A question regarding my tarantula

RoseHairDivina

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 5, 2003
Messages
25
As you can obviously see, I am a bit new to this forum. I have always loved spiders, and I got my first tarantula in the middle of June this year. She is a beautiful Chilean Rose Hair, and her name is Nemesis Divina. I love her very dearly, which is why I have been worried about her behavior and have been seeking out advice. I hope this group can help.
I bought Nemesis Divina when she was about the size of my palm. She was just the sweetest little thing, so friendly. She used to crawl on my hand, and I would let her ride on my shoulder all over the house. Her domain was the couch.
In the beginning of August, she molted her exoskeleton for the first time since I got her. She looks absolutely stunning, with her rosy copper posterior shining in her heat light. She has dramatically increased in size...and has become terribly aggressive. I cannot even put my hand inside the cage to change out her water dish without her running my hand down and trying to bite! It makes me so sad to see my little tarantula so mad at me all the time. It is not like I don't feed her enough, either. She eats like a hog.
I was hoping to have some answers as to why she suddenly turned rotten on me...please help! :(
 

L_mactans

Arachnolush
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 9, 2002
Messages
159
Rosies are somewhat notorious for being unpredictable, and having mood swings. I believe most people on this forum have a couple of stories about their strange rosie ways. Give her some time, she may (or may not) mellow out for you.

I do have one word of advice though; she may not be safest on your shoulder when you walk around the house. If she spooks and jumps, you may have a very damaged T. Just a kindly suggestion.

Kelly (L_mac)
 

rosehaired1979

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 14, 2003
Messages
2,900
I agree both our Rosies are defensive as well they don't mind you feeding them and changing out there water just don't mess near them or with them.So thats the only bad thing about G.Roseas they are unpredictable and have mood swings.
 

dennis

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Messages
770
Same happened here ... in both opossite directions...

I had a subadult male which was absolutely the cutest spider there was, untill it molted. Now he's just as mean as mean can be (well, maybe not that mean).
My brother bought a female rosea awhile ago, she would turn around in a blink of the eye as soon as you touched one of her hind legs with something, a pencil or something, which was pretty scary. But now that she's molted her temperament changed a lot, she can actually be handled now.

Just keep in mind, G. rosea are just weird spiders...


Dennis
 

Telson

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 5, 2003
Messages
685
I too, can share my own experience in this area... Sometime mine is as calm as you please and then other days she's just flicking hair at the slightest disturbance. All the G.roseas I've had over the years have been that way too. Sometimes they will rush though and "bluff" or stop once they realize it's not prey in their enclosure that has gotten their attention. Gloves might be advised at these times, though they are no garantee, as a full grown G.rosea CAN bite right through them. Forceps or long tweezers are a much better recommendation when your T is acting up like this.

I also have to suggest caution in carrying your T's around the house in the manner you've described. Just the air movement from you turning a corner while walking around the house can often be enough to startle a T in to running off your shoulder in to mid air, and a fall from your shoulder, or even if carryied in your hands at waste level, will almost certainly kill it. And again, with the notorious unpredictability of this species, having done this for a couple months without mishap is no garantee that it won't happen. We would all be very sorry to see someone lose their first tarantula that way.

Welcome to the site and good luck with you rosea settling down.:)
 

Charlie

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 27, 2002
Messages
367
Mine too

My first spider was a G rosea as well and when I got her she was a sweetheart.

Now I simply feed her and leave her alone because she too has developed a little bit of a tude. It's now my opinion that T's are and should be mostly a look but dont touch pet.

Handeling from time to time is ok but your dealing with a creature that runs mostly on instinct, so handeling to much is a good way for you to get bit or for your T to get hurt.

My advice would be not to hold her to much and also to look for the signs that she does not want to be bothered, (raising her abdomen, threat displays, etc...)

I have taken a bite from a rosie and even though it's not that bad I would recomend avoiding it if you can.

Hope this helps,

-Charlie
 
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