I bought a rosie today(PICS!)

this T semed so cool when i held it at the petshop...
heres some pics, please look closely at the abdomen pics because my Girlfriend expressed some concern it may have mites...let me know and if it does how do i get rid of them?he/she seems to be quite active which i guess is unusual for rosies...he/she has been wandering all over the enclosure since i got it. I got the T, 2.5 gal aquarium cork bark and screen top for 30$ i think that to be a sweet deal.






heres the abdomen pics, where i think there may be a mite issue...

when my T got a case of the cooties...or the mites, I got a Q-tip with some vaseline, a slight dab ony, and rubbed the area. Mites stick to it pretty good. It worked for me.

do you see mites in the pic? i did not see anything moving around on its back at all. also my Girlfriend says the hairs are bothering her? she has held ALL of my other T's and no problems...do rosies have "bad hairs"?

couldnt really tell from the pics. Try the vaseline on a Q-tip thing and see if n e thing comes off. Some T hairs are more irritating to some then others. I get irritated by some but not all.

Looks like it might be some fine grains of sand. I noticed on the last pic thats what seems to be on the surface of the table?? Looks the same as is what on your babys back.

Rosies have a patch of hair on their abdomen that grows in a different direction from the rest. It looks strange but it is not mites. I'm not saying that your T doesn't have mites but that patch is on all rosies. And yes it is quite posible to be irritated by the hair of almost all new world Ts including rose hair's. They are great spiders so enjoy.

IMO You can't get rid of mites, just get control of them.

looking at my pics i also see a patch where the abdomen seems to be kinda bald like rubbed off or something maybe its a sign of a molt? but i have been watching the T for about 15 mins now and it has not stopped moving around its walking all over the enclosure.
***for rosies would you reccomend a hide? or a burrow?

I would recomend a hide for a rosie..

Mike

Very nice, I love my Rosie to death.... her name is Hagrid.

thanks! i'm glad to see my T' happy in its new home...

(it still has not stopped running around the enclosure, save a small "nap" she took, i could hear her most of the night scrambling around on the glass)

There aren't any mites that I can see. If you are that concerned about mites then look closely at areas where they will congregate in large numbers on the spider like the mouth or booklungs. That is a common "dandruff" seen on G. rosea from the clumping urticting hairs. The slightly bald spot is normal too and your T may be getting close to molt but with G. rosea "close" could be weeks or months away. IMO, everything looks normal.

As far as the urticating hairs are concerned there are several types(four, IIRC) which vary depending on the species of tarantula that affect people differently. It is possible that your GF is just more sensitive to the urticating hairs from G. rosea than from other tarantulas or that she is developing a general sensitivity over time from regular exposure to urticating hairs which is also common.

I'd recommend a hide for all terrestrial tarantulas unless its an obligate burrower which you've provided space and substrate to dig its own burrow. They may not use a hide but its always best to offer them that option to feel safe and secure if they need it.

well the T finally stopped running laps. i put a hide in and found a nice 3 liter pepsi cap for a temp water dish, rosie has not gotten thirsty yet...all those laps hopefully she gets thirtsy soon. lol