# Tarantula 'Personality'



## dukegarda (Apr 14, 2007)

A few questions regarding tarantula personalities. We all think, well most of us, that our tarantulas have some sort of personality. They're friendly, or mean, or whatever other adjective you'd describe the way your T acts. 

The new rosea I got is friendly, and recently I found out, an avid hunter. (Video coming soon)

And I'm wondering, how much of this personality does a tarantula actually keep, molt after molt? Do they change? Can my bold, friendly rosea go shy and sour on me eventually?


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## ShadowBlade (Apr 14, 2007)

The more you work with a particular tarantula, you get a better idea of its behavior. As it grows, you'll usually see it change, but really, once its an adult, the behavior usually stays about the same, (as long as keeping conditions remain the same as well). Things like stress, dehydration, or others can cause changes in behavior.

-Sean


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## Talkenlate04 (Apr 14, 2007)

I dont know that I would put Ts in a category of something that has personality. After all they are only reacting to the things that happen around them. 
   I think we see behaviors that are cute, and things they do that are funny, and there are the mean ones that are supposed to be nice, ect. But all that is, is Ts being Ts. 
I guess it can be labeled that, but its not something thats going to stay a constant. Its not like you can teach it. Everything it does is out of instinct.


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## dukegarda (Apr 14, 2007)

Snap. So that means my mature female G. rosea will forever be mean. V_V


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## Staley (Apr 14, 2007)

My Avic Avic has a .."<edit> it On you Attitude" as my mother would say LOL


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## Stylopidae (Apr 15, 2007)

I've always wondered if feeding a spider larger prey items would make it more agressive

Guess it's time to experiment


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## P. Novak (Apr 15, 2007)

Cheshire said:


> I've always wondered if feeding a spider larger prey items would make it more agressive
> 
> Guess it's time to experiment


I have never thought of that, but that does sound plausible and like a very good experiment. I think you would need a couple of the same species of slings to try this.


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## jr47 (Apr 15, 2007)

i think most will agree, if its a rosea then personality will usually change some times from week to week.


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## Avic_Addict (Apr 15, 2007)

My little Rosea was lovely and a pleasure to handle until she moulted out at about 1.5", then she turned into a complete badass. I've spoken to other owners who have raised chilies from slings and there seems to be a pattern of going through what is almost like a teenage stroppy period at 1.5"-3" and then they seem to mellow out again.


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## ShadowBlade (Apr 15, 2007)

talkenlate04 said:


> I think we see behaviors that are cute, and things they do that are funny, and there are the mean ones that are supposed to be nice, ect. But all that is, is Ts being Ts.


Yes, that would be anthropomorphizing. But I do believe tarantulas have a behavioural pattern they follow. Their reactions to particular stimuli that remain the same. This is why I believe we can 'usually' group species in categories of behavior. (_B. albo _usually calm, _H. longipes _usually extremely defensive). Due to instinctual behavior. But changes in keeping conditions can change this behavior.

-Sean


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## mrbonzai211 (Apr 15, 2007)

Honestly the only tarantulas I have observed a personality in is G. roseas. They are weird quirky little guys. All my other t's are predictable and boring.


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## dukegarda (Apr 15, 2007)

My rosea freaked today. I opened the container to refill the water dish and clean it out. And she OBT teleported to my finger and snatched on, bit in, and hit my nail, then immediately bounced back 3 inches and stood there... well... in 'ready to pounce on stuff mode'. I'm lucky I suppose.

I thought, and was under the impression that she's friendly and nice. Cause well, she's easy to handle and doesn't kick hairs. She did that today, kicking hairs. I was trying to get her to move, and she kicked a few at the chop sticks I use to gather up little bits of left over food. 

So yeah... they do change from time to time... But I'm worried I'm doing something wrong and that all my Ts will be 'badass'. My other mature rosea is mean too, very mean. She's nervous and skittish. I open the lid, and she's like, BAM into the hide I go. And doesn't come out for awhile. By awhile I mean a day.


Unpredictable. Like many have said.


Feeding flies, what's people's opinion on this? At least to the smaller Ts?


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## phil jones (Apr 15, 2007)

mrbonzai211 said:


> Honestly the only tarantulas I have observed a personality in is G. roseas. They are weird quirky little guys. All my other t's are predictable and boring.


yes i say the same a lot of - t - are boring and a lot of g- roseas are MAD NUTTERS but they can be fun to      ---- phil


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## dukegarda (Apr 16, 2007)

Cheshire, suppose this is worth mentioning about the aggression. When I first got my rosea 'Lydia', the mature female, I gave her a plastic log hide. It had two entrances, and I closed one off by burying it. This was the result.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v93/dukegarda/DSCN4248.jpg


I got an overly aggressive rosea. So I scrapped that and changed it to the log being on top of the substrate and she eased up significantly.

Of course, this wasn't a true experiment. She was in premolt stage, and there are way too many variables out of my control. Temp, humidity were kept the same. 

I think giving them a hide with only one exit/entrance makes them much much more aggressive. I don't know if this would help with hunting?


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## Stylopidae (Apr 16, 2007)

Oooh...bark chips. Not good. Change to coco coir or something similar.

It's known that changes in the way spiders are kept can cause spiders to be more defensive or more passive. The spider becoming less defensive when the log is put in a slightly different position does not surprise me at all. I've observed the same thing with my other spiders, my G. aureostriata in particular.

However, I'm wondering if the spider's personality would change if it had to 'battle' it's prey to eat. Like If I were to feed a 5" rosie a diet comprised entirely of adult discoids.


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## dukegarda (Apr 16, 2007)

Oh, that's my old set up, before I stumbled upon this golden forum of information.

Right now it's a potting soil mix. =D


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## billopelma (Apr 16, 2007)

> My rosea freaked today.


I have no first hand experience with this but have read here many times how those quirky rosea's can be oddly possesive specifically concerning water dishes:? 

Within my experience, I've had many T's exibit similar behavior that seems to be attributable to a feeding response. When the lid opens it often means whatever lands in the enclosure is food. Once they 'realize' (after the initial pounce) that this isn't the case they may still be upset about the intrusion but calm down considerably. 
 As I'm feeding a few, a number of others will start coming out of the woodwork and sit waiting in the spot where the food usually lands. I know many feel that T's can't 'learn' but I completely disagree. You can call it 'conditioned response', 'geneticly hardwired' or whatever you want, it still boils down to the same thing. T's do 'learn' from events and can be (purposefuly or not) conditioned to some degree to respond in a particular way.
They as well can condition us to respond in a certain way... 

Bill


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## ShadowBlade (Apr 16, 2007)

billopelma said:


> I know many feel that T's can't 'learn' but I completely disagree. You can call it 'conditioned response', 'geneticly hardwired' or whatever you want, it still boils down to the same thing. T's do 'learn' from events and can be (purposefuly or not) conditioned to some degree to respond in a particular way.


I'm sorry, but it doesn't boil down to the same thing. The whole point IS the difference between 'adaption' or 'conditioning' and 'learning'. It only gets more complicated trying to simplify terms like these.

-Sean


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## dukegarda (Apr 16, 2007)

Dictionary.com says; 

"learn      /lɜrn/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[lurn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation verb, learned      /lɜrnd/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[lurnd] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation or learnt, learn·ing.
–verb (used with object)
1.	to acquire knowledge of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience: to learn French; to learn to ski.
2.	to become informed of or acquainted with; ascertain: to learn the truth.
3.	to memorize: He learned the poem so he could recite it at the dinner.
4.	to gain (a habit, mannerism, etc.) by experience, exposure to example, or the like; acquire: She learned patience from her father.
5.	(of a device or machine, esp. a computer) to perform an analogue of human learning with artificial intelligence.
6.	Nonstandard. to instruct in; teach.
–verb (used without object)
7.	to acquire knowledge or skill: to learn rapidly.
8.	to become informed (usually fol. by of): to learn of an accident."

I'm pretty sure they can't learn.

-EDIT- Otherwise I'd be teaching my Ts to write my finals for me.


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## billopelma (Apr 16, 2007)

Sorry this is getting off track to the thread but since the OP has chimed in...



> 4. to gain (a habit, mannerism, etc.) by experience, exposure to example, or the like; acquire: She learned patience from her father.


This definition could easily be applied to what I'm refering to.




> The whole point IS the difference between 'adaption' or 'conditioning' and 'learning'.


I still say call it whatever you want, but when I repeatedly apply an experience/stimulus to the T and it 'adapts' to the 'conditioning' and this 'adaption' becomes 'aquired', I think the term 'learned' can be applicable.


Bill


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## Stylopidae (Apr 16, 2007)

Well, they can do typical skinner box type learning, but they aren't going to learn how to fetch or anything.

There have been specimens that have learned how to open KKs and also specimens that have learned to clink their water dishes on the wall of their cage to attain water.

So, they can learn to an extent.


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## dukegarda (Apr 16, 2007)

I used to have hermit crabs that would come to the side of the glass to greet me when I came home from school. But I doubt it was a reflex out of seeing their owner, more like, "What's for supper chief?" (I always fed them left overs from supper).


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## cacoseraph (Apr 16, 2007)

their personality will change a lot as they grow up. i play with any species 2 or 3 instar.... but i start respecting some species a heck of a lot more when they start getting some size on them.  every spiderling i have kept can be pushed around when small... but some will push back when they get older.


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## AlainL (Apr 16, 2007)

dukegarda said:


> A few questions regarding tarantula personalities. We all think, well most of us, that our tarantulas have some sort of personality. They're friendly, or mean, or whatever other adjective you'd describe the way your T acts.
> 
> The new rosea I got is friendly, and recently I found out, an avid hunter. (Video coming soon)
> 
> And I'm wondering, how much of this personality does a tarantula actually keep, molt after molt? Do they change? Can my bold, friendly rosea go shy and sour on me eventually?


Hi!

In my opinion t's have personnality, of course, but I also think that they are unpredictable, one day they can be sweet heart next day they can be:evil:
Just like us we have good and bad day.

Alain


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