowing again. Once this species reaches about 3.5-4in I move them into a 2.5 gallon aquarium or exo terra nano wide enclosure. And as adults, which is usually around 4.5-5in when the T is reaching sexual maturity, I move them into their final adult enclosure which is usually a 5 gal aquarium or exo terra small wide enclosure that measures 12x12x12. It is important to make sure there is plenty of substrate so the tarantula cannot climb the sides and across the top and fall a distance that could cause a fatal injury. A good rule of thumb is to leave no more than 1.5x the leg span of the tarantula between the substrate and the top of the enclosure. 

  As far as feeding, i give my slings under 1” FFF, small crickets or pieces of crickets twice a week and pre kill crickets for the smallest slings under 0.5”. I wait about 3-4 days after a molt before attempting to feed the sling again, ensuring it has had time to harden up. Once they are over 2” I switch them to medium size crickets or roaches and make sure the feeders are no more than ⅔ the size of the tarantula. I feed them about every 5-7 days and remove any uneaten prey within 24 hours. When the t approaches premolt, I cut back on the frequency of feeding wait about 7-10 days after a molt before attempting to feed them again. I feed my adult vagans 5-7 large crickets every 7-10 days and switch it up sometimes with mealworms, roaches, or other invertebrate feeders like locust, wax worms, or greenhorn worms. 

  This species is an excellent eater at any size and is always fun to watch pounce of their prey. This species is docile most of the time, but can be defensive when disturbed and is quick to kick hairs as they attempt to get away. Their urticating hairs are not as irritating as other species, but can still cause discomfort and can be very damaging if they were to get in your eyes, mouth or nose, so keep your tarantula away from your face. My red rumps do not like to be bothered and will even attack the water dish when I refill it. This can be avoided by dropping in a cricket to distract them right before filling up their water dish. Though they are docile, they have a strong feeding response when they detect movement in their enclosure so I do not try to handle this T. Normally they are very slow moving but can move very fast in short bursts and mine are prone to mood swings. Sometimes they are laid back and chilled, other times they are easily agitated and have even thrown up a threat pose a time or two. They are a great display tarantula though and spend most of their time as adults sitting out in the open. With the deep black velvety body and deep red hairs, they are truly beautiful. Because their husbandry is very easy and straightforward, and the fact they are readily available and inexpensive, I think this species makes for a great beginner tarantula as long as you dont try to handle it.

Indigenous people from the Yucatan are consider these spiders to be positive, and use them medicinally. A medicine man kills it, crushes it up, mixes it with alcohol and strains out any irritating hairs with a cloth. Then the  beverage is used for the treatment of an ailment called "tarantula wind", whose symptoms are chest pain, coughing and asthma. The venom peptide GsMtx-4 is being investigated for the possible treatment of cardiac arrhythmia, muscular dystrophy and glioma.