A Spider Newbie

SwEeTeSt-KiLLeR

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 26, 2003
Messages
11
Hello

I have many questions and would appreciate any answers and or comments back.

My son had received a spider for xmas (teach me to send dad out shopping...lol) He was told it was a rosie and got a plastic terrerium with sand and a plant. Was told that was all it needed. The store presumed it was 6 yrs of age and female. Me of course looked up in the book they had also gotten and on the internet for info on a rosie..no such spider..technically..so i am presuming we have a Chilean Rose. I have added a pic if someone may be able to tell me for sure..anyways....I have since moved the spider to a 5 gallon glass tank and have added subsrate and a piece of bark..more for decoration..but in case the spider wanted a hidey hole..its been 2 weeks since in new surroundings..first week the spider spent most of the time outside the bark..laying close to it..then one morning the work started..it has since webbed itself inside the hidey hole and hasnt been out since..reasons????? i have none...if anyone has any ideas plz respond..i have added a pic for this too..we are more concerned whether this could be more harmful for the spider..also..may be dumb question..do tarantulas hold sperm for later insemination??? if so should i be concerned here that we may in the future be sporting some babies????
as i said before any comments or answers would be greatly appreciated to this mom
thanks SwEEtS :?
 

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vulpina

Arachnoprince
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Jan 26, 2003
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Yes, the spider in your pic is a Grammastola rosea "Chilean Rose". Looks to be a female, age is an impossible thing to determine unless you raise it up from a sling yourself. It has probably webbed itself up because it is going to molt soon. A female spider can store sperm until it molts then it loses the sperm. I wouldn't worry too much about it webbing itself into it's hide if it is going to molt it will come out after the molt, try not to disturb the spider while it is in it's hide. Rosies are also notorious for not eating for long periods of time, yours looks fat and healthy so this is nothing to worry about either.

Andy
 

SpiderTwin

Arachnoangel
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Mar 17, 2003
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910
Nice big G. rosea you have there.
I hate to mention this, but since you picked it up at a pet store and aren't sure of it's past, there is one more reason it could enclose it self in a web. If she is gravid (pregnant), she will build a web when she gets close to laying her eggs. I just figured I'd mention it since I have bought two of my T's that ended up being gravid and putting down an egg sack.
 

SpiderTwin

Arachnoangel
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Also,
You should get rid of the sand and put in a few inches of the substrate you have. Rosies will burrow in the substrate if given the opportunity. But the hide you have is good.
 

genious_gr

Arachnoangel
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Jan 23, 2003
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You might want to ask the pet-shop if she is Wild-caught or captive-born. If she's captive born I really doubt the possibility that they tried to breed it and then sold it. It's more possible to be gravid if she's wild-caught.
 

SwEeTeSt-KiLLeR

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 26, 2003
Messages
11
hey thanks for the responses..they truely help

if your thinking the sand should be removed...that can be arranged..but i'm guessing it shouldnt be done until after "Fang" decides..if ever to come out of her hidey hole

the pet store had said she had been raised and handled..though i definately havent handled her

she is non aggresive and has no probs about us cleaning her out or refreshing water..content to get out of the way should we disturb her too much

thanks again

SwEEtS
 

Code Monkey

Arachnoemperor
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Jul 22, 2002
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Originally posted by genious_gr
You might want to ask the pet-shop if she is Wild-caught or captive-born.
Do you seriously expect a pet shop that sent her off with some sand and a plastic plant to know this answer?

Besides, the answer is known without even bothering to ask: it's wild caught. An adult WC G. rosea costs about $1 wholesale in quantity, you can't touch a CB G. rosea sling for that price.

If and when their massive importation becomes less common, there may actually be CB roseas in the mainstream pet trade, but until that day comes, they're going to be WC in 99.9% of the cases.
 

Immortal_sin

Arachnotemptress
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Jul 17, 2002
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yes, it looks like there are two possible reasons for the webbing.
They've already been mentioned, but I'll mention them again :)
Going into more detail, if she is molting, you should expect her to stay in there for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks (not very helpful, is it?!). No prey items in the container, as they can turn on and eat a molting tarantula. However, she could also be preparing to make an eggsac. If she is, she may still want to eat.
I'd suggest putting no more than 1 cricket (or whatever you are feeding her) in, leave it overnight, and take it out the next morning if uneaten.
If she is going to lay eggs, then she will spin ALOT of silk, laying down a very thick mat, which she will then deposit the eggs in the middle of. Then she will take the edges of the mat, and roll the eggs up in it, ending up with a ball somewhere in the size of a ping pong ball (or smaller). She will then carry it around in her fangs, roll it along, and tend to it.
If that happens, let us know, we can give you advice on your options!
I forgot to mention, if she's molting, the mat may not be as thick, and she may not bother to web over the opening as much. If you see her upsidedown, she's definately molting.
good luck!
Holley
 

RugbyDave

Arachnoprince
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Apr 5, 2003
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get more substrate :) =D

someone said that,

alls i have to say is WELCOME!!!!
good luck with your first guy..

and your second..

and your third....

and your fourth....

(i dont even want to hear you say "oh,no, we're sticking with one") -- go look at a picture of any Brachypelma or a P.irminia or an E.campestratus (Pink Zebra Beauty), or any Poecilotheria and tell me you don't want that :) Maybe you can't get it now, but soon....


oh just you wait :)
but seriously.. good luck and welcome!

peace
Dave
 

jesses

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Messages
404
Originally posted by SpiderTwin
Also,
You should get rid of the sand and put in a few inches of the substrate you have. Rosies will burrow in the substrate if given the opportunity. But the hide you have is good.
I hope there's a water dish in there, and not a "sponge"...
 

SwEeTeSt-KiLLeR

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 26, 2003
Messages
11
Well..lets just say Dave that at this time i wont say we wont get anymore...i just wont say when :}


thanks for welcome =D


no its not a sponge...its a top to a jar with the stuff you use for a fish filter..like cotton..this is a no no????????

we were told the spider could drink through it and would prevent the crickets from drowning themselves
 

Immortal_sin

Arachnotemptress
Old Timer
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Jul 17, 2002
Messages
3,952
just plain ole water please! It would be like us trying to drink through a filter...not pleasant!
put a small pebble or something like that if you are worried about crickets drowning. Better yet, if the cricket is not eaten overnight, take it out and try again later, that way there is no worries
 

Buspirone

Arachnoprince
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Mar 10, 2003
Messages
1,064
When you are talking about tarantulas or any invert. it is safest to not listen to or believe what the pet store tells you on basic care. Most pet shop caresheets and verbal instructions are filled with misinformation and myths. Take the advice given here and also buy a good book. I would recommend "Tarantulas and Other Arachnids" by Sam Marshall. Its full of good info, great pictures, species descriptions, its short, to the point and its cheap($6-$8). Good luck with your pet.
 

SpiderTwin

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
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Mar 17, 2003
Messages
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As you can see, you will get alot of useful information from the folks here. Any ? you may have, someone here can answer it for you.

Another good book to try is the Tarantula Keepers Guide, it has a wealth of info. in it as well.

And welcome to the site=D
 

skadiwolf

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
May 6, 2003
Messages
645
i just thought this might be helpful. i keep my 3" G. rosea (Chilean Rose) pretty simply and she seems quite happy and content.

she doesn't web anything off but she isn't seemingly near a molt either.

yours is probably wild caught as most G. rosea are as they are available in abundance and still can be imported very cheaply.

i have her on some flattened sphaghum moss with a very shallow water bowl (reptile bowl, but that lid will do just fine). she has a rock in there which she hides under nooks in but unfortunately didn't use her little half log hide at all.

mine sits around most of the day doing nothing. she loves crickets and waxworms.

i think G. rosea are both lovely and delightful. not sure if anyone mentioned this but do keep in mind that regardless if WC or CB that Ts aren't tame.

just pay attention to her moods and respect them. if she doesn't want to be handled, just leave her be...it'll be obvious. she will doubtfully thwack you with her front legs or raise up, but she might kinda squish herself up and hide under her legs.

i'm assuming if she's molting then afterwards she might emerge and be more active. or, she could emerge and be a pet rock like mine.

either way, congrats on the lovely T and i hope you enjoy her very much! :D
 

slice9

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 26, 2003
Messages
35
My rosie did the same thing (web up its bark) about 2 weeks after I purchased it. Each day the webbing became more and more abundent until you couldn't even see inside. Then I went on vacation for a week and when I came back it had completed a molt.
 

luther

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 8, 2003
Messages
679
Perhaps we should explain what happens when the T molts?

She'll lay on her back, twitching occasionaly. This looks like a death position to the beginner, but is perfectly normal. Try not to disturb her at all until she's out of her old skin and back on her feet. It's a very vulnerable time for the tarantula. The molt may take a few minutes to a few hours.

A dead tarantula will be the right way up with it's legs curled under it by the way.

My G.rosea has always molted outside of it's retreat, so my money is on an eggsack. If this happens you'll have a lot of jelous but helpfull people here waiting to advise you.;)

Or maybe she's just a bit shy. G.roseas are a puzzling things.
 

SwEeTeSt-KiLLeR

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 26, 2003
Messages
11
thanks to all

thanks again for those that have replied..been a great help to me and a learning son and his spider

we have obviously been steered in wrong directions..maybe not intentionally..but its obvious that not much is known here of T's...more to be sold and showcased as COOL pets

my son would love to attempt to handle her....me??????? consider her fine where she is....

as for the fact of her webbing herself in the burrow...heres hoping its just a molt..there is no matt of webbing inside the burrow

sure hope its not an egg sac..cause then we are hopelessly lost on what to do..my son thinks this would be awesome and we just have to keep one of the cute little buggers...ummmmmm lets just take this one step at a time...lol

i was also wondering..do they actually eat the bodies of the crickets?????? have only ever found dead bodies whole and in pieces
 
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