G. Rosea... habitat

[briarpatch10]

I will be getting my first T tomorrow!!! I ordered a G. Rosea from Captive inverts. Brandon at captive inverts has been great on answering questions but I wanted to get a couple of different opinions. I bought her a 10 gal tank { she is full grown 5''-6''} She has 2 inches of coconut fiber bedding {Tropical Soil expandable compressed coconut fiber bedding from petsmart} packed down as tight as I could get it. A small water bowl and a ceramic hide. Is there anything else I need? Any comments or helpful advise any of you could give me. I would rfeally appreciate it.

 

[BrynWilliams]

welcome to the hobby and gratz on the new T

read this for your rosea, it's pretty comprehensive

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=5292

 

[briarpatch10]

Thanks ...and thanks for the info!

 

[Fyreflye]

Welcome, and congrats on your FIRST tarantula- hopefully many more to follow!

Roseas are terrestrial Ts, which mean that they live on the ground. It is better to have a smaller gap from the floor to the ceiling in her home, in case she tries to climb and falls. In a larger tank, you can just fill that extra space with more substrate.

Speaking of substrate, roseas like it DRY. Sometimes they will stand on top of their hide or try to climb the walls if the ground is too damp for their liking. So, no water in the tank except for in the water bowl.

Feel free to decorate her new home. Just stay away from sharp edges, and you can put all kinds of decor in the tank.

Post pictures of the set-up if you can!!!

 

[B8709]

Agreed.... Give it more substrate and never mist it. Keep dry.

 

[joes2828]

Agreed.... Give it more substrate and never mist it. Keep dry.

+1 on more substrate....my 4" rosie created an elaborate burrow with about 5" of sub. Although, that's not too common

 

[Falk]

Agreed.... Give it more substrate and never mist it. Keep dry.

Wrong!

Lightly mist one side on the tank once a week.

 

[PsychoSpider]

Wrong!

Lightly mist one side on the tank once a week.

Or overflow water dish once in a while...

 

[B8709]

Wrong!

Lightly mist one side on the tank once a week.

Actually you are wrong. Don't mist at all. Water dish is ALL it needs. Thanks.

 

[SNAFU]

Actually you are wrong. Don't mist at all. Water dish is ALL it needs. Thanks.

I have to agree here. They do come from what is considered the driest desert in the world, so...
I have owned 5 total G.rosea in my collection over the years and have never given any source of moisture but a water dish. Just IMHO of course.

 

[PsychoSpider]

I just overflow the dish every couple of weeks because I have an air conditioner in the bug room. Air conditioner=Super dry

 

[Falk]

I have to agree here. They do come from what is considered the driest desert in the world, so...
I have owned 5 total G.rosea in my collection over the years and have never given any source of moisture but a water dish. Just IMHO of course.

They come from a very very big area and not just a dry desert, they live in half desert and bush forrest.
Atacama desert in the south of Peru down to the noth of Chile to Santiago, they have also been found in southwest Bolivia och northwest Argentina.
At the bush areas fog comes in from South Pacific so they dont live completely bone dry.

 

[Stan Schultz]

Welcome to the hobby!

Welcome to this forum!

I will be getting my first T tomorrow!!! I ordered a G. Rosea from Captive inverts. ...

First, read http://people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/stansrant.html.

Then, read http://people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/roses.html.

Then, largely ignore any recommendations about misting or overflowing water dishes. Years of experience by tens of thousands of enthusiasts have shown that it can cause serious problems, and that it's all unnecessary. (But DO make sure it has a water dish.)

The argument that they get periodic mists or fogs in Chile is bogus. We're not keeping them in the Atacama Desert in Chile. We're keeping them in a cage in our bedrooms or living rooms. We've completely changed the rules and must therefore completely change the care regimen.

Read the books. Enjoy your newfound little buddy!

 

[Falk]

What damage will it of you mist slightly on one side oce a week?

 

[Cirith Ungol]

the argument that they get periodic mists or fogs in chile is bogus. We're not keeping them in the atacama desert in chile. We're keeping them in a cage in our bedrooms or living rooms. We've completely changed the rules and must therefore completely change the care regimen.

+ 1

 

[briarpatch10]

Thanks fo rall the replies!!! I apreciate all the info!

 

[Stan Schultz]

What damage will it of you mist slightly on one side oce a week?

Off the top of my head:

1. Mineral buildup on the glass that's unsightly and hard to clean off. (Okay, so you use distilled water. Why go through the bother and expense if it's useless?)

2. Residual damp places under the substrate or under ornaments and furnishings allow a potential place for a seed infestation of mites to start.

3. If you get a little over zealous and spray the tarantula (as many do), it p*$$*$ off the spider. Do not annoy your tarantula!


If there were a good reason for doing it I'd be a lot less vocal, but there is absolutely no reason for misting, especially with a desert species like a G. rosea. There are a very small handful of species that do better for the novice if kept in a damp (swamp) cage, but the overwhelming majority of tarantulas are just as capable of adjusting to a dry cage as we are to a dry living room, maybe even better! Just make sure they have access to a water dish for when they need a drink.

And, for the swamp dwellers there are far better ways to increase the humidity in the tarantula's cage that don't have the faults mentioned above.

 

[Falk]

2. Residual damp places under the substrate or under ornaments and furnishings allow a potential place for a seed infestation of mites to start.

You wont get infestation from a light mist once a week.
So by that you dont mist cages with South American Theraphosids?



3. If you get a little over zealous and spray the tarantula (as many do), it p*$$*$ off the spider. Do not annoy your tarantula!

Yeah, i know....not my first week in the hobby.

 

[Stan Schultz]

... You wont get infestation from a light mist once a week. ...

But what GOOD is it doing? If it's not doing any good, why bother?

... So by that you dont mist cages with South American Theraphosids? ...

I've never misted any cages! There's no point to it. It's just a huge waste of my precious time, effort and money. If you really, REALLY, REALLY, fundamentally believe that you absolutely must adjust the humidity in your tarantulas' cages (and there are some circumstances when this might be advisable, see below), cover the cage openings to reduce ventilation. The water dish will supply all the humidity necessary, AND IT WILL BE CONSTANT, not willy-nilly sporadic.

I am puzzled, however, by why you might single out the South American theraphosids. Any explanation?

... 3. If you get a little over zealous and spray the tarantula (as many do), it p*$$*$ off the spider. Do not annoy your tarantula!

Yeah, i know....not my first week in the hobby.

Sorry. I made an unsupported assumption.

A FEW REASONS FOR FIDDLING WITH YOUR TARANTULAS' HUMIDITY

1. You live in a part of the world where the ambient relative humidity drops extremely low during some portion of the year. An example of this would be the rain shadow along the east side of the Rocky Mountains in North America. Think Denver and Calgary. Here, the relative humidity often drops so low (particularly in winter) that one weather reporter stated something to the effect that, "It's dry enough out there to suck water out of a rock." I suppose the central Sahara or Atacama Deserts would also qualify.

2. A few species (most notably T. blondi and the genera Ephebopus and Hysterocrates, but there are a few others) have a great deal of difficulty adjusting to an arid cage. For the novice at least, these should be kept in "swamp cages" until the tarantula adjusts to cage life and a somewhat drier habitat. These are not normally recommended for the beginner, however. They're too difficult to maintain and almost always result in a dead tarantula in the hands of a novice. This presents a bad experience for a "maiden voyage" and we tend to lose enthusiasts as a result. The beginner might better get an Aphonopelma, Brachypelma, or Grammostola for instance. (If I didn't list your favorite genus please don't be offended. Ultimately there are too many good, beginner's tarantulas to give a complete list here.)

3. You're an experienced enthusiast (aficionado might be a good term) and you're doing a little experimenting with some aspect of tarantula biology or husbandry. Obviously, this is a very small, elite group.

I've often heard the argument, "But, I've kept dozens of tarantulas for years, and misted every one of them. And, I've had no trouble with mites ... [yadda, yadda, yadda]."

But, Marguerite and I have kept THOUSANDS of tarantulas for DECADES (someone on these forums once quipped that we've been keeping tarantulas longer than many of you have been alive!), and we know of a lot of other people with similar experience, and we and all those others have been at least equally successful without the wasted time, bother, and expense, not to mention the potential for causing a problem with the tarantula. (You did have to buy the distilled water, no? And, the mister? A roll of Saran Wrap and cellophane tape might have been cheaper; it certainly would last longer than your humidity.)

Enjoy your little 8-legged mysteries.

[After posting this I reread it. I'm amazed at how strident I sound! And a little embarrassed. That's not how I intended it. Please read this posting with a little understanding. I'm just very passionate about taking care of these creatures as best we can.]

 

[Falk]

How do you get 80% humidity without misting? However i appreciate your answer.
And no, where i live we dont need to buy distilled water