Tliltocatl (Brachypelma) kahlenbergi (Veracruz Red-rump Tarantula)

Tliltocatl (Brachypelma) kahlenbergi (Veracruz Red-rump Tarantula)

The Veracruz Red-rump, or Tliltocatl kahlenbergi (ex. Brachypelma), is a terrestrial tarantula from the Veracruz region of Mexico. Adults of this species have velvety black legs and a black body with a deep red abdomen, creating a beautiful high contrast coloration similar to its cousin, the Mexican red rump. Spiderlings do not start out colorful and the adult colors come in around 2 to 2.5 inches, while the species only grows to about 5 inches in diagonal leg span. Like others in the genus, along with Brachypelma, this species has a very long lifespan, with females reaching about 20 years while males live 3 to 5 years. This species is also very calm and forgiving, and one we recommend for beginner keepers or anyone who wants an easier keeping experience. Grab this docile new world tarantula for sale today, offered here in spiderling and juvenile stages.

Why do hobbyists keep Tliltocatl kahlenbergi?

• High Contrast Color: Adults have velvety black legs and a black body with a deep red abdomen, giving it a beautiful high contrast coloration, with the red confined to the abdomen and nothing else on the animal breaking up the black.
• Docile Temperament: Calm and slow to react, which is most of why this genus is recommended as often as it is.
• Beginner Species: This species is very forgiving in its care for newer keepers who are still learning how to keep spiderlings and tarantulas.
• Great Display Species: An opportunistic burrower rather than a dedicated one, so it spends plenty of time out on the surface where you can actually see it.
• Uncommon in the Hobby: A Tliltocatl that most collections simply do not have in them, so it is a genuinely different addition rather than another of the usual starter species.

How should the Veracruz Red-rump be kept?

• Adult Size: These hatch out around half an inch (0.5 inch) and reach a max size of around 5 inches at full leg span, with the adult coloration coming in around 2 to 2.5 inches. That is a lot of growing to watch and two enclosure upsizes to plan for along the way.
• Enclosure: This is a terrestrial that wants floor space rather than height, with enough substrate for the occasional burrow and a hide to shelter under. We run three enclosures across a lifetime and size each one for where the animal is headed rather than where it sits today. The exact inches and substrate depth for the animal you are buying are on that size's own listing.
• Rehousing: Three enclosures for life, two rehouses total, from a spiderling setup to a mid grow out to an adult enclosure. Slow growth means 4 to 6 years to full size and roughly 18 to 24 months out of each enclosure, so this is not a species that has you rebuilding every few months. Males mature faster than females and often never need the third enclosure. The measurements for each step are on the individual size listings.
• Temperature: Keep between 65 and 75 degrees F.
• Humidity: An arid species at every size. The substrate stays mostly dry and the only real job is making sure it never dries out completely, which a damp corner near the water dish takes care of on its own. Organic coconut fiber works well because it resists mold. Good ventilation is critical. Cross ventilation works best, but ample top ventilation can also be effective as long as the enclosure is not over-misted.
• Water: A shallow textured water dish works well, something they can grip when climbing out.
• Diet: Prey length should run about a quarter of the leg span, which is roughly the width of the carapace (head), so it scales as the animal grows. Crickets, roaches and mealworms all work. Feed at least once a week at every stage, spiderlings included. The exact prey measurement for the size you are buying is on that listing.
• Temperament: Docile and slow to react, hardy and tolerant of a range of conditions, which is exactly why this genus is recommended as often as it is.

Which size Veracruz Red-rump should I choose?

• Spiderling, around 0.5 to 0.75 inch: About the size the species hatches at, so it is your cheapest way to collect this species, and you get the full experience of raising one, with the red on the abdomen deepening every molt.
• Juvenile, around 2 inches: Four times hatch size and past the delicate early stretch. Visible red already, larger prey, and one rehouse left in its life instead of two.
• Both sizes: Pick the size you want above. Each size still has its own care guidance and its own price behind it, so what you see for that size is exactly what ships.

Are there any additional notes or considerations for the Veracruz Red-rump?

• Solitary Species: House individually. Attempts at cohabitation can end in cannibalism, so one animal per enclosure with this genus.
• Mexican Endemic: One of the red rump tarantulas out of Mexico, from the Veracruz region, which is where the common name comes from and how it is told apart from the other red rumps in the genus.
• Lifespan: Like others in the genus, and like Brachypelma, this species has a very long lifespan. Females reach about 20 years while males live 3 to 5, so a female bought at any size is a decades long animal rather than a season.
• Slow Grower: Four to six years to full size. That pace is the trade for how long the animal then stays with you, so treat it as a long term resident rather than a quick project.
• Sizes Explained: Every size we list is diagonal leg span, measured corner to corner across the outstretched legs, which is the standard way tarantulas are measured in the hobby.
• Captive Bred: All Tarantulas are 100% captive bred.

Listing Notes

• This is the Species Hub for the Tliltocatl kahlenbergi Veracruz Red-rump, the page that links every size we have of it. Each size we carry has its own listing with its own enclosure guidance, prey size and price, so pick the size below and that page will tell you exactly what the animal in front of you needs. Every size is unsexed with roughly a 50/50 chance of male or female unless a listing says otherwise, and all sizes given anywhere on our site are diagonal leg span.