Just got my G.Rosea! Questions however..

rm90

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 17, 2006
Messages
316
I just got my first tarantula, well two now they gave me a free Mexican Red Rump aswell. I am so stoked about getting them, I cant really see the Red Rump hes so small so that'll be a pain in the butt to feed but for now I will ask some questions about my G.Rosea.

I put a bottle cap with water in the enclosure about an hour ago when I got him home. He is already drinking out of it! (Or so I think. His head/body is over the cap). I think this means he was drinking out of it..

So my first question is, should the water I put in be tap water, bottled water, or boiled?

My second question is when should I feed him/her? Should I wait a few days or what?

Thanks!!
 

GailC

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 19, 2005
Messages
1,402
I just use tap water, as for feeding, use small crickets. Try to give ones about as long as your T's butt. A 3/4" rosea should be able to take down 1/2" cricket.
If your vagans is really small them give it pre killed crickets, remove if not eaten overnight.
You can try to feed tonight, my T's ahve always taken food right away. Of course if they don't eat overnight the remove the cricket.
What do you have your guys housed in?
 

MindUtopia

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 30, 2005
Messages
2,041
To echo what Waldo said, tap water is perfectly fine. So long as they seem alert and healthy, I will feed T's the day that I get them if I have food lying around. The only time I wait is if they seem ill, are obviously in premolt, or show any signs of shipping stress. If they seem active and happy and are in permanent enclosures, then you might as well feed them.
 

rm90

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 17, 2006
Messages
316
Alright, thank you for the replies! I alas have one more question. Can my G.Rosea go without a hide for tonight? I will get one tommorrow. I did not have time to go get one and the stores are closing soon. He/She is in my bedroom where it is peaceful and dark so I want to create minimial stress.
 

OldHag

ArachnoHag
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 8, 2003
Messages
1,711
For my slings I just get a curved oak leaf and they hide under them. Make little web openings. Im sure it will be ok without a hide for a night. Put it in a dark place so it feels safe if you want to.

For your tiny sling, if your crickets are too big for it, just kill it first and pop it in, the sling will find it and eat off of it. Tiny slings are easy to care for. :D

Good luck with your new ones!
 

rm90

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 17, 2006
Messages
316
I just gave my G.Rosea a cricket and he went right for it!! The cricket stopped moving as soon as the rosea caught it with his fangs or whatever. I left him alone to munch on his feast. Is there a list of things I can feed to my G.Rosea?
 

ShadowBlade

Planeswalker
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Messages
2,591
Is there a list of things I can feed to my G.Rosea?
There are many options, but I tend to stick to crickets, roaches, and mealworms. Fruitflies for small ones, and lizards for a female before breeding, thats about it.

Yes the T will be fine without a hide tonight, it would probably wander anyway.
 

rm90

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 17, 2006
Messages
316
Alright -- one more question. Last one. I swear!! How many crickets should I give him. Just 1?

I felt like I did all my researching then when I finally get it I have a billion more Q's! Lol
 

IguanaMama

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 13, 2004
Messages
991
You can ask as many questions as you like, keep them coming, no bother. Congratulations on getting your first T. It is great that you got the freebie vagans, that is one of my favorites. They are really good eaters, so just try to find the smallest cricket you can. They can handle crickets that are almost their own size, you just pull the jumping legs off the cricket and they are fine. If you can't find crickets small enough, like others have said, just kill it first. For the Rosie, keep the substrate dry, but for the vagans, keep one side dry and mist the other side a bit, so it is not so dry.
 

rm90

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 17, 2006
Messages
316
I got a wooden hide today. Is this good? It isnt that bright in my room the camera made it brighter





Does the tank look too boring? Do I need to add anything?
 

Mushroom Spore

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 14, 2005
Messages
4,588
Does the tank look too boring? Do I need to add anything?
"Boring" is better for the tarantula, trust us. :) You DO need to add about two or three times more substrate, though, as your enclosure is WAY too tall. Terrestrial tarantulas die very easily from falling even short distances - they can crack open like an egg. At that point, they die in a few seconds.

The dirt needs to be high enough that the distance between the dirt and the top of the enclosure is about equal to its legspan. This will also help it if it climbs and gets a toe caught in the mesh or whatever ventilation you have in the lid, as it can touch the ground. Apparently this makes them less likely to panic and just rip the leg off.
 

rm90

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 17, 2006
Messages
316
Ok i'll add some more. I think im stressing him out I keep opening it and changing it around. :| How can I add more if hes in it? :S
 

Windchaser

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 13, 2004
Messages
2,996
Ok i'll add some more. I think im stressing him out I keep opening it and changing it around. :|
Better to do it now since it has not settled in yet. Not to mention that with it wandering, which is fairly normal when put into a new enclosure, the risk of injury due to a fall is increased. So, even though your changing it around will unsettle it a bit for the moment, you will significantly reduce the risk of injury due to a fall by raising the substrate as suggested.
 

Mushroom Spore

Arachnoemperor
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 14, 2005
Messages
4,588
Ok i'll add some more. I think im stressing him out I keep opening it and changing it around. :| How can I add more if hes in it? :S
Which would scare you more: being put in a safe little box of some sort and then returned to your home, or sitting quietly in your home when an avalanche comes down and the dirt is moving around everywhere? {D Just get a small tupperware or something and carefully herd him into it - watch you don't squish his toes when you close the lid! And you don't need to worry about ventilation since it'll only be a few minutes and Ts hardly breathe anyway.

Another bonus to having the dirt appropriately high is that many Grammostola specimens love to play in the dirt. They push it around, roll it up into balls and move it into new shapes and mountains, they dig canyons and build hills and do all sorts of stuff. My G. aureostriata is a veritable bulldozer, though my own G. rosea is a big dumb lump of lazy and only does it a little bit (and instead is webbing like mad lately :? ). It just depends on the individual T's personality once they get settled in. :)
 

rm90

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 17, 2006
Messages
316
Ok I put more in. Its deeper now.. I was lucky when I went up he was on the top of the enclosure so I had time to add more dirt.. I actually thought he wanted to come out for a minute he was moving fast to the top and I got sorta freaked. :p I'll take a picture in a minute..

 
Last edited:

rm90

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 17, 2006
Messages
316
Still not high enough, you want about half the empty space you have now.

:8o :wall: I added 1 more inch of dirt.. which is all I have.. if he spreads his legs out I am pretty sure it would make it the width of space he has in height.. might I say the dirt is really fluffy aswell!!
 
Last edited:
Top