new rose questions

[wollywoo]

hi all! I have had my first T, a Chilean rose for nearly 3 weeks now, I have read tons on the species but I still fret, like i spyed hopefully her going round her tank checking out the roof, i am worried she may be trying to get out cause of a problem in there. I also havent seen her drink from her bottle cap yet, i was told to put soaking wet sponge in a bottle cap is this right? she has been more active since i handled her the other night as well. If you havent noticed i like to ask lots of questions cause i dont want accidently hurt my T. Just as a note, the shop I got her from said she was only a few months old. Bless! sorry for the twenty questions!

 

[ErikH]

How big is she? If it is truly only a few months old, it will be 1/4" or less. In that case, you should keep it in a vial, and put a few drops of water on the side of the vial to provide water. Make sure that the container is appropriate in size to the size of your tarantula. There are several threads that can help you with this, just use the search function. Get rid of the sponge, the spider cannot drink from it, and it is a breeding ground for bacteria. If the spider is too small for the dish, put a stone in the middle of it to keep it from drowning. G. rosea like the substrate to be bone dry, if there is any moisture in it, you will see him/her staying on the sides or lid of the enclosure.

Hope this helps.

Welcome to the site, and to the hobby!

Erik

 

[wollywoo]

thanks for the advice!! Sponge taken straight out!! She is about 3 inchs roughly so i dont think she is as young as they told me. Whats the best water bowl for her? I think the humidity is a bit too high but i dont know how to reduce it. The hygrometer is currently on 70. Definately getting a better tarantula book then the one I have!!!! Will post a pic as soon as I have a good one

 

[Thoth]

At three inches sounds like it is several years old and in case you haven't checed the rosie care sticky here it is:
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=5292

Also the beginnners info sticky (names is a bit misleading as there is useful info for all levels):
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=40987

And welcome to the addiction.

 

[Windchaser]

That is certainly a good one. A three inch G. rosea that is a few months old. I have several from an egg sac that I hatched in Dec. 2004 and every one of them is still under an inch in size. G. rosea grow very slowly, so you are looking at a tarantula that is at least several years old.

This reminds me of the time an employee at a PetSmart insisted that their five inch G. rosea was two months old. Even after telling him that I breed them and have been keeping them for years he insisted he was right.

 

[wollywoo]

typical. doesnt really bother me that she's older than they said cause she's a cutie but its mean to pick on people who are new to the hobbie. grrrr. I'll go elsewhere 4 my Tarantula's in future!! Anywho, thanks for the advice guys, really appreciate it :worship:

 

[Amanda]

At 3", he/she's definitely not nearly full-grown yet, so you'll get to see it grow and mature for years to come. Watching them grow and thrive has to be my favorite part of this hobby.

You'll settle into keeping her as quickly as she settles into her new home. She won't be your last.

 

[MindUtopia]

She is probably climbing because like you suspected the substrate is too moist. G. rosea tend to like very dry conditions. I would just make sure there is not too much of a drop from the top of the tank to the substrate level (no more than 5 inches at most), which could be done by adding more substrate. You can also try drying any future substrate by baking it in the oven for 10-15 minutes which will not only dry it out but also kill off anything that might be living in there. Good luck for your first T!

 

[wollywoo]

me again!!! i have been trying to measure as best i can and she's about 2 inch's carapace and abdomen. Thats not excate cause there's just no measuring a rosie thats frowning at ya!!! Just so as ya know cause i would love for a rough guess at age.

 

[ErikH]

How big would you estimate her to be accross, including the legs, diagonally from front to rear?

 

[Windchaser]

me again!!! i have been trying to measure as best i can and she's about 2 inch's carapace and abdomen. Thats not excate cause there's just no measuring a rosie thats frowning at ya!!! Just so as ya know cause i would love for a rough guess at age.

It is really impossible to estimate the age of a tarantula, especially for species that can live a long time such as a G. rosea. There are also many factors that affect the grow rate of a tarantula which is why estimating age is basically impossible. At the size you are suggesting it is at least several years old. That is about the best estimate you will be able to get.

As far as the people at the shop go I really don't think they were trying to be mean to you. Most pet shops are simply ignorant when it comes to arachnids and they were most likely trying to sound like they knew what they were talking about.