Is this normal Chile Rose behaviour?

[UralOwl]

My adult G.Rosea has recently been acting very restless for no apparent reason. I believe she's female since I can't find any tibial hooks or palpal bulbs, though she could just be a sub-adult. She hasn't molted yet in my time of having her, so I can't say for 100% certain as of yet.
Anyway, as aforementioned, she's been very restless for the past couple of days - She is excessively climbing the walls of her tank and digging up the substrate. I've been keeping the substrate bone dry as I hear G.Roseas loathe moist substrate, the only humidity in her enclosure is her water dish. I keep her at room temperature which is usually always around 20-24c. She's got a hide in her enclosure, though barely ever uses it.
The spider is about 12cm in legspan and her enclosure is 36Lx21Wx16H. The enclosure has about 1 and half inches of potting soil that I use as the substrate.

She used to be pretty much just a pet rock, sitting in one spot for sometimes over 5 hours without moving a millimetre. I'm not sure what's brought on this sudden change in her. She's still eating just fine, I usually feed her 1-2 crickets per week and I last fed her just yesterday - the cricket barely hit the ground before she leapt on it, lol.
The only thing I can think of is that she doesn't like the soil, but she used to sprawl herself out on it before, so I don't see why that should be the case. There's probably something I'm overlooking here which has caused her sudden change in behaviour, but I have no clue as to what. I've had her for about 3 months now so it seems very odd that she'd start acting this way now.

And I apologise if this seems like a stupid question, I'm still very new to the hobby.

 

[moghue]

Nothing wrong from what i see. I have a few G.roseas and they vary from being pet rocks to moving around a lot to rearrranging everything. One thing you will find out about them is there is no hard and fast rules when it comes to them. iI think they were put on this earth just to confuse us people who keep them lol

 

[UralOwl]

Nothing wrong from what i see. I have a few G.roseas and they vary from being pet rocks to moving around a lot to rearrranging everything. One thing you will find out about them is there is no hard and fast rules when it comes to them. iI think they were put on this earth just to confuse us people who keep them lol

I got back home earlier and found my T sitting in the middle of her enclosure grooming herself. Since then (which was about 2 hours) ago, she's just been sitting in around the same place where she was grooming earlier and seems to be a pet rock again for the time being. She is indeed very confusing, lol.
She seems fine otherwise though, healthy abdomen and what not.

 

[Masurai]

normal behavior and G. rosea just don't really go together lol.

 

[moghue]

normal behavior and G. rosea just don't really go together lol.

I couldnt have said it better. G.roseas live to confuse us

 

[StonyJ]

u got that one right every time i hear a rule about a Rosie i can find a story to say different

 

[DannyH]

The strangest thing a rosehair can do is act like a normal T.

 

[Stan Schultz]

My adult G.Rosea ...

Why do you think it's an adult? Size? That might be a pretty good flag until it molts into a mature male this fall. It's a strong hint, but no guarantee.

... I believe she's female since I can't find any tibial hooks or palpal bulbs, though she could just be a sub-adult. ...

A big misunderstanding among enthusiasts is that you recognize a male by the hooks or bulbed pedipalps. In fact, ONLY THE MATURE MALES POSSESS THESE. Immature males and females of whatever state will NOT possess them. (Yes, I strongly suspect that you already know this by the subtle wording of your sentence. I'm inserting this comment for the sake of all the newbies who may read this thread over the next several years.)

... She hasn't molted yet in my time of having her, so I can't say for 100% certain as of yet. ...

And, unless you're careful, and maybe even if you are careful, it may not molt for another two years. Read all about it in Care and Husbandry of the Chilean Rose Tarantula.

... Anyway, as aforementioned, she's been very restless for the past couple of days - She is excessively climbing the walls of her tank and digging up the substrate. ...

How long has it been since you last cleaned the cage and changed the substrate?

What are you using for substrate? Oh wait! I read it below! See my comments there.

Is the substrate well packed into a firm pad, or loose and fluffy?

... I've been keeping the substrate bone dry as I hear G.Roseas loathe moist substrate, the only humidity in her enclosure is her water dish. ...

I can't imagine humidity being much of an issue, but as an experiment, you might cover the cage opening with plastic food wrap or otherwise block almost all or all ventilation to gently raise the humidity in the cage. Note that I didn't say to mist or spray it, and I didn't say to dampen the substrate. Using my method, you raise the humidity without getting anything wet.

... I keep her at room temperature which is usually always around 20-24c. ...

Temperature, for the most part, is nearly irrelevant with tarantulas in general, and especially with roses. But, at least this tells us that you're not doing anything extreme here, like using a heating pad or something.

Is there any chance that the temperature skyrockets to much higher in the middle of the day when you're not there to notice?

... She's got a hide in her enclosure, though barely ever uses it. ...

This is of little significance too because some roses do use their hide and others do not. We have no clue why there's a difference.

... The spider is about 12cm in legspan and her enclosure is 36Lx21Wx16H. ...

I assume the cage dimensions are also metric, and if so the cage is not a bad size. If those are inches, I'm a little concerned about the height. Add more substrate to only give a free space about 1.5 DLS (Diagonal Leg Spans) high.

... The enclosure has about 1 and half inches of potting soil that I use as the substrate. ...

This concerns me. In North America the potting soil producers have changed from using peat to using composted lumber industry byproducts, a.k.a., rotted sawdust and wood shavings, in their potting soil. The main problem with that is that they never tell us what kind of wood byproducts they use, and we're fairly sure that red cedar (a.k.a., juniper) is really bad for tarantulas, and we strongly suspect that pine and spruce may also be bad. And, we have no idea how efficient the composting process is at neutralizing the toxins in those woods. So, North American hobbyists have moved away from using potting soil to using plain horticultural peat or shredded coconut husk (a.k.a., coir) instead. Check out the ingredients label on the package. Maybe you should clean the cage and change substrates.

Some pointers for dealing with substrate are available at Substrate.

... She used to be pretty much just a pet rock, sitting in one spot for sometimes over 5 hours without moving a millimetre. I'm not sure what's brought on this sudden change in her. ...

Right off the top of my head I can think of only a few stories that might explain what's happening here. But, there's no proof. This is just wild guessing.

1. Your female is really a male that's about to mature, probably with its next molt in October or November. (Remember that it's probably still running on a Southern Hemisphere time table.) And, it's beginning to feel its hormones and the normal male wanderlust, albeit a little earlier than expected.

2. In Chile the tarantulas are pretty much hunkering down for a long winter's nap. Think "November" in Northern Hemisphere terms. Maybe it wants to find a place to hide for the winter. If so, it'll outgrow this in a few weeks.

3. Mite or springtail infestation. Tonight or tomorrow night, at about 3:00 AM when everybody has been asleep for hours, quietly get up and shine a flashlight through the cage. DON'T TURN ON THE ROOM LIGHTS! It'll ruin your night vision. Look for little pinpoints of light that move slowly in the beam of the flashlight. They may be more numerous around the water dish, or the discarded food bolus from yesterday's feeding. Look carefully on the glass walls of the cage too. If you see any, especially a lot of them, follow the instructions in Mighty Mites.

... She's still eating just fine, I usually feed her 1-2 crickets per week and I last fed her just yesterday - the cricket barely hit the ground before she leapt on it, lol. ...

Just be careful not to overfeed it! Slim and svelte is good. It needs to keep its 19 year old figure!

... There's probably something I'm overlooking here which has caused her sudden change in behaviour, but I have no clue as to what. ...

Possible. Or, it could merely be a "rose thing" that she'll outgrow. As others have noted, all tarantulas are weird. That's why we love them. But Chilean roses are the avant garde of weird tarantulas. I'm convinced they do extra weird things simply to irritate us! Payback for abducting them from their nice, comfy burrow in Chile is a #$%^#!

... I've had her for about 3 months now so it seems very odd that she'd start acting this way now. ...

Ah! I was going to ask. This is useful information. That means that it was probably caught last January. And, that means that if it is an adult female you could be cruising toward becoming a step-parent to 200 baby Chilean roses. Don't panic yet, but if it produces an eggsac next October/November/December use this thread to ask for help ASAP.

If it were my rose, I'd clean the cage and set it all up band new again. Warm soapy (mild dish detergent) water. Lots of rinsing. Heroic attempts at sterilization are futile and maybe even dangerous. Use just soap and water. New substrate (make sure it's the right kind). New/different furnishings. Or, wash and rinse the old ones really well. Maybe even put the cage in a different room in your home.

... And I apologise if this seems like a stupid question, I'm still very new to the hobby.

No apology necessary.

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

If you're new to the hobby maybe you should also read Stan's Rant (READ and HEED the WARNINGS! READ the BOOKS!), and Myths Perpetuated by Tarantula Enthusiasts. (Follow the sub-links.)


Best of luck. Enjoy your little 8-legged enigma.

 

[UralOwl]

Why do you think it's an adult? Size? That might be a pretty good flag until it molts into a mature male this fall. It's a strong hint, but no guarantee.

It was being sold as an 'adult' which is just why I assume this. But of course pet stores can get things wrong. As I said in my last post, she's about 12cm in legspan.

And, unless you're careful, and maybe even if you are careful, it may not molt for another two years. Read all about it in Care and Husbandry of the Chilean Rose Tarantula.

Thanks for the link. She doesn't seem to be showing any signs of pre-molt as of yet, so fingers crossed!

How long has it been since you last cleaned the cage and changed the substrate?

What are you using for substrate? Oh wait! I read it below! See my comments there.

Is the substrate well packed into a firm pad, or loose and fluffy?

I haven't cleaned it since I got her, I just remove cricket limbs that she doesn't eat and refill her water dish usually every few days or so (she enjoys kicking the substrate into her dish).
It was well packed and firm, there was actually some hard chunks of soil in it as well that I had to crush down before I put it into her enclosure.

I can't imagine humidity being much of an issue, but as an experiment, you might cover the cage opening with plastic food wrap or otherwise block almost all or all ventilation to gently raise the humidity in the cage. Note that I didn't say to mist or spray it, and I didn't say to dampen the substrate. Using my method, you raise the humidity without getting anything wet.

Thanks for the tip, might try it if she decides to climb the glass like there's no tomorrow again.

Temperature, for the most part, is nearly irrelevant with tarantulas in general, and especially with roses. But, at least this tells us that you're not doing anything extreme here, like using a heating pad or something.

Is there any chance that the temperature skyrockets to much higher in the middle of the day when you're not there to notice?

I've heard of some people literally cooking their Ts to death with heat pads before, so I'm never using one of those.

It is possible, it has been pretty hot here in the UK recently, though the hottest I've seen it go so far is 26c.

This is of little significance too because some roses do use their hide and others do not. We have no clue why there's a difference.

At least it makes her a good display tarantula.

I assume the cage dimensions are also metric, and if so the cage is not a bad size. If those are inches, I'm a little concerned about the height. Add more substrate to only give a free space about 1.5 DLS (Diagonal Leg Spans) high.

They're in centre meters, and the height from the ceiling to the bottom of the enclosure is about 4.5 inches if you include the substrate. She's not able to climb on the ceiling though, I've seen her try a couple of times before, but she's never able to get a grip on it (probably because the lid is covered with ventilation slits/holes).

This concerns me. In North America the potting soil producers have changed from using peat to using composted lumber industry byproducts, a.k.a., rotted sawdust and wood shavings, in their potting soil. The main problem with that is that they never tell us what kind of wood byproducts they use, and we're fairly sure that red cedar (a.k.a., juniper) is really bad for tarantulas, and we strongly suspect that pine and spruce may also be bad. And, we have no idea how efficient the composting process is at neutralizing the toxins in those woods. So, North American hobbyists have moved away from using potting soil to using plain horticultural peat or shredded coconut husk (a.k.a., coir) instead. Check out the ingredients label on the package. Maybe you should clean the cage and change substrates.

Some pointers for dealing with substrate are available at Substrate.

This probably doesn't apply to me since I reside in the UK, though I did check the soil over before purchasing and apparently it's all natural with no pesticides or the like. I've also been using the soil for my praying mantids and feeder crickets for much longer than my T and none of them seem to have been affected, so hopefully it's all good.

Thanks for the link by the by.

Right off the top of my head I can think of only a few stories that might explain what's happening here. But, there's no proof. This is just wild guessing.

1. Your female is really a male that's about to mature, probably with its next molt in October or November. (Remember that it's probably still running on a Southern Hemisphere time table.) And, it's beginning to feel its hormones and the normal male wanderlust, albeit a little earlier than expected.

2. In Chile the tarantulas are pretty much hunkering down for a long winter's nap. Think "November" in Northern Hemisphere terms. Maybe it wants to find a place to hide for the winter. If so, it'll outgrow this in a few weeks.

3. Mite or springtail infestation. Tonight or tomorrow night, at about 3:00 AM when everybody has been asleep for hours, quietly get up and shine a flashlight through the cage. DON'T TURN ON THE ROOM LIGHTS! It'll ruin your night vision. Look for little pinpoints of light that move slowly in the beam of the flashlight. They may be more numerous around the water dish, or the discarded food bolus from yesterday's feeding. Look carefully on the glass walls of the cage too. If you see any, especially a lot of them, follow the instructions in Mighty Mites.

Thanks for the info, I'll try the mite/springtail thing later tonight.

Just be careful not to overfeed it! Slim and svelte is good. It needs to keep its 19 year old figure!

She's still looks slim for the time being, the abdomen is no bigger than the carapace.

Ah! I was going to ask. This is useful information. That means that it was probably caught last January. And, that means that if it is an adult female you could be cruising toward becoming a step-parent to 200 baby Chilean roses. Don't panic yet, but if it produces an eggsac next October/November/December use this thread to ask for help ASAP.

If it were my rose, I'd clean the cage and set it all up band new again. Warm soapy (mild dish detergent) water. Lots of rinsing. Heroic attempts at sterilization are futile and maybe even dangerous. Use just soap and water. New substrate (make sure it's the right kind). New/different furnishings. Or, wash and rinse the old ones really well. Maybe even put the cage in a different room in your home.

Will do, lol.

No apology necessary.

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

If you're new to the hobby maybe you should also read Stan's Rant (READ and HEED the WARNINGS! READ the BOOKS!), and Myths Perpetuated by Tarantula Enthusiasts. (Follow the sub-links.)


Best of luck. Enjoy your little 8-legged enigma.

Thanks for all the info, very helpful.
My Rosea has just turned into a pet rock again for the past 2 days and hasn't been moving around too much. The last thing I saw her doing was grooming in the middle of her enclosure. Very confusing, lol.

 

[Stan Schultz]

... My Rosea has just turned into a pet rock again for the past 2 days and hasn't been moving around too much. The last thing I saw her doing was grooming in the middle of her enclosure. Very confusing, lol.

Like I said, "I'm convinced they do extra weird things simply to irritate us! Payback for abducting them from their nice, comfy burrow in Chile is a #$%^#!"

 

[UralOwl]

Like I said, "I'm convinced they do extra weird things simply to irritate us! Payback for abducting them from their nice, comfy burrow in Chile is a #$%^#!"

It definitely seems that way, lol.
She was bulldozing the substrate again earlier for about 10 minutes, but has now turned into a pet rock again for the past few hours aside from some grooming when she was done with redecorating the soil. No idea what she's up to, but like I said, she seems perfectly healthy otherwise so I'm probably worried about nothing.