Questions about my new T

[Benny8legs]

Hey guys, you can call me Ben . I recently bought my first T two days ago at a local exotic pet store after deciding I couldn't find an online breeder or site I was 100% comfortable with. I've been reading about tarantulas for the past 3 years and was finally able to get one now that I'm at my own apartment with a job. That being said, I still have some questions about my T, and I'd like to get involved in these forums since I've referred to them so much.

She's a Grammostola rosea, and I believe she is at least a few years old (?). The pet store had had her for a bit as she had never been picked up. I was originally planning on getting a Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens, but like I said earlier, I didn't know if I could trust any of the sites or breeders I was finding.

So far she's acted similarly to how I would expect for a tarantula in a new enclosure (from what I've read), but I'd still like to ask a few questions for y'all to clear up or to reassure me, because I do really care about her and want to make sure I can have her as long, healthy, and unstressed as possible.

*there will be two pictures of her at the end of my questions

1) Is she 100% a G rosea? I'm very confident she is but I would just like confirmation from people with real hands on experience. She's extremely docile and allowed me to transfer her to her habitat by hand with NO issues or skittishness at all, which fits their behavior from my understanding.

2) About how old do you think she is? I haven't been able to take a good measurement of her on my hand because I'm letting her do her thing. She's about 3.5-4" inches right now I believe.

3) She has barely moved since I first introduced her to her new home. She originally sat on the flower pot I've offered as cover for the entire first night without moving at all. There was still some condensation appearing on the glass touching substrate, but I dried out the coir the best I could and the condensation has since gone, so I don't believe it would be too damp for her. Yesterday, my roommate cat came in and was very intrigued by her (I supervised the cat heavily) and Qira (my G rosea) proceeded to leave the top of the flower pot and move to the side of the enclosure, where she has been ever since. I am unsure if it's because the cat startled her, or it was just a coincidence. Like I said, she has been there ever since moving from the flower pot, staying perfectly still just like she did in her previous position. Is this due to stress caused by her new environment, or do you think I've done something wrong with the enclosure? I believe it's just stress and she's acclimating to her new home.

As a side note: today and yesterday, she has been moving her legs slightly in reaction to stimuli such as loud noises and movement (I wasn't trying to provoke her, I just was watching her when they would happen)

4) Her coloring seems to be a bit dark and her hairs a little less vibrant than what I was expecting for a G rosea, and she has some discoloration/missing hairs on her abdomen.

Is she pre-molt? I was thinking this could be contributing to her very passive and still behavior.

If so, is it bad that I unintentionally picked her up during this exhausting stage? I can't imagine she would be comfortable preparing for a molt in a completely new environment.

Here are some pictures of her, in the positions I mentioned:


Thank you guys so much for any responses and help!

 

[AnimalNewbie]

Hey guys, you can call me Ben . I recently bought my first T two days ago at a local exotic pet store after deciding I couldn't find an online breeder or site I was 100% comfortable with. I've been reading about tarantulas for the past 3 years and was finally able to get one now that I'm at my own apartment with a job. That being said, I still have some questions about my T, and I'd like to get involved in these forums since I've referred to them so much.

She's a Grammostola rosea, and I believe she is at least a few years old (?). The pet store had had her for a bit as she had never been picked up. I was originally planning on getting a Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens, but like I said earlier, I didn't know if I could trust any of the sites or breeders I was finding.

So far she's acted similarly to how I would expect for a tarantula in a new enclosure (from what I've read), but I'd still like to ask a few questions for y'all to clear up or to reassure me, because I do really care about her and want to make sure I can have her as long, healthy, and unstressed as possible.

*there will be two pictures of her at the end of my questions

1) Is she 100% a G rosea? I'm very confident she is but I would just like confirmation from people with real hands on experience. She's extremely docile and allowed me to transfer her to her habitat by hand with NO issues or skittishness at all, which fits their behavior from my understanding.

2) About how old do you think she is? I haven't been able to take a good measurement of her on my hand because I'm letting her do her thing. She's about 3.5-4" inches right now I believe.

3) She has barely moved since I first introduced her to her new home. She originally sat on the flower pot I've offered as cover for the entire first night without moving at all. There was still some condensation appearing on the glass touching substrate, but I dried out the coir the best I could and the condensation has since gone, so I don't believe it would be too damp for her. Yesterday, my roommate cat came in and was very intrigued by her (I supervised the cat heavily) and Qira (my G rosea) proceeded to leave the top of the flower pot and move to the side of the enclosure, where she has been ever since. I am unsure if it's because the cat startled her, or it was just a coincidence. Like I said, she has been there ever since moving from the flower pot, staying perfectly still just like she did in her previous position. Is this due to stress caused by her new environment, or do you think I've done something wrong with the enclosure? I believe it's just stress and she's acclimating to her new home.

As a side note: today and yesterday, she has been moving her legs slightly in reaction to stimuli such as loud noises and movement (I wasn't trying to provoke her, I just was watching her when they would happen)

4) Her coloring seems to be a bit dark and her hairs a little less vibrant than what I was expecting for a G rosea, and she has some discoloration/missing hairs on her abdomen.

Is she pre-molt? I was thinking this could be contributing to her very passive and still behavior.

If so, is it bad that I unintentionally picked her up during this exhausting stage? I can't imagine she would be comfortable preparing for a molt in a completely new environment.

Here are some pictures of her, in the positions I mentioned:
View attachment 277819 View attachment 277820

Thank you guys so much for any responses and help!

I’m not familiar with the genus but im assuming it’s a porteri not a roses. As far as the setup goes just put a bit more substrate

 

[Benny8legs]

I’m not familiar with the genus but im assuming it’s a porteri not a roses. As far as the setup goes just put a bit more substrate

Is there any different approaches to care I should take for it since its most likely a porteri? I looked it up and I believe you're right, the coloration is MUCH more similar

 

[Theneil]

Looks like Porteri from my understanding.

She is going to want absolutely DRY substrate.

These are THE classic pet rock. So if she sits in one spot for hours upon hours, that is normal. i would expect she will spend her time almost exclusively on the top of her pot or the wall for a while until the substrate dries out.

More substrate isn't a bad idea. My Male (mature) climes around periodically but my female sticks to the ground 100% of the time and neither has done much digging so i don't know that i would say that more substrate is a must in this situation.

 

[Theneil]

If i recall correctly, there has been some debate as to whether porteri is a color form of rosea or it's own species. I prefer to keep even the color forms separate so i will happily consider it a different species for now. But because they are so close (or the same species possibly) Care is identical and pirteri are often sold as rosea.

 

[Theneil]

And to make matters more confusing i believe they both have exactly the same common name of 'rose hair'.

 

[Benny8legs]

I just added more substrate, about doubled it, and I'll be sure to let it dry out for an hour or so outside

 

[boina]

and I'll be sure to let it dry out for an hour or so outside

Not dry enough. Dry means desert dry - no water left in the substrate. Don't worry, though, it will dry out over the next days or so. Substrate should be tamped down - they don't like to walk on soft undergrounds.

And yes, that's a G. porteri and it's a separate species, not a color form. That 'discoloration' on the butt only means that she has kicked some hair - it has nothing to do whatsoever with premolt. At that size your new pet should be more or less mature, so the age is probably anywhere between 5 and 25 years . Seriously, it's practically impossible to tell the age of a tarantula, especially a very slow growing species, and it doesn't really matter. In tarantulas you don't go by age you go by size.

Wellcome to the tarantula addiction

 

[cold blood]

I recently bought my first T two days ago at a local exotic pet store after deciding I couldn't find an online breeder or site I was 100% comfortable with

Ironic....pet stores are exceedingly unreliable places to buy ts...online stores specializing in tarantulas are far, far more reliable, cheaper and offer better selection...in the future, shop online. Being you got it at a pet store, I would bet you paid at least double what you needed to pay.

She's a Grammostola rosea

She's likely a G. porteri...could be sp. north though...theyre pretty similar.

and I believe she is at least a few years old

Much older....this is probably the slowest growing (and longest lived) species on the planet.

I didn't know if I could trust any of the sites or breeders I was finding.

They're are literally a small handful of unreliable dealers online, and most of the bad ones specialize in reptiles.

Our classified section is a great place to look...not only are there tons of dealers and breeders selling, but all sellers here are required to have review pages, which allows you to buy in complete confidence.

2) About how old do you think she is?

At least a decade, not likely much younger, but possibly much older.

She has barely moved since I first introduced her to her new home.

They aren't referred to as potatoes for no reason. They are very sedentary ts, even more so than most (and all ts tend to be sedentary to a degree). Literally the most boring species (all rose hairs) you could ever buy. Not only do they not do much, but they easily have the lowest food requirements of any t...and they also fast for exceptional periods of time....like year long fasts are pretty normal at some point.

There was still some condensation appearing on the glass touching substrate, but I dried out the coir the best I could and the condensation has since gone, so I don't believe it would be too damp for her

As said, any moisture is too much...they despise it. Condensation if a major red flag for any t...glad you fixed that....it will dry in time...just keep in mind, when exposed to moisture, they tend to not go on the sub, and not eat.

Qira (my G rosea) proceeded to leave the top of the flower pot and move to the side of the enclosure, where she has been ever since. I am unsure if it's because the cat startled her, or it was just a coincidence. Like I said, she has been there ever since moving from the flower pot, staying perfectly still just like she did in her previous position. Is this due to stress caused by her new environment, or do you think

Just a t being a t...don't over-think everything she does.

Is she pre-molt?

No.

Is there any different approaches to care I should take for it since its most likely a porteri?

Nope, all species carrying the moniker of rose hairs can and should be kept exactly the same way...they are all from the same places (in Chile)...dry with a water dish.....care couldn't be any easier.

there has been some debate as to whether porteri is a color form of rosea or it's own species.

They are all separate species, not color forms.

And to make matters more confusing i believe they both have exactly the same common name of 'rose hair'.

All confused, yes, but care for all is exactly the same, so its not the type of confusion that hinders care.

 

[Mirandarachnid]

I know you already added more substrate, but I just wanted to let you know why more sub was necessary.

You want the space from the substrate level to the top of the enclosure to be about 1.5 X the DLS of your tarantula. (4in tarantula shouldn't have much more than 6 inches of space to the top of the enclosure) This is to mitigate the risk of injury if they decide to climb around and they end up falling. The screen lid you have on there poses a potential hazard as well, if it climbs up, it could get it's claws stuck in the mesh. It will dangle there until it falls, drops the leg that is stuck (and then falls), or you come to the rescue. It's easy enough to get a sheet of plastic and drill holes in it to replace the mesh. I know this sp. is not known for being active, but I had a variety of "rose hair" some years ago before I had much of an idea of what I was doing, and it got stuck several times.

 

[lvc]

Welcome to the awesome world of tarantula-keeping

The wonderful people in this thread already gave you a lot of solid advice about some adjustments to your enclosure.
One thing to maybe add would be about the flowerpot: A tarantulas hide usually should be a pretty shallow opening, so the T feels secure.They often rearrange the dirt inside in a way, that fits their needs perfectly.
A lot of keepers provide a piece of corkbark and a small starter hole beneath it and the T will do the rest. Corkbark is light enough so it doesnt hurt the spider if it decides to burrow beneath it. The flowerpot you used provides a lot of empty room above ground and doesnt really allow the spider to expand her burrow beneath it.

Nothing to worry about tho, just a little tip for future enclosures.

I dont own a G.porteri myself, so I'm not sure if they do some digging at all and if she is anything like my G.pulchripes, she'll maybe ignore her hide completely and chill outside all the time anyway.

About premolt: Like already stated above, the bald spots on her abdomen come from kicking hairs. Once these spots get very dark, she is in premolt. So in the future if you are not sure if premolt or not, just compare how the bald spots look to the pictures you took when you got her and you should get a pretty good idea.

Enjoy your T, she's a beauty!!

 

[Benny8legs]

Thank you guys all so much for the help!

 

[Benny8legs]

Welcome to the awesome world of tarantula-keeping

The wonderful people in this thread already gave you a lot of solid advice about some adjustments to your enclosure.
One thing to maybe add would be about the flowerpot: A tarantulas hide usually should be a pretty shallow opening, so the T feels secure.They often rearrange the dirt inside in a way, that fits their needs perfectly.
A lot of keepers provide a piece of corkbark and a small starter hole beneath it and the T will do the rest. Corkbark is light enough so it doesnt hurt the spider if it decides to burrow beneath it. The flowerpot you used provides a lot of empty room above ground and doesnt really allow the spider to expand her burrow beneath it.

Nothing to worry about tho, just a little tip for future enclosures.

I dont own a G.porteri myself, so I'm not sure if they do some digging at all and if she is anything like my G.pulchripes, she'll maybe ignore her hide completely and chill outside all the time anyway.

About premolt: Like already stated above, the bald spots on her abdomen come from kicking hairs. Once these spots get very dark, she is in premolt. So in the future if you are not sure if premolt or not, just compare how the bald spots look to the pictures you took when you got her and you should get a pretty good idea.

Enjoy your T, she's a beauty!!

Here’s a picture of her flower pot after adding more substrate yesterday.

Should I cnsider breaking the flower pot and using a piece of it instead of burying it like I have here? Or is this fine?

And do I need to pack the substrate down at all? Some care sheets have suggested doing so. It’s a little loose on top

 

[Arachnoclown]

Yes....pack down the substrate. I'd break the flower pot in half so it can burrow into the substrate also.

 

[lvc]

I'd rather switch out the flowerpot for something different lika a nice piece of corkbark, if you are taking it out anyway to modify it.
The pot looks like it's made of a material that could leave it with some sharp edges after breaking it, which could definetly be dangerous for a tarantula.

 

[Mirandarachnid]

I'd rather switch out the flowerpot for something different lika a nice piece of corkbark, if you are taking it out anyway to modify it.
The pot looks like it's made of a material that could leave it with some sharp edges after breaking it, which could definetly be dangerous for a tarantula.

It's soft enough that it's very easy to smooth sharp edges with sandpaper If this was a sp. known to burrow a lot it might be worth it to replace it with cork bark (so that the weight of the hide wouldn't collapse a potential burrow), but I bet this T will be fine with the flower pot.

I would go ahead and break it though, to give it the option to dig a little. And yes, pack down the sub, T's don't like walking on substrate that shifts under their feet.

 

[Benny8legs]

It's soft enough that it's very easy to smooth sharp edges with sandpaper If this was a sp. known to burrow a lot it might be worth it to replace it with cork bark (so that the weight of the hide wouldn't collapse a potential burrow), but I bet this T will be fine with the flower pot.

I would go ahead and break it though, to give it the option to dig a little. And yes, pack down the sub, T's don't like walking on substrate that shifts under their feet.

Thanks again for the help and suggestions! I went ahead and broke the flower pot, and now theres only about an inch of space between the flower pot and the ground. So far she's been hanging out on the flower pot, and I woke up to her grooming herself this morning hopefully that's a sign shes getting a bit more comfortable