Chilian Rose Hair or Common Pink Toe

[tvelez1]

hi yall,
i dont know which to get. it will be my first t and i want to do it right. i hear both are great starter t's but i dont know which one to get. i like the pink toe because of the pink toes! but i like the rose hair because it is super slow and just beautiful. i know the pink toe can be fast but i will be handeling at the bare minimal. i love them both but i cant decide. please help point out there flaws and also what makes them jems. thanks!

 

[radicaldementia]

Clearly your best option is to get both

But if you have to choose just one, I would go with the G. rosea. I have both and they are both really neat, but at least in my experience my avic hides in his web most of the time, while my rosea is always sitting out. I'm guessing that you'll actually want to see your first T, so I would start with the rosea. Plus they are a little easier to care for, avics need a bit more humidity and a slightly more complicated vertical setup.

 

[tvelez1]

i live in mississippi where it is very humid though. would it hurt the rosie?

 

[unitard311]

roseas like it bone dry except a water dish. you may be able to get away with it. i live in the desert so i don't have an issue. not much help i know, sorry

 

[Moltar]

If the rosea has appropriately (completely) dry substrate it should be ok. Watch the temp though. You don't want them to have temps above 85 for extended periods.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

i live in mississippi where it is very humid though. would it hurt the rosie?

Nah, they won't mind humidity *in the air*. They won't love it, but I live in TN and it gets pretty humid here too, and my rosea never seems to act weirdly. The important part is that the substrate is dry.

G. rosea is definitely one tough bug. While adult Avics don't seem as prone to random death as little Avics can be, they do still need more regular work, whether misting the tank once or twice a week (because many won't use a water dish) or cleaning all that poop off the walls... My rosea is a great "feed and forget" type pet, if my life is too hectic to pay much attention to it, all I have to do is check the water dish and possibly refill it once a week. I feed it once a month at most, and it's still nice and fat and lazy.

Also when I was new to the hobby, I once got absentminded and forgot to close the lid on my rosea's critter keeper. It must have been open for a good two, three hours. When I came back, my rosea was too busy being asleep to bother with freedom. I find this adorable.

 

[Miss Bianca]

I'd go w/ the rose... (properly addressed)

I do believe in no time at all you'll be getting your Avic also tho!

Have fun!

 

[tvelez1]

thank you so much everyone. which is more likely to bite. i read the bite page for both and it seams the rosie is more likely to bite or is that because more people have them? i one of both on hold at the pet store but so far i am leaning to the rosie. is there anything bad about the rosies?

 

[Mushroom Spore]

which is more likely to bite. i read the bite page for both and it seams the rosie is more likely to bite or is that because more people have them?

It's likely because more people have them and more people try to mess with them/hold them a lot. There is such a thing as a "psycho rosie" and sometimes even a calm one will have a cranky day, but there are mean avics too. It all depends on the individual spider and their mood at the time. If you do a little research or ask around, you can pick up some tips on how to judge a spider's mood without just sticking your hand in there and finding out the hard way. Some people gently touch a leg with the soft end of a paintbrush, for instance.

Animals that are in premolt can be extra likely to be in a bad mood...or some become very sluggish and docile. You never can predict these things.

is there anything bad about the rosies?

Some people don't like them because they're "common," some people don't like their colors or the fact that they aren't fast growers or anything else SUPER EXCITING!!1

I happen to like my lazy pet lump, though. Nothing bad about them in my view.

 

[Aurelia]

Rosie behavior varies greatly but I think a good majority of them are docile and/or pet rocks. There are the rare psychotic individuals who are OBTs in Rose clothing but all in all, I think they are good spiders.

 

[unitard311]

I love my rosea. I don't hold her, but she appears very docile even during tank maintenance. I also have a Avic versicolor sling (bout the size of a penny/nickel). He is VERY fast already. He hasn't tried to bite, but I think that he will be very difficult to handle when he gets bigger. The rosea is awesome for starters, much like Mushroomspore said, feed and forget, observe and so on. You will end up with both but dip into it first with the rosea. You will love it!

 

[Lennie Collins]

These guys know their stuff! And they are right! Start out with a Grammostola Rosea...see if you like the hobby and go from there!

 

[cabey0201]

I guess it depends on what you want out of your spider. I'd personally go with the Avic. I like the fact that they grow at a reasonable pace, and I love their color. I've only had one rosea and that was before I was really into the hobby. I'd been into reptiles for years and had one given to me because, well, if you like one animal that people consider "creepy", you like them all right? I took it just because if I didn't, it would have died. As much as people love their rosies, it just never grew on me. I didn't like the "pet rock" aspect of it. I ended up giving it to someone that I knew was into T's. Years later I ended up buying an Avicularia versicolor sling and I was hooked at first sight. Yes, they're quicker. Yes, you'll see them less often than a rosie. Yes, they're slightly more difficult to keep (don't let this throw you off, imho even the more difficult T's are more simple to keep than even a bearded dragon or crested gecko), but they're beyond cool. I know it's "to each their own" but are there really that many people that keep both that would prefer their rosie over their Avics? Seriously curious.

 

[unitard311]

I guess it depends on what you want out of your spider. I'd personally go with the Avic. I like the fact that they grow at a reasonable pace, and I love their color. I've only had one rosea and that was before I was really into the hobby. I'd been into reptiles for years and had one given to me because, well, if you like one animal that people consider "creepy", you like them all right? I took it just because if I didn't, it would have died. As much as people love their rosies, it just never grew on me. I didn't like the "pet rock" aspect of it. I ended up giving it to someone that I knew was into T's. Years later I ended up buying an Avicularia versicolor sling and I was hooked at first sight. Yes, they're quicker. Yes, you'll see them less often than a rosie. Yes, they're slightly more difficult to keep (don't let this throw you off, imho even the more difficult T's are more simple to keep than even a bearded dragon or crested gecko), but they're beyond cool. I know it's "to each their own" but are there really that many people that keep both that would prefer their rosie over their Avics? Seriously curious.

I have both of the Ts you mention and I would have a hard time deciding which to get, the versi is very attractive looking and really no less difficult to manage, and the rosea is nice in its own right. It really is to each his own. I have enjoyed my rosea tremendously and I love watching my versi grow. i would just get both( obviously I did haha)

 

[Moltar]

which is more likely to bite. i read the bite page for both and it seams the rosie is more likely to bite or is that because more people have them?

I'd say the rosie is a tad more likely to bite you than the avic. However, that's like saying you're more likely to get attacked by a shark than hit by lightning.

 

[tvelez1]

wow you people are amazing!:worship: i really like the avic versicolor or the avic avic or the avic metalica but i really like the rosie. the rosie is also the only one i have held. and boy was it a sweat heart! . which one is more likely to get out of the cage? the avic right, bc it is aboreal( cant spell to save my life) and bc it is more active? i like the avic bc the pink toes. but the rosie is special in its own way. it seams like more people choose the rosie as a started. i think i am going to follow that trend. and she(i think it was a she) was just a doll to hold. you all are amazing and thank you for your help. the next t i get will forsure be the avic. but which one haha.
thank you again:worship:

 

[unitard311]

wow you people are amazing!:worship: i really like the avic versicolor or the avic avic or the avic metalica but i really like the rosie. the rosie is also the only one i have held. and boy was it a sweat heart! . which one is more likely to get out of the cage? the avic right, bc it is aboreal( cant spell to save my life) and bc it is more active? i like the avic bc the pink toes. but the rosie is special in its own way. it seams like more people choose the rosie as a started. i think i am going to follow that trend. and she(i think it was a she) was just a doll to hold. you all are amazing and thank you for your help. the next t i get will forsure be the avic. but which one haha.
thank you again:worship:

Well, neither will escape if you keep the enclosure sealed!!! I know what you're saying though, my versi sling makes a run for it whenever I open the lid and then flees up my arm and wherever else he can get to. The rosea just stays put and sort of shrinks a bit if I put my hand in there. If you get the right type of cage for the avic (a front opening one, see tarantulacages.com!) then you don't have to worry as much when you are doing tank cleaning, and there is less chance that you destroy their tube webs. Just my two cents!

 

[tvelez1]

man i thought i was set on a rosie but now i am starting to think i may want the avic more! tube webs! that sounds really really cool! does the rosie lay any cool web designes?

 

[MalevolentScorp]

Not if you're keeping it in a controlled environment, i.e. a house. Just keep it in a room with barely any humidity.

 

[tvelez1]

i am in love w/ the avic avic but i am getting ther rosie tomorrow bc i will see it more. but the avic avic is my #2 choice if they sold the one i asked them to hold