Rose hair not moving, in corner of tank.

[Siska]

Hey everybody. I'm new to owning a tarantula, I just brought Larry home (rose hair, unknown sex and age) from a local pet store yesterday night. He did a bit of moving around initially when I put him into his enclosure, but after that he started hanging around the in the upper left corner of his tank, in the tiny section between his water bowl and the actual corner of the tank. He's been there for 26 or so hours now. I gave him a little tickle on his hair on the back of his legs to see if I can get him moving (don't worry, I did it only twice, I'm leaving him/her alone now) and he won't budge. He moved a little, he quickly turned and placed some legs on the wall of the tank, but then went back to where he was. Here's a picture.

Please pardon me, because I'm new to this, but I did my research. It's not in the sickly position with its legs under its body, so that's good. My guess is that the tank isn't humid enough yet (it's at about 65%), the tank itself isn't warm enough, it's still adjusting to its new environment and was scared from being inside a tiny cardboard box on the way home, OR I was lucky enough to bring it home during its pre-molt stage. I know that tarantulas can just decide not to move for a long period of time, but I'm guessing that Larry isn't moving due to its relocation. I appreciate the help everybody! I will properly introduce myself in the correct area, but for now, understanding why this is happening is priority. Thank you!

(EDIT) Sorry about the sideways picture. The attachment tool did that on its own. AND I used the search to no alas.

 

[toast4nat]

Ahhh the new T owner. I was like you once... but then I took an arrow to the knee.

Anyway! Don't worry about your friend, he/she's fine. Rosie's tend to be pet rocks, so the less they move, the less worried you should be. My Rosie literally sits on her rock all day long and does not move and I'm sure she perfectly content.

As far as humidity goes, don't worry about it, Rosie's like it dry, dry, dry, your water bowl is large so that's all the tarantula will ever need. And as long as you aren't having to wear a sweater, the temperature is fine too, they do well at room temp. They really are a hardy species, you should read about them in the G. rosea sticky at the top of the forum, lots of good info there.

Give your new friend a week or two to settle in before trying to feed it or handle it. In the meantime, grab yourself a nice cup of tea and relax, everything is fine

 

[Siska]

I immediately love this forum. Why, you ask? By Azura, BY AZURA! SKYRIM JOKE!
Thanks for the reply sir, I'm happy somebody replied so quickly. Thank you!

 

[Anonymity82]

Quick! Get him out of there!!!

For real though, he's fine. That water bowl is too big. The cap off the top of a PB jar would be fine for an adult. Overflow it a little bit. Mine climbed the glass and stayed there for 24 hours then climbed down and the only time I saw it try to climb again was when I had the cricket container on top of his cage. I think it was waiting for the substrate to dry out. I read in the TKG that G. roseas can withstand temperature drops down to 50 degrees at night as long as you raise it to room temp during the day. So don't worry about heat either. That doesn't go for all T's but it's one of the things that make Roses special.
Substrate should be much higher too. It probably wont burrow, though it might, but it's there more for the height between substrate and the top of the tank. They are spiders, but they are clumsy climbers and can fall. It wouldn't take much to make it go splat! There is plenty of information on here about these guys.
Goodluck with your new pet!! I love mine!

 

[vickywild]

Mine does that a lot haha. They get themselves into some weird positions. !

 

[le-thomas]

65 humidity is about as high as it should be for a rosea. Don't worry too much about supplemental heat as room temperature is generally fine.

 

[Stan Schultz]

... I'm new to owning a tarantula, ...

First, "Welcome to the hobby!"

And, "Welcome to these forums!"

... I just brought Larry home (rose hair, unknown sex and age) from a local pet store yesterday night. ...

QUICK! Read Stan's Rant! Pay particular attention to the parts about:

1> Don't believe anything a pet shop tells you unless you can confirm it on one of these forums.

2> Don't believe anything you read on Internet care sheets (with perhaps one exception) unless you can confirm it on one of these forums.

3> Read the books mentioned in that page. (Baxter's book is a little difficult to find in North America, but the others are available lots of places.)

Then, if you don't know how to do so already, learn to use the <Search> function in the bar across the top of this page.

... but I did my research. ...

Did you read CARE AND HUSBANDRY OF THE CHILEAN ROSE TARANTULA?

... My guess is that the tank isn't humid enough yet (it's at about 65%), ...

WRONG GUESS! The very first thing you need to understand is that tarantulas in general do EVERYTHING the opposite of the way you might "guess." And, Chilean roses are pretty nearly the extreme of the group. Don't guess! Read and study what's already known about them. (We've already made all the easy mistakes. Don't waste your time killing your tarantula the same old way we did!)

For instance, Chilean roses are found more or less along the more hospitable margins of the Atacama Desert stretching along the Pacific coasts of southern Peru and most of Chile. They're desert tarantulas. Keeping them in a damp or overly humid cage is like making you sleep in a wet bed! They're most comfortable in a completely dry terrarium or cage. Just make sure they always have a water dish with clean water.

... the tank itself isn't warm enough, ...

WRONG AGAIN! Virtually all tarantulas, Chilean roses especially, should be kept at room temperature. The basic rule of thumb is:

If you don't have to wear a wool sweater or a parka because it's too cold...

Or, if you don't have to run naked because it's too hot...

Any temperature you're comfortable at is just fine for your tarantula.

Where does everybody get the idea that cold blooded animals are somehow more fragile than we are?

LISTEN UP EVERYBODY!

WE'RE THE FRAGILE SPECIES! NOT THE TARANTULAS!​

... was scared from being inside a tiny cardboard box on the way home, ...

No. Being in a small, closed, dark container was very comforting to it. It felt protected and safe. What upset it was the never ending earthquake of you bouncing it all over the place on the way home.

... OR I was lucky enough to bring it home during its pre-molt stage. ...

This is a distinct possibility. Or, just as likely, it could be preparing to produce an eggsac with 200 eggs. It's that time of year. If it produces an eggsac, get back to us ASAP! Use this thread so we have a history of what's happened right at our fingertips.

... I know that tarantulas can just decide not to move for a long period of time, ...

No. Not moving is the default condition. It wastes the least energy. They "decide" to move once in a while. (Yes, I know it's a fine pint and I'm nit-picking. But, from little white lies huge myths do grow!)

Most of their lives and life cycles are either done in response to environmental clues or from built-in-at-the-factory instincts. While they have limited abilities to learn, the facility is very rudimentary. So, "decide" really isn't the correct word. But, I must confess that I can't think of a better one at the moment.

... I'm guessing that Larry isn't moving due to its relocation. ...

At last! You got something right! See I told you so!


Lastly, has anyone told you of the tarantula enthusiast's lament?

LIKE THOSE POTATO CHIPS, YOU CAN'T HAVE JUST ONE!

You've been warned!

 

[Guy Wood]

Brilliant reply above from Pikaia . I'll only add that my rose, Tidge, is pathologically phobic about environmental moisture. If she detects even 1% moisture on the substrate, she'll hang upside down from the lid until it's gone...

 

[nikki9093]

i have a baby...shes has burrowed totally under everything and hides out. shes active...but some days i wish that she would climb up and hang out at the top for a while. lol

 

[Stan Schultz]

i have a baby...shes has burrowed totally under everything and hides out. shes active...but some days i wish that she would climb up and hang out at the top for a while. lol

That's its "baby" behavior. By the time it's grown to 2" to 2.5" diagonal leg span (DLS) it'll get over it and probably never try to burrow again. We don't know why, but the majority of adult tarantulas don't even try to burrow even when you start a burrow for them. (And yes, I know that some do. But just try to predict it ahead of time. Just don't bet the rent money on it!)

 

[Siska]

Pikaia - thank you for that hefty reply! That was very informative, I'll keep all of that in mind from now on. Also, it just so happens that an hour after I posted this thread, Larry started roaming around, haha. I fed him two crickets yesterday as well. I was surprised how slowly he ate - I never actually saw a tarantula eat other than on YouTube so I really didn't know. It was awesome to watch though!

 

[Stan Schultz]

Pikaia - thank you for that hefty reply! That was very informative, I'll keep all of that in mind from now on. Also, it just so happens that an hour after I posted this thread, Larry started roaming around, haha. I fed him two crickets yesterday as well. I was surprised how slowly he ate - I never actually saw a tarantula eat other than on YouTube so I really didn't know. It was awesome to watch though!

Fasten your seat belt! Make sure your tray table and seat back are secured in an upright position! This is going to be a ride you'll never forget. Tarantulas are just that ... fantastic!

 

[voodoo chile]

Hi, they don't do much so its normal. It will need to settle in & that takes from 3 weeks to 3 months. I advise not to handle until settled if at all cos its not in the T's interest. Provide a hide is essential for her to keep out of your way cos they hide mostly in my experience. I keep aboreals that tend to be more active but they do little lol.

 

[katgrogan]

Pikaia, that post was awesome, and also greatly calmed my heart as well (I'm another new T owner)

I remember how panicked I was when I first had my ball python--missing a day of feeding would give me nightmares, was he hiding too much, moving too much, what if every last one of my thermometers/temp guns were inaccurate and I was going to burn him?! Oh the panic. After three years of owning him, I can easily laugh at my over reactions to every last little thing.

And now that's helping me realize I'm doing the same about my little A. hentzi! I'm constantly looking at him, making sure he's okay. I was so nervous realizing he hadn't moved since we brought him home--is he dying? What is normal behavior for a T? Should he move? Could he have never eaten and is starving to death?

Yup! Sounds familiar. That new-owner panic. We just want to be the best owners we can be, and it's all so new to us.

So thanks so much for writing such informative and friendly posts. It's such a great help for not only the OP, but any other new owner who uses the search function to find this thread to find out why THEIR tarantula isn't moving. Knowledge helps calm us. A little bit. I admit, I'm still a nervous tarantula mommy for sure. But I'm a lot more confident now. And with experience I will be more so.

To siska, I'm glad the rose hair is seeming healthy and happy!! Good luck to you as a new T owner! I'm going through the same learning path right now!