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How to Care for Your Chilean Rose Tarantula
One of the newest fads in pet ownership is giant fuzzy arachnids. These spiders are gaining popularity because they are an exotic novelty. They are unique, easy to care for, and really neat to watch. Plus, the neighbors won't complain about their barking. There are many sizes and breeds in the pet stores to choose from, but if you decide to make one part of your family, do your research.
Choosing a Tarantula
There are more than 800 species of tarantula, and they are native to almost every climate. Tarantulas are broken into two groups: "old world" and "new world". Most of the old world species, or tarantulas from the eastern hemisphere, are too aggressive to handle, and should only be display spiders. Ground dwelling burrowing spiders are generally slower and more easily handled. The Chilean Rose (Grammostola rosea) is believed to be the best first time spider, by far. It's from Chile, and lives in the desert. It isn't aggressive or prone to biting, and it isn't a fast mover unless frightened. They can adapt to many environments, so they're easy to care for. Do your research. Learn everything you can about different spiders, including lifespan (females can live longer than fifteen years), what they eat, how often they molt, and what kind of habitat they need. A spider molts as it grows, or sheds its exoskeleton. Knowing how large your spider is supposed to get, and how often it's supposed to molt will be a good gauge for you to know if your spider is growing at a healthy pace. It's very important that you know how to care for your tarantula before you bring one home.
Habitat is very important for your new pet. The Chilean Rose doesn't require very much space. Space may seem important, and natural, but a 5-10 gallon tank is perfect. The shape of your enclosure is important, and it must have a lid that your spider can't escape out of. Be sure that the width is at least three times the leg span of your spider. Also, be sure your tank isn't too tall. Twice the leg span is sufficient, because they climb the glass, and you don't want them to fall too far because they don't have a strong exoskeleton. Use 2 inches of peat moss, orchid bark, sandy sanitary soil, or vermiculite bedding, and provide a shelter for privacy. A hollow log or fish tank decoration work well. The temperature of the tank needs to remain between 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit with 60-70% humidity. A small heat rock can be placed in the tank, as long as you check it regularly for hot spots. Provide a shallow water dish with some pebbles in it to prevent drowning. The heat source and the water dish will keep your tank humid. You can also spray a fine mist of water to keep humidity up. No lighting is needed for their enclosures, because natural lighting is plenty.
Take special care when handling your pet. They aren't deadly, but they are venomous. There is no record of human death due to tarantula bites. People bitten by tarantulas usually react the same way they would to a bee sting. Although not aggressive and docile, the Chilean Rose can be speedy if it's afraid. Most owners never get bitten. Your spider will give you a warning before it bites by rearing up on its back legs, and even making a hissing sound. Sit down while handling your spider. Don't rub your eyes with you hands until your spider is put away and your hands are washed. On the spider's abdomen are little hairs that can cause skin irritation. See a doctor immediately if one of them gets in your eyes. The hairs can be released just by handling them, and if they feel threatened, they will 'throw' them at you with their back legs. Don't hold the spider high above surfaces, because if they fall, their abdomen will surely split, which is almost always fatal. Your spider's skeleton is on the outside. If the abdomen breaks, its insides will spill out, killing the spider. Very few are saved when this happens. Another problem is people freaking out, either because of being bitten, or the spider releases some itchy hairs, and they fling the spider into the wall, killing it. If you plan to handle your spider, you must be very calm, very careful, and very aware of what can happen.
Tarantulas eat insects, such as crickets, mealworms, or roaches. Also, pinky mice and other spiders can be occasionally thrown in. You can purchase crickets and pinky mice at the pet store. Feed your tarantula weekly. They stop hunting when they are hungry, so don't overdo it, because you don't want the crickets to start attacking your spider. Most people get ten at a time. Remove any uneaten prey after being in the enclosure for 24 hours.
If you choose to have a tarantula, provide it the right habitat and food, you will have years of enjoyment watching your spider explore, eat, molt, and grow. Contrary to popular belief, they do have personalities, and all of them are a little bit different. They may be scary to some, but to others, they are fulfilling companions.
i have a rose hair also. her name is Hayes but every time i hold her she moves a lot do that mean she's scared ? or she just likes to walk around ? my brother told me thats when she gets aggressive so i just sit her back in her cage and don't bother her for a while
radgirl.. sooo I've had my rose hair for about 4 years and she's molted once. for about the last year she hasn't eaten. like before I'd put crickets in her cage and if they got near her she would pounce. now she either ignored them or goes away from them. also she's kind of curled up.. kind of looks shriveled. I sprayed water in her cage (not on her directly) and she spread her legs out and started walking around. then she curled back up and went by her water dish. I'm not sure what is going on.. the whole not eating thing is really worrying me because she used to eat all the time
rad girl, Sooo glad I found you here. I have a rosy. She hasn't eaten in at least two months. I've been watching her for changes. A couple of days ago I noticed that she has little crystal type things on her. Like a grain of salt. (Just a few) and today I saw on her back. (The flat shiny pink thorax) that it now has a small hole and the line down the middle is more prominent then before. Is the a sign that she is getting ready to molt? Or is she sick? I've had her since Valentine's Day. This would be her first molt since I've had her, if that's what's about to happen. I sure hope so.
Hey, me again, she's not rubbing her fangs together anymore but I noticed she pushed a lot of the dirt inside her hut near the entrance where she put down some web. Is she just burrowing or is this more serious like laying eggs or dying?
Hi, I got a rose hair not too long ago and it seems to have been acting normal but right now she's made a web around her hut and is kind rubbing her fangs together. . . Is that normal?
hello trevor if you are still in need of them i think this is there site
and details, there there most competitive in the game ,say mart put you on
Just an update on my Spiders. Kyle aged 10 months the chilean shed a week ago and has produced a new leg after the trauma of having to help him molt 2 months ago when one of the legs became stuck. Linda my Red Knee has shed for the 6th time in 12 months and is aged approx 14 months, she is slightly aggressive but I respect that. Well she has decided that she wants to climb out of her enclosure when I lift the lid off. So she now comes out every night for 1 hours walk about. ( you have to be a T lover for anyone to appreciate this spectacle) But last Sunday (Fathers Day) My Wife and Daughter bought me a 4 month old Pink Toe -Avicularia. I think its a boy but not 100% certain he is stunningly fascinating and he is in a arboreal enclosure. To think all this started from a Chilean Rose named Kylie, who is no longer with me. If you dont mind I will keep you posted on 'Avi's progress.
I have a question I have a rose hair not sure the age we found it but he is molting and went though the web and now the web is over part of him is this ok I dont know what to do.
He's been acting normal now, I ended up changing his enclosure around, I put organic peat moss in, along with some vermiculite. Also put a log inside propped up by another (put pressure on it, won't fall) and he's been acting alot happier
Have put her in an ICU and she is looking better this morning, still not herself but is brighter, so i'm gussing she was dehydrayed after all.
She upgraded to a much bigger home when I got her last week and I think that maybe she hasn't found her water source yet. When she recovers I will also mist more often.
This site has been a big help - Thanks.
Will keep you updated on her progress.
Hi Radgirl. I got a new chili rose last week and I'm a bit concerned.
She's not my first T (my first was a male who lived for 4 years) but she is the tamest I have had. My boy spent a lot of time hiding away so i didn't really see him that much and couldn't really observe his behaviour.
She is only youngster (not sure of her age but she is about the same size as my boy when he was fully grown) and has been hand reared in captivity and handled every day. I want to keep up her handeling so have taken her out every day for 5/10 mins and she's been active and alert.
The problem is that today i noticed she was sitting with her legs curled under. She was very lethargic when I got her out and curled up on my hand. She curled up again right away when I put her back.
She is standing and moving on tiptoes when promped but her walk is wobbley and laboured - she is also webbing when she moves.
I hope she is just preparing to shed but she ate only a few days ago and is not balding.
The humidity is ok and she has water so I don't think she is dehydrated.
The main questions I have are:
1. Do all T's stop eating before a shed?
2. Is "drunken walking" usual before a shed?
3. Is sitting with legs under usual before a shed?
Hope you can advise.
I love your page, it's a great help, I came across it because I looked up wether or not mealworm beetles were a threat to my rosie.
Anyway, I'm concerned about my T. His name is Gustave, it's been a week or so since he has eaten, he has been webbing lately and has covered the entrance to his rock cave with vermiculite, he literally barricaded himself inside his hide. I'm not sure if I should see if he's alright in there or to leave him alone... He really likes it in his cave because that's the spot I put the heat mat under, but I figured he would leave atleast once in awhile.
Hi there, you were right it took a couple of weeks, but Kyle mushed his first two crickets and then started eating whole ones and is continuing to let me know when he is hunting.lol. Linda the Red Knee shed again just under 2 weeks ago that is her 5th shed in 10 months (I have quite a collection of skins) She really is beautiful and very powerful to look at. She seems to shed like taking off a sock so fast and it never fails to impress me the effort that goes into it. Brilliant site keep it up...please.
Hi, my tarantula has spread webbing across the bottom of the cage, but recently molted and now climbed the walls of the cage and made a web in the top corner and is hanging out there. Is something wrong?
Hey Radgirl. I have a Chilean Rose Hair tarantula that I have been taking care of for almost 4 months. This is my very first tarantula. He always seemed to be very active until yesterday when I realized he was curled up on his side. I have seen his legs moved, but I don't want to disturb him too much because I don't want his molting to go bad if he is molting. I always make sure his water dish is full, and his humidity is at a good level. I keep a humidity and temperature thermometer in his 10 gallon tank to keep track of his temperature and humidity. When I noticed he was in this position and done some research about this being a possible molt, I did remove the cricket from his tank to keep it from doing any damage. Since this is day two of him being like this, I'm scared he may be dying. I noticed a little bit of webbing near him but not directly under him. I also noticed some of the coloring on his legs seem to be fading.
How much space does my darling need after she eats? I don't want to jostle her if she is digesting, but I'm not sure when that is, or if it matters. Do you have any thoughts on the matter? Your feed is great! I hope your husband is alright.
I have a Rose hair Trantula and this one is very different from the ones I have taken care of before. I have had here for many months an I am using bark chips for its bedding but I noticed today that it is moving it from her housing and taking it out.. Why is this happening is it getting ready to molt? Since I have had it, it has not molt. please let me know thank you
Hi again radgirl , I bouth a thermo/hygrometer to place it inside my T vivarium to moniture that every thing is ok. It seems that it perfectly works but I don't know what's the best temperature and humidity for my chilean rose. Can you help me please , I think I've esagerated with humidity cause now it's reading 90% at a temperature of 25 celcius.
Hi Radgirl, I lost my Chilean Rose 'Kylie' last December during a molt. She did not make it. I was gutted. Previous to this I also bought 3 month Mexican Red knee. She is stunning and has molted 5 times and is so powerful looking. Anyway my daughter bought me 'Kyle' a 4 month Chilean, he is quite a character. He molted 3 weeks ago and sadly he lost a leg. I know this happens and I understand how he heels and what will happen next and the new leg he will grow. My concern is he is lively and everything else, but not eating. I place in crickets and take them out after a day or so. He just seems agitated by them. His fangs are nice and black so physicly he is ready. Can you offer any advice.
hi, i got my esmeralda about 2 years ago not positive about how old she was but she about 1/3 the size she is now. iv been away from her for about 7 months now and am worried that when i get back she wont know me. before i left she was starting to act defencive when i would try to hold her. and i know no one at home has been handleing her and i know its the first thing im going to want to do when i see her again. how should i go about it do u think?
stressful* when just refilling the water dish becomes an issue
Hey radgirl! I have a question... I just got my rose hair, Scarlet, a week and a half ago and I have some concerns.
I bought her at a reptile expo and held her multiple times, and every time she was so mellow and sweet, which is the reason why I couldn't bear to go home without her. The people who owned her also stated that she was the "go-to" tarantula to have people hold so that gave me high hopes for her as my new pet spider!
I got her home and after a couple of days, decided to try and handle her! I gently touched her abdomen with a paintbrush and she automatically started raising her fangs and front legs. I assumed it was because she was stressed from the move, so I let her be another three days, and tried to take her water dish out to clean it, and even THAT caused her to become very defensive and upset. Since then, I've been too nervous to even stick my hand in the cage, because I'm honestly confused with why she is acting so defensive. She has a great sized tank, a nice water dish, a cave-like structure to hide under and a good amount of substrate. Should I just leave her be for the next few weeks? Is she just really overwhelmed by the new cage and home? Please let me know. I would like to handle her and it's a bit stressed when just refilling the water dish becomes an issue :(
I just turned 15 and I got my first rose haired turantula. He's in a 10 gallon tank with a heating thing, a hollow rock and a hollow log, he had a dry and moist end, with crickets once every other day. I buy 10 to 12 crickets at a time. Sometimes he eats a lot but other times I just remove dead crickets. I know they can store up, but ever since he's stopped eating them, it seems like he's more active at night. I have done a lot of research, but nothing is telling me why he's like that. Mitikah is about 10 months old, and he's probably going to molt soon... He's very friendly ad sociable, but sometimes he just sits in the same spot for a day or so... Is that normal for him to do? Or should I be worried?
is it okay to leave all the crickets inside the aquarium with the tarantula??
Hey Ambz2012 I think your Chilean is molting , leave her on her own for a while let say a week , I'm waiting for mine to do that but all she wants is eating right now lol , molting is like a rebirth for tarantulas ,just not even feed her for now. Radgirl will tell you exactly what to do cause I'm a biginner just like you , bought mine in january too :)
Hey I bought a Chilean rose in January and she's really sweet. I love her loads and she let's me handle her. But when I checked on her before she was lying on her back and it's starting to worry me!
My stepson has a tartantula he got for his birthday in June. Lately we have noticed it not acting normal and are not sure what is wrong. It will get in its water dish and sit and not move for days and when it finally comes out there will be a little pile of white dots. Then it will finally come out and we think everything is ok and then its back in the water. It has done this several times lately.
Thanks radgirl , I'm glad to hear I was doing the right thing cause I kept feeding her each day , skiping a day or two not feeding her sometimes , always taking a look at her abdomen , cause I read that it is not good for her if the abdomen get's too big.
I'm looking foward for her mutation , but from her hunger I think I still got to wait for months lol.
hey, i was just wondering how to know if my tarantula is happy?
spiders are cooll
I'm only ten and i really want a tarantula. How much whould it cost to get one? Where is the best place to get one. What should i feed it. Where can i buy its cage and play items? How much would it all add up to? Will it hurt if he/she bited me. Whats the best breed of spider i can get.
I'm thinking about getting a tarantula. Where should i buy one. I live in Canton GA. What breed should i get. I'm only ten. I really need help if i get one. What should i buy it? Where should i buy its cage.
Im so happy! Three days ago I got my baby girl,but I wanted a bearded dragen. Alos we wernt prepared so I found this sight. At fist I was scared to hold it, and she was scared of me, but my mom let it crawl on my hand, then I was afrid to pick it up, but my friend stayed the night and I picked it up, and now im not afraid. Then my mom bought her self a bearded dragen, and when I hold it it jumped out of my hands and I didnt like it. Today I bumped my head and my baby girl saw and crawled over to the side of the cage, I want to hold it so badly but Im sick so I cant. Now Im so happy that my mom didnt buy me a beared dragen, because my baby girl is the best animal in the world! No wait, the best thing in the world!
hey, I just got my girl and when I tryed holding her she was scared an tryed to bite me, needless to say I put her back in her cage and washed my hands. I think she is getting ready to molt soon. I have a queston, my mom bought almost all dead krickets, and all thier was was two live ones so i gave them to her and she still seems hungery. I wont get new krickets for a few days, maybe a week. Should I let her starve or give her the dead ones. and if only for a week the temputure isnt what it should be will it be bad? I know i should of looked i up before I got it, but it was a surprise from my mom. What if I cant get any bedding till a while? And the best thing I an do for a food bole is a damp spounge? and I do think she is skinny, is that a sign of any thing? sorry for my terrable spelling, I just turned thirteen today.
I've been doing research on the Chilean rose as I'm planning on getting one soon. I stumbled along this site and it's been very helpful. I'm sure when I finally get him or her I know have the knowledge to take great care of it! :)
Hi , radgirl , just bouth a chillean rose last week. I've read plenty how to pet it cause I intend to keep her the best way possible. The petshop owner said that at first will not eat for long time. He said his took 7 months to eat first time. Mine seems to like her place I made for her and after 2 days was eating my first mealworm. Now she is eating nearly 1 each day tough she is far away from adult size. Is that bad to give her food as many as she wants? Would it be better to have some diet?
After I read some of your comments now I intend to buy her some crickets so she will not lose the apetit for hunting.
Thanks for your answers you are very very very help full.
Use a small sponge soaked in water and just re soak everyday if you don't want to spray
hi marsel u do not need to spray but put like 4 drops of water by the bolw and rose haiers are dosile so thay dont move much if u wont to no more just give me a call and i dont think u need plastik plants but i cold be rong heres my phone number now i dont work so u can call me win ever im just trying to be helpfull becos win i gont mine no one wonted to help thats y i got on here to see what other ppl have to say sum ware vary helpfull but im the type of prson that wont to help every one so like i sade u can give me a call win ever thank u God bless u
hi sumone on here asked how u can tell if its a girl or boy this is how u can if your rose hair spider is biger than the palm of your hand its a girl if its not its a boy
I've been reading attentively and this is all so great! I just recently got a rose hair. She's a beautiful halthy looking girl (I named her Alisa :) My hubby was scared at first but is getting more and more interested in her :D
Here's my issue, (although I've had her for only a couple of days, she doesn't move mych.... Is she supposed to be active? Should I give her more time to adapt? I got her with the tank, stone bowl, log and plastic plants all in a tank as a package deal so I am sure the habitat is what it is supposed to be, I make sure her bowl (with a sponge, cause i was told that's the only way they drink water) has some water in it. I handle her fine, I think she likes to sit on my palm :)
BUT I don't / haven't yet sprayed the tank. When I got her I was told that just keeping the bowl moistis sufficient humidity for her... So do i actually need to spay the tank? Could it be that that's the reason why she hasn't been very active? Yesterday she paced around for a while, but that's about most movement I've seen her do.
I just put 3 crickets in there but she didn't budge... she doesn't look starved at all, she's got a healthy color, has no bald spots whatsoever, and has healthy size... Should I just keep doing what I do, or should I worry that she doesn't burrow, or eat (yet, I mean it has been only a couple of days since i had her).
I know this is a soon post, since I just got her, but I want to be sure I am providing a happy life for my girl, I have been doing a lot of research to be sure I am well knowledged in this, but your input would be most appreciated!!! :) Thank you!!!!
Hi again again, Gizmo shed nearly 4 weeks ago and has been in her hole since. She has blocked the hole so nothing can get in. I thought she was coming out at night when I saw the old body had been moved but the soil hasnt moved in a while now. I was wondering if it is common for them to hide away for so long??
Cheers Dave
ok this going sound like a weird question but dont want my tarantula to die in the process when brung back in room but queston is can my rose hair die from a bug bomb if was removed before the bomb an took bak after words will it kill y tarantula hope not i alsoneed to kill centipedes as they are dangerous to spiders an rather the other stuff that is danger to my t to dies
Do you no why my spiders rubbing his legs with his legs?? Hes been doing it all morning.
Hi! I'm pretty worried, my rosey fell from about 7-7.5 inches. She's about 3-3.5 legspan but there doesn't seem to be an abdomen mark in the sand where she landed. I'm still very worried, she stayed motionless for ten seconds in a sprawl then walked straight to her hiding spot where she still sits now. Please help!
hi if anybody could help thaat would be great.
my mam has just been giving a rose as a present
she was wondering how often do u clean the cage out?
I recieved a rose Chilean tarantula for christmas. They said she's a 3yr old female. I don't know anything about them. Can you help me out
Hi again, gizmo shed about 2 weeks ago but still hasnt come out of her hole. I thought she would be wanting to eat loads after shedding. Do they uaually hide them selfs for this long after a shed?
Cheers Dave
I adopted my Rose Hair about a week ago. I think I have a pretty good set up, having a little difficulty with the humidity though. Not sure of the sex, I hope its a female. She has seemed pretty happy exploring her territory but last night she went into her cave I provided and she clumped together some substrate with her web and filled in the door and windows. I was wondering if that means she is mad at me or hibernating or sick. If you can let me know that'd be great. It's hard to find accurate info on the net for some reason. I want to keep her happy and satisfied.
It did help thankyou. Not yet been able to get a good look at gizmo. He/she is still in it holes, Its been moving at night though because it has taken its old body out of the hole, got back in and blocked the entrance/exit again. It really doesnt want to be bothered yet lol
Iv been scared of spiders all my life.So I decided to buy an rose hair to get rid of the fear. I'm super scared of picking it up. When I try to pick it up she puts her legs up:( It's so funny! I have so many different reptiles and animals that Iv never been afraid of. But my rose hair Bella is freaking me out. My children want to pick her up but I won't let them. PLease!! I need to find the courage to overcome this fear. Thank you:)
Hi again, yes its a new spiderling, it has shed about 5 times now. This is the first time she and dug a hole in the soil and blocked the entrance. I keep checking the spider and it seems happy at the min so Im not going to disturb it just yet.
How do you know if it is male or female?? It was too small to tell when I got it.
Thanks for your reply
Hi radgirl,
I've had my rose hair for 22 years! yes 22, but about 5 days ago she went into her first death curl ever and he abdomen is small. I put her in icu for now because she is still alive and moving ever so slightly but still curled tight. Do you know how long a death curl lasts before they go? And if she is in any pain? Should I do something? I'm assuming it's just her time because she's so old. I can't believe she's lived this long as it is. Thank you
I got a Chilean Rose today. The pet shop told me it's a boy. He is pretty big. When I put him in his tank I stuck a couple of crickets in with him and he attacked and ate them both straight away. Watching him hunt and eat was fascinating.
He is sooo beautiful too. He is a chocolate brown colour with a vibrant pink star that covers his back (not abdomen)
I am so pleased I chose to get him. He is making a wonderful addition to our family of 1 Dog, 1 Cat, 1 Corn Snake and an African House Snake
Hi my chilean rose and dug a hole in its tank and blocked the hole so nothing can get in. It has shed but still not tried to get get of its hole. I have been told to take its old body out because they sometimes attack it. Im not sure if that is true but I`d still like to take the old body out. Should I wait untill its dug its way out??
Cheers Dave
hi radgirl thanks for the advice, the guy at the pet store must have made a mistake with the ages of my tarantulas, my chilean must be around 6 years old as she has roughly 5 inches leg span if i have the right info, my mexican red knee must be 17 months as it is only the size of the top of my thumb and my other red knee is around 5cm. thanks again roaster
Hi, I recently ordered a pink toe tarantula and she arrived almost four days late. When she arrived she was curled up still in the shipment box, i gently transfered her into a small empty critter keeper. There were also two slings traveling with her and they survived just fine. One made an escape as I went to give it some moisture. Due to the slings surviving I am thinking the pink toe is just molting. She looks to be around two inches and apparuntly molted last on 12-1-11 it is now 12-17-11, Is it possible that she is just molting? do tarantulas molt that often?....I was VERY excited when she arrived and i would be ecstatic if she were just molting. Please let me know if there is some hope of her being alive and how I can tell???
Hi there i have a chilean rose who is about 17 months old, ive had her for a little over a week, the guy in the pet store says i shouldnt handle her, but reading some of the older posts on here it seems he is not very clued up on arachnids nor am i to be honest, just wanted some advice on wether i should handle her or not.
thanks roaster
i got a rose hair an i want to get others was wondering can i breed her with different species of tarantula?
I bought a chilean rose in June 2011.I was wondering how you can tell if the trantula is going to have babys?She made a small white ball of webing that she carries around with her all around the tank.Shes in a 10 gal tank with a heating blanket wraped around the tank.With using that it makes it easer to control the temp. in the tank.
spiders are scary
I have just brought my chilean rose and it wont stop moving, it just walks on the sides, the roof, everwhere is this normal behaviour cause it's exploring its new enclosure or is there something wrong?
my chilli rose is 2 years old and for the past few days shes being acting wierd like shes starting the shedding prosses but its like she has no feeling in her legs when she walks shes tumbling over what should i do????
I got my Rosie back in June, and she has been healthy in my care. Lately I have noticed a fuzzy patch growing on her abdomen. She doesnt mind if I poke around at it, and when i take a little off, it looks like lint or mold or something, I can't tell... Should I be worried or take some sort of precaution?
got my rose hair and it made webs,is it bad or good
hi my t is awsome shes a female and idk whats wrong with her shes active but is always on the wall whats wrong
Hey, no sorry I didn't get your email.
Perhaps I'm just being a bit blonde, but I don't really know how to work emails on here! How do I access them, and could you please send it again? I live in south west england if that helps.
You've really made me feel better, thanks :)
Hi guys. i've decided to buy a Chilean Rose and i'd just like to know wether or not anyone can tell me how much money i'll need to give it the right care. I have the basic info but i'd just like a little bit more deteail from the experts! My email adress is email@example.com. feel free to drop me an email with all the costs involved (doesnt have to be exact, i generally save up more than i need anyway). P.s, i'm in the UK too. Thakns guys :) Matt.
No, no it aint your fault, its just a case of not knowing the age of the spider, the thing is, all chile rose Adults are wild caught, unless stated otherwise, and beings they're wild caught, there is a good chance, that she did infact die of old age, you gave her a loving home, you took care of her, in the wild, she was on the edge every single day fighting for life, surviving every danger going, you gave her a peacefull death, ok :).....
As for feeding, the longest without eating reported (chile rose) was 2.1 years (2yrs 1 mth). That being said, chile rose tarantulas are known to fast for long long periods of time, if she was dehydrated, her abdomen would have had "wrinkles" and would have been shrivled.
As for more info, did you get my message i sent you ?, i can help setting you up, and so forth with success this time around :)... Like i said you did nothing wrong, just old age...
I know what it is like to lose a tarantula, 15 years of breeding and, homing hundreds of species of tarantula, i have had many losses, but many many great times to :)....
Check your email address, there should be a message from me, via here ofcourse :)....
Reply back, and well go from there ok :), also are you in the UK or ??, as well, were ever you are in the world, i can set you up, with a good breeder/invert specialist, to supply you with a new and long lived tarantula :)
I've looked at pictures, and Betsy's def a she and not a he!
Not knowing how old she is or how she was treated by previous owners, I guess it could be old age?
I was spritzing tank and regularly watching her for dehydration,(or anything of unusual!) and I thought she was pretty plump, (her abdomen was like a fat grape) espesially for not having eaten for so long!
I regularly look at this site, and others since I got her 6 weeks ago, being my first T I was hoping to look after her well, give her a happy life.
Is this my fault? Did I do something wrong? Or just one of those awful things that sometimes happens?
I now feel certain, despite my husbands assurance that she's moulting and will be fine, that she has passed.
So upset right now. I'll be burying her in my parents garden next to my favorite rose bush.
I love our little 8 legged friends, but feel scared to get another in case I'm doing someting wrong! But then I hate the thought of them dying in a pet shop adoption center(where my friend got her before she came to us) Any advice?
Your tarantula doesnt sound like moulting behavour, actually if im honest it sounds abit like dieing of old age behavour.. But i cant be sure without a pic,,,,,,
ICU would be useless in this, as ICU is only good for dehydrated spiders, not ill spiders.... I can only but hope this isnt the case... The bald spot on his/her abdomen, is it black, if not, it aint about to moult.
Is there hooks under the first pair of legs ?, if so, it is infact a mature male and dieing. If it is female, and the bald spot aint black (and i mean black), then she is not in pre moult, and will not moult, and this behavour is surely a sighn of death approaching
(ALI) Haha your t seems to be doin just fine!
Alot of owners assume that when a T lies on its back its dead, and they then dispose of it, but this is very wrong. If your T were to die it would probably crawl to the corner of the cage, fold its legs underneath its body and slowly die.
Your t made a web underneath it body which proves that it is infact molting.The reason they makethis web is to make a soft laying ground for them to lie on and also to prevent ants or any other insects from doing it harm while its molting (which is when its at its most vulnerable)
Try not to touch her or bump the cage at all!
This usually will scare the t thinking its being attacked by a predator and this will either delay the molt or it will fail which usully will end up in death.
The only thing you have to worry about now is to....
#1 Not to put any live insect or food in the cage
#2 Always make sure there is water in the cage
#3 the cage must always be out of the sun and in a cool place.
#4 And not to mist it but only the cage if its very hot there!
Oh and dont worry about your chilli t being a fussy eater! they come from the harshest desert in the world were food is very little.They not used to alot of food falling from the sky. Its in there blood.
Good luck!
Ok, my 'friend' has now admitted he doesn't know how old she is or anything about her past, only that she was unwanted.
Perhaps she is just one to take a long time to molt? Does anyone know whats the longest amount of time a Chilean Rose has taken to complete a molt?
I've changed her water and given the tank a generous spritz.
She seems to be twitching a bit more frequenly now, like she's trying to stretch out her legs, which I'm taking as a good sign?!
Sorry I keep posting on here, but I don't have anyone else to talk to, my friends are all freaked out by her and my husband can't understand why i'm upset as 'it's just a spider'!!!
Thanks. I thought she was gone this morning, as there was no movement, but when I put her on her back she twitched one of her legs so I think she's still with us. She's still nice and fat.
I have tried to make sure her tank is moist, I spray every three days, which is what my friend advised, but obviouly it wasn't enough. I've been trying to learn as I go along, I feel bad I've failed her. She's such a sweet little spider! I'm just keeping everything crossed for her right now. How long should I leave her before trying something else or sadly have to call it a day :(
Hi there, you were good enough to get us through rehydrating Evie - my daughter's chilean rose, and she has been doing great and looking good. my daughter has come down this morning and we have logged on here as Evie at this moment is on her back and surrounded by a circle of web around/underneath her. We have touched her leg gently and it did move - but we thought maybe you had some words of advise for us? Is she dying? We are hoping that she is molting again, just differently to last time. Is there any thing we can do for her? Any more tests we can run to check she is ok? She has never been a great eater, so it could have been a fast before a molt?
What do you think?
She is probably trying to molt. If she looks frail and here abdomen starts to become thin then put her in an ICU immediatly.She probably went to the water bowl because it was probably to dry for here in the cage.Tarantula's need wetness when molting because they need to be able to slide there old skin off easily and as fast as possible.If i were you i would fetch a paper and slide it gently underneath here and turn here upside down very GENTLY.She was probably in premolt and was the reason she was not eating.
She is probably trying to molt. If she looks frail and here abdomen starts to become thin then put her in an ICU immediatly.She probably went to the water bowl because it was probably to dry for here in the cage.Tarantula's need wetness when molting because they need to be able to slide there old skin off easily and as fast as possible.If i were you i would fetch a paper and slide it gently underneath here and turn here upside down very GENTLY.She was probably in premolt and was the reason she was not eating.
Hi. So glad I found this website, its fantastic!
I really need some help, very worried!
I purchased my chile rose, Betsy, from a friend about a month ago, and he rescued her from a pet shop where she'd been abandoned as she was 'boring' because she'd stopped eating. We think she's about 5 years old. I've never had one before and I used to be terrified but she's so sweet she's cured me!
The only thing she's eaten in the last month is half a locust, but I keep offering food so I'm not worried she's hungry or anything, and she always has water available.
The first few times I held her she was quite happy. Last week I tried to pick her up as normal and she climbed on my hand but at last second as I was about to raise my hand she backed off and kinda half climbed on the edge of the water bowl and ended up falling on her back. I flipped her immedately and she ran under her log to hide. I left her alone for rest of the week, she stayed there for a day but was back to walking around like normal after that.
This morning she was hiding between her water bowl and her log. I gently moved the water bowl in case she was stuck and wanted to get through. I think I frightened her and she half climbed the water bowl and kinda fell on her side. I thought it was my fault so I gently put her back on her front. I think I've done something very wrong! She sort of curled up and has stayed like that for hours. I thought she had died, as her legs have curled up, not close to her body but I've never seen her do that before, but she keeps twitching. She moves her spinnerettes and her mouth, and then moves her legs - she jerks and it almost looks like if she were a person she'd be dropping off to sleep! She has a small bald patch on her abdomen, and its still really plump.
Could she have been deliberately trying to flip on her back to moult? By putting her on her front have I accidently killed her?! I'm so worried and destraught to think I might have hurt her! Is there anything I can do? I won't bury her until i'm 100% sure she's gone.
Sorry for such a long post but I'm just trying to make sure I give you all the information I can! Hope you help me help her!!
(Emma) If there is one thing i have learned, it is to only leave crickets or any other living T's food for a max of 24hours in its cage. If your T does not eat in these 24hours it's either getting ready to molt or its sick or it's Fasting(which is very common for chilli t's)Sometimes they would go without food for months.For them its a way of hibernating. Or they would go on an eating verge for preparation for a drought or molt.If your t eats alot its good, aslong as it does not become obese. this is when the abdomen becomes really big. If your t is young feed it atleast 4 crickets a week. If it does not eat in that 24 hour zone take it out and try again the next day otherwise the crickets will hurt the t or even start to EAT it. if you think it is an adult feed it about 2 crickets a week. But always remember to have clean water in the cage at all times. oh and rose hairs have 8 eyes that are just close together which make it look like it has only 2 .
Good Luck!
When she gets older should I feed her more then one cricket a day? I forgot to ask at the pet store. They didn't know how old she was but they said that she was a baby. Her head is about the size of a bottle cap, she eats large crickets. One other thing. How many eyes does a rose hair have because when I looked at her it looked like she only had two. Thanks for the help.
I just got a rose hair t and fed her this morning. (ps. glad she is not a picky eater) Anyway this is the first time feeding and I put too many crickets in the cage. She is a baby and only eats one a day. I heard that other crickets scare them but she is not used to me yet and is now spinning a web. Should I get the cricket out?
males dies in a matter of months..they have bulbs on their front legs.
@steve, there is no such thing as a coma like state, i think somone was just, making you feel better about things.... Do you have a picture ?, and is there any movement what so ever, even a little ?, when touched, have you masterd a "pinch grab" yet ?, because i may need you to pick her up to have a closer look
my spider went into molt n hasnt moved in 3weeks he dosnt smell sum1 told me they can go into a coma like state but still nothing in 3 weeks anyone got any ideas wot to do please help me as av drawn a blank
@ajdavis, is the spider a Grammostola rosea (chile rose), if so, try drying out the substrate you have her on, she should come down then and relax. On a dise note, what substrate are you using ?
my pet or tarantula is on the top of its cage and wont come down. is something wrong with it?
Sexing a tarantula >> https://hubpages.com/education/How-to-sex-a-tarant
Hi, I have to first commend you on a very helpful and informative site, I have learnt a lot just reading through all the posts.
I'm hoping someone may be able to offer a bit of advice on the giant white knee tarantula.
I purchased one a little over a week ago and was told by the seller that this species make an excellent first spider as they are calm and docile. Since reading up on it I have learnt that they can be rather aggressive. I am now reluctant to handle the spider as all what I have read has made me a tad nervous!
Are they ok to handle and what is the best way to go about it? Should I just leave her be?
Also I have read that they don't tend to hide away or burrow, but since we have had her that is all she has done! She seems quite happy and is eating well but she lives in the burrow that now reaches to the bottom of the tank.
The tank is 6x12x8 with 3.5" of organic potting soil, she has some bark which she has burrowed under and a smallish water bowl. The temp is reading 24-28 •c but I am not sure on the humidity, although I do spritz the tank lightly every day or so.
Consuela is 2-3 years old and at a guess she has about a 3" leg span, hard to know as she always hides! Her abdo looks ok, not shriveled at all.
Is this normal behavior or is she trying to tell me something is not right with her new home?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Hell, this morning i woke up and saw my spider ( her name is x) ok, first off as i told you she hasnt molted for a while now. And shes made a wed all over her aquarium. Well last night i gave her more water and she looked fine. This morning i found her like this, half her body tucked under her, i cant tell if shes curled up ( dead) or molting>>>> Ill be really sad if shes dead. She wont move.... I notice her top ( where her eyes are looks lifted a bit like shes gonna molt, but i believe their supposed to be able to move while molting, thats how they get out of their body,,, and an adult doesnt have to be on its back to mold nest ce pas? 2 weeks ago i offered her krickets and she was uninterested so i removed all but one so they wouldnt bother her incase she was molting.... please tell me what you think. you can call me too ide like to take care of her before i leave....im going to alberta tuesday morning :(
Hi, i have a chaco golden knee, it is very calm and can handle it often, but all of a sudden it is very very aggresive, any reason for that? have had it for about a year now.....
can i send you a pic of my spider to tell me the gender please?
Hey, just to mention my Chilean Rose Kylie is doing really well. Good fun to watch especially when she slaps her crickets. However I also have a new addition it's am 8 month old Mexican Red KneeNot sexed her yet waiting for her/him to malt. Provisionaly named Lynn after my beautiful Wife, but may have to change to Lynden if a boy LOL. Keep you posted on progress.
I am moving and unable to keep my spider. does anyone know where i might be able to sale her?
The morning after I made the post above, the tarantula had made what looks like an egg sac (see pic by following the link on my post above). Two days later, the sac is no where in sight. Perhaps it buried it? Since it has not been exposed to another tarantula in several years, the eggs cannot hatch anyway, right?
Um My spider Is in his hide she web her self in why is that
My daughter's tarantula has enclosed itself in a web ball, and underneath it is a yellow mucus looking stuff (looks kind of like a chicken egg yolk). We've had the tarantula several years and have never seen it do anything like this. What is going on? I tried to take some photos, although it was hard to get good ones: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aggiejanna/sets/72157...
I got a rose hair for mothers day. The pet store guy said we need to fatten her up since she was small....She died a few days later. I loved her attitude. She cuddled and crawled right up to me. I miss her. So we went back to the store and they gave us another. She is kind of skiddish and fans her legs out when I try to pick her up. Do you think she will ever get used to me? She is beautiful just a careful one. The have totally different personalities. They are great pets and fantasitc to watch.
hi just wondering do you deal with other species of tarantulas other than chilli rose?
my tarantula has been mean lately. When i want to hold her and i touch her she just turns around and tries to bite or raises up.I noticed she has been mean since i fed her a cricket and the cricket was biting her fangs and front 2 small legs a couple of nights ago. Could she be hurt from the cricket or just mad? She has never been mean before and she is a rose hair tarantula
Arachlover my name is Corban Peacock you can just add me .And what would your name be ? At this stage i only have pics of 2 of my t's the curly and rosie my Lasiodora Parahybana Salom pink bird eater still very small :-D
That would be awesome!what is your name? i would really like to see your t's.
Arachlover dit is goed ek is bly haha.You can go and check i ordered online petbugs.co.za very nice place and service and cheap .i have pics on my fb profile if you want to check my spiders. If you want you can just ask my name.Enjoy
Tornadoflame: its also good to hear from someone so close who has a love for the same hobby!And yes, ek kan afrikaans praat.How did you get your t's?
Hi radgirl need sum help.I've got a Chilean rose, not sure if it's a male or female it's called chile.(or bob as my boyfriend calls it).any way I've had chile 4 3 months now and it's only just started 2 borrow.it doesn't have a hide out as the pet store said I didn't need one. It's got a heat mat and has dug up all the substrate on the same end as the heat mat and I'm not sure why is it coz she's not getting enough heat. Please can u give me sum advice. Ps love the site it's brilliant.
Arachlover do you speak afrikaans ? I live in south africa i did not think they had a problem with that in namibia but ya i live in the eastern cape and they also do not want me to keep taratulas dut i have 3 now
Have a nice one
Good to hear from people not that far away
Hi again!i got my chile about 3 months ago . it took me about 6 months to just get it here from south africa. apparently they dont sell T's in namibia and the only way to get one is by filling in a whole lot of papers. And what really makes me angry is that in namibia and south africa we have baboon tarantulas and you may not keep them, you may only kill them! which is very stupid. if you talk about t's here people dont know what you even saying! i really think it's time that we start to promote t's in namibia!
hello i'm stuart and i have a chill rose but its acting up i konw its about to shead but he or she is not doing what a t shoud do its wanting more and more food but i,ve still only given it 7 crikes a week and when i put my hand in its run away but when my girlfrend put her hand in its gos to her.
i have done nothing wrong to it and it has only been it stared to lose the hairs on the abdomen. why
I was handling my chilean rose hair, Pearl, and she defecated on my hand. Does this mean anything? Did she do that because she felt bothered or was I just holding her at the wrong time?
I was handling my chilean rose hair, Pearl, and she defecated on my hand. Does this mean anything? Did she do that because she felt bothered or was I just holding her at the wrong time?
Sorry I will add the Crickets are small variety and she leaves no leftovers. Thanks.
Just a quick question, Kylie is doing fine and eating well. However are there limits to what she should eat daily or weekly. She still has a good appetite, but is there a danger of overfeeding. I have read that when they have had enough then they will leave it and then try them in a couple of days time. Kylie will have eaten everyday for 2 weeks on Thursday after her fast before and after molt.
what if tarantulas abdomen breaks and spill out? will it die?
Kylie looks brilliant she came out of her cave last Thursday 9 days after her molt. She looks beautiful nice pinky / red colouring. My god is she eating now. Its a pleasure to watch her hunt. The best one yet was a cricket that moved and then stayed perfectly still. She was not sure were it was so started hammering her feelers down to make it move and give a way its location. It worked and she pounced like a flash. Amazing !!!Thankyou for your help it was invaluable.
Hi Radgirl welcome back :-)
Its a pleasure i do it for the love of the hobby
I just cant get enough when it comes to t's as you can see did lots of research and i came a long way.By the way i saw mites in my rosie's enclosure think it came from the mealworms i feed her (little white specs) how would i go to work in destroying them :-) ? Im thinking of taking out the substrate and laying it in the sun to dry that would surely kill them and just rehidrate the sub after ??
Have a nice one
me and my partner got a chile rose about 2 weeks ago she 8 months she has plenty of food in her tank but she isnt eating what should we do her abdomen has also started to shrink....???????
Kylie, is still doing well she has been camped out in her cave since last Wednesday when she molted. So I take it she is relaxing and building her streangth. I check on her reguarly and can see she has either moved or is moving at that time. She seems to like stretching her legs straight out. Will send you some pics soon.
Im thinking of taking my uncles 2 year old chilean rose , charcoal. shes really friendly but i have no clue at how to handle her, also what do they need in their enclosure? i need alot of help before taking her on because i dont want to bring her into an un-fit habitat , however right now i have a 75 ltr fish tank + plenty of fish ornaments for her to hide in. thanks x
Yes its an amazing what they have to go through what a feat!I have a Curly hair it molted into a mature male about 2 and a half weeks back has not eaten anything yet so ya will keep trying to present food to him.Hahaha but you know a mature male spider only has one thing on his mind at that time. You can mail me some pic if you want to You can determine it through the amount of molts
Have a nice one
Regards Corban
Hello South Africa, Kylie is doing very well. In the night she moved her self into her cave and I have checked through the glass every now and again and can see that she is moving around. I guess she wants some private time. Its an incredible and surely tiring struggle to extracate themselves from the old ectoskeleton. I'm not sure of her age, my Daughter believes she is about 1 year. Is there anyway I could better determine this ??. Also is it possible to send you some pics of her before she molted (only if your interested)
How old is your rosie now ? Rose hairs is very beautiful spiders the only thing i don't like about them is their eating habits and growth rate .I have a red color form rosie and got it when it was n mere 1.5cms its now much bigger but was hard work but worth while .You can spray no problems just dont spray on her
Have a good day
All the way from South Africa
Thankyou that helps, books are really good to gice you some help, but when these events happen many more questions arise that you never considered. I have been tipping very carefully some water on to her substrate and keeping the dish topped up. Is this ok because I dont want to spray her home and then get some on her that makes her jump. I have to say though even though I missed the event i'm chuffed my 6 year old boy got to see it all and was nearly late for school. Its totaly amazing what they go through I just hope she makes it ok. cant wait to watch her eating again. I will keep in touch, very pleased I found your site.
Give her time to complete her molt keep enclosure moist and humidity up its best to say not to feed her for a week or 2 but the best way to tell is to look at her fangs if its still white/red better not try to feed her if its completely black you can try otherwise she will injure herself or probably run away from the food
Have a good one
Hi I've got a Chilean Rose named Kylie. She is brilliant, my daughter baught her for me to cheer me up after the sudden death of my Dad last new years day. I got up this morning and she was on her back its so strange to find but exciting knowing she will malt. Anyway just had a call at work from my wife to say she has malted. I know i have to leave her alone, but for how long, and what can i do to help when the time is right, like what food and what amounts cause I know she is fragile. But how will I know the time is right to feed her. Also can I still spray her domain now she has just malted or should i wait.
me and my patner are getting a female chilean rose in about 2 weeks and was wondering does the heat matt go inside the tank or on the outside the heat matt is a 12 watt matt but it doesn't get very hot and was wondering what the better option is with the heat matt?????
ive just bought a chilean rose tarantula and was wondering if its okay to use the solid water/ jelly stuff instead of fresh water?
Hi RadGirl!
I am a brand new T "mom", and am wondering about the temperature and humidity in my T's habitat. The humidity is at about 30/35% and the temperature is about 70/75F. Is this okay for my T? I don't want him/her to get dehydrated. Any help you can give me is very much appreciated!!!!!!
Help help!! I just bought a rose hair and she has what looks like dry skin on her back, it's white an almost flaky, I've been doing research but can't find ANYTHING, what is it?? How can I help her?! =( please help!
Problem is this is the smallest container we get in malta sadly but i do spray the peat moss on the sides to keep moistier up and its been drinking ill try to find smaller containers, and i think it dug a small hole overnight
Waylon that is way to big for such a spiderling i will recommend that u use a small clear deli container about 3 to 4 times its leg span wide use about 3cms or so substrate recommend that u use coco peat or peat moss and use a small pill jar as its hide away works wonders the reason it is roaming like that is the enclosure is to big for it also it can be the substrate Spray daily against sides of enclosure it will drink water from there do not put in a water bowl its still way to small.Regards
May i also add that its roaming it quite extensivley
Hello, i have just gotten a small chilean rose its about 1cm big and i was wodnerign if my vivarium se tup for it is ok, atm it has a small plastic walled terarium about 20cm by 12 cm and 15cm high, i got around 5cm of substrate in there and just a small piece of palstic grass to act as a hide away for it.
She is in premolt my curly and rose has both been in premolt for about a week now not feeding them curly has a bold spot waiting for it to change dark brown now but the rosie will probably be first a good sign for premolt is they web a lot and i mean a lot and some barricade themselves in after the abdomen turned dark you can expect a week for the spider to molt for big spiders smaller may be much faster Spray a lot keep humidity much higher than normal it makes the exoskeleton nice and soft which results in a nice and easy molt for the spider Enjoy :-)
Jim - my male did the exact same thing when I first got him! He piled the substrate up and barricaded himself inside of the den for several weeks. After reading through this forum (and some tips from TornadoFlame and RadGirl), I broke down the barrier. Within days, he molted! It's possible that your female is about to do the same. Mine ate rarely, barricaded himself inside, and did not move around too much right before the molt. I've also heard that you can tell by the coloring (it gets darker before a molt). Hope everything goes OK!
I got a female rose hair for my son near Christmas . I was told it is female and that it is six years old . It is in a 5 galon tank with a wooden cave clay water dish . There is a wood based mulch in her habitat. She has put web down once and she has barikated herself inside her log a couple times.she piles the substrate up until it is closed . She has ate only one cricket since December . We are getting concerned. The previos owner told us she had molted 3 times over six years .
I got a Rose hair a wk ago saturday.I've handled it n wen I do it poos on me can u tell me y this is.am I doin summit wrong.?
My rose died at the age of nine what is the average lifespan for a male :(
I got a rose hair tarantula 6 months ago and she or he is alredy starting to shed.my dad alredy pet her or him and lucy(my tarantula) dosint really like him just went fast but whith me she is nice and slow.
Hey radgirl, I've been hitting up lots of sites on chilean rose hairs and most say to feed the spider like 3-6 crickets a week. But they give no reason as to why you cant feed more than that. My spider eats 3 a day, Is it okay to feed him that much?
Joshua change your substrate i use coco peat it works the best for me my humidity is always above 85 keep the water bowl filled and spray 2 times a week that should solve your problem
I just recently bought a rose-haired tarantula and i cant seem to get the humidity up any suggestions. And also is it normal to put about a dozen crickets in and he/she eats them all in one day or does he/she store them
Thanks for the advice radgirl! He came out of his den (turns out it was a male after all!) and has been relatively active since. In fact, last week he molted. Should I take the molt out of the tank or leave it as is? Also, I'm having difficulty keeping the humidity in the tank at an acceptable level. Even if I spray it daily it never really gets more than 50% or so. This doesn't seem to be bothering the tarantula (the pet store had it very arid...about 25%) but I worry that it's not humid enough. What would you advise?
hi we got our chilean rose in september after lots of research!!!!! (this bit being majority) it moulted in november wow great experience scared hell out if us stopped eating bout 2 weeks after we had her!!!!
she ate loads after moulting now barely eating!!! odd cricket!!!
started climbing up tank, explanation appreiciated this is new 2 us.
also how do i deffo know it is female?
So what about the non fertile eggsack? Is that normal that she laid that? I took her to the exotic vet when she laid it. An he didn't have any real answer lol
Ok, so i switched her name to kyra. . . She loves the vibration the name makes an comes to it. :) She laid a non fertile eggsack. is that normal? I thought she was sick at first. scared the heck outta me! haha. she is still very skiddish when i go to get her outta the cage. But she is loves being held. An it's so cute. When she is sittin on my shoulder she moves her pedipals to the vibration on the music. An def has a personality. she runs when rap is on! haha. she loves sittin on my shoulder though. An she has grown well. i just took a great pic an there is a phot from a couple days ago. T's are amazing pets i've fallen in love with kyra! lol. She is an amazing pet. An i def have enjoyed decorating her 20 gal terranium. She loves all the room. but she don't web much. Does that mean she is un happy?
Wow! First off, looks like I just found the mother-load of informational sites here - thanks for all you're doing.
So, having just lost our pet wolf spider to (I assume) old age, my girlfriend was cool enough to give me a baby Chilean rose spiderling for Christmas. Please forgive me if any of my questions have already been covered here, but here goes:
Is there a "too young" to handle these guys? She's about the size of a pinky-nail right now and kind of transparent. We took her out of her little jar tonight to let her walk around on the bed for a bit and just sort maneuvered her to climb onto our hands - can't say she seemed thrilled by any of it, but not bothered, either. Should I just hold off of doing this with her at this point, or am I right in thinking she'll just be better prepared for a future of hanging out with me?
Also, I see that it's extremely difficult to determine the sex of these until adulthood - do you think the pet store people were "putting us on" by telling us that this is a girl? Is this nothing better than a 50/50 guess?
Thanks in advance...
- Clay
Hey All,
As I previously posted, the day I brought my new addition home, she built a barrier at the end of her log home that essentially boxed her in. With some advice from users on this forum, I left her in there and chalked it up to her just being skittish in a new environment. It's now almost 2 months later and she's still in there! I don't think she's ready for a molt or anything. Twice a cricket has snuck into the lair and she's eaten it. Should I leave the den as is? I figured that if she wants to get out she probably can. Thanks in advance for your advice!
Thanks for your Reply Tornadoflame. I have never had a male in with her, never had a friend who had a spider. Just me. shes a beautiful Spider, still has her colour. Shes is more on the flame side of red. I am starting to feel that there are less yeas ahead with her than there are behind. Its sad to think this, the aggressivness just concerns me thats all. She is happy, and eats regularly.I love her to bits! Thanks again!
I posted 20 months ago here when I had just gotten my rose hair, thought I'd say thanks again for your help!
In that time my tarantula, previously Charlotte now Charlie, has molted twice. His second molt was his sexual maturing molt, so I was very upset to think I would only have him a short while longer. However he molted back on March 3rd and is still with me on December 21st. I still love him to death and will be very sad when he leaves me, but he's been a fantastic animal ambassador, helping many people overcome their fear of spiders. I could not have asked for a better tarantula. :]
Thanks again for all your help in keeping my first (definitely not my last. :]) chilean rose hair.
artassassin depending on the age of the T ?Slings will molt a few times a year were an adult Chilean Rose will only molt one time during a year but they are known to skip some years Darren my tought is old age that is a very old spider for captivity just keep doing what you are doing have you ever had a male with her ?
how often a year do they shed/molt
I have been a proud owner of a chilean rose spider for 19 years! Yes its the same one. Always very docile and scared of most thing..(except food) recently she has started getting aggressive, raising up when i change her water or feed her. Is it just old age or sexual maturity? I am slightly concerned thats all..
Its not recommended to handle any T but you Grammostola and Brachypelma T's are the best for handling all your old world t's are very agressive like Lasiodora species and african and indian baboon spiders Its is a Big DO NOT HANDLE ME !
LOl i Have 3 Spiders I Was scare Too Death From Spiders Thane I Decided To Purchase 1 Male Rose Hair Tarantula After 3days I Search t On The Internet About e Spiders And found Out Thar Kind Cool ihhi Know I Have 3 Spiders,
1,Female Rose And 1 Male Rose ,And 1 Pink Too,
Am Only Holding The 2 Male Spiders Because The Female Its Kind Aggressive Don't Know Why But I Thing Its The Natural Way That Female's Are Aggressive ihihih ??
can you pick all tarantulas up
Look for mating hooks on first 2 legs and swollen pedipalps then you will know its a male thats the easiest females have larger bodies than males Where males have longer legs in proportion to body
hi just wanted to know if any1 can sex a tarantula had mine for few months pet shop was pretty sure is female n all my research says the same she has recently molted oh my god amazing!!!!
Glad i could help sounds normal
Have a good one :)
thank you alot tornadflmae the i cu worked i feed her 3 time s a week she is back to normal thanks alot again
This video will help you alot in packing a t's
Hey again, Have no clue what to do anymore, Namibia does not have a T anywhere except in SA, im thinking on flying one over but dont know how to pack it (any tips)thanks :)
Well artassassin he/she will have a hefty appetite now but be happy my Rosie have not ate in 3 months now and it still a sling i'll recommend about feeding once or twice a week with your choice of feeder insects usually crickets very glad the icu worked he/she would not have made it i think SD They webbing is normal it means they are making it their home webbing in nature are used by them for sensing their prey Tarantulas are actually blind they know the difference between light and dark thats about it so all is done trough vibration Webbing is not bad Roccity Humidity wise i will say right about 70 - 80 i use coco peat and i spray the substrate 1ce a week and its fine Do not worry if she wants to get out she will she is maybe due for a molt or just very skittish give her a week or 2 Enjoy you guys hoped i helped
can you ovrfeed them and wa happens when you do my is fine now i done a icu it worked great
Hi Guys
i have had my chilli for just over 2 months now. she is called rosie and wow does she have a personality!
a few questions ,, do they have any other reason to web? or is it just for malting ? x
Hey All,
Quick questions I'm hoping you can help me out with! I just got a beautiful Chilean Rose Hair yesterday and got her into the terrarium. It's a 10 gallon tank with coconut bark bedding, water dish, half-log hiding space, and fake plants. I keep the temperature around 82, but am curious as to what to keep the humidity at. The pet store had it extremely arid (around 30%) to mimic the desert area from where it naturally lives, but many forums I've been on suggest a higher humidity (60-70%). Which should I keep it at?
Secondly, not hours after she entered the tank she built a full-on barrier to the opening of the burrow. I think that she was trying to burrow, but there is no way out of the den now. Should I open it back up for her or leave her be? I'm trying to eliminate as much stress on her as she gets acclimated to the new environment, but am worried that she'll be trapped in there. I can see her from the opposite end of the tank, and she's just hanging out in there. Is this OK?
Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!
Sounds like its sick you should get it in a icu immediately sounds like it lost lots of liquid follow youtube link to se how to make an icu for your t leave it there till its fully hidrated again hopes he makes it :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lAx1z6vKZE
Haha im so Jealouse you guys all have Big rosies myne still a sling but i think the reward i going to be good seeing it growing bigger from this small speck size if he/she just can start eating i have even chandged the substrate to coco peat atleast he/she not climbing up against the sides anymore but no eating yet but abdomen still looking plump and healty Very nice looking spidey Sparks whats her size ?
She hasn't molted yet. But her abdomen is getting quite large which means she is healthy right? i am currently using a uv light during the daytime to help with her getting uv an digestion. she loves it. Lately she has been getting a little skidish when i go to pick her up. Should that be something to worry about?
i am getting a chilean rose trarantula but i dont know what decorations to put in the cage
i am getting a chilean rose trarantula but i dont know what decorations to put in the cage
Aaaargh she is still not eating since i got her she has not fed at all Need to stress ? keeping water bowl filled she is still walking around and some days just sits in the hide abdomen still looking nice and fat, tried crickets and mealworms just ignoring it turns away and walks another way I hope she knows she is not going to grow nice and big if she does not eat Noticed she got some sort of whitish colour when i hold her in the light its as if the skin is darker underneath but she still likes to be handeld do not want to get off lol
Is still love spiders thinking of getting a Curly hair think im hooked would a curly hair eat better ?lol
Thanks for the info. I've seen her using the sponge to drink with. i change her water everyday. Her hairs are getting white. Is that a good sign or a bad sign? she has picked up eating more an been alot more active. i got her a 20 gal tank. An she webs EVERYTHING! lol. BTW her pic is my display photo. I just changed it. Take a look
ok so update already. She has finally started to make a little movement. But she is wiping her pedipals on the underneath of her an moving her teeth in an out. . .Think she is trying to molt? or just clean herself?
BTW (sorry decided to creat a account, name change. lol) I do appreciate all the advice on this page there is so much knowledge that the books just don't cover. AMAZING is all i have to say. BTW the head pad under her log as been removed. about a day ago cause i thought maybe it was making the cage floor too warm for her.
Radgirl- I bought my female T about a week ago. She was aggressive at first, Flicking hairs when i switched her cage, an for this first week she has eaten about 8 crickets. Now i keep the humidity pretty well in her cage an bought a himidity reader. I keep a red heat lamp on top of the cage for warmth an a lizard rock for her water. The pet stores told me to keep a sponge in there so she can drink along with so the crickets can get outta that water before they drown. (Which does help :P) i bought a kinda of substrate bedding that you soak for 30 mins before you can tear it up an put under her. She has half a log, A couple fake vines hanging in her cage, an a little wooden thing she came with. The store said she was bred there an is about 6 months old. Which she isn't large but isn't big. But here the past two days she hasn't moved much. I can handel her with ease an she isn't easily scared. She will move if i give her a lil push on the butt an every time i go to reach in the cage or put crickets in a pet her or at least her leg so she knows i there. She has stayed on top of the little log the store gave me with it right under the heat lamp, an won't go after any crickets, nor will she move unless i reach in to pet her to make sure she is ok. (BTW i named her kaia) I love her so much already the 5th day i had her she just sat on my shoulder for a hour an a half while i was on my lap top playing music. She seemed to enjoy the ones she could feel the beat to, as she would slowly move her pedipals. :) It's cute. But i'm worried with her not moving so much an just staying on that rock if i am doing something wrong, or if she just really likes the heat. The first few days i used a under the glass heater about the size of the log i bought which she stayed under for a few days an the heat thermostat was set at 70. But as i've sad i'm worried maybe she is sick or something. She won't climb on my hand yet but she has only flung hairs once an that was when i was switching her into the 10 gallon i bought. Any advice would be very helpful! As i am nervous this is my first T, An already is one with the family.
The breeder i bought her from feeds all his t's gut loaded pinhead crickets so i think it is my best bet but i will keep doing what i am doing every night it will eat some time last night i also moved he/she out of the main living room where the pc and stereo system is into my room hope that is better thank you for your help
hi ive been feeding my chile rose on locusts and she is not interested now.but still active.i spray the tank.and also put a light in there.to keep her warm.and warms up to it.and now she laying webs on the floor as she shed her skin but not to much of it though.i am still a novice with tarntulas.it would be helpful for a bit more advce as you know alot about them.my email is .email@example.com many
I also think so what is the normal time for t's to ajust to their new home ? and what would you recomend for feeding ?
Thanks for the help atleast im not alone
HI Radgirl
Ive been searching for a good Chilean Rose Forum a long time now his looks like it Im From South Africa and i got a chilean Rose Sling about 2 weeks back still small about 5 cm or so im worried i know they can go long without food and that they reign from the Atacama Desert in chile when i got the sling it was pinkish and you could like almost see trough the exoskeleton but has hairs and so on nice and red lol but had not eaten anything yet mealworms nor crickets trying each day adomen still looks nice and fat and it loves walking on me in the manner that it dont want to go back in the cage lol im keeping it in a smallish plastic container with sand substrate and rocks those tipe you get at a riverside seems to like it bacause it walks around and sit on the rocks Im new at this thing but did do homework before getting it but know i feel stupid not knowing what to do
South Africa
I was wondering, what brand of enclosure is that picture of in the article, id love to get my hands on one they are seemingly quite nice.
sorry i went a bit OTT with the comments and im so sorry i didn't mean she ran out of her tank i opened her tank and she ran in her log thing and i heard that that was not good but she has not done it since. its weird sometimes she like drags her bum across the floor and makes her front tall but doesn't raise any legs though do u know what she is doing
does it mean ts are asleep even when they are not in there tunnel thing cause mine stays out all day unless she wants to get to the other end of the tank using the tunnel .
ahhhhhhhhhhh please help i opened the tank to my tarantula and i didn't even do anything on she ran off
sorry in last comment i meant to put
"when she PUTS her legs up covering her face"
also what are signs of molting tinkerbell has put down a few strands of web and is staying in the same place
i have a wild chilean rose hair tarantula.she loves her new home thank you for all the help and info.i save her off the road their was only some cars.she was almost run over.about 3 days ago.i was afraid to hold her but its night time but in the morning i am going to hold her.THANK YOU FOR ALL THE INFO.
She finished her molt about 48 hours ago. She's beautiful. Her legs seem kinda long in proportion to the rest of her body though, and her abdomen seems smaller than before. Not shriveled, just smaller. Is that normal?
she has went back down now after about 3hours she raised her abdomen in 2 places :( weird.
sos got another question but does it mean ts are asleep even when they are not in there tunnel thing cause mine stays out all day unless she wants to get to the other end of the tank using the tunnel . also is she asleep when she buts her legs up covering the front part of her face
hi its me again ive started to know the personality of my tarantula now ...... she seems a bit aggressive but it dont matter to be honest i wasn't going to hold her any way cause i know if she did bite of something i would accidentally chuck her in to the wall or drop her and also if she did bite i have a thing were i bleed for ages after small cuts so you know that would be bad .
im a bit worried about newly named tinkerbell as she tends to raise her abdomen in the air a bit .is this a defensive measure if it is it i dont see why she is doing it because sometimes she does it even when no ones in the room .
could she be doing it at the crickets in her tank because there was a beetle on her foot when she was doing it.
Rozzie's finally molting!! Came home last night and found a new "carpet" on the floor of her cage, in addition to all the new decor I told you about that she spun a few weeks back. Checked on her again about an hour later and found her upside down and laid out. Can't wait'll she's finished!
I need some help, please contact me on 07747776203
My rosehair lost its pedipalps during his last molt and also did sum damage to his fangs and has not eaten in a few months now, i can throw in a cricket and he wants to eat it but can not, just ends up killing it trying to eat it, any advice on what else i can feed him??
oh thanks thats okay then my tank is not very high because i couldn't fit my arms down to the bottom of the big tanks :)
hi again ,
she is still doing it -trying to climb the wall but i stroked her with a paint brush and she was really calm
thanks for replying :)
ive got another thing she tends to climb on the walls well put half her body up it is this normal
hi i got my tarantua yesturday its so cute but in was thinkin does it matter how many crickets u give ur spider cause i can not tell how many it has eaten.
also my spider is a sub adult and im worried it is a boy who will live for a year do u know any way of finding out which sex it is
1 more thing im i okay to pick up my spider im worried he/she will hate me and if ican pick her up would getting her to climb in to a small container and laying your hand for her to clmb on be a good idea ????
Hey Radgirl, I just wanted to know how you must pick up a tarantular without hurting it. Im very worried that i might hurt it or somthing.
Is it normal for tarantulas to web a lot before they molt? Because Rozzie only had a small "carpet" of webbing when I first bought her, and now she's got "curtains" to match, as well as fresh webbing on her little log. I put an artificial branch in her cage a few weeks ago and she webbed all over that too! It's almost to the point that I can't get my hand in there anymore without disturbing her "art", I'd guess you'd call it. Any thoughts?
Hi Radgirl i went away for a while and could not read your response but now I know everything i needed to know and was worried about, now i can get a tarantular and give it a happy life thanks to you. I will definietly recommend this sight to anyone who wants to know about tarantulas. Thanks alot Radgirl.
Gotcha! Thanx radgirl, you been a big help!
Okay. The spot seems to "change color" depending on the angle and light that you look at it in. Actually, do you have an e-mail address I can send pics to? I took a bunch of pics and that spot definitely changes in appearance. If you do that'd be great, if not, no shakes either. Thanx. Sorry to keep buggin you about this.
Thanx for replying radgirl. Hope all's good with your family. Yea Rozzie (I changed her name) seems great. I pick her up and handle her everyday. She hasn't molted yet, but then she hasn't eaten anything in almost a month, even when I fed her. The spot on her abdomen (I think) is slowly gettin darker so maybe she'll finally shed. Yea she's something else! I can understand how you feel about Jenna, if anything happened to Roz I'd be devastated. People think I'm nuts but hey, she's my pet and a part of my family ya know? Thanx again for gettin back to me, hope all's well and I'll keep ya posted.
Hey, how do you know when your tarantula is beginning to molt?
I just got my first spider and she has eaten 2 crickets and a pinky mouse is it too soon for her to eat a pinky she is the size of my palm and seems to be doing fine. I believe her to be a female and I named her Octavia Shock. Do they all need heat ? I live in california in a tiny apartment it ranges from 70-80 degress. And spritz once a day? How often do I change the substrate and do they need hides? Thanks I been looking over some of the info and its amazing what these spideys can do =)
email me at email@example.com
Heyy, haven't been on this for a while, had loads of exams, i held Aragog(big Harry Potter fan) and it was amazing, holding him loads now and its really awesome even though loads of my friends are freaked out and wont come in my house anymore :L is there certain signs you should look out for when they are going to shed their skin? xD btw thanks for the help last time radgirl, your awesome! xD
Hey, I just bought a chilean rose for my mums birthday and s silly as thia does sound, is it normal for her to spin a web in the corner in order for her to eat? And how long will it take. Before she eats her crickets?? Were new to all this so are still finding out about her character etc. Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks. Xx
Hey Radgirl, still waiting for a response but in the meantime jus wanna say your site kicks ass and has been a big help. Don't let that little punkass wimp get to you. Yea I mean you sytorra! Keep up the good work Radgirl.
dam rad girl do u kno how many times u comment on this. we all kno u proud of your self but god dam u is fukin up this web sit with all your unexiting comments. and if u plan to say any thing bak i suggest u dnt cuz best n beleve i do fight grown people
i am now a 8th grader n i hade my chilen rose spider since i was n 2nd grade. at first he was just a science fair project buh then he started doin strange stuff so i kept him for an extra year so i can revew my old project. after that science fair i was goin to set it free but my older cusins liked to play with him and pick him up to scare people. im to scared to pick him up cuz i dnt want to kill my lil baby but i hade hum for 7 years no and i feel like me and roseavelt [my spider] have a relly strong connection.
i am now a 8th grader n i hade my chilen rose spider since i was n 2nd grade. at first he was just a science fair project buh then he started doin strange stuff so i kept him for an extra year so i can revew my old project. after that science fair i was goin to set it free but my older cusins liked to play with him and pick him up to scare people. im to scared to pick him up cuz i dnt want to kill my lil baby but i hade hum for 7 years no and i feel like me and roseavelt [my spider] have a relly strong connection.
Holy crap! I came home from work and checked on Cora (my T). I found her sprawled out face down on her belly. Not crouched, not hunkered down but straight up sprawled out like a human playing dead! Legs flat and facing forward, and abdomen on the ground! I went to remove the top of her cage to see if she was alright and she regained her footing, and is still in classic pose. Scared the hell outta me! Is she alright?!
hey radgirl . I have a chilean rose called Rosey she is about 10 11 years old , had her since she was young . She has been totaly healthy and shed most years but all of asudden she has well looks like a sore or hair loss on her abdormen ?? . She has a pot of spider gell / criket water and she will sit in an drink . The tank is sprayed about 2 times aweek and she hates it . Any help ???
Hey Radgirl... it seems that you have some new fans. I picked up a couple of orphans today. I also created a page for myself. I don't want to get in trouble for self promotion so I am not going to post the link. but I will say that it is on hubpage and the you can see my three Ts there.
Additionally I would most certainly not be unthankful for any useful tips, advice or information! Thanks again radgirl and everyone else ;)
radgirl, I cannot thank you enough for all the interesting and usefull information this/ your site has provided me with!
I live in Pretoria, South-Africa and my housemate and I each picked up our 1st T's today, mine being the CRT and his the Curly Hair (his is +/- 6 months old). I am unfortunatly unsure of mines age (the seller couldn't guess, but said roughly the same as the CH), but he/she's about an inch wide and almost an inch tall. Oddly it's the most adorable yet glorious organism I have come to "own" or rather share my habitat with- I love it so much already :D
I would like to hear your verdict on artificial heating though (only semi-heating of course, like a lamp or something warm underneath? I have done a bit of research by now but would like an experienced keeper's opnion), as it is winter here now and I don't want the habitat or the peats temperature to drop below warm/musky conditions..?
I will keep following the thread, and many many thanks from me and Pandora! :)
K cool, thanx a lot Radgirl, your site's been a big help! Yea she's kinda skittish when I touch her and that shiny spot's still there. I'll keep ya posted on her. Luv your site and thanx again!
Hey it's me again. Is it absolutely essential to remove uneaten crickets or other prey from the enclosure? Because I dumped a whole bunch (about 5 or 6) in at once and the ones that she wasn't currently chawin away on hid from her. This was during the binge I told you about. I left the crickets in there for almost 3 days. They were still healthy, and I would remove the top of the enclosure and poke at the crickets until she would snag them. As I said, she ate all of them. Should I not do that anymore?
I just wanted to ask how you know if your T is sick or hurt and what to do
Yea, if I can figure out how to attach a picture I'll send it to you, if that's alright. You can see clear as crystal the shiny spot, while still covered with hairs, is definitely noticeable.
Sorry i said thanks to much times. :)
Radgirl thanks very much I have read through your whole site and found it very resourceful Im gona tell all my friends about it. I have been searching all over the Internet just to get these answers And finely got them thanks to you and your site,And now i don't know what else to ask because i have everything on this HubPage. Thanks once again, now i know that it would be safe getting a Chilean T and it being ok.
You know what? I think she might be preparing to molt, because I checked on her before I left for work and I noticed a big, shiny spot on the top of her abdomen. it wasn't bald, there was still some hairs covering it, but there was less hair this morning than there was last night, and as I said, the spot was very shiny and kinda speckled a little. You think she's preparing a molt?
Man, this spider's a pig! She literally ate a dozen crickets in 3 days (actually, she's chowin' on the last one right now). And less than a week ago she scarfed a pinky mouse and 3 more crickets! So you figure that's 15 crickets and one mouse in a week. Am I feeding her too much? Is she preparing for a molt? Or is it just a hearty appetite? Also, is it true that CRH Tarantulas are easier to handle after they've fed well? Just curious
Oh and my friend says that it would be better getting a Rangoon Mustard tarantular, i dono if his just kidding but my friend says they are better for bigginners but i actualy want a chilean do you think i should get a rangoon? And if also ok pls tell me how to take a T out of its cage and prevent it from bitting me and also to prevent me actualy hurting it. Once again your advise will be most appriciated.
I live in Namibia in Africa on the cost where most of the time it is very misty or foggy and i dono if it will be ok to get a chilean tarantular i love spiders very much and very facinated about them and want to get to know them more, your advise will be most appriciated
i want a chilean rose hair
um i have a rose hair and she wont eat she has not in a week at all and i let her pout every morning then get her in 15 to 20 min but she dont want to eat and i dont know hoe long they can survive without food
plz someone help
can u give us a good website to purchase a goliath bird eater r good spider thank u
Yea, now that you mention it, she did have her hind legs curled up towards the top of her abdomen a little bit, so she might've been preparing a "hair-assault"! Like I said, I left her alone after that. Picked her up a couple days later when she was climbing the side of her tank and she was perfectly chill. Weird! Love your site and thanx for the advice. Hope I'm not posting comments too much!
i have had my rosie for 7 years two days ago i thought she went to molting on her back in a hole and she still hasnt moved whats crazy is my scorpion died about a week after they ate and now my baby how long till i call her dead
has one of your spiders died.
Hey Radgirl, something else I was curious about. I heard that CRH tarantulas like being petted on their abdomens, as long as you're gentle about it. Is that true? And also, the reason I'm asking is because I tried doing that with my girl a few times. Each time she moved a little bit, but she didn't really seem agitated. Then finally, about the tenth time, she kinda hunched over and raised her abdomen off the ground. I heard that tarantulas will do this if they're annoyed or feel threatened so I just left her alone after that. However, she didn't rear up, she didn't show her fangs, hell she didn't even turn around to face me. She just hunched over and raised her abdomen. Any thoughts? Thanx
Handled my T for the first time today. She was really good. Had to coax her a little bit to get her in my hand, but she was really mellow once she was in my hand. I put her back in the tank and now she's climbed to the top of her tank by the lid and she just hangs there now, like she wants more attention. Is that normal?
Hi, great site, i bought my first tarantula about a month ago, its about 2cm in size, i bought it as a Mexican fireleg, but now not so sure, because she looks exactly like a chilean rose. she stopped eating about a week and a half ago, i chuck a cricket in there every 2nd night, but if she hasnt taken it by the morning i remove it, and she is getting a bald patch on her abdomen, so i'm hoping for a moult soon, to see if she gets the fireleg colouring or if the petshop sold me the wrong spider. Her name is Wednesday by the way, no clue if it is really a girl, but i also have a 5 month old green iguana and we named it Avo and refer to it as a him. i hope she's a girl, would like to give breeding a go. anyway, thanks again for the great site
i killed myn
I think so too. Bought 5 more crickets for her today. Big fat ones. She's taken 2 so far and it looks like she's workin on a 3rd. She stalked the 2nd one I fed her for about 10 minutes, finally cornering it and literally snagging it in mid-air when it tried to hop away! Pretty entertaining. Tomorrow I'm gonna try picking her up and see how she acts. Seems like she's comin around though. Thanx again! Love your site!
Thanx radgirl, I'll try that. She actually seems a lot more mellow than she did before. The last couple times I looked in at her she didn't lunge, in fact I checked on her last night and she was actually looking out at me, as if sayin "Hey pay attention to me!" Thanx for the advice and I'll keep ya posted on her.
hey, i got my chilean rose tarantula yesterday and it has been eating loads of crickets, is that normal?
And how long should i let it settle in for before holdong it?
Hi radgirl! I stumbled upon your site while I was surfin the web for different info on tarantulas. I read some of the posts and your responses and I wanna say you seem really caring and knowledgable about these creatures. I actually found your site entertaining as well. I just have a question that maybe you can answer for me.
I bought a Chilean Rose Hair 4 days ago, first tarantula I've ever owned. The store manager recommended her to me. I watched him handle the spider which crawled calmly over his hands and arm no problem. I haven't handled her yet, I wanna get her used to the new surroundings. I bought 5 crickets and put them in her tank. However she just stayed in one spot, even when one cricket practically crawled underneath her! She shifted slightly and that was it, so I figured she wasn't hungry. Then about an hour later I check on her and see she's munchin away on a cricket. I think she ate 2 I'm not sure.
Then, last night, my girlfriend found a large cricket in the bathroom. She caught it and put it in the spider's tank. I was at work so I didn't see what happened, but she said that that tarantula was on that cricket "like a lightning bolt" (her words), and in fact attacked it so viciously she actually slammed her body against the side of her tank (where she was supposedly sitting when fed the cricket)! And the day before that, I peeked in at her while she was. Facing in my direction and she darted at me. Now my girlfriend's all freaked out and doesn't want me handling her or even have her out of the tank. I told her that the spider's breed is only aggressive when it comes to food, and she saw the store manager handle the spider. Can you clarify on what the deal is with my tarantula? I wanna pick her up, handle her, maybe even play with her (well to a reasonable degree anyway). Now I'm wondering if I should. Any suggestions? Thanx (I know this is a long post, sorry!)
Hi i bought my rosea 20 days ago and i'm new to the hobby.I noticed that she climbs the walls often,she has a hiding spot but she avoids it,she has a water dish and everything looks great but i'm worried if climbing the walls is ok.If you know something help me.
Hey radgirl, thanks for putting up a lot of great information. I've had a few Ts including one of the meanest wild caught Desert Blondes that I have ever seen. I tell people that he died of "mean-ness".
I"ve had "Rocky" for about a week now and once I figure out how... I'll put up a picture of him.
Jordan, until she calms down a bit, I wouldn't handle her too much. If she falls it could kill her.
Thanks again radgirl, I'll be bookmarking your page for future reference.
hi radgirl just to let you know my chile rose died today dont know why she just did
I also have found this page after searching round with google.
Bought my first chile rose 2 days ago, but was wondering if it is ok that it has eaten 6 crickets in 2 days? Also when first handeled it walked slowly from hand to hand but now runs very fast, which worries me that Im doing something wrong, also it makes me jump! Any ideas? Thanks
hi there i have spent the day reading through your entire thread and I think you offer some really good advice I have kept Ts for 9 years i have (bare with me its getting to be a long list)
0.0.1 Acanthoscurria geniculata- giant white knee sling "Mavis"
0.0.1 Aphonopelma caniceps- Big bend gold sling "Action Juan"
0.1.0 Aphonopelma seemari- Zebra leg "Fluffy" (may have been re-classified as Rhechosticta seemarnni)
0.0.1 Brachypelma albicpes-Aemula Gold Red Rump "Ruby"
0.1.0 Brachypelma albopilosum- Curly hair "Homer"
0.0.1 Brachypelma Smithi- Mexican red knee spiderling "Poppy"
0.1.1 Grammastola Rosea- Rosie Adult & spiderling "Boris" & "Doris"
0.0.1 Euathlus sp."RED"- Chile Flame spiderling "Fifi Trixiebelle"
0.0.1 Nhandu chromatus- White Striped Bird Eater spiderling "Alan"
(the numbers ie 0.0.1 as above are male.female.unsexed)
the slings are all recent additions this year and i am addicted now lol
I came across this thread when looking into Boris' odd behaviour today she has be wondering around all day moving soil chilmbing glass generally on a mission though i dont think she is going to malt :S so will just leave her too it see how she goes i think. We have had her for 9 years and she was prob a 2 or 3 when we had her as we had her from a friend who runs a reptile rescue centre. so you have inspired me to start a hub of my own about my beautiful T's and as the spkings are new to us i thought it a good way to share my experiences as we learn and to get advice from others who have experience. I was apalled to tears when I read about the poor poor T whose fangw were clipped some people are stupid and cruel beyond all belief that will stay with me forever it broke my heart poor little thing. Also i wanted to pass on a little advice through experience and advice from others on T injuries I know u mentioned super glue but I have also heard corn flour/corn starch works really really well to stop a bleeding T from well bleeding from a fall or casting off a leg etc. Also substrait i use peat moss with all my T's which is just potting soil really though u must make sure its chemically unaltered from pestacisdes/fertilisers also on occation we have used coca bark which hey also love. Sorry for waffling on I didnt realise i had this much lol (excuse all typos i am crap at proof reading)
i have just go a leopard gecko for my little girl but that is in her room
so apart from the gecko there is nothing new.
she look's well its just that she not eating, also her back end look's quite big
hi radgirl
i have a 2 year old chilerose and for the past 4 month's she not been eating do you now what could be wrong as i dont want to lose her
yes it has been eating but with money being really tight she when bout 2 months of not eating after a molting period and i was not sure what would happen to her i fed her last week and she murdered 8 out of 10 crickets
Wow some amazing tips there i'm getting a chilean rose tommorow so the last few days i've just spent some time getting it's home set-up and doing my research on them and i think i'll come back here if i have any questions.
Hey Rad girl and fellow spidey-lovers. My friend recently acquired a rose hair (Lady) she so super cute and so clever we can't stand it! However we're both very timid about handling her. I'm not concerned about the bite or the hairs my main concern is hurting her and handling her properly. Is there a difference between curious touching and a defensive pose? When i first introduced my hand to her she lifted her front feelers pretty high (not like the back bend attack stance i've seen but enough to make me hesitate)after i did that she walked around the tank a bit, at the time i was thinking she was trying to find my hand again but I'm wondering if it was agitated patrolling. I know all spiders are different but is there a safe place to pet her? Also, once we do get the courage to handle her and should something happen what's the best way to put her back? Just wait for her to get off or can you pick her up by her body in between her legs and place her down? Any type of suggestions on handling her would be so appreciated! Thank you!
Thnx so much!!! i think most of the learning needs to be done by just time spent. I almost get offended when people refer to Diablo as a "bug" ive had him for 5 days now and even i see emotions in him. My brother just recently got one too so it will be nice to share our experiences together and learn from each other. They should live long lives with us. Through my reading i have found that you use a heat rock ? ive always tried to avoid them because ive heard some animals will burn themselves on it from too much time spent on it. Reptiles mostly, i didnt even know tarantula's enjoyed heat like that. I dont want to keep you too long but i do have another question or two.
How often do you clean the environment ?
What do you know about their "droppings"?
My place can become VERY humid, how will air conditioning effect him?
And oh yeah your the best Rad !!!
Thanks for the reply Radgirl, I got Doris from my work which is an Aquatic/Reptile shop so I had a bit of time to get to know her first. But how she was kept before that I have no Idea and she does have more space now.
I had always been scared of all spiders and at the same time fascinated by them, but since starting work at this shop and having the chance to handle one I was in love. It was a choice between Doris and another Chile Rose which I think may be a Boris but he was more of a mover when out. But think I might have to bring him home too, he was sold to the shop as another female chile but they look completely different in body shape? Have also just brought a Curly Hair which should be getting next wednesday.
Have made the spider area of the shop my demaine and will make sure all T's go to good home with all the right advise on caring for them.
Thanks for your help, Kind regards Jemma
Hi there,
I just brought my first Tarantula (Doris) a couple of weeks ago, she's a sub adult Female Chilian rose & i love her to bits (never thought I'd say that about a spider). Just had a few questions to make sure I keeping her in the right conditions? she's in a square 30' exo terra terrarium with front and top opening making handling easier, spider life substrate, cork hide, shallow water dish with drinking sponge, hanging artificial plant, heat mat at one end, thermometer which is reading 24c and hygrometer which is reading 51? She eats really well about 2-3 large locusts a week, and has webbed the substrate under her hide? Some time she comes out her hide to great me when I approach, there doesn't seem to be any aggression when she does this? Last night when feeding I noticed she was going round in circles and back and forwards webbing the substrate wile eating? And today under her hide she has been lifting all her legs up and down, does this mean she's approaching a shed or something else? Would she stop eating when a shed is on the cards? Also I can't find any left overs (carcases) of the locusts I feed her?
Sorry so many questions, Kind regards Jemma
Would it offend my tarantula to attempt to pick her up when she is in her webbing ? or touching her webbing at all ?
can u starve a rose haired tarantula i've had mine for bout a year and a half
I have had my Chilean Rose for some time now, but all of a sudden she has started to become aggesive. Firstly it thought she was about to moult but that never happened. she's still eating well. but she has gone from naice and easy to handle to very aggresive in quite a short time. Any Ideaa?
I have had my Chilean Rose for some time now, but all of a sudden she has started to become aggesive. Firstly it thought she was about to moult but that never happened. she's still eating well. but she has gone from naice and easy to handle to very aggresive in quite a short time. Any Ideaa?
try puting your rose hair on face over eye then open your eye to see her undersides ive done few times it kinda freaky cause i feel she might think my eye is a creature... risky but fun... diff my spider something wrong she wont move she wont eat when i pick her up she seems week and wheni put her back she stays in the position i put her i mean to the t and it never looks comfortable for her please tell me shes ok ive only had this one for 3 months and still have yet to see eat is there anything i can do i have crickets in there i have bought 3 times last batch ive kjust left in for a week now cause she needs to eat!
Hi, just to let you know Bert has just moulted for the first time since i have had him, it was a pretty scary time for me! lol. he has just thrown his old clothes in a heap at the back of his hidey hole and is sporting some nice pink tinged ones. i have also got another Grammy, Ernie, who is full grown and loves to be handled, he has given me so much confidence for when Bert is ready to come out to play.
Hey, i cmmented on here a little while ago and i just wanted to update you on my chillien called rosie (i know not very original but she came with the name and i do like it lol) she has since had her first meal which is fantastic, was amazing to watch. she has built webs and did obviously eventually catch 2 crickets in one sitting lol. she climbs a fair bit still but she has worked out how to get herself down and its all safe in there incase she does have a slip but i have never seen her slip shes got it down to a tee now lol. she seems very happy and handleing her is soo easy, she likes coming out as she loved sitting in my hands which are warm. i cant remeber how long i have had her now but she deffinatly part of the family.
Radgirl- That was a great website, and now I am definitely sure the one I thought was a female, is a male. The new one I got is for sure a female though.
Hi again RadGirl, I was wondering if females have things that look like mating hooks too? I noticed on Chilla, she has the hooks on her second pair of legs, not the ones by her fangs but the next closest. Does this mean SHE is a HE? I didn't notice this until yesterday, when I was looking up how to tell male from female, and I was giving her water and she started climbing the tank like she always does, and I noticed she had mating hooks? Or HE. Is CHILLA a CHILLO? And if so how would I go about mating them? (but I'm going to wait until the female (Rosie) is more mature)
Thanks for your help, ill keep them separate. I wanted to get a male to breed my large one (Chilla), how do you breed them? I know you have to put the male inside the females tank (or least I think so.) And I was thinking about keep them separate anyways because the new one is much smaller, her names Rosie :) thx Radgirl.
Hello Radgirl, I just got another Chilean Rose. I told my brother to buy me another one, and he did, but he misunderstood me and though I told him I had a male one, which I'm pretty sure it's a female; but not completely sure. Anyways, he bought me another female, I can't keep them in the same tank, right? I have another 15 gallon for the new one, but it would be best if they could be in there with each other, just easier. Is this possible?
Hiya guys, im hoping that you can help me! I have a Chile rose on order and coming to me in a few days. I have everything it meeds (its still a spiderling!) But i was wondering on the feeding part? Ho do i prevent the micro crickets from escaping from the terrarium that i purchased?? Hopefully on of you loverly people can help!
Rad Girl, you're a WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE!! I got my rh for Christmas. Morticia (Tisha for short) is a juvenile, and I love her!! My dad came across a Mexican Red Knee last summer, and we've all been hooked ever since. He has the Red Knee, an Avic Versi, who is still a sling, a RH and an Orange Baboon Starburst. Never thought we'd be such a spider family!!
yea i would never wnat to hurt her so i deffo wouldnt fling her off even if she did bite, i couldnt! the only other thing is she likes to climb whcih i didnt think was that normal. she is in a glass tank with like a mesh top and strip down the side. she manages to climb up that strip and then on the the thermometer and humidity reader and then gets stuck and i always get scared she may fall. i have saved her every time i see her do it as i dont want her to fall and hurt herself. i dont think shes unhappy in there but i just dont know lol.
yea i would never wnat to hurt her so i deffo wouldnt fling her off even if she did bite, i couldnt! the only other thing is she likes to climb whcih i didnt think was that normal. she is in a glass tank with like a mesh top and strip down the side. she manages to climb up that strip and then on the the thermometer and humidity reader and then gets stuck and i always get scared she may fall. i have saved her every time i see her do it as i dont want her to fall and hurt herself. i dont think shes unhappy in there but i just dont know lol.
thanks. that makes sense with a hair or something. so the person holding her stayed very still and i did say that it would be lik a bee sting. She was scared when she saw her fangs but didnt flinch and then she just stopped moving them. i didnt think she would have bitten i thought there must be an explaination for it. thank you so much! if i have any more querys i will deffo be comeing here!
She's not eating and has webbed a little patch? Sounds exactly like what my spider did right before she began molting. If your spider is missing some of the hairs on it's abdomen and the bald spot is like blackish-purple it's probably going to begin molting. Radgirl-I still have not handed my tarantula, how long you think it will take for her to heal up completely? Or will she have to wait until her next molting to repair her injury.
hey thanks for the help. She hasnt eaten still and has done a small amount of webbing but the guy who had her before me said he had her a decent amound of time to know she isnt a big webber and she ate with her but she is picky. i offered her locusts but apparently she much prefers crickets so i am going to try her on those instead. Also was out on someone i knew the other day and she moved her fangs up and down however she did not bite. we thought she was going to but she just kept walking along his arm and then stopped doing it. was this because she was warning him or what cos i thought if she wasnt happy she would have just bitten him!
hi scaredy cat my t put web all over her tank! get plantaion soil 4 ur substrate coz my t wud not eat or cum out of her log till i put that in! she had 4 crickets 2day and she has made a web! she look happier now
Are they supposed to web a lot as Bert hasn't made any effort, i have had him for about 4 weeks now and there is nothing? he seems more scared of me since his change of substrate so i am trying to leave him alone to settle am i just impatient and expect too much? i have no age or when the last moult was the same as Steff so i guess i will have to wait and see what happens and he will eat all i chuck at him, maybe i have the piggy version lol
i went to my pet shop 2day and thay did not av that bark in saw i got sum plantation soil i put it and put sum crickets in and now she had a few crickets and she looks happy now
Steff- My spider did not start webbing until nearly two weeks after I got her, and she didn't eat for the first week either. Your spider just has to get used to it's surroundings, I'm sure she will eat soon. =]
Thanks for the reply Radgirl, I took out her rock in case she tries climbing again and hurting herself again. She hasn't been climbing much anymore, so I guess she is getting used to her new tank. Although she still has not ate I'm sure she will soon! And I also have not handled her since she has hurt herself, I wouldn't want to hurt her and I'm sure she does not want to be touched, I'll just let her heal up.
I have had my spider for a few days now and she has not made any web at all and there has been 2 crickets in with her which she is not interested in. she would rather them stay out of hr way. i dont know anyting about her like age or when she last molted or when she was last fed as the guy didnt know and hadnt had her long at all. what do u suggest for me to do as she doesnt seem very lively except when handling which she loves, she sees my hand she comes trotting over and climbs up!
I have had my spider for a few days now and she has not made any web at all and there has been 2 crickets in with her which she is not interested in. she would rather them stay out of hr way. i dont know anyting about her like age or when she last molted or when she was last fed as the guy didnt know and hadnt had her long at all. what do u suggest for me to do as she doesnt seem very lively except when handling which she loves, she sees my hand she comes trotting over and climbs up!
will orchid bark do
trae my spider not had ewt to eat 4 6 weeks now
hi Radgirl, i have no problem watching spiders but when they scuttle about with speed is when my heart races and i get the hot/cold sweats lol have held a few other T's but for some reason just worried about mine, maybe cos he is a lot smaller and not really used to be handled yet i wll get there.
Hope you get ya T sorted soon Trae, maybe its just a stress thing, Bert gone all funny and really scared since i changed his home too. Not that i no a lot as i am just a 4 week owner and a real novice lol
Hey Radgirl, I need your help and advice once again. I have just moved my T, Chilla, into a new larger tank. I put the same kind of substrate in the tank that was in the last one, but she seems to HATE her new tank, even though it is much larger. She's starting to make me worried that she is going to kill herself because she is climbing to the top of the cage, she has a sore spot on her butt from doing this, how can I prevent her from climbing? I just bought her 10 juicy crickets and she has not ate in a while and doesn't even seem remotely interested in eating or drinking, I'm hoping she will come down and web, and burrow like she did in the other cage. She really has been acting strangely since her molting and new cage arrangements. Thanks so much radgirl.
hi just changed berts substrate, tried to move him by using a small soft brush expecting him to move but he spun round so quick to see what it was and frightened the life out of me lol.he is just sitting in the middle of his home not doing a lot ,he now has some hidey holes but i think he is still miffed that i messed him about abit, am sure he will settle soon though. don't know who is more scared me or him lol hope i get used to him soon. where i got hom from is really good as they will let me get used to the ones they have to help me overcome my fear lol
thanks she my pride and joy
this is a pic of my t
Hi radgirl, many thanks for your help i have just ordered some reptibark so will hopefully get Bert sorted and happy very soon. i will prob be back again and again and again lol i have found the info you have supplied so far much better than trawling the internet!
thanks again.
Hi i have just joined and my previous post was under Christine. the pic is of Bert. have just noticed you recommend wood chips are they any particular size or just a bog standard size once again thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Hi thanks for the reply he is on vermiculite and has been since i got him, its only the last couple of days that he has done this, only occasionally though, he seems quite happy normally sleeps either on the log or tucked just against it, he also seems to be a hungry boy approx 3 small-medium crickets every few days. he has a pinky color to his hairs when the light is on him. he will fit in the palm of my hand easily, if i had the courage to let him lol, what would you recommend to use for substrate? thanks for all the info and the good advice.
trae my spider molted its skin on xmas day and it is brill to watch! does her adbomen look smaller and has she had ewt to eat yet mine not eat yet
My T named Chilla has finished molting, and wow she looks beautiful, and GIGANTIC! She grew so much, I was surprised. I've noticed she moves around differently, almost like she hasn't gotten used to her new long legs yet, kind of clumsy. I didn't know the molting process was so short, otherwise I would have watched it happen more. Will her abdomen get bigger to match her legs? She looks a little silly =P.
Hi i have just read all the posta above and have found some useful tips. i purchased my first T, Chilean rose called Bert just before christmas and he does some really funny poses, he seems to stand on tip toes and looks really tall,like he is afraid to settle or half of him is on his piece of log and the other half on the ground do you have any idea why? he has been ok until the last day or so. thanks
wen i spray my tank i just spray in 1 stop coz thats wat pet shop say
i av a dead bby pinky shud i try her wiv that
Thanks for all the great advice, I'll make sure not to bother her; and to have fun with the exoskeleton without giving my grandma a heart attack lol, that part made me laugh. Thanks again radgirl.
Hey Radgirl, my hunch was right and so were you. My Chilla was acting strange because she was about to begin molting, she's webbed a little circle and is upside down, it looks COOL! What special things should I do while she's molting? Can she move during this process? How do I go about spraying water on the wood chips while she's molting? Should I leave the heating lamp on? Will she want to eat as soon as she is finished molting? Thank you =]
she has blocked 1 end off her log and the cricket is inside wiv her will it try to bite my spider!
i keep puttin food in the day a take um out before i go bed! wen the food goes near her she run away or stands on her back legs
i keep puttin food in the day a take um out before i go bed! wen the food goes near her she run away or stands on her back legs
update on chilli's egg sac, is now removed from her home and in a seperate home for the sac be about 5 weeks until the eggs will hatch if anyone knows of ways i can get rid of the brood let me know lol
lettin u know that my spider is sat in her water dish is this a gud sign
plus i av put fresh bedin in 2day! incase there wer any mites in the tank!!
i am use vermiculite for he/her beddin
wen will she eat again its bin 6 to 7 weeks last time she had sumet to eat and i dont know if she drinkin tho
does not look like it is! it just looks like its just smaller i keep lookin at it every hour to make sure its not dead
wat u mean by shriveling up?
she is 1 year old! she got a water dish down but not seen her drink out of it! since he/she molted its skin she not really moved i keep put food in but he/she just runs away from it!
i dont want he/she to die
hi my spider ab is gettin smaller and will not eat! he/she molted her skin on xmas day and he/she has not eatin in 6 weeks now is he/she ill plz help!!!!
hi radgirl panic over ! definately an egg sac, got in touch with a local exotic shop whom i will be taking the tank in its state now with chilli just keeping herself on top of the sac the guy there says he will remove it for me and i will try to raise the slings myself and try selling on defo wnt to keep one for my self though... just a bit unsure etc as being a novice and quite in shock of the whole process but in awe at the same time god i have only had her just over a month and now all this happened.. ill keep u posted in the developments and any more help will be much appreciated
ermmm!!! what the hell do i do!woke up this morning and she had cocooned herself in the webbing and there is yellow sort of mucus type stuff coming from her abdomen just slowly oozing out....... if this is eggs i dont have a clue what to do next as she has not been handled yet and have not had her for 5 weeks yet plz plz plz help
hi all really need some questions answered!
chilli has been moving about her home now for a few days literally grabbing substrate and dragging it around and also has been webbing enormously!what does this mean!
she has also not eaten the last two feeds but how do i stop her webbing so much,i would appreciate any help
Thanks for your feedback, wood chips are what I use, so I'm glad you recommended them lol. My T's name is Chilla, and I've noticed lately she's been a little grouchy; would this be maybe because she's in the pre-molt stage? She's missing quite a bit of hairs off her booty, and the color of the bald patch is pretty dark almost purple looking. Last time I tried to pick her up she flicked hairs at me :( and let me tell ya...she's a very good aim.
thanks rad girl i totally agree with you on the book thing to be honest iv read a few when i first started out in the hobby and on the odd occasion i do read but to be honest alot of them are so full of s**t if anything the info gives you advice on how to kill your T's off... the best advice like you said and again i back you up 110% the best advice you can get is from hobbyist's like your self not even pet stores or alot of reptile stores no what there talking about lol and definatly i dunt no it all either there is so much to learn and not enough time to learn it in and as much as many books state that all species are the same i beg to differ every single T has its own personality and all are diffrent in there own special little ways :P
welcome to the hobby (family) Noxicity, Trae and Tony hope your T's bring you alot of joy
Hey I have a couple more questions, sorry if they sound silly but they are sincere. Can spiders hear? I'm wondering this because I often listen to loud music and play my video games in my room where she's at, and I don't want to disturb her. Also, the heating lamp in her cage gives off a reddish color, is that okay or not? Thank you very much.
I just got my Chilean Rose a couple weeks ago, she's ate but not very much. Thanks for all your useful information on the safekeeping of them. I am a little afraid of handling her, but do anyways and she seems to have no problem with it, the first day i got her i didn't know about the itchy hairs on their butts and they made my fingers itch from touching them, haha. What is best to put at the bottom of the cage? Best and most easily accessible? Thank you.
is it ok to give my chilli tap water i've heard that spider water can get contaminated?
It did, Lilith seems very content, when we are around she mostly just sits and chills but when we are gone shell eat and tonight we came home to find that she webbed over one end of a makeshift tunnel and was hiding out in it. Still no bites or flicks although if she does not want to be bothered she lets us know in her own quiet way. It has been alot of fun ^^
also, and i don't know if i am wrong on this, but she seems to enjoy it when i stroke the underside of her abnomin. she doesn't tense up or really move away, but does lift it slightly and relax a little bit
Hi i just bought my first rosey (she is currently exploring the keyboard even as i type) in fact i've only had her for two days. Originally she was Christmas gift for my husband but even despite my fear of spiders i am very fond of her. We've named her Lilith and right now lives in a small plastic travel tank, although we are moving her to a 20 gallon tank after we get it cleaned out. I admit I was surprised when people talked about their roseys acting aggressively because my little girl has never flicked or threatened despite the amount of time we spend holding and playing with her. she hasn't eaten anything yet, and when in her cage barely even moves, i keep her substrate (the same kind they kept her in at the pet store) slightly moist and have a small heating pad under one corner of the cage (it is a very low heat) When she is out of the cage she moves around alot and seems to enjoy exploring (her favorite spot is my pillow which she eventually rests on as if content) However i am worried about moving her into the bigger tank, we are not sure what substrate to go with only that we want to at least put a layer of the wooden substrate over it because that is what she is used to. What would you suggest?
oh and jon somtimes a Rosey will fast (there considerd the crazy spiders of the T world) the longest recorded G.Rosey fast to date is 2 years so try not to panic to much but again do what i said in ma previouse comment and answer questions just in case she/he aint fasting ok bud
Joe does spidey have any black markings/blotches on her abdomen ? if so she is in premolt congrads. If not get her in an ICU unit straight away and tell us if she has any of the following sighns....
has her abdomen shriveld up or look wrinkly ?
does she sit on or very near her water bowl ?
does her legs appear to be curling under her body slightly ?
Do you have any sighns of mold or pests (little bugs) in her home ?
has her colours lightend or darkend or stayed the same ?
does she show sighns of aggression when you touch her (flicking hairs, Trys to bite, threat posture) ?
is she triping over her self when she walks?
is she wobbly when she walks ?
does she look funny when she walks ?
have you ever fed spidey any wild caught food that you no off ?
have you ever ever fed her mice or pinkys ?
and have you tried her with meal worms or any other food ?
this is very important you answer every question ok just simple yes and no so we can all establish what is wrong ok mate but for now get her in an ICU unit ... This is how you build it ...
get a tub/cricket keeper put damp paper towls in the bottom of the tub/cricket keeper (make sure it is damp but not overly wet aka.. No water what so ever dripping from the paper towels) add a water bowl and put spider in there and close the lid (if you use a tub put air holes in) keep her in a dark and warm place or some were out of direct sunlight oncve you have done that come back and answer my questions ok mate oh and one more thing i referd to spidey as she but is spidey male or female ? just need too no but doesnt really matter but wuld help
hey radgirl,
just wonderin if ya have any more advice for me?
I was taking to you about 2 months ago about my spidey who at that stage hadn't ate in 6 - 7 weeks. She still hasn't ate since then and its nearly four months ago since she last ate. I'm getting really worried now about her as she is very small and generally doesn't move around much at all anymore, she just sits there looking the crickets. She even let one walk on her the other day. The tiny little cricket crawled up her leg, across her back and down her ab and spidey didn't even move a bit.
Any advice would be great thank you
if I kill them a leave them in front of her den she eats them. not right away but after a few days
is there anything I could do to make the superworms work like put more in the tank or lower the level of forest bark so that the worms cant burrow?
im am kinda worried that my rosie is gun starve the superworms instantly go down and there are 2 in there but they never come up only the first one I put in was dumb enough to come up so should I keep trying with the superworms cuase that's what they fed her or should I switch to crickets
ok great thanks ill try putting a few more crickets and try the next day etc i did the same she started walking on to my fingers and just started to insert her fang lol poor cow thought i was food then she is biting the hand that feeds hope she did not like the taste
hi all got a bit of a weird query for u all to ponder!
chilli my sub adult female i tried to pick her up today in the way all have suggested to lay hand flat and let her walk on to it at her own will she came over slowly but gained confidence each step she finally came on but then with no warning or signs of stress or aggression started to sink her fangs in to my finger i obviously pulled away but did not harm her but if i had left it another second she would have done some damage,now the only thing i cn think of is maybe she was hungry the shop suggested feeding her 1 cricket every other day..... if anyone has any help regarding this please get back to me as i still love her and would love to try again...
regards SK
I dont have to worry about dead crickets she eats superworms but the damn things burrow down almost instantly but they do come up at night and she gets them. I saw her eating one last night I would rather have them in like a bowl but a pill bottle cap isn't deep enough to keep them in and I don't want something to high that she won't try and catch them.
great site radgirl......i've had my rose for only 3 weeks now and she's been great eats like a pig though bit worried about overfeeding if i throw them in there will she eat them if she's hungry or not i dont know....her name is petra i think she's a female not sure the guy in the petshop said she was but i think he wanted rid of her she was in such a tiny cage i felt sorry for her but i think i have fallen for her now lol
I think mine is a female but im not sure but if it is a male I will love it just the same and is forest bark a good subtrate?
how long do males usualy live?
thankyou rad girl i tried to help the little guy as best as i could but she just passed away and there was nothing i could of done or any 1 could of done to prevent such a nasty act on the poor little rosey, The person that did this to that spider we had a massive massive fall out through it wich some say is abit over the top and maybe it was but that what he did to these gourgess tarantulas was cruel and spiteful and pure torture for the spider thanks for you comment it means alot and hope that no 1 has to see 1st hand of what this does to a tarantula because well its very sad and i found it very very upseting so
thanks again radgal your great
thank u very much for the response to be honest regarding her grub she seems to be munching up every last drop of the crickets she is a sub adult but i think shes going to be a fine specimen as her abdomen looks spot on etc etc nice long hairy legs too!
i will keep a eye on the humidity but i assume as long as she is eating she should be fine i also have noticed her to be checking the lair out a bit more too she was walking the walls yesterday and for the first time in a week she has gone in her bark thing..... the shop advised leaving it a week before trying to handle her so ill be giving tht a shot tommorow now but can not wait to try her with it....
i got my spider last week for my birthday just got a few queries as i think everything else is spot on!
the humidity is currently at 60%
and temperaturt at 78 degrees
is this a good mix etc
incy has ate everything i have put in for her since last week which has been a cricket every other day so i assume shes doing ok.
just need to get some tips for ensuring that she has another source of water for the humidity in case she is literally drinking it all whilst i am out at work etc i have read about spraying the substrate and a lot of people conflict each other so a bit confused!!!!!
Hey there,
I waited a little while before I put any locusts in - and you were right...as soon as I turned my back and walked away she had it! She was one happy spider! YAY!(And we are very happy too!)
I am going to put another one in in case she is still hungry after it being so long since she's eaten - although I have to say she looks great!
I was a little concerned that I would put her off again if I put another in too soon - but I guess the worst that can happen is that I have to take it out again.
im in need of ergent help !!
my friend has brought his T round to mine and the poor guy is in seriouse need of attention it is very dehydrated and could say unless something is done very soon it will die =[
i have been hydrateing it and kept high humidity to help but that's not the problem
the dip stick cut the fangs of his G.Rosea because he was scared of him/her biting him... i no this is abit of a long shot but is there any way that they could grow back with in the next malt or is there any way i can keep him/her alive ??
The Rosea is 3 inch leg span she/he still got plenty of life to live
please help if you can
not at all.she seems quite content in her tank.eating fine,burrowing,drinking.its only the aggression that seems weird.
Ive got a divider built onto the tank so going to use it from now on.
I thought they were meant to nice and docile too that's why a choose this species.She was a captive breed.A dont know maybe she will calm down shes still a sub-adult.
It would be nice to handle her but Im not fussed if she just wants to be a display spider then a
Im fine with that shes still beautiful.lol
hey just to give you an update and let other T owners know something.
I was changing Ambers water today she was in her burrow with head sticking out i put my hand in to pick up the dish and she raced at my hand and bite me.it was only a dry bite and she let go really quick.shes pretty aggressive.
firstly those people that say its like a wasp sting are wrong it hurts like hell lol
secondly I respect her more for defending her territory and shes something special I get attached to her more and more each even if she is a bitch.
hey radgirl,
i got my T named her Amber.Shes beautiful.i think she has settled in ok.not went near her burrow yet though.ate three crickets earlier.but I think i pissed her off because I kept looking at her and when I had the lid open she reared up but I think she may just be nervous.going to give her a few days alone.
So happy though Deano
She's out! She's made it! Oh it was so amazing - I was spellbound by the whole process. I think I love her even more now! She was so good at it!
She managed to just "slide out" in under 2 hours. It was so fast!
She is resting now, but I will do just as you say and try the whole feeding routine thing soon. I'm really hoping this'll be a turn around and that like you say - she'll have an appetite of a monster!
So good to talk to someone who doesn't think I'm deranged for being so engrossed in her!
thanks Radgirl! Speak soon x
Hi Radgirl,
Although we were successful in rehydrating Evie she still hasn't eaten. That is since April. However, since being rehydrated she was once again more energetic. So we were hopeful.
This morning my daughter pointed out that she had webbed everywhere around her - everywhere! like a bed. She looked like she was dying. I decided to not say anything to my daughter - just let her get on with her day at school. Deal with it later..
While she has been gone - Evie has suddenly started to molt! I am so excited! After all this time and we were so worried - maybe she was just getting ready to molt? Maybe that was why she wasn't eating?
Anyway - we are all looking in eagerly. I do hope she makes it - i know it's a risky time. Is there anything that I can do to make it safer for her? I have sprayed her cage in the hope she'll keep moist.
I know you may not get this in time - it might be all over by the time you read this but I just felt the need to include you as you were so kind and helpful!
I'll keep you posted.
Ali x
yeah that helps alot thanks.I think I am going with the same idea as you having a hot place and a cold place.That's what I done for my snakes in the past.
I am sure the heat mat has a gauge on it however if it doesn't I will be purchasing a heat rock.
will keep you posted thanks for the quick response.
hey Radgirl,
I am getting a chile rose in a few weeks and was just doing my research (great site).I have just a few questions please.
firstly do tarantulas pee and poop?if so do you remove them?
secondly My kit has come with a heat mat do you use one?where to put it? and what temperature should it be at?
thankyou Deano
How long do female rosies live? Males?
Hey radgirl. I am about to get a rose but i have some questions. When you feed yur tarantula, how many crickets do you feed it and how often. i have been looking at sum websites and they say to take any uneaten prey out of the cage in the next 24 hrs. Does this mean any dead prey, or just every all of the uneaten crickets whether they are living or not? And what do you do for the spiders heating? ANd just curious, have you ever been bitten be yur girl? Srry bout all those quesstions. LOL. Email me. Thx
hey joe
just to let you no (from personal experience) its not rare that any tarantula may go weeks if not months with out eating. How long has he/she stoped eating for? please respond soon.
Please note that if your tarantula's are having little shakes or for some reason just occasionally shaking please let me no asap
if your tarantula is slow moving very docile and/or weak let me no.
and if your tarantula is becoming abit aggressive please do not disturbe her and respond asap
look out for these 3 simple sighns joe ok if she/he does not suffer any of these that's good due to 2 of these are very bad incurable illneses in tarantulas the last one may be premolt but dont take my word for it not till we no what's really going on
as for what sex for any tarantula look on the front legs (when mature) and look for pedlepalps (a nobly lump on the front legs) and hooks (also on the front legs) this indicates that you have a male. Also a good way of judgeing is the size of there arse lol males tend to be smaller than females. Regardless of weather you have male or female Chilean Rose Hairs there still rely on you (unlike some people i used to no killed there males because there life span was short) These T's are special i have 8 T's and i love every one of them unconditionally even when they give me a good nailing lol
i have 1 gramostola rosea (Chilean Rose Hair) 1 OBT (Orange baboon tarantula) or (Orange bitey thing lol) 1 Avicularia Avicularia (Pink Toe) 1 H.Lividum (Cobalt Blue) 1 B.Smithi (Mexican red knee) 1 Togo Starburst (2 inch spiderling) 1 goliath bird eater (she is huge lol) and a P.Regalise (4 inch) which i got bit by about 2 months ago :P yea that hurt lol i handle all my T's although some of them have massive warning sighns over there heads lol
some advice if any one does get an aggressive species not that people recommend holding these but it is ok if you want to under extreem caution though i find with a couple of these if your hand towers over them they go into thret posture but if your hand is bellow them there fine they'll walk on your hand no problem my cobalt blue i handle like i would a chilean rose hair and she is very skidish but as long as i dont tower over her and im slow when picking her up she is fine
but yea joe please respond asap and let us no yea and radgirl your a star guys you can learn alot from her in all fairness she is amazing in the advice she gives
remember guys unconditional love for ya T's you'll get so much more back from them n belive me tarantulas aint stupid your treat them with love and respect you get so much more back
high five to rad girl =]
joe your doing great but dont worry to much your Tarantula will be fine in time high five to you to =]
Hey thanks very much your a star, i'l do all that and hopefully she'l be fine. I'll keep ya updated on any progress. Thank your very much,
hey thanks for getting back to me so quickly.
I tried a slice of apple about 2 weeks ago but i couldn't see any signs that she even touched it.
I keep her in my bedroom which i only use for sleeping so there would be no loud noises and not much activity.
As i live in Ireland there is not much hot sun but she gets plenty of sunlight all day and she has a little cave to go into if she wants to get into the dark.
About 1 week before she stopped eating i noticed little mites in the terranium so i took her out and i washed everything (just with water, no soap or anything like that) and gave her fresh substrate and they haven't come back, i'm on constant look out for them.
Yes she has a small bald patch on her rear, its about one quarter the size of her ab right in the middle, her skin is kind of a light gray-white color. She has had this since i got her in july.
The only other things i have noticed strange is that she tends to tuck her legs in close to her body when she is staying still and she has never spun any web.
Thank you very much,
hey radgirl i was talkin to ya on this back in july when i got my spider but i've run into a major problem, she won't eat, i've tried giving different types of crickets and even small locusts but she has no interest in them at all. she hasn't ate in about 6 to 7 weeks now. i have the humidity and temperature right in the terranium and i don't know what to do with her. any advice would be much appreciated, thanks very much, joe.
i decided to name her Scarlett
thanks soo much :]
one last question before i leave you alone for a while, is it normal for her to eat 8 crickets in 2 days? does that mean they were starving her or could she just be a little piggy?
you've been such an amazing help to me. i put a few crickets in today and she instantly grabbed two haha
she's doing much better. i was worried at first but you put me at ease and i see now that what you're saying is true. i will definitely be coming to you for any other questions i have. you're a lifesaver! my baby thanks you too. I'm not sure what to name her though! in time, in time :]
maybe her personality will show me the right name for her.
i figured out what was wrong. she was hungryy! haha :] and i got her a good hiding spot.
I am worried now. my tarantula has not moved AT ALL in the last 2 and a half hours.. same position in that corner.
from the pictures i've seen i know for sure it's not full grown.. is there any kind of signs i can look for other than what you've already said that it might molt soon? like change in color or something of that sort?
oh and she's taken a fancy to one corner of the tank.. keeps herself shoved up in that corner but isn't burrowing she's just sitting there. i'm also convinced that the man i bought her from misinformed me because the legs are thin and it is small bodied although it has a 3 inch leg span.. it's hind part is not round when you look from the side. it looks like sort of an oval.. and the thin legs make me think it's a male now, not a female. could it be dehydrated or is it normal for it's hind part to not be completely round? i don't know how old this tarantula is.. :/
also, im not sure if continuously climbing up the walls is a sign that she's uncomfortable with the habitat i've provided. i can't get her a hiding place until tomorrow or so i have a water dish and very clean natural potting soil as her substrate. i held her earlier, and she's been mild in temperment, when i moved her to the larger tank i accidentally put my fingers right in her face and got no reaction. but when i put them behind her she calmly climbed out of the tiny container to the habitat as if she wasn't bothered. i'm not sure if i'm doing something wrong or not.
it helped bunches. i got a lid and it fastens well. so thank you. another question i have, could a stressed spider lunge? i bought her at a reptile show today, and she was in a tiny container for hours. i finally moved her into her tank and she moved around and continuously climbs to the top. i misjudged her size, she has about a 3 inch span so i'm not so worried now. anyway, my point was they had a sponge in the tiny container for her to drink from that was mildewed and i was disgusted that they'd take such poor care of her. i went to take it out but she was nearly on top of it so i slightly brushed her back leg with the lid to nudge her forward and she lunged around at me. i'm not sure if she was trying to bite or if i startled her. she is back to climbing up the walls and has no bald spot so if she was stressed she wasn't kicking up hairs.
hey there. this site helped me soo MUCH. i bought a red rose hair tarantula today, and i was wondering if a 5 gallon tank is too big for a spider with about a 1.5-2 inch span.. i'm worried to put her in the tank without knowing. also, i know that the tank is WAY too tall for her, could she climb out? i don't know if they can climb up glass because it isn't porous.. please get back to me asap. thanks!
Hey i mightb e gettign a chilean rose can you just explain to me what's humidity,how do i control it what's a good substrate what do i do with the wate dish i live in north england so ist a bit cold