Rose hair keeps crawling atop enclosure..

D3v1Lz

Arachnopeon
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Dec 7, 2010
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Hey everyone, I'm new to the forums.. just wanted to ask a question,I recently just cleaned my rose hair's enclosure(he made a sperm web recently and was there for about a month and a half before I finally decided to clean it), now that i gave him a new hide and recycled the old gravel that was in there, he seems to be walking around,and about 3 days ago was the first time he had eaten(ive been throwing about 3-5 crickets in there about every week, this time I threw one in and he actually got it), i was just wondering if the way I'm caring for him is pretty good.. since I actually am loving this hobby of keeping exotic pets. Also.. I find him climbing up the enclosure a alot.. hanging from the ceiling from time to time and then slowly inching his way back down, I fear that he might slip and fall one day and actually hurt himself.. but I also guess that he knows what he's doing. Anyway.. if anyone could respond and let me know what they think.. i would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!
 

Chris_Skeleton

Arachnoprince
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Jan 31, 2010
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1,309
Hey everyone, I'm new to the forums.. just wanted to ask a question,I recently just cleaned my rose hair's enclosure(he made a sperm web recently and was there for about a month and a half before I finally decided to clean it), now that i gave him a new hide and recycled the old gravel that was in there, he seems to be walking around,and about 3 days ago was the first time he had eaten(ive been throwing about 3-5 crickets in there about every week, this time I threw one in and he actually got it), i was just wondering if the way I'm caring for him is pretty good.. since I actually am loving this hobby of keeping exotic pets. Also.. I find him climbing up the enclosure a alot.. hanging from the ceiling from time to time and then slowly inching his way back down, I fear that he might slip and fall one day and actually hurt himself.. but I also guess that he knows what he's doing. Anyway.. if anyone could respond and let me know what they think.. i would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

Why are you using gravel? That is not a good substrate for Ts and is frowned upon :embarrassed:

You need to get coconut fiber or peat. And it is roaming because it is searching for a female. If there is a problem with him climbing and a risk of falling, then you need to go out and buy the suggested substrate and fill it up halfway to reduce risk of a fall.

Read this:
http://sites.google.com/site/tarantuladb/care-sheets-2/g-rosea
 

D3v1Lz

Arachnopeon
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Dec 7, 2010
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well.. it's the type of material that you use for reptiles, the lady at the tropical fish store that i got him from recommanded that type to me.. where can i get coconut fiber or peat? i've had him for about a year and a half now and he's been doing fine ever since.. and i'm just wondering why it is frowned upon to use that type of bedding..?
 

Chris_Skeleton

Arachnoprince
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well.. it's the type of material that you use for reptiles, the lady at the tropical fish store that i got him from recommanded that type to me.. where can i get coconut fiber or peat? i've had him for about a year and a half now and he's been doing fine ever since.. and i'm just wondering why it is frowned upon to use that type of bedding..?
I don't understand what material you are referring to, but if its like aquarium gravel, if your spider decided to burrow, it could not build a burrow in that substrate. It is also abrasive and hard and if your T did climb and fall it could very easily be injured by it.

You can buy coconut fiber and peat at many pet stores and gardening stores (no chemicals added).

Did you know you were buying a mature male when you purchased it? You say he has made a sperm web. Does it have hooks under its first two legs and balled up pedipalps? You may also not know that mature males do not live long after they mature, maybe 2 years tops for G. rosea if you are lucky.

Some advice: Don't believe anything a pet store employee tells you. They have NO clue what they are talking about.
 

D3v1Lz

Arachnopeon
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yeah.. i really was not sure what the gender was and nether was the pet store employee.. um.. well i got him earlier this year and then he molted about 2 months ago.. and thus a couple weeks later he made a sperm web. i saw him doing it(looked up a video on youtube and he was upside down doing the same thing in the video) the bedding isn't rock like, its more of like this moist kinda wood shaving stuff that you could put in a reptiles cage, not something you would use for fish.
 

Chris_Skeleton

Arachnoprince
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yeah.. i really was not sure what the gender was and nether was the pet store employee.. um.. well i got him earlier this year and then he molted about 2 months ago.. and thus a couple weeks later he made a sperm web. i saw him doing it(looked up a video on youtube and he was upside down doing the same thing in the video) the bedding isn't rock like, its more of like this moist kinda wood shaving stuff that you could put in a reptiles cage, not something you would use for fish.
Just go out and buy coco or peat (or both and make a mixture) and fill it at LEAST half way up. It didn't look like a MM to me in those pics. Does it have the hooks and balled up pedipalps?

Nice Chris Redfield figure lol.
 

D3v1Lz

Arachnopeon
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yes he does have balled up pedipalps in front of his two front legs. lol and thanks, i'm a very big fan of RE. about how much does this stuff cost? and should i just call it coco or peat bedding if i goto petco/pet smart or that tropical pet store that ig ot him from?
 

Chris_Skeleton

Arachnoprince
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yes he does have balled up pedipalps in front of his two front legs. lol and thanks, i'm a very big fan of RE. about how much does this stuff cost? and should i just call it coco or peat bedding if i goto petco/pet smart or that tropical pet store that ig ot him from?
The brands of coconut fiber are bed-a-beast and ecoearth. You can get them in bricks or in a bag. In my experience, petsmart has never had it. You should try Petco or a smaller family owned store. As for peat, check lowes and home depot for the premier brand. Any brand would work as long as there are zero chemicals in it.
 

D3v1Lz

Arachnopeon
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thanks!

thank you chris, for you have been very helpful, i'll get myself some better substrate for him. to my understanding, isn't it 5 years that males live for?
 

Chris_Skeleton

Arachnoprince
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thank you chris, for you have been very helpful, i'll get myself some better substrate for him. to my understanding, isn't it 5 years that males live for?
Yeah that's the roundabout timeframe. It will vary depending on temperature and feeding.
 

Arachnopal

Arachnopeon
Joined
Nov 7, 2010
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7
I use potting soil. Ace hardware generic. It is cheap has nothing added. I put some in a plastic planter wet it down and let it sit for a day. I pack the damp soil half way full in the enclosure and let it sit for another day to dry alittle more.
Now its ready to use. you may see some moisture for a day or 2 near the bottom but it drys out.
Now when your T burrows the soil is packed and wont cave in on them. Most will line burrows with webbing to keep cave ins from happening but a solid soil base helps
 

xhexdx

ArachnoGod
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This particular male will not live 5 more years, so don't confuse the two. He's got two more years in him, tops.

He's walking around his enclosure because he's a mature male, looking for a female.

He also won't like it if the substrate is wet or even damp - G. rosea like their substrate dry.
 

EndlessForms

Arachnoknight
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Oct 14, 2010
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Some advice: Don't believe anything a pet store employee tells you. They have NO clue what they are talking about.[/QUOTE]

hahaha sooo true! often they are just morons trying to pay their way through collage...i wonder why you never see any of us working at pet stores? hmm maybe i'll get a job there and try to clear some of this madness up
 

gmrpnk21

Arachnobaron
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Nov 1, 2010
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Petco.com sells ecoearth bricks for a reasonable price. A word of caution, this stuff expands A LOT. Three bricks should last a good while in a 5 gallon aquarium half full.
 
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