I am a new owner!!?

B

bkbroiler23

Guest
hello i just got a rose hair tarantula from my wife on christmas. i dont know much about them but my cage consist of coco fibre, a plast log to hide in a ten gallon tank and a water dish. i notised that 80% of its time it is trying to climb up the glass and stays in one spot has not eaten the two crickets since i got it dont think it has eaten for at least a week. i want to make sure it is happy. also i try to make sure it has hardly any light, how much light does it need? can someone help me please? thanks.
 

Fyreflye

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 15, 2009
Messages
271
Welcome, bkbroiler. You've come to a good place to learn about your new pet! I hope you take the time to read the link that crawltech shared, it is a very informative thread about the care of roseas. If you still have questions about it's home, it would help to take some pictures so we can see what your setup looks like. As for the behaviour you have mentioned so far- crawling the sides and staying in one spot can indicate that your spider is not happy with it's substrate. Roseas are notorious for being picky about what their feet are touching. :) They prefer substrate that is as dry as possible, so don't get it wet or mist the tank! The only water it needs (or wants) is what you put in the water dish. Also, your T is in a new place, and needs time to adjust. Once it feels safe in it's new home, it will explore more and create a den to hide in. Sometimes this can take a few weeks.

It is also a good idea to remove any uneaten food (crickets) after 24 hours. You can offer food later to see if it's hungry, but it's not safe for the T to have the crickets running loose in it's home. And don't worry if it doesn't want to eat, rose hairs are known to fast for long lengths of time. :)
 

curiousme

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Messages
1,661
hello i just got a rose hair tarantula from my wife on christmas.
First of all, Welcome to the forum and the hobby! :D

i dont know much about them but my cage consist of coco fibre, a plast log to hide in a ten gallon tank and a water dish.
Coco fiber is a great choice for substrate and a 10 gallon is a good sized tank for it. However, if you have it in that size tank, you will need a fair amount of substrate to make it safe for the tarantula. There should only be about a legspan and a half of space between the top of the substrate and the top of the enclosure. This is to help prevent injuries from a fall.

i notised that 80% of its time it is trying to climb up the glass and stays in one spot
Is the coco fiber still wet? G. rosea(this is the scientific name for your tarantula) often climb the walls when the substrate is not dry, so that could be a reason. Another could be that it simply isn't settled in to its new home yet and that it will stop when it is/ wants to.

has not eaten the two crickets since i got it dont think it has eaten for at least a week.
It is most likely just settling in, but it is also very normal for G. rosea to go on marathon fasts. There have been accounts of them going 2+ years without eating, so a week is no problem at all. Just make sure to always provide a full water dish and you have done what it needs. You can keep trying to feed every couple of days, but personally I would wait a week.

i want to make sure it is happy.
If you provide it a safe and secure home, with suitable food and fresh water, you are doing what it takes to keep the T healthy.

also i try to make sure it has hardly any light, how much light does it need? can someone help me please? thanks.
Light won't hurt it and it doesn't really need it either. We have plants in our G. rosea enclosure, so it always has a day and night cycle. There are people that keep their Ts in cabinets or closets that stay dark all day though, so it is really a personal preference that you will have to decide for yourself. :)

Once again, welcome to the hobby and the forum! The link in my signature contains another great sticky for newcomer common questions! :D
 
B

bkbroiler23

Guest
thanks a lot for the info, i appreciate the helpfull hints and i will take some time and read up on the link sent to me thanks and i will post pictures soon...:)
 

gmrpnk21

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 1, 2010
Messages
319
First of all, Welcome to the forum and the hobby! :D



Coco fiber is a great choice for substrate and a 10 gallon is a good sized tank for it. However, if you have it in that size tank, you will need a fair amount of substrate to make it safe for the tarantula. There should only be about a legspan and a half of space between the top of the substrate and the top of the enclosure. This is to help prevent injuries from a fall.



Is the coco fiber still wet? G. rosea(this is the scientific name for your tarantula) often climb the walls when the substrate is not dry, so that could be a reason. Another could be that it simply isn't settled in to its new home yet and that it will stop when it is/ wants to.



It is most likely just settling in, but it is also very normal for G. rosea to go on marathon fasts. There have been accounts of them going 2+ years without eating, so a week is no problem at all. Just make sure to always provide a full water dish and you have done what it needs. You can keep trying to feed every couple of days, but personally I would wait a week.



If you provide it a safe and secure home, with suitable food and fresh water, you are doing what it takes to keep the T healthy.



Light won't hurt it and it doesn't really need it either. We have plants in our G. rosea enclosure, so it always has a day and night cycle. There are people that keep their Ts in cabinets or closets that stay dark all day though, so it is really a personal preference that you will have to decide for yourself. :)

Once again, welcome to the hobby and the forum! The link in my signature contains another great sticky for newcomer common questions! :D
Two year fast? The longest I have read about was a year. Congrats on the new T! I am sort of wishing I would have picked up an adult Rose Hair rather than a sling. The sling is cute, but I am paranoid about it drying out. The red phase rose hairs are pretty dang cool looking imo. Do you have any pics yet?
 
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