New tarantula owner has questions about her baby Rose Hair! Please, help!

Hello fellow pet lovers! I go by the username junivix and I'm seeking advice from those who have experience with tarantulas. I am new to this website, so please forgive anything wrong I do! Thank you.

On October 18, 2014, I won this beautiful tiny Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula at a bug fair at my university. The man at the booth only gave me a few details before I had to leave, and this is all I know about my new baby tarantula:

• It is a Rose Hair tarantula.
• I am to feed it a live cricket weekly.
• It needs moist or damp soil.
• It should like to burrow in the soil.

That is all the information I was given. Sadly, I do not know the age. I went to my local Petsmart and picked up a critter box that the store suggested along with some "Coco fiber" or something like that, as well as 4 live crickets of the smallest variety. Immediately, I realized the crickets were too big for my tiny little tarantula.

Here is a DropBox link to pictures of him: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dmnzyn89yaodpgw/AADuo3MOJqR0YEIRMAfeWPlQa?dl=0
In the first picture, he is seen burrowing in the soil given to me when I won the little guy. The second picture shows him happily sitting in that same soil. In the last picture, he is in the new critter carrier I purchased for him, clinging to the wall. I placed the penny there in hopes that someone could help give me a rough age estimate.

I have a couple of questions regarding my baby tarantula as online many guides are limited to fully grown tarantulas and I don't have a clue how to care for this little guy.

Here are my concerns:

1. He refuses to eat the cricket as I'd imagine he's afraid of it. I killed the cricket and cut it into small pieces but he still didn't even touch it. I removed the cricket a day after. How do I feed it, or what alternative method should I try? I have had the little guy for 4 days now and he hasn't eaten a thing. I'm beginning to worry! I can't be sure when the last day he was fed was.
2. He does not want to burrow in the soil as I had read he would want to. In fact, he stays far away from the soil and sticks to the edges of my container. I have tested it with different moisture contents for the soil, ranging from wet, damp, semi-dry to dry and it still does not like it.

Please, if you have any useful advice on raising a young tarantula, I would truly appreciate it. I've already grown very attached to him as I've been wanting a tarantula for the longest time and I'll do anything I can to keep him healthy and happy!

Welcome to the hobby
1) Close up pictures to confirm identity of the Rosea hair
2)Correct, 1-2 cricket should be good
3) couldn't be more off if he tried
4) 50/50 sometimes they do and sometimes they're happy with a hide
5) Slings (baby spiders) can eat pre-killed if the crics are too big
He is sticking to the edges because he hates damp soil, should be dry with a water source.

Hey there
I have an adult rose hair (by the way, the scientific name is G. rosea), and quite a bit of other type slings (baby tarantulas). As said above, they do not like or need moist substrate. Keep it bone dry. Maybe give it a few drops of water in a corner? I'm sure someone more experienced will weight in.
For the not eating. G. rose as are kinda famous for random fasting. Your tarantula also looks pretty healthy so don't worry about the not eating. You could try maybe taking of the cricket jumping legs, so it's still alive but can't fight as much.
Also it might take awhile for your tarantula to settle in.

Good luck

---------- Post added 10-21-2014 at 11:28 AM ----------

Also! Don't worry about the burrowing. My G. rosea has never burrow and some of my slings don't burrow. They're all different

To add to the advice above, if he is as tiny as you say, you're going to want to get him into a more appropriate enclosure or your next thread may be "Help, my baby tarantula escaped". If it can get it's carapace through the holes in the Kritter Keeper (and size-wise, it looks possible), it can get out and the odds are better if it's uncomfortable (wet sub, no hide) that it's going to try. The original container looks far more suitable, so I would suggest putting him back in that, maybe make sure there is plenty of ventilation, if not add some with a pin or hot, thin nail via holes in the sides (again, not large enough for him to squeeze out of). And do make sure the fall to substrate height is no more than 1 1/2 times his DLS (diagonal leg span). Young Gramms and other terrestrial New Worlds that don't tend to burrow in captivity, still do as slings so if you provide more substrate, and hopefully you do, understand there is a good chance he will burrow. This is nothing to panic about (even if he plugs up all the entrances)--just make sure your sub is packed well.

Another thing you must take into consideration is that when you moved the sling you took it from everything it knew and put it into an alien environment. At this point they have no idea where they are and if they are safe; they are not really in the mood to eat at that time. The original container looked fine, all you need to do is doctor it up with a line of small holes on the sides and some holes on the top and then filling the container about 2/3-3/4 full of dry slightly compacted coco fiber, peat moss or even pesticide/fertilizer free potting soil. Simply put a few drops in an area whenever it totally dries out until it hits about 1 inch and then you can provide it with a little water cap of water. I'd suggest moving it back to new and improved old container and leave it alone for a week, perhaps in a nice quiet dark area. My trick for feeding timid slings is so slightly crush the segment behind the head, this paralyzes the cricket but it will still twitch a little to entice the spider, the cricket will die pretty quick so the sling can scavenge feed even if a little twitching from a cricket scares it. Another option is a nice "drum stick" from a large cricket that the sling can feed on as well.

Hello, and firstly thank you to everyone who replied so promptly! I do truly appreciate your care and kindness.
Unfortunately, I have thrown away that old container (as it was a sauce container and I did not assume it's value), but I did move the little spiderling into a new and smaller box.
Here is a dropbox link with two new photos of the container I transferred it to: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dmnzyn89yaodpgw/AADuo3MOJqR0YEIRMAfeWPlQa?dl=0
This time, I used dry Coco fibre (the same substrate but this time without any added moisture) but just in case I added the same substrate with a little water into the small bottle cap in the box. I unfortunately did not have any hide small enough to fit in there nor will I be able to get to a pet store until the end of the week, so I just made a little makeshift hide out of scrap cardboard. Len (that's what my friend and I have decided to name the little guy) immediately took shelter under the makeshift hide. I placed that small transparent container (which used to hold a bunch of pushpins) into a dark shoe box that I placed in a dark corner in my room. Does the little guy need sunlight every 12 hours or should I leave it there for a week as suggested by aweic? I still haven't fed him yet and that's mostly what worries me the most...
I felt horrible because when I was about to lift Len out of his bigger container, he was clinging to the bars on the roof, definitely trying to find an opening to escape... I feel so sorry but I really don't know what else I can do for the little guy to make him more comfortable and happy! Hopefully he gets a little more comfortable soon.
Any other advice for beginners?

---------- Post added 10-21-2014 at 04:06 PM ----------

Update : I checked on him immediately after submitting that last reply only to find he does not wish to move. Normally, when I move the container even slightly, he moves or budges a little. Is this something I should worry about?
I'm sorry if I seem a little paranoid / overly worrisome... I'd just rather consult experienced spider-owners than assume that my spider is OK. Thanks again

I don't know if this will help, but I keep my spiderlings in a clear plastic cup, with thin netting over the top, held together with a hair bobble or elastic band. I put a fair amount of substrate in (about one quarter or less depending on its size) and just mist it every couple of days to keep its humidity. I feed mine flightless fruit flies not too big for them, and they are a easy meal too, and a few of them every few days are keeping them well fed and happy.

I hope your little fella stays well, and you will keep us updated

Edit, also maybe you can leave him alone for a few days too... Just so he can settle in. Maybe don't feed him too, just so he can calm down, then after a few dats try a really small cricket or fly. And who knows? He might molt soon too, so best wait and see.

junivix said:

Hello, and firstly thank you to everyone who replied so promptly! I do truly appreciate your care and kindness.
Unfortunately, I have thrown away that old container (as it was a sauce container and I did not assume it's value), but I did move the little spiderling into a new and smaller box.
Here is a dropbox link with two new photos of the container I transferred it to: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dmnzyn89yaodpgw/AADuo3MOJqR0YEIRMAfeWPlQa?dl=0
This time, I used dry Coco fibre (the same substrate but this time without any added moisture) but just in case I added the same substrate with a little water into the small bottle cap in the box. I unfortunately did not have any hide small enough to fit in there nor will I be able to get to a pet store until the end of the week, so I just made a little makeshift hide out of scrap cardboard. Len (that's what my friend and I have decided to name the little guy) immediately took shelter under the makeshift hide. I placed that small transparent container (which used to hold a bunch of pushpins) into a dark shoe box that I placed in a dark corner in my room. Does the little guy need sunlight every 12 hours or should I leave it there for a week as suggested by aweic? I still haven't fed him yet and that's mostly what worries me the most...
I felt horrible because when I was about to lift Len out of his bigger container, he was clinging to the bars on the roof, definitely trying to find an opening to escape... I feel so sorry but I really don't know what else I can do for the little guy to make him more comfortable and happy! Hopefully he gets a little more comfortable soon.
Any other advice for beginners?

---------- Post added 10-21-2014 at 04:06 PM ----------

Update : I checked on him immediately after submitting that last reply only to find he does not wish to move. Normally, when I move the container even slightly, he moves or budges a little. Is this something I should worry about?
I'm sorry if I seem a little paranoid / overly worrisome... I'd just rather consult experienced spider-owners than assume that my spider is OK. Thanks again

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Welcome to the hobby. Your little t is fine he/she is just checking out the landscape of it's new enclosure like other members have said it may take a few days or weeks to truely settle. As for the not moving this is also normal as it as been moved a few times it will feel a little confused some t's even as adults behave like this not moving for hrs on end. Best advice I can give is leave it to settle a few days check on it from time to time but don't open the enclosure unless your 100% sure you have to, don't worry if it doesn't feed straight away it shouldn't kill it to not eat untill its settled and if you find you time on your hands do some research about the G rosea online it will help ease any concerns you may have and will go into more detail than we can on here. I know it's difficult but sit back and let your sling do the work it knows what its doing and if you have any more questions there are plenty of great people on here to guide you somewhat. Almost forgot this hobby teach that patience brings great rewards and how any container no matter how strange as and will be used as a enclosure we recycle lol

johnny quango said:

if you find you time on your hands do some research about the G rosea online it will help ease any concerns you may have and will go into more detail than we can on here.

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Better yet, do searches here on AB for your information. All the info you will ever need and then some ALREADY has been posted over and over again...all good advise from people that actually own them. Online you will find many care sheets, none exactly the same, which can make things more confusing instead of less.

Your t can go months without food as long as its plump and in good shape, which yours appears to be. If you are worried about it not eating already, just be glad you didn't get a plump adult, they can go months or years...yes YEARS between feedings. Mine has gone over a year fasting and others have gone longer. As a sling you should find your sling hungrier though.

It may not be interested in making a kill at this small size and pre-killed prey, like small crickets, is definitely the preferred way to go. It also makes fishing out uneaten prey much easier without disrupting the t. Crickets provide more well rounded nutrition than do fruit flies, which are deficient in amino acids needed for growth, such as linoleic acid. When it is hungry, feed...also be aware that after molting they will be at their hungriest, but you need to wait about a week for the slings new exo to harden before you feed.

Welcome to the hobby, I hope you come to enjoy it as much as you think and most of us do.

Great advice here, juvinix, and welcome to the hobby/obsession.

My very first T 3 years ago was a G.rosea/porteri, and now I have 22 T's altogether.

Good luck with it (specially when it goes into 'Winter Fast' mode, but we'll talk you through that too). :biggrin: