Excessive Fang Cleaning

[Tarantella 8]

Setup my Grammostola rosea in an enclosed area with bright lights. Ever since he has been grooming his fangs and jaws repeatedly with his forelegs.
I understand they come from the Atacama region and will tolerate temperatures between the mid 70s and 80s. How sensitive are rosea to light?

Does this behavior indicate mites or other parasites?
I gave him a little shelter that he has thus far ignored in case it gets too hot or bright.

 

[Gigas]

mine goes through a 10 minute grooming and aerobics set when she wakes up, and T's often clean after a meal generally they dont like natural light but muine tends to cope in house lighting(doesnt hide from it) as long as the lights arent focused on her it shouldnt be too bad

 

[widow_cr]

my grammastola is always cleaning herself. I think some spiders just do it more than others. a good way to check if it has mites is with a reading magnifying glass that has a light on it. in most cases they will be visible in the cracks and crevices of the exoskeleton.

 

[Windchaser]

Cleaning is perfectly normal. I would lose the bright lights though. Tarantulas are not overly found of bright lights. In addition, depending on the light source, it can lead to dehydration.

 

[sammyp]

Yeah.. rosies are fastidious little boogers. What's cute is how they sort of freeze when you catch them grooming, almost the way cats sometimes do. You just know if they had tongues, it would be the same silly expression

 

[becca81]

Is it eating and/or normally active?

 

[Nightshade]

I would lose the light

I'm a newby but neither of my rose hairs seem to like being under bright lights for any period of time. When I had them on my night table, if I turned on the light when I came into the room, they would retreat into their flowerpots. They seem a lot more comfortable now that they live in my bookshelf.
The last time Desiderius caught me watching her clean her fangs she leisurely turned around and displayed her big spider butt for me instead;P
Maybe she was annoyed that I took my sweet time feeding her.

 

[Tarantella 8]

Definetely not very active. This may be due to the rather moist substrate that I plan on removing after the feeders are gone. He ( I've located what appear to be the hooks), sticks to a bare corner waiting, and is averaging a kill a day.
Was ignoring crickets earlier and would either go the threatening stance when I sent them in his direction, or avoidance stance. Seem to be solitary predators that will not feed on command, and do not like being watched.

Checked in on him after a movie, and he has just finished constructing an elaborate (by Rose Hair standards) feeding mat and has eaten his second cricket.

 

[Windchaser]

He ( I've located what appear to be the hooks),

Out of curiosity, are the hooks located near the center of the legs on the first pair of legs? Or, are you talking about the small hooks on the ends of their legs? All tarantulas have small hooks on the ends of their legs (all pairs) and these are used to assist in climbing. Only mature males (and not all species) have tibial hooks. They are pretty noticeable on G. rosea.

 

[Tarantella 8]

Near the center of the front two legs, on his underside. They are peach in color.

 

[ShadowBlade]

Out of curiosity, are the hooks located near the center of the legs on the first pair of legs? Or, are you talking about the small hooks on the ends of their legs? All tarantulas have small hooks on the ends of their legs (all pairs) and these are used to assist in climbing. Only mature males (and not all species) have tibial hooks. They are pretty noticeable on G. rosea.

If it is mature, it may be cleaning it's bulbs as often as it's cleaning it's fangs.

 

[Windchaser]

Near the center of the front two legs, on his underside. They are peach in color.

Then yes, you have a mature male.

 

[Apocalypstick]

TURN OFF THOSE FRIGGING LIGHTS sweetheart.

 

[Arlius]

Find a female for him before all that personal hygene goes to waste!

 

[Tarantella 8]

After careful observation, Ive accepted that the pink hooks might be his fangs. Are they usually retracted, as to be visible on the bottom, at even keel with his body when climbing? Otherwise he keeps them up and battle ready, and there would be a distinction, distance wise.

 

[cacoseraph]

After careful observation, Ive accepted that the pink hooks might be his fangs. Are they usually retracted, as to be visible on the bottom, at even keel with his body when climbing? Otherwise he keeps them up and battle ready, and there would be a distinction, distance wise.

fangs are usually black unless the tarantula has just molted or has been damaged or is suffering some kind of condition

 

[Windchaser]

I think you really need to post a picture of these hooks. There are also several pictures here on AB that show what tibial hooks look like. You might want to try a search for those and compare them to what you are seeing.