newbie g.rosea owner , some questions ?

[spaglemon]

hi , i have just received a g.rosea approx 7cm diagonally , was told it was a juvenille , the store i got her from didn't know how old she was , any idea what her approximate age might be ? don't know when they go from juvenille to sub adult to mature ?

i have her in a plastic tank approximately 32cm long x 20cm deep x 16cm high
it has that humus brick substrate and some sphagnum moss in it , i have made a small burrow for her which she seems to quite like , a shallow water bowl with some of that water gel stuff in it and some plastic leaved plants

does this setup sound ok ? i don't have a heatmat but have been monitoring the temperature and it is around 19 - 21 degrees is this too cold for her ? 23-27 degrees seems to be recommended ?

i have crickets for her but she has showed no interet in them whatsoever since i got her 5 days ago , do you think she just needs to settle in or could the lower temperature be affecting her appetite ?

i had a go at handling her yesterday and i was very nervous and to be perfectly honest a bit scared ( i'm a 40 year old man by the way ) it took me a while to get her onto my hand and i think she was starting to get a bit fed up with my nervous fumblings and as soon as i did manage to get her onto my hand she started flicking hairs which freaked me out even more , she just sat on my hand and seemed very reluctant to move and it took me a while to convince her to move off my hand and back into her tank , i would like to handle her now and then but not if my nervousness stresses her out at all , was everyone the same the first time they handled their first tarantula ?

i have had a couple of corn snakes for 6 years now and know quite a bit about them but am a complete newbie when it comes to spiders , i have been looking through the posts on this forum and already am picking up knowledge on these wonderful creatures and just wanted some reassurance that i was doing everything i can for her

by the way i've given her the very original name of "Rosie"

cheers
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[Sooner]

g.rosea approx 7cm diagonally , was told it was a juvenille , the store i got her from didn't know how old she was , any idea what her approximate age might be ? don't know when they go from juvenille to sub adult to mature ?

They grow fairly slowly, my guess is that's it's under 3-4 years old.

i have her in a plastic tank approximately 32cm long x 20cm deep x 16cm high
it has that humus brick substrate and some sphagnum moss in it , i have made a small burrow for her which she seems to quite like , a shallow water bowl with some of that water gel stuff in it and some plastic leaved plants

That sounds about right for a juvie, they do prefer to keep on the dryer side. A water gel is not necessary.

I don't have a heatmat but have been monitoring the temperature and it is around 19 - 21 degrees is this too cold for her ? 23-27 degrees seems to be recommended ?

20C is a bit fair low, 23C is better. Room temperature for you is probably okay for a rose.

i have crickets for her but she has showed no interet in them whatsoever since i got her 5 days ago , do you think she just needs to settle in or could the lower temperature be affecting her appetite ?

They're known to fast but it could be jitters too. Take the crickets out if she hasn't eaten them overnight.

Welcome to the hobby and good luck with Rosie!

 

[Anansis]

Congrats on the new tarantula. Make sure the substrate is deep - about halfway up the enclosure and dry. A water bowl with clean water will be much better than the gel crystals.

Your temps are a bit on the low side but she'll be ok especially if it warms up during the summer and there is no need for a heat pad.

There are a couple of reasons why she isn't eating - she just needs to settle in for a while or she could be in a premolt condition. She will probably eat less at lower temps as well.

 

[spaglemon]

thanks , i have now replaced the gel with water and she has spent the last 10mins at the bowl drinking , it's the first time i have seen her at her water bowl since i got her 5 days ago , are the habistat thermostats for controlling the heat mat temp reliable and recommended ? and for the owners that do handle their tarantulas are there any do's and don'ts i should observe ? what's the easiest way to get her onto my hand in the tank ?


thanks again

 

[Shrike]

You should check out the sticky thread on rosea care under Tarantula Questions and Discussions. Full of great insight.