The Mexican redknee tarantula (Brachypelma smithi) is a species of burrowing tarantula native to the western face of the Pacific Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico. The mature Mexican redknee tarantula has a dark-colored body with orange patches on the joints of its legs; the second element of the legs (the trochanter) is orange-red. Following moulting, the colors are more pronounced. The dark portion is very black while the orange-red portions will be far more on the reddish side.The natural scrub-forest habitat is complex, where shading retains moderate humidity (around 55-65%). Many older books are in error in saying they are from desert/arid habitats. They are among the most popular tarantulas available in the pet trade, due to their impressive size, striking coloration, and general docileness. They are a slower growing species; it is not uncommon to have females live 25 years or more. They carve deep burrows into soil banks, which keep the spiders protected from natural predators like coati
In the wild, they will consume almost any kind of arthropod, small lizard, or small rodent that they can overpower and immobilize with their venom. In captivity, baby spiders have to be fed with small flies like Drosophila. When they are around half a centimeter in size, one can switch to small crickets. Adults can be regularly fed mealworms and adult crickets. Optionally and very occasionally baby mice may be used as food. A large meal is often enough to sustain the tarantula for several weeks before it needs to eat again
