Questions from an excited new T owner

Wow -- Thanks to all of YOU fine people, I was up til 6am - -reading your postings, laughing, checking out pictures, and learning TONS. I can't BELIEVE how much some of you know!! ANYWAY- I just my first a tarantula -- a (gorgeous) Grammastola rosea, and she's HUGE ! (okay, so they ALL look huge to me!) She's also VERY patient (I'm a klutz, I'm noisy, and in these first 2 months I've had her, I've screwed up a fair amout in terms of proper care.) She's sooo cool though! ie: i'm in her tank, (banging around, accidently of course) and she just-- ever so elegantly stretches out one long, pretty, little hairy leg and waits for my next move. Ready to cruise quickly, if need be, but no longer running for cover. Really, she moves so elegantly -- she's just beautiful! I can't believe I'm so entranced by a SPIDER!! I've hated (!) spiders my entire life..and -and now I OWN one! [Can you tell i'm totally into my new pet???]

A few Quick questions for anyone who might have time to answer:

1) Temperature for her home. I've got a 10 gal. glass aquarium. Does she need a Heat lamp?? I think I was "scalding" her w/the lamp... (poor thing!) " I went by what the owner of our (one & only) pet store said to do: Put the lamp directly on the wire screen top on her cage. Facing down." I came home the 1st day and all the plastic around the top was melting.. so i moved the lamp back - oh, to roughly 12 inches from one side.
2) White secretion. What is the white stuff that she secreets down the side of glass & into substrate? I imagine she's deficating, but it's white! And how does she get it to go down the GLASS like that? where does it "come out" ?
3) Feeding. She sure seems to eat alot; having read T's often go months & months w/o. she eats roughly 7-8 crickets / week. I just got her some mealy worms, too. I can't see the 2 i put in her cage- but wonder if they've burrowed. Do I bump up food amt since she eats everything i give her?
4) How come she's never spun a web???
5) I THINK she's happy--she is out of her shelter a fair amount, (good sign or bad?) she doesn't "pace" or anything though... she seems very relaxed.
Okay! I think that's it! (for now, anyway.) ***Respectfully yours, karen_in_aspen

** REMEMBER: "Keep your tips up"

1- Heat lamp? nah, she needs only room temps. They will be fine anywhere from low 60's to low 80's. Rosie's also are fine with a dry home and a (always) full water dish

2- yes it is pooh, it's secreted as a liquid from the back of the spider....I have some spiders that will paint the underside of the lid in the container (5"tall)

3- They will what they want , and typically they dont overeat. Though an extremely plump spider is more fragile and 'clutzy', like when it climbs. Mealworms/superworms, yeah they burrow so you have to watch for them. I hate the fact they burrow and may surface, nibbling at a molting T later.

4-Some do alot don't...My Rosie has webbed the bottom of her tank over like 2 years though. I think it is just a mass of 'drag lines' congregating over time

5- sounds happy...
T

Hi Karen,

1) Temperature for her home
T's dond need a lamp, just be sure that the temp is high enough, they don't care for the light.
2) White secretion. What is the white stuff that she secreets down the side of glass & into substrate? I imagine she's deficating, but it's white! And how does she get it to go down the GLASS like that? where does it "come out" ?
you imagine correctly. T's squirt their poo out ( and it looks as if they prefer freshly cleaned glass to squirt it on :? )
3) Feeding. She sure seems to eat alot; having read T's often go months & months w/o. she eats roughly 7-8 crickets / week. I just got her some mealy worms, too. I can't see the 2 i put in her cage- but wonder if they've burrowed. Do I bump up food amt since she eats everything i give her?

just be sure your spider stays in proportion. overfeeding can result in a too large abdomen being dragged over the soil... mold nasties and such...
4) How come she's never spun a web???
usually they will lay a fine layer of silt at the entrance of the burrow. some species web more then others, it even differs between spiders of the same species
5) I THINK she's happy--she is out of her shelter a fair amount, (good sign or bad?) she doesn't "pace" or anything though... she seems very relaxed.
if she isn't constantly climbing the walls, and seems relaxed, she's fine!

regards
Eddy

Like said before, the heat lamp must go right now, it is not nessisary and will just keep getting in the way. As far as feeding amounts, I do not know what size crickets you are feeding, I say if it seems to be eating a but load of the crickets you got, get some bigger ones so it does not take as many. Around here thay cost the same anay size.

monantony said:

bla bla bla

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mmm great minds think alike

I am curiose. You say you stayed up lat reading post. Well I can not emagen that you read that many post and non of the questions wher not answerd then. :?

well, Tony and Eddy beat me to it, but welcome
Also, I wanted to add one thing. Typically the spiders that come from the pet store are wild caught. They are sometimes dehydrated, and probably have not eaten much. They get to a new home, and lo and behold, food just falls from the sky! So, preparing for another 'lean' season, they stuff themselves like there is no tomorrow. Sometimes they will slow down after a few weeks on their own, and some of them just keep taking advantage of that manna from heaven. If her abdomen is nice and plump, you *could* slow down on the food, and she'll be fine. I feed my adults roughly one lobster roach every couple of weeks.
The exception to that is if I've bred a female, or after they've molted and are ready to eat again.
Hope you enjoy the forums!

Eddy - thanks for your help, I'm so unfamiliar with this entire world of arachnids (et al) I keep seeming to panic - thinking something is terribly WRONG with her, when it has so far just been an insect / species behavioral thing.
The "Nervous New Mother" thing going on, I guess.
I DID check out your unbelievable (!) photos -- and left you a reply (somewhere) "over
there". BEAUTIFUL WORK! tres bien!
kk

**REMEMBER-- Keep your tips up!

I'm only starting to get over the obsessive new mom syndrome...we probably all go through it. I think a lot of T owners are probably working through their own fears around arachnids...I know I am...it's definitely the coolest way to do it!

gp

OUCH! (tough crowd!)
James- I confess I am confused-- your 1st mssg BEGAN by saying: "like I said" heat lamp must go" but I never saw that mssg you were referring to! Just THIS nice note:

"I am curiose. You say you stayed up lat reading post. Well I can not emagen that you read that many post and non of the questions wher not answerd then."

****so true. I HAVE, (after all) been a member here for at least 2-3 DAYS. And, a tarantula owner for... (gosh, it's been sooooo long) uh gee, at least 7 weeks-!!! I should have this sewn up, huh? FYI, since you COMMENTED on my lax study skills -- I was working RATHER LATE Friday pm -- I was assisiting a Bernise Mtn Dog in whelping her pups. I did NOT do a specified point-to-point research on GR's last pm. I was exhausted but too wired to sleep. Frankly, I think I did quite well -- viewing the little SLIVER of this very comprehensive arach. site. there are, after all, 10,769 threads for Tarantulas ALONE!!! Maybe I'm just stupid, and could glean nothing from OTHER PEOPLES questions. Selfish of me to post my OWN. when I could just as easily gone thru 10,769 others! thx for ur input. I gotta get ready to SHRED the powder thats been dumping all night, or I'd stay. OH! AND JAMES--thx for the welcome!!!

***PEACE OUT***

goatpiper said:

I'm only starting to get over the obsessive new mom syndrome...we probably all go through it. I think a lot of T owners are probably working through their own fears around arachnids...I know I am...it's definitely the coolest way to do it!

gp

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undefinedhey, thanks! It is a really cool thing having people respond like this, to eachothers Q's & concerns..
what a very cool thing. Thank you, I think my porquito rosito and I will be jus fine!! -- kk

**The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love;
and be loved in return.
-moulin rouge

Fyi

Everyone befor my post said the heat lamp is not nessisary, wich is wher I said like mentioned befor. As for the other matter, if you look at the begining of the form thair is a sticky about proper G, rosia care. I was not trying to be a shmuck or anything, I was just suprised that you did not find the info you wher looking for as it is definantly in hear. If you did not know, this form has a very handy serch engin. But anyway, welcome to the bords.
P.S. Wait till you get Code Monkey fired up.

Hey Karen,welcome to the boards. Im new to the boards as well but It sounds like your doing a fine job. I agree with the rest, lose the lamp and as far as feeding goes I agree with Immortal (she's one of the elders in this forum, no reference to age of course) and as far as getting slammed goes its gonna happen. But thats the best part of this group, everybody has an opinion they're willing to share. If your wrong just take your medicine but if your right usually someone will side with you. Just like one big happy family! As far as getting Code fired up (WOOF), well just do your homework. Talk at ya later...

Temperature for A.Geniculata sling?????

Karen, I'm REALLY new to T's as well and have a gazillion questions. I'm SO glad I did a search on heating before I posted yet another question about this subject....even though I still might....especially since I'll be getting a A. Geniculata sling next week....and I'm worried about the temperature as well.
Congratulations on birthing the Bernese Mt. Dog Pups. How did it go? I've got 2 Berners myself...that's why I was wondering....
and welcome to this AWESOME site....I'm hooked on it because you get all the info you need ALL the time.
My first T was also a Chilean Rose. Her/his name is Socrates and she's so cool. I've only had her for about 4 weeks now and the Tarantula fever has hit me hard.

karen_in_aspen said:

OUCH! (tough crowd

****so true. I HAVE, (after all) been a member here for at least 2-3 DAYS. And, a tarantula owner for... (gosh, it's been sooooo long) uh gee, at least 7 weeks-!!! I should have this sewn up, huh? FYI, since you COMMENTED on my lax study skills -- I was working RATHER LATE Friday pm -- I was assisiting a Bernise Mtn Dog in whelping her pups. I did NOT do a specified point-to-point research on GR's last pm. I was exhausted but too wired to sleep. Frankly, I think I did quite well -- viewing the little SLIVER of this very comprehensive arach. site. there are, after all, 10,769 threads for Tarantulas ALONE!!! Maybe I'm just stupid, and could glean nothing from OTHER PEOPLES questions. Selfish of me to post my OWN. when I could just as easily gone thru 10,769 others! thx for ur input. I gotta get ready to SHRED the powder thats been dumping all night, or I'd stay. OH! AND JAMES--thx for the welcome!!!

***PEACE OUT***

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Hi karen. Im new to this board and have asked repeated questions that I could have looked up. There's a doozy I posted about holding my T that I am a little embarrased about...lol.
I have learned a great deal here. There's a lot of very knowlegable people here.Im sure you'll enjoy this board..I do
Oh and..how was the powder? I am sooo jealous. I was a skiier years years ago. I moved to the ocean and just havent been to the mountains since...what a shame I miss it.