Juvenile tarantula always hungry

Jasonrobbins1335

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Oct 20, 2016
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Hi I'm new to t keeping and I am the new proud papa of a 5 month old rosey the pet store near me was getting rid of. I think it's female but I mite have to wait till it older to truly tell.Last week I noticed it was sitting by the door so I though maybe it will eat so I dropped in a med size cricket and it pounced on it immediately the next day the same thing so I said ok gave it another something thing every day this week it's been waiting to be feed and it ripping the thing apart it looks like today it ate 3 is that normal do they over eat. The picture is from when I brought it home it's in a 5 gallon reptile tank with big cave tree.
 

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Formerphobe

Arachnoking
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It looks to be a G porteri or one of the other Grammostola species that pet stores commonly mislabel as G rosea.
At five months of age, it wouldn't even be as big as the average adult thumbnail, more like a tiny infant's nail.
This genus is notorious for slow growth, taking 5 to 10 years to reach the adult size of the one pictured.
They have the potential to live 30 years or more.
Most pet store specimens are wild caught, so they really have no idea how old the spider is.
G "rosea" are also famous for feast or fast. It may eat voraciously for days, weeks or months, then not accept any food at all for months to years. Just be sure it always has access to a water bowl.
 

Formerphobe

Arachnoking
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That enclosure would be good for a large arboreal tarantula.
Your spider needs something far shorter. Her ceiling height should be no more than 1.5 times her legspan.

After males mature, they don't live as long as females. "How long" has many variables. Some get killed and eaten by the female at their first breeding. Some individuals can live several years after maturity.
If it takes them 5 to 10 years to mature (some NW species), then they live another 2, 3 or 4 years you're still talking about a potential 7 to 14 year life span.

Don't wet the substrate. This species comes from one of the most arid areas on earth. A water bowl will suffice.
 

Jasonrobbins1335

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Oct 20, 2016
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So he has to much space the tank they had him in at the pet store was 3 times that big and they said I could keep more then 1 together. With i know is not true but you think a cricket keeper would work. Will the tank he's in stress him
 

Andrea82

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Jan 12, 2016
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Please check out the thread I posted. That enclosure is not good for your T at all. If it climbs and falls, it could get seriously injured.
You need an enclosure larger than it is tall, something shaped like a shoebox or a rectangle. Substrate
should be eco earth or top soil
without any additives and dry, bone dry. Waterdish can be a little deeper, but not much. The T also needs a hide. But check the link I posted earlier first.
 

cold blood

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Obviously you learned from either a pet store or a care sheet...both terrible places to learn from and your set up shows it....that enclosure is nothing short of a death trap for that t.

1. Height is BAD for terrestrials...very bad...its a fall waiting to happen...and before you go and say yours doesn't climb...lol, it will, they all do. Things to climb on, like your "tree" are nothing but hazards for terrestrials.

2. That specimen is probably well over a decade old, whoever told you it was 5 months is a complete and total idiot...as former said, a 5 month old would be teeny tiny (for many years).

3. You are grossly over-feeding it. Your species has about the lowest food requirements in the t world...on top of that, they also have the highest propensity for fasting, both randomly and for great lengths of time.....the more you over-feed, the more and longer it will fast. I suggest one cricket every 7-14 days.

4. Males of this species can easily live a decade or more....females can live upwards of 40 years or more.

5. There is no such thing as tarantula bedding.....use coco fiber, eco earth, jungle mix, peat moss or just plain top soil (the cheap stuff without additives for plant growth). And as mentioned, keep it bone dry...this species despises moisture.
 

WeightedAbyss75

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Feb 22, 2014
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That big of a cage can stress them. One of the kritter keepers they probably sell will work very well, just give it lots of dirt ;) Also, hearing these comments from the pet store is CRINGE! Thise pet stores really have 0 clue...
 

Red Eunice

Arachnodemon
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Mar 2, 2014
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Here it is I just fwed it again waiting by the door. I keep a shallow water cup in there and wet the coconut husk or what ever that soil is for reptiles I didn't see spider bedding anywhere. You think it's a few years I herd males only live a few years
Welcome to the forum.
Great setup for an arboreal species, unfortunately you have a terrestrial. Horizontal surface area is what these require, not vertical. If it were to climb up and fall may result in a serious injury or death. I keep terrestrials in enclosures 2X DLS wide by 3-4X DLS long by 1 1/2-2X DLS high. DLS=Diagonal Leg Span.
This is an arid species so no need to wet the substrate the water dish will do for humidity needs. Provide a hide, although they rarely use them, usually climb and sit on top. You really won't see a lot of silk, normally, with this species. Most will see the molt mat they spin.
I've 2 G. rosea and 5 G. porteri that are fed 3-4 times per month, 1 large cricket each time. They have a slow metabolism rate and over feeding is quite common.
As others stated, very slow growing species, not uncommon for females to live 25-30 years, even longer. I have a female that I've kept for 25 years and she's older since, when I acquired her, was near 2" DLS.
They are hair flickers and notorious for mood swings and long fasting periods. These conditions differ on individual specimens, some never threat posture, others will at the slightest disturbance, same goes for hair kicking.
Personally I think of them more of a "novice" species than a "beginner" species. A very frustrating species for someone's first tarantula.
Btw, your T is undoubtedly older than 5 months.
 

Realevil1

Arachnosquire
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Sep 7, 2016
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not to poop on your party but.. @Jasonrobbins1335
personally i would change some stuff and take out the tree and the background.

#1 You need more substrate, fill substrate up to the bottom of the doors, or get a new terrarium/bin.

#2 If it decides to climb that background 1 of 2 things can happen. It can chew the screen top and cause damage to itself and or the screen, or it will fall and injure itself.

Here are some inspirational photos for you to browse @Jasonrobbins1335

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d97/Sabotag3sl/split.jpg

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lhWojZQOYqM/maxresdefault.jpg

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dOI6PdlWJzo/maxresdefault.jpg

http://pure-exotic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/terraE.jpg
 

Realevil1

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Sep 7, 2016
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@Jasonrobbins1335 Try to handle your T as little as possible if at all. Personally unless I have had a spider for a long time and its settled in and calm i will absolutely not. Only when I have had enough time to observe its behavior and its calm and content, i may consider it. Maybe. In most cases I use a deli cup to move my spiders around.

As far as bites go, everyone reacts differently. Keep in mind if you are sensitive to other invertebrates venom, it may mean painful or severe consequences if you happen to get bit.
 

Realevil1

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 7, 2016
Messages
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That work u think or to small
@Jasonrobbins1335 if thats for a couple nights temporarily then ya thats fine but not more than a few days as the T will stress even more.

If you need more time, go get one of these and fill it with cocofiber and put a 6-8 inch long piece 3-4 inch pcv tube (with finished edges not raw cut) in there for it.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Homz-15....ategy=PWVUB&visitor_id=Wz50bgBC8mAVwYf-gn_ONc


I know some people dont drive and cant get around as easily as others so things take time. We are here to help with suggestions.
 

viper69

ArachnoGod
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Dec 8, 2006
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That work u think or to small
Too small, get the next size up...OR take your ARBOREAL ExoTerra and convert it for a terrestrial. It's SOOOO EASY. http://arachnoboards.com/threads/ex...rom-arboreal-to-terrestrial-pic-heavy.259864/

I bet buying a piece of acrylic for the top would be cheaper than buying a larger Kritter Keeper. You cannot use screen tops for tarantulas.

I STRONGLY suggest you read up on tarantulas at this site. It's clear you are new, and we want you to succeed, and your tarantula to thrive, not survive.

Also read Stan's entire site http://people.ucalgary.ca/~schultz/spiders.html

If you don't read, your T is going to die at some point in all probability.

If you bought the T to handle it, then return it or give it to someone who won't.

People's Ts end up getting injured or dead due to being handled.

They don't like being handled at all.
 
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