THE BRAZILIAN FIRE RED TARANTULA (sci. name Lasiodora difficilis)

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What You need to Know

After many hours searching the web for care sheets on the Brazilian Fire Red Tarantula and finding not much, I decided to make one myself from my handling experience.

As an owner of this tarantula and experience with other tarantulas, I have organized my information below on the Brazilian Fire Red Birdeater. One thing to remember is that tarantulas are like cars. Each car has a performance about it. Some are show pieces and sit on display. Others can rev up like a bad guy in a high speed car chase. Read this hub and learn the performance of the Lasiodora difficilis first hand.

The Lasiodora difficilis- first off, this is a large tarantula when full grown. Give this tarantula respect and you will have an outstanding creature. At 2 1/2 years old expect this tarantula to have a leg span of 8-10 inches. The female being more massive than the male. This tarantula will sit on the top of its cave making it an excellent tarantula to view and study.

Try to get this tarantula as a spider-ling from the beginning so not to have a skittish one. Know your tarantula's background so you stay away from possible wild caught which may be more aggressive.

The Lasiodora difficilis Care Needs

Generally the Brazilian Fire Red is not recommended for a first tarantula as a pet. An inexperienced person would end up with urticating hairs expelled from the abdomen when the tarantula kicks them off, or maybe get bitten or even the tarantula get dropped. .

Behavior The Brazilian Fire Red tarantula's behavior is considered to be aggressive. They will kick off hairs (urticating hairs located on rump of new world Ts) if suddenly disturbed. These hairs are barbed and will stick and work their way in to the victim. In the case of an animal the urticating hairs will irritate the eyes and airways causing death, mostly in the smaller victims like mice or tiny lizards. The puff of hairs in the air when breathed by tiny animals cause mucus to build up which in turn affects the breathing. Birds have very thin lungs , and will quickly be affected by inhalation of these thousands of hairs kicked off. This is one way a tarantula can kill a bird easily. Be especially careful if you have small pet birds and you are handling a tarantula near it, just in case hairs were kicked off into the air.

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Urticating Hairs The hairs become more irritating to human skin as the tarantula gets larger, after many molts. The human skin becomes irritated an very itchy. The more you scratch the deeper the hairs work their way into the skin. If you have had repeated rashes from handling your tarantula each rash becomes worse than the last. There is some chemical involvement in the hairs, and after repeated rashes you become more sensitive. This is especially true for the larger new world tarantula species.

Tarantula hairs in the human eyes are extremely dangerous. A puff of the hairs in the direction of your eye can embed several hairs in the eye. I'm not saying one or two hairs try 10-50. This amount can take several month of treatment and possible surgery to blindness, Extreme care must be taken with, especially larger tarantulas.

Molting and the Brazilian Fire Red Molting is when a tarantula sheds its entire exoskeleton and basically refreshes and grows a new one. For best molting results in tarantulas, they need a shallow water dish to provide humidity. Humidity balance in the enclosure is what tarantulas need for molting. Each tarantula has a certain humidity need, this is why intense research on your species is required beforehand.

The Brazilian Fire Red needs 80% humidity in its enclosure. A shallow dish will help provide humidity. Example dish ideas are peanut butter lids or shells that are low and have a dip to hold a small amount of water. Misting one corner of the terrestrial habitat will also help maintain humidity for the Brazilian Fire Red Tarantula. If the humidity gets too low the Brazilian Fire Red will have molting difficulties and may die in the molt process . Larger breeds of tarantulas are more effected by this because they have more molts due to their rate of growth and size.

The Bite The Brazilian Fire Red tarantula will bite if cornered. They will rear up their front legs to worn that their personal space is being invaded before striking out.If bit in a defensive strike, the bite could be venomous or nonvenomous. Nonvenomous is also known as a dry bite, still very painful, and infection can happen to the affected area on human skin.. The venom will add a burning stinging punch to the bite, and the sensation could last for several hours to a few days. Old world tarantula bites are much more severe and could cause problems. Ornamental tarantulas are an old world tarantula that have more affects from the venom on humans. You will not die from a tarantula bite, allergic reaction can occur in which case immediate medical attention is needed.

Handling the Brazilian Fire Red Brazilian Fire Red Tarantulas can be handled by experienced tarantula handlers. To pick it up let it climb up the side of its enclosure stepping at its own speed onto the flat of your hand. The feel of the tarantulas legs sometimes feels pinchy. They have tiny claws on the tips of their feet to help them climb over things or to prevent themselves from falling if they climb up too high. The BFR is a heavier tarantula when full grown. If it were to lose its grip and fall from a height or your hand, there could be serious internal damage to the tarantula and even death. Not many Tarantula Vets around, so be careful if you decide to handle it.

Housing the Brazilian Fire Red Housing this tarantula can be done using a 10-20gal tank with a lockable screen top. Use 4 inches of peat moss for habitat floor. Provide a hide cave. The Brazilian Fire Red will use a cave to hide in if insecure, or several weeks before a molt. Caves can be made out of half a coconut shell or even a large root-beer mug. Do not provide anything of height for the tarantula to climb. If they fall from a height the abdomen can be damaged and may cause death as mentioned above.

Feeding the Brazilian Fire Red The Brazilian Fire Red tarantula can live over 15 years when properly cared for, you need to plan where to get food supplies for this long lived pet. They eat crickets, pinkie mice and rats and small mice. You, at times may find the tarantula is overly hungry and consumes food quite frequently. They do this, then suddenly stop eating for a month or so, then go into a molt. This is perfectly normal. Knowing your tarantulas molt and feeding history is a good idea.Even immediately after a molt don't offer food for a few days so the tarantula can harden and become more accustomed to its new growth size. Crickets can eat bits of the flesh and pester a freshly molted tarantula. Do not over feed your tarantula. too frequent or too many large feeders can make the abdomen firmer, and if the tarantula falls there is no absorption space to take the fall and the abdomen ruptures.

** If you are familiar with a tarantula known as the Salmon Pink Bird Eater ,Lasiodora parahybana, the care for the Brazilian Fire Red is very similar.

From my Tarantula-torium to yours, by Lynda Lawrence

Every day I am experiencing something new and fun with all my tarantulas. I have now spent considerable amount of time setting my tarantulas up in viewing cages displayed all in one area. Viewing 16 different tarantulas up close is the most amazing thing ever. From three of the largest breeds of tarantulas to the sleek pokies to watching my yearling as they grow.

In my blog I write what has happened in that particular month. It is an informative read.