G. rosea acting very strange, is something wrong?

[spider_fan]

My G. rosea female that I purchased 2 months ago is behaving very strangely. Normally she just sits in her cage like a rock, unless I'm feeding her, but other than that she moves very little. A few days ago I went to see her temperment with a paintbrush as I always do before handling her, and instead of moving forward a little she spun around and attacked the brush. Since then she has become increasingly skittish, to the point were today she jumps when I shut the door 12 feet away from her and leaps forward with her fangs out when I turn the kritter keeper to see if anything is wrong. She's never done anything like this since I've had her, anyone ever had this happen before or know what it might be?

 

[VxXDJXxV]

wow ive never heard of a rosea acting like that

 

[cheetah13mo]

Is she in premolt or about ready to molt? A lot of time the act of preparing to molt changes their attitude quite a bit. As they become more fragile the deeper into the molting process they get, they also get more defensive for their own safety.

 

[spider_fan]

I thought it could be pre molt, but her abdominal color isn't really different than when I first purchased her, though she has a alot of hairs so it is a little difficult to see. I didn't think being in pre molt could affect her temperment that much.

 

[cheetah13mo]

Just because the abdomen isn't dark doesn't mean she's not in premolt. She could be just starting the process and that's makeing her irritable.

 

[Amanda]

I've found with all my Ts that a sudden change in temperament like that is always a dead giveaway for pre-molt.

 

[Hedorah99]

My G. rosea female that I purchased 2 months ago is behaving very strangely. Normally she just sits in her cage like a rock, unless I'm feeding her, but other than that she moves very little. A few days ago I went to see her temperment with a paintbrush as I always do before handling her, and instead of moving forward a little she spun around and attacked the brush. Since then she has become increasingly skittish, to the point were today she jumps when I shut the door 12 feet away from her and leaps forward with her fangs out when I turn the kritter keeper to see if anything is wrong. She's never done anything like this since I've had her, anyone ever had this happen before or know what it might be?

She may just be getting stressed out from handling. I would stop it for a while and see if she calms down.

 

[spider_fan]

I highly doubt its the handling, if it were this behavior would have gradually started when I got her, soince she is handled about once a week, whereas this behavior just started 2 days ago.

 

[Amanda]

I highly doubt its the handling, if it were this behavior would have gradually started when I got her, soince she is handled about once a week, whereas this behavior just started 2 days ago.

I'd have to agree.

 

[phil jones]

could be shes getting a bit piss off with the handling of her ? and just wants to act like a pet rock and in time she could be ready to be handle again just keep your eyes on her and you will know when shes back to her old self !!!

 

[6StringSamurai]

I've had several rosies and they are odd beasts. Most days they are as docile as it gets but once in a while they will rear up into a threat display for no reason. Checking on their mood before picking them up is a good idea in my experience.

From what I've seen with mine, it's nothing unusual for them to be moody.

If you do a search for "Rosea" and "weird," you'll find a lot of threads like this one. That's part of what makes them fun to own.

 

[phil jones]

I've had several rosies and they are odd beasts. Most days they are as docile as it gets but once in a while they will rear up into a threat display for no reason. Checking on their mood before picking them up is a good idea in my experience.

From what I've seen with mine, it's nothing unusual for them to be moody.

If you do a search for "Rosea" and "weird," you'll find a lot of threads like this one. That's part of what makes them fun to own.

I AGREE A LOT OF THEM ARE MAD LOL AND THATS FUN ???

 

[ember]

I would say stop handling... She is obviously stressed out, no matter what the cause (and you may never know the cause), so adding the stress of handling is not going to be good for her health. The way that I see it is that just because a spider will tolerate being held does not mean that they are not really stressed and freaked out. They may just be internalizing that stress. Normally, my G. Rosea just sits still in one spot for hours to days, moves a bit, picks a new spot, and does the same. She waits for crickets to come to her as opposed to snagging them. If I were to handle her, she would me moving and being active while I held her, at least more than she is while in her tank. I am sure that she would find that stressful in some way, much like I am sure that yours is experiencing stress. I am not saying that your handling of her weekly is CAUSING her behavior, but I am saying that the stress cannot be helpful and she, at very least, sounds like a very sensitive spider.

 

[Austin S.]

How big is your F rosea? It's very possible that she was a W/C specimen and if that being the case, may be gravid? Is her abdomen larger than a normal one? Well is it pretty damn big? This may lead her to be aggressive as of right now. Just a thought.

Austin

 

[spider_fan]

I'm pretty sure she's WC, I sincerely doubt your average pet store supplier would raise rosea slings until they are 4 inches in leg span, it would be too time consuming and not cost effective. Now I'm thinking that she just wants somewhere to get away, I'm going to buy her a half log hide come friday.

 

[Daniel_h]

does she not have any hide now?

if not that may be why