rose hair behaviors?

[skadiwolf]

okay, i'm curious to see what some of the behaviors i've noticed today mean. now, i've only had my G. rosea one day...in fact, a few hours, but i'm fascinated. (grin)

first of all, she's spent a lot of time seeming sleeping standing halfway in the water bowl in one side of the tank.

next of all, now and again she's grooming each of her legs.

does the fact that she's grooming mean she's comfortable?

also, how do i get her out? (grin) and does she need a hide? right now, she has spagham moss, a shallow water dish, and a rock.

thanks!

 

[Professor T]

Originally posted by skadiwolf
okay, i'm curious to see what some of the behaviors i've noticed today mean. now, i've only had my G. rosea one day...in fact, a few hours, but i'm fascinated. (grin)

first of all, she's spent a lot of time seeming sleeping standing halfway in the water bowl in one side of the tank.

next of all, now and again she's grooming each of her legs.

does the fact that she's grooming mean she's comfortable?

also, how do i get her out? (grin) and does she need a hide? right now, she has spagham moss, a shallow water dish, and a rock.

thanks!

Are you sure its a rock? If it has 8 legs, chelicerae, pedipalps, two body regions: cephalothorax & abdomen, and setae all over its exoskeleton, it could be your G. rosea . The reason I say this is many people mistake their Chilean Rose Hair for a pet rock. I hope this helps.

PS- She would probably love a hide. Also if you have sphagnum moss, she would prefer sphagnum peat moss, which looks like dirt and can be bought at a garden center. Her behavior seems normal. If the water dish is shallow, she'll get herself out when she's ready. If you think she's stuck, you can help her out with a spoon.

 

[skadiwolf]

(laughs) heheeh, very amusing.

well, yeah, i'd heard that.

however, what are some typical behaviors/stances to look for and their meanings?

i'd really appreciate it. thanks!

 

[Professor T]

Originally posted by skadiwolf
(laughs) heheeh, very amusing.

well, yeah, i'd heard that.

however, what are some typical behaviors/stances to look for and their meanings?

i'd really appreciate it. thanks!

Great question! You're going to learn you own T's behavior, and you'll be the expert for your own T after a while. For example, when my Chilean Rose stops eating and becomes less active in November, I know she won't eat again until after she molts(ecdysis) in May. Then she'll be active and eat crickets like crazy. She's been in this pattern for 5 years and I've had her for over 10 years. She's now 5+".

If she rears up and shows her fangs, that means leave her alone. Mine never does that, but that's an important one to know.

Have fun learning her behaviors, and keep us posted as you learn hers. Chilean Rose Hairs seem to vary in their behavior, so others will be interested. In general, they seem to be very docile, but any T could bite. You'll get to know yours...good luck!

 

[skadiwolf]

okay, fair enough. well, so far, when she scrunches up with her legs above her making herself very small she seems to be frightened and trying to disappear.

when grooming, she seems very relaxed and secure. i know i wouldn't get caught with the inability to run quickly if i wasn't!

that's it so far.

 

[RugbyDave]

Hey skadi --

welcome to the crazy T obsession! Congrats on the new pet -- def. get the T a hide and some food if S/he'll take it!

as for getting the T out/handeling it, just be careful. rosea's are supposedly 'pet rocks', and i'm sure alot of times they are, but if you ask people on this list, you'd get TONS of responses back about how they won't even go near their G.rosea.

That's how it is with me -- I've handled my goliath bird eater over my G.rosea. I'm just saying that, since you seem to be new to this, to not listen to ANYONE who says "all T's are blah blah blah" or "they'll NEVER do blah blah blah" -- because there is ALOT of wrong info out there on this subject. I'm just saying this because it's very true. Alot of G.roseas out there are pretty mean, but then its the case with EVERY T -- just different personalities, so I guess i'm saying to get to know your T before you start experimenting with other stuff... make sure you know their personality as best you can....

so if you do want to try handeling or moving, and your T seems alright, There are a couple different ways, although I ONLY go with the hand in front of the T, stroking the abdomen to get them to walk on your hand... Some people do the pin method or the cupmethod, which i won't describe. Maybe some other people from that school can do so in better detail.

i'd just put your hand in front of the T, palm upwards, and gently stroke the abdomen untill the T crawls into your hand... But make sure you learn some of the defensive signs --

rearing up (raising the front legs, and flicking the fangs)
flicking the urticating hairs (using their back legs to flick hairs off of their abdomen at you)
running away/scrunching up
really leg-waving walk

if you see any of those, i'd say let the T calm down and try some other time.

good luck!

peace,
dave

 

[sunnymarcie]

I have 1 G. Rosea and it's pretty docile. One of the "pet rock"
type personality
Give your T a week or so to calm down and settle in.
As long as it is eating well and acting "normal" you'll do
just fine
Then you could try to hold it. Use the palm and scoot method
that RugbyDave described, that's what I do for mine.
Don't try to force the T to do it, most of them will just comply,
or NOT! If you get the"legs up" reaction just back off and try
again in a few days.
A hide would be nice, the T may or may not use it.
Mine does sometimes, she mostly sits on top if it though.
Today she is inside it, I just looked.

=D
Marcie

 

[Buspirone]

first of all, she's spent a lot of time seeming sleeping standing halfway in the water bowl in one side of the tank

Might be drinking or basking in the humidity that is rising off the water if it was kept too dry or without water before you got it.(just my opinion, I'm no expert by any means)

next of all, now and again she's grooming each of her legs.

Mine do this after they get their feet wet and walk on substrate and after eating. Ts are kind of like cats in this respect they clean and groom themselves often. If I just got the tarantula and it grooms itself I take it as a good sign (no dehydration or overly stressed)

does she need a hide?

It won't hurt and its good to give them the option of taking cover if they feel the need so they can feel safe.

rosea's are supposedly 'pet rocks', and i'm sure alot of times they are, but if you ask people on this list, you'd get TONS of responses back about how they won't even go near their G.rosea.

Yep. Its best to be cautious. Even if your new pet seems "docile" now that may change once it settles in and decides that the enclosure is IT'S home. Some people here have posted that their T's are defensive of their whole enclosure even the dirt. My rosie isn't bad about her dirt but if I start messing around too close to her hide she'll get between it and me and rear up and move her fangs.

Stan Shultz has the following FOUR LAWS OF TARANTULAS on his website

1. There are lots of simple questions about tarantulas. There are never any simple answers.

2. Everything we think we know about tarantulas is almost surely wrong.

3. Any assumptions we make, based on what we think we know, are certainly dead wrong.

4. There are no rules about tarantulas, only second guesses and hindsight.

Just something to keep in mind when working with these animals.

 

[skadiwolf]

thanks so much for all the great advice guys! i haven't yet fed her so just now, i went in, changed her water and removed her hide (which she only stands on so far...grin). i put in a few crickets and am now awaiting the results.

she squished up into a little T ball but again has not reacted at ALL aggressively to my hand, which is awesome!!!

she'll run away a little, or go somewhere and squish up, but that's all so far.

i am hoping/praying/etc. that she continues to be like this, sweet, docile, and very, very handelable.

here's hoping she goes to town on some crickets soon.

i must say, it's impressive to see a snake eat, but when a previously slow-moving spider flees in fear, it is also, um, QUITE impressive. lol!

the girl at the pet store who (employee) was handling her startled her a bit and she RAN up and around her hand. it was really, really impressive. lol.