chilli rose turantula strikes for no reason! help!

[steph09]

hey i bought a chilli rose about a month ago, wen i first got him, he was very active and always moving. i was very afraid of him but now i love him to bits. recently hes been actrin very strange. he hadnt been fed in a week and well he struck for my bf, hes never ever done that before, we then fed him and well he still the same, he wont like to be handled any more and well i dont want to get bitten. his behavior is very different to how he use to be and well we dont know wats up. i dont want to get rid of him but i feel we have to if he cant change. i jus dont know wats up hes not molting and been fed. he use to be so tame now he just strikes when we try to handle him. i bought him off a mate who raised him from a baby, he says hes never struck at him and hes only 4. we are so confused!

 

[arachnorama]

He might be molting soon. don't bug him so much.

 

[Widowman10]

1- read this if you haven't already
2- in the future, you might get more help here
3- T's are not like dogs, they are pets that are not meant to be petted/handled/cuddled/etc. sometimes they will allow us to hold them, other times (and other species) really don't want to be touched. don't get rid of your T just b/c you can't hold it. also, if it's being rather defensive lately, read the signs and leave it alone. it may be nearing a molt or something.

any other questions?

 

[JPD]

I have been bitten by T's that are considered "nice" (G.rosea, B.smithi, B.albo) and not bitten by T's that are considered "not so nice" (H.lividum, P.murinus, E.murinus). No hard and fast rule and always exceptions. I live by the philosophy...."If you handle any spider, expect to be bitten"
As mentioned by Widowman10, they are not like dogs or cats. Truth-be-told, I have had rather nasty bites and scratches from angry cats and I would much rather be bitten by a Tarantula any day. While I do agree that you should not get rid of it simply because of the recent turn of events, you need to re-evaluate what you expect in your pet and do a little more research about their behavior and general husbandry techniques. If you conclude that this is just something that you can't live with and because of this there is a risk that the quality of life for the Tarantula may suffer, then it is best to sell or adopt him/her out to someone who is capable and accepting of what is expected. I am sure that there are an overabundance of people on this forum that would be more than willing to buy or adopt if that is the route that you decide to go.
Forgot to mention.....if your G.rosea is a male getting near the end of his life, he may continue with this behavior. You know how grumpy old people can get.....I think the same is true for T's.

 

[tekkendarklord]

1- read this if you haven't already
2- in the future, you might get more help here
3- T's are not like dogs, they are pets that are not meant to be petted/handled/cuddled/etc. sometimes they will allow us to hold them, other times (and other species) really don't want to be touched. don't get rid of your T just b/c you can't hold it. also, if it's being rather defensive lately, read the signs and leave it alone. it may be nearing a molt or something.

any other questions?

+1 I agree :clap:

 

[Lucille]

Ts, (as well as most people and animals) rarely strike out for no reason; you just haven't figured out the reason yet.
If you have to be 100% sure that you won't be bit, save th next molt and pick that up if you just have to hold something.

 

[steph09]

thanks for all your comments has helped alot. fred is now a happy little chap we got him out earlier and he was perfectly fine and wandered round like he use too, we pin pointed the fact that he hadnt been fed in a week and well he thought we was food. we are going to be very careful with him now and we only handle him to spray his tank and change the moss in it. we are just afraid of the unknown with fred and will always check if hes happy to be handled or just wants leaving alone we havee grown attached to the inverts and reptiles and purchased a snake earlier and is getting another one next week. would like to know more about snakes,t's and reptiles as im hoping to become a herpetologist.

 

[Drachenjager]

thanks for all your comments has helped alot. fred is now a happy little chap we got him out earlier and he was perfectly fine and wandered round like he use too, we pin pointed the fact that he hadnt been fed in a week and well he thought we was food. we are going to be very careful with him now and we only handle him to spray his tank and change the moss in it. we are just afraid of the unknown with fred and will always check if hes happy to be handled or just wants leaving alone we havee grown attached to the inverts and reptiles and purchased a snake earlier and is getting another one next week. would like to know more about snakes,t's and reptiles as im hoping to become a herpetologist.

the rose hair hate moist dirt so do not spray them . they like the dirt bone dry just give a water dish

 

[Aurelia]

the rose hair hate moist dirt so do not spray them . they like the dirt bone dry just give a water dish

I'd like to add that you don't need to change out the dirt in his tank.

 

[sharpfang]

Well put JBD

One of the few spiders that "Tapped" me with Fangs was a rose hair.....And i've heldsome I should'nt.....go figure!:evil: Not so Rosey hair..............Jason

 

[xhexdx]

I'd also like to add that not feeding G. rosea for a week is not a big deal, and the spider isn't starving after that amount of time.

 

[Widowman10]

exactly. haha, the cricket truck doesn't come to their burrow every monday

if you want it to be a little more natural, you could always starve your spider for a few weeks, then gorge your spider for a few weeks or you could just feed it all the time...