Breeding Help For G. Rosea

[jfulcher]

Hi I am new here, but I need some pointers on breeding g. rosea. Where to start off etc.

 

[le-thomas]

You need a mature male and a mature female. The female must be considerably freshly-molted and the male must be considerably freshly-matured and making sperm webs. There is SO much more that you need to know about breeding that I can't list here in order to attempt. I repeat: SO MUCH.
G. rosea is considered difficult to breed successfully. Keep this in mind, as well.

 

[jfulcher]

Well I already have MM and MF is on the way. Why are they difficult to breed?

 

[Stan Schultz]

Hi I am new here, ...

[SIZE=+1]BINGO! YOU SAID THE MAGIC WORDS![/size]​

To make sure that you're starting out on the right foot and have been introduced to all the basic issues, I'm going to begin with my soon-to-be-world-notorious NEWBIE INTRODUCTION. If I'm mistaken, I apologize. But, even if you aren't a newbie I suggest that you read through it for review. (I just LUVS doing this!) Please stand by while I load the canned message.

[size=+1]HEY PEOPLE! WE'VE GOT ANOTHER NEWBIE HERE![/SIZE]​

Cue the mariachis, the confetti, and the clowns. Let's start the party!

jfulcher, please don't be offended! I've been messing with tarantulas longer than most people on this forum have been alive, and I still consider myself a newbie. I'm just having a little fun with you.

:biggrin:


Okay, let's get down to business. First, the pleasantries:

[SIZE=+1]"Welcome to the hobby!"

"Welcome to these forums!"[/size]


Now, to get you started on the right foot I urge you to read the following webpages.

Stan's Rant - A little initial boost in the right direction.
BE SURE TO READ AND HEED THE WARNINGS! They'll save you a bundle of cash and maybe a few dead tarantulas!
BE SURE TO READ THE BOOKS! The books will not only answer all your questions, but will also answer all the questions you hadn't thought to ask!

Myths, Misconceptions, and Mistakes Perpetuated by Tarantula Enthusiasts - A growing list of bad information in the hobby. Be sure to explore all the links.

And since you already have, or are going to get, a Chilean rose tarantula (Grammostola rosea) you definitely should also read Care and Husbandry of the Chilean Rose Tarantula - How NOT to let your Chilean rose tarantula drive you to the funny farm!

And then, you should read Substrate to get to the down and dirty of the situation.

Additional Thoughts:

Good Starting Philosophy:
Most newbies start out trying to make tarantula care as complicated as possible, fretting over all sorts of silly things. For the beginner at least, and for most of us experienced aficionados as well, the best philosophy is, SIMPLE IS BETTER! As long as it supplies the basic necessities, the simpler your tarantula's cage is, the less there is to go wrong.

The Search Function:
Don't take this as a criticism, but if you don't already know about it, please learn to use the Search function at the top of the page. It'll save us all a lot of time and effort. Most novices and even many seasoned enthusiasts fail to appreciate that 95+% of all tarantula issues have already been addressed, sometimes ad nauseam, on these forums. All you need do is look for the discussions.

A Basic Operating Principle:
If you can't find an answer to your concern using the Search function (after all, search engines are far from perfect), by all means ask us. Remember,

"The only dumb questions are the ones you don't ask."
"And, dumb questions are always easier to deal with than dumb mistakes!"


Fire away! "We aims to please."


Also, has no one told you?

[size=+2]THE TARANTULA KEEPER'S LAMENT

Like those potato chips,

you can't have just one!


You've been warned![/size]

(And, we offer a tip of the ol' hat and our profound thanks to the Frito-Lay Company for institutionalizing the progenitor of this little joke.)​

Visit the webpages. Read the warnings. Read the books. Watch these forums. Do the searches.

DON'T DO ANYTHING ANYBODY TELLS YOU UNLESS ITS CONFIRMED IN ONE OF THOSE BOOKS, OR WE CONFIRM IT HERE!

IGNORE THE !@#$%! CARE SHEETS!

Then, get back to us with any concerns you may have. We're here to help.

Again, you need to read, READ, READ!

Lastly, it would help a lot if you would post several photos of your tarantula from several different angles, and several photos of its cage from several different angles. A few cell phones work okay, but most can't focus well enough, and proper focus is very important. If at all possible use a better camera. Maybe borrow one from a family member or friend? A picture is worth 1000 words! Besides, "We LUVS pichers!"


End Canned Message

Hi I am new here, but I need some pointers on breeding g. rosea. ...

For the record, your "g. rosea" is a scientific name. The organization that deals with scientific names among animals, the ICZN, has decreed that species names are "binomial," that is they are composed of two words. The first word (sort of a surname) always has the first letter capitalized and the other letters lower case. The second word is always all lower case. And further, this binomial name is always italicized, or underlined if italics aren't possible. On this forum you can either type it out like this [noparse]G. rosea[/noparse], or you can highlight it with your cursor and press <Ctrl><i>, your choice. While the ICZN Police aren't going to raid your house, confiscate your tarantulas, and throw you in jail; and while it is true that many posters on these forums don't bother; not doing so automatically puts your credibility in question. And, it's a lot easier if we develop the correct habits at the start, rather than try to change our bad habits later. Just a thought.

Your tarantula's common name (which many New World enthusiasts prefer, but Europeans frown upon) is the Chilean rose tarantula. And, that is explained in both the books suggested in Stan's Rant, and in Care and Husbandry of the Chilean Rose Tarantula.

... Where to start off etc.

Breeding tarantulas is no easy task, and breeding Grammostola rosea has proven to be especially difficult. First, we have to learn how to properly keep them. Then, we have to take into consideration the "Hemisphere Shift" issue. Further, we have to worry about such issues as a frustrated or hungry female eating the male. (Tarantulas are normally confirmed carnivores, and cannibals!)

And I stress, "TARANTULAS CANNOT BE KEPT TOGETHER." The cheap one always eats the expensive one. They are strict hermits unless they are about to breed, in which case they BOTH must ardently want to mate, or one is likely to eat the other.

How do you go about properly caring for Grammostola rosea? You need to read (some would say memorize!) the books suggested in Stan's Rant. It's a good idea to also read all the warnings.

At some time during this process you need to read (some would say memorize!) the webpage Care and Husbandry of the Chilean Rose Tarantula.

And, you need to make sure that your male and your female are both sexually mature. You can easily tell this with the male by looking at the ends of his pedipalps. If they look like little clenched fists or boxing gloves, you have a mature male. If they look like the tips of the legs, you can have either an immature male, an immature female, or a mature female. And, while there are hints and clues that may help you determine or predict a tarantula's sex, the only reasonably sure method is to examine the inside of the tarantula's last shed skin for some key features. (Unless, of course, it's already a mature male sporting the clubbed pedipalps.) All this is explained in detail in the aforementioned books.

Then you need to make sure that both the male and the female are operating on the same calendar. If she's a long term captive and he still thinks he's in Chile, they're operating on calendars that are six months out of phase. When he wants to roll in the hay, she's got a headache. When she wants to make babies, he's likely to be too old to do any good. Either way, if she gets frustrated with him, she'll kill him and eat him! All this is explained in both the aforementioned books and in Care and Husbandry of the Chilean Rose Tarantula.

I hope that you're beginning to recognize several common threads through all this:

1) Breeding tarantulas is a challenge at best, and breeding G. rosea is notoriously difficult.

2) Even learning to keep tarantulas properly can be challenge, especially if you approach the subject with a bunch of prejudices and preconceptions. Tarantulas really are radically different than any other animal on the planet!

There! I've done enough damage. Best of luck!

YOU NEEDS TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK!
Your little 8-legged buddies are going to be giving you spot quizzes daily!

:laugh:

 

[jfulcher]

Thank you for the welcome! I havge 5 going on 6 T's. So they aren't extremely new to me. But I am new to the site. ^.^ I hope my breeding is successful.