new Grammostola sp. coming 2moro - few Q's

[blue_carrot]

Hey guys im fairly new to forums in general but my T comes tomorrow morning with all the equipment and some juicy crickets too
anyway i used to be terrified of spiders but i dont now why i started to read up on tarantulas and now i don't know what i was scared of!! iv done a hell of a lot of reading on many different species, basically trying to be as prepared as possible for the sake of the spider itself so i dont end up killing her, so i think im fairly clued up for the basics...
But moving swiftly to my point iv got a couple of questions that are confusing me a little -

A) the spider thats coming is listed as "Grammostola Sp.(Concpecion)" - AKA: Chile Red Zebra...
Now i was originally going to get a Rosea but saw this little critter and im just wondering is the Concepcion ACTUALLY a Rosea and its just a different colour form or is it just a different species?? - sorry i don't have a pic yet of her

B) how often should i change the substrate - ive hear some say 6 months and heard others say every few years? is it just preference?

C) how often should i vary her food? from crickets to mealworms etc.. do they prefer variety or consistency?

cheers for reading everyone - im really excited to be getting into this and it'd be great to hear back from someone that doesn't say "euuurgh u wierdo uv got a tarantula!!" i tell u - ignorance is bloody annoying!

 

[Jmugleston]

In my opinion I think G. sp. "Concepcion" are something different. The most noticeable morphological difference is the scopulae. They are a quite different from the typical G. rosea or the G. rosea "Chilean Flames." Some other (probably not significant for taxonomy) differences are the banding on the spinnerets. I'm not a big Grammostola fan, but these are an exceptional species. The Grammostola sp. "Concepcion" looks more like G. cala if you ask me. (The similarity between the "Concepcion" and G. cala was pointed out by a friend of mine who is quite fond of this genus.)

I see changing substrate as an "as needed" thing. I think mine are changed at least every six months, but it typically depends on whether it is a female getting ready to lay eggs, it has outgrown its enclosure, etc.

There are varying opinions on food. I feed mine roaches and it only varies on species depending on which roach colony is the most prolific at that time. I don't think variation is that big of a deal, but I don't have any scientific data (complete tests including control groups etc.) to back that up. Just anecdotal evidence from keeping Ts.

 

[blue_carrot]

cheers man yea i see what you mean with the G. Cala species - there looks to be some white colouring on the pads, a bit more of an orange colour overall than the rosea - more similar to the red colour form i think..

iv found a site that has a comparison photo of the red form rosea and the concepcion;
http://www.thespidershop.co.uk/insect/product_info.php?products_id=1523

so could i be forgiven for treating the concepcion as if its a rosea? (relating to the living temperature, humidity, temperament etc.)
if its just really a different colour form then surely it should behave as a typical grammostola?
please post if you think im wrong cos as i say im completley new to these wonderful creatures!!

cheers for the substrate and food info too, that clears it up fairly well!!

 

[killy]

Mealworms are good to have around in case you run out of crickets every now and then - they're easy to keep in suspended animation in the fridge - my Ts consume both with relish (but they do ask that I hold the onions ...) - once I released a large mealworm into my vagan's KK before I realized that he was in "pre-molt" - Diablo, who ordinarily lunges upon his prey with the speed and force of a Sherman tank, ignored the mealworm and remained in his burrow - overnight the mealwom pupated and I left the waxy white pupa where it lay - after Diablo molted and emerged from the burrow, he ate the half-developed pupa, which must have been a soft-and-chewy treat, so it was a win-win-lose situation for Diablo, me, and the not-quite-a-mealworm/not-yet-a-beetle.

By the way, my Grammostolas are a pulchra and an aureostriata.

 

[Jmugleston]

Don't mind color since that is not good for taxonomy, but pay attention to the pads (scopulae) underneath the 2nd to last segment (metatarsus) the "Concepcion" have a disc shaped scupulae whereas the others (G. rosea and G. rosea "Chilean Flame" have a different shape. More oval and not nearly as wide in diameter). Care should be similar to G. rosea from what I understand, but others with more experience with this species should be able to chime in here.

 

[blue_carrot]

mealworms sounding like a good idea for a backup - im thinking i mite just alternate between crickets, locusts and the odd mealworm every time i go to get her food from the shop, im sure ill learn what her flavour is!
i like how u say its win win - dont think the mealworm would see it that way haha!!!

cool ill check out the pads when she arrives - from outside the enclosure obviously, ill give her a week or two to settle in - its a juvy apparently; around 6-8cm so i dont know if ill be able to tell any noticable difference from my experience (which is about the size of a pea at the moment!)

oh just one other quick question - is it wise to use a thermostat with a heatmat if its pretty solid and reliable?
just im from the UK and i imagine 90% of the people on this site are from the states? - if you've aver been to north of england you'd know its pretty f-ing cold and wet most of the time!

 

[killy]

oh just one other quick question - is it wise to use a thermostat with a heatmat if its pretty solid and reliable?

Brother, you need to start a whole new thread on that subject! (And I will read along with you, since that's a subject I know nothing about!) ...

up kinda late on a school-night, are you not?

 

[Jmugleston]

I wouldn't put a heat pad under the cage. (Possibly on the back, but not the bottom). Burrowing Ts will dig deeper to escape the heat. It will dig deeper only to be in a warmer spot. See the trouble?

 

[blue_carrot]

haha! im 18 and at university my man! i wont have the ability to sleep for at least another 3 years!
but i am like a kid in a toy store when it comes to this!
but yea iv heard about the heatpad on the back wall on half the enclose so that she can regulate her own body heat, iv bought a thermometer for inside the tank so ill see how things go and add a heatpad if its needed
didnt realise thats why the burrowers burrowed though - i thought it was more of a security type action

cheers everyone the helps been great! im actually sat by the door with my laptop now waiting for her to come haha!!

 

[Jmugleston]

They burrow for a number of reasons, but escaping the elements seems to be just one of the reasons for using a secluded hide.

 

[killy]

Mine burrow to piss me off ;P

 

[blue_carrot]

hey guys she finally arrived this morning!!
just spent about 3 hours tryin to sort out the damn substrate - came in expanding block form so i put the water in - wayyyyy too much water! so then ended up only using about half of the whole block and had to throw the rest away! put the ol' spid in and she wernt too happy - stuck to the side of the enclosure - so popped her out and then got the substrate back out - put it in the oven for a while to dry it out, let it cool down and shes back in now, think shes pretty happy, she hasnt moved for a while, think shes just contemplating her surroundings

anyone else with any tips on housing a new Rosie?

 

[Kuro]

Rosie's like it dry. my big girl hides away for days if i accidently over fill her water dish or something else to get the 'strate wet.


with the strate you could have saved it. i have two plastic tubs for strate....one to soak it in and the other i put the strate after i've squeezed most of the water out with my hands. this way i don't waste whats left over and i can still be used. kinda time consuming yes but i don't waste money by throwing out good strate

 

[blue_carrot]

yea man shes been chillin in her new cave, she was on tiptoes for a while but thats cos there was a bit of condensation on the sides from the substrate when it was cooling down, shes fair happy now, dnt think she minds about it now - bout 75% humidity atm -
i managed to save a fair amount - just realised i didnt throw it out, ill put it away for a few months till it needs changing

- - heres a pic of her, pretty close up but its good!

 

[blue_carrot]

cant upload the pictures on here for some reason so heres a link to my facebook with it on -

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=509553440&ref=nf#/photo.php?pid=8399006&id=628445362