# My new G. Rosea wanders and won't use her "Hide" ???



## MissVenom (Dec 11, 2011)

I just acquired an adult female G. rosea from a co-worker who had her for a few years and didn't really know a whole lot about caring for a tarantula (long story). When I got her, the enclosure had mold in the water dish, remnants of food/molting, A FENCE LIZARD LIVING WITH IT, and no hide for her. I cleaned it out, gave her a little log cave, new water dish and got the lizard the heck out of there. 

My question is that she doesn't seem to know what to do. She wanders around all day and night and when she "sleeps" she either just huddles up somewhere or kinda buries her "head" in the substrate. Very odd. She won't use her hide at all and I kind of set her next to it or inside it once or twice and she just wanders away and ignores it. WHAT IS GOING ON::? I've never had a G. rosea before but this still seem like strange behavior.

Also, the enclosure was made for her by my co-worker's husband and sometimes the spider will hang from the ceiling?!


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## Chris_Skeleton (Dec 11, 2011)

If it doesn't want to use the hide, it won't. Is the substrate moist?


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## pavel (Dec 11, 2011)

Use the search function and search for roseas.  You'll quickly notice that besides being a "pet rock" much of the time, the only "normal" behavior for roseas is to exhibit "weird and abnormal" behavior.  :sarcasm:  They very often will not make use of a hide.  Leave it in there anyway in case she changes her mind.  I've had mine for about 15yrs.  She has a hide and once in a blue moon she'll decide to use it for a couple days, maybe a week at the longest.  After that she ignores it again.

If that substrate is moist, it shouldn't be.  Keep it quite dry.  Having a water dish is fine.


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## THECHAD (Dec 11, 2011)

I can't tell you if this is normal but I can tell you that my G. rosea hardly ever uses her hide also. But she loves sitting on top of it. My girl also wonders or explores whatever you want to call on a weekly basis.:: As far as her or him hanging from the top of its cage I don't know but if my girls substrate is even a little damp she will post up on her hide until the substrate is to her liking.  Hope this helps ya.


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## Formerphobe (Dec 11, 2011)

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/sho...ead!-How-to-REALLY-take-care-of-your-G.-rosea

Sounds like rosea 'normal'.  They tend to be a bit eccentric.  Mine rarely use their hides.  I'd be concerned with the ceiling hanging.  A fall could kill her.  How much ceiling height does she have?


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## TheEighthDay (Dec 11, 2011)

My Rosea is almost always in her hide. I have heard lots of different things regarding Roseas and hides... pretty much it's normal for them not be to "normal". My ceiling height is about 6 inches, but she never climbs.


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## Ultum4Spiderz (Dec 11, 2011)

I can't believe the spider didn't eat the lizard..tarantulas eat small lizards as food
My rosies love exploring after I clean cages


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## kanito107 (Dec 11, 2011)

i cant recall my rosea ever using her hide, i think its weird when she does use it tho,


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## Ultum4Spiderz (Dec 11, 2011)

kanito107 said:


> i cant recall my rosea ever using her hide, i think its weird when she does use it tho,


Neither of my rose hair females have a hide cuz they never use them lol

Reactions: Like 1


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## Chris_Skeleton (Dec 11, 2011)

TheEighthDay said:


> My Rosea is almost always in her hide. I have heard lots of different things regarding Roseas and hides... pretty much it's normal for them not be to "normal". My ceiling height is about 6 inches, but she never climbs.


And I suppose people with toddlers who never go near the stairs shouldn't put a gate up either, right?


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## MissVenom (Dec 11, 2011)

the substrate to ceiling height is about 4.5" but I am going to add more substrate as soon as I head out to the pet store later this week to raise that. I dunno, she just seems to act a bit "eccentric" compared to my b. smithi and a. avicularia who pretty much do nothing. OH and the substrate is slightly damp because it came that way 50% jungle mix, 50% coconut husk fiber).


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## Anonymity82 (Dec 11, 2011)

My G. rosea used her hide for 24 hours then came out and webbed it partially up. As for the substrate, maybe it's too moist or maybe it's a male. I hear males tend to wander more often.


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## Formerphobe (Dec 11, 2011)

> Chris_Skeleton
> 
> 
> > Quote Originally Posted by TheEighthDay View Post
> ...


??
Was that supposed to be:




> > Quote Originally Posted by Ultum4Spiderz
> > Neither of my rose hair females have a hide cuz they never use them lol
> 
> 
> ...


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## Kathy (Dec 11, 2011)

I just rehoused mine a few days ago and she is still wandering around checking things out.  She never used the hide in the other enclosure, but she did web up dirt all around the fake leaves.  I did not see any leaves in your enclosure.  Perhaps give her something to crawl under besides the hide?  Another g. rosea I kept for awhile only went in his hide when he got spooked.  Otherwise he would just hang out by the water bowl day and night like a rock.  Yours is acting perfectly fine, give her time.  And good for you for giving her a better home.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Amoeba (Dec 11, 2011)

Chris_Skeleton said:


> And I suppose people with toddlers who never go near the stairs shouldn't put a gate up either, right?


I'm taking notes on parenting from you!


On topic.....words that strike me as odd...just aquired....they will wander around for the first week or so to get used to their new enclosure. Listen to Chris about the sub, the last person who didn't woke up buried up to their neck in coco fiber with Scolopendra all around them :laugh: 

My G rosea isn't really a pet rock she stays still sometimes but always seems to be up to something. They are gonna do what they do leave the hide in there and you'll catch it one of these days. They are individuals, for proof look up a poll on B vagans tempers


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## Chris_Skeleton (Dec 11, 2011)

Formerphobe said:
			
		

> ??
> Was that supposed to be:


Oh, no.... it was for this.


TheEighthDay said:


> My ceiling height is about 6 inches, but she *never* climbs.





njnolan1 said:


> My G. rosea used her hide for 24 hours then came out and webbed it partially up. As for the substrate, maybe it's too moist or maybe it's a male. I hear males tend to wander more often.


Only _Mature_ males will wander. That clearly isn't a mature male.



Amoeba said:


> I'm taking notes on parenting from you!
> 
> 
> On topic.....words that strike me as odd...just aquired....they will wander around for the first week or so to get used to their new enclosure. Listen to Chris about the sub, the last person who didn't woke up buried up to their neck in coco fiber with Scolopendra all around them :laugh:


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## DannyH (Dec 11, 2011)

Just chiming in. I have never seen my Rosie in her hide.


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## Ultum4Spiderz (Dec 11, 2011)

njnolan1 said:


> My G. rosea used her hide for 24 hours then came out and webbed it partially up. As for the substrate, maybe it's too moist or maybe it's a male. I hear males tend to wander more often.


your T looks very female... id say 100% female just from its size .. its either adult or sub adult LOL
Males would of matured at that size,.. males are 4-5.5" very leggy


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## Amoeba (Dec 12, 2011)

Ultum4Spiderz said:


> your T looks very female... id say 100% female just from its size .. its either adult or sub adult LOL
> Males would of matured at that size,.. males are 4-5.5" very leggy


Please tell me the difference between a immature female and immature or penultimate male.......


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## Ultum4Spiderz (Dec 12, 2011)

Honestly yours it quite bulky.. but the only way to be sure is with a molt.. plus the ventral shot is helpfull you can see a slit were the epigastric furrow is


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## Anonymity82 (Dec 12, 2011)

http://tarantulas.tropica.ru/en/node/586


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## MissVenom (Dec 12, 2011)

I know definitely that she is a she. there was never any question of that as soon as my receptionist brought her in - I also know that she is mature. That was never an issue. Topic - HER behavior.


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## tarantulagirl10 (Dec 12, 2011)

She's just getting used to her new home. She may eventually use her hide, she may not. Who knows what they are up to.


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## Chris_Skeleton (Dec 12, 2011)

MissVenom said:


> I know definitely that she is a she. there was never any question of that as soon as my receptionist brought her in - I also know that she is mature. That was never an issue. Topic - HER behavior.


How do you know it's a mature female?


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## Tarantulalover (Dec 12, 2011)

My rose hair only used the hide when it was molting, other than that it only goes in there to follow food and then it's back out later on. I also have a piece of wood in the cage that goes under and over the substrate, it will spend some time under that but also on it and on top of the hide. I've had two in the past as well and they were always out. I can't recall them every really using the hide.


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## Reedy (Dec 12, 2011)

Ive got the opposite atm! mine wont come out! think hes either in premolt or something wrong.....


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## Anonymity82 (Dec 12, 2011)

I wouldn't get to concerned about something being wrong. If something was wrong it would probably doing something like twitching or refusing to touch the substrate. I am new so I'm sure Chris will either add to or change what I have said . Did it look healthy the last time you saw it? They just act weird and from what I understand each tarantula from any genus is an individual, but G. roseas take the gold medal for behaving unpredictably.


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## MissVenom (Dec 12, 2011)

would she not be a mature female with a 5" leg span? There are not tibial hooks nor does she possess "boxing gloves" on the ends of her palps. I'm 9.9% sure. I mean take one look at her and tell me she's not a she.


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## MissVenom (Dec 12, 2011)

well the only reason I was concerned was because the rosies at the pet store like their hides. I mean, they are out a lot too, but you can see they web in them. (for the record, this particular pet store's T's are being manged by an experienced T/invert collector so I know they are healthy)


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## Chris_Skeleton (Dec 12, 2011)

Only mature males have the "boxing gloves" and hooks. So lack thereof does not indicate female. It simply means it is not a _mature_ male. But yes, at that size I would say female as well.


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## Anonymity82 (Dec 12, 2011)

I could be wrong but that substrate looks moist. As I'm sure you know, it needs to be bone dry. Moist substrate can cause a G. rosea to walk around unsettled. My G. rosea barely moves nor uses her hide and the substrate is completely dry.


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## jb62 (Dec 12, 2011)

my porteri/rosea never hides ,but sits on it and she protects her hide too.
I keep her totally dry and have had no problems.
maybe she don't like her tank!.


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## MissVenom (Dec 12, 2011)

the substrate is damp because it is 50/50 mix of coconut husk fiber and jungle mix so it is already damp coming out of the bag, it will dry up in a few days though, but thanks for the concern!


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