So, you want to keep a pet tarantula?

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She's gone under her log now to sleep :) She doesn't move around a great deal though, how normal is that for a Chilean Rose?
 
Originally posted by Barbie

She's gone under her log now to sleep :) She doesn't move around a great deal though, how normal is that for a Chilean Rose?
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That tarantula in your photo, don't look like a G.rosea (Chilean Rose) to me. Have you got any other photos of it?? perhaps from above
 
Originally posted by Lostkat
Very normal. They're famed for being pet rocks :)
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She's just been out and done a couple of laps of the tank for no reason at all. I think she might be hungry :|

Originally posted by St0n3y
That tarantula in your photo, don't look like a G.rosea (Chilean Rose) to me. Have you got any other photos of it?? perhaps from above
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It's a view from the underside as you probably have guessed. Also, she's a juvenile, only 3" max legspan.
The webcam is really rubbish at getting details, and she is under the log at the minute, so i'm not going to disturb her.
You can see little pink hairs over the top of her body, and she's very docile, can almost pick her up now, and i've not had her 12 hours yet :)
 
It’s probably due to the angle and the size / age of it...

I've had 3 G.rosea females and 1 male in the past. You photo just reminded me of my Haplopelma's but they wouldn’t fall in the docile category ;)
 
Could she be ready for a moult if she's that dark?
Quite active though, did a few more laps around the tank, like she was hunting.

I say "she", can't sex a juvenile spider, but i hope it's a female :)

Not the best pic, as i was rushed to try and get the webcam, but you can see she's pink on top

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Looking at the description of the Haplopelma online, she doesn't match that at all It's a rubbish cheap webcam.. give me a week or so and i'll try to get a good quality pic on my dads camera.

Any reason why she likes being on the roof of the tank instead of on the ground so much?
 
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Originally posted by Licensed Devil
She's trying to get out and nibble on your face ;)

Is there any way you can get a decent camera so we can see some clearer pictures?
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I only have a cruddy webcam at the moment, will be a while until i can get a decent picture :(
Am gonna go to bed now, see how she is in the morning
 
I would LOVE to keep a pet tarantula when I go back to university in a week or two. I want the easiest to keep, however. I've always been fascinated with mini-beasts (as my primary school teacher liked to call them :rolleyes: ), and the only reason I haven't had one in the past was because the 'rents wouldn't let me, or, more recently, the girlfriend wouldn't let me. She's out of the picture now :p and I have been thinking about it for a while. I don't want to handle it at all, I just love this field of biology.

Now, I've done a bit of research, but I'm still confused. I've heard various things from various sources. What's the opinion of those on this forum?
 
Originally posted by Barbie
Any reason why she likes being on the roof of the tank instead of on the ground so much?
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If there's a smigeon of moisture on the substrate, that's your reason why. Chile Rose's like it bone dry.

Originally posted by Micky_Love
Now, I've done a bit of research, but I'm still confused. I've heard various things from various sources. What's the opinion of those on this forum?
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Opinion on what? Ask some questions. Everything you need is in this thread if you're looking for general care... but if you want specifics, get asking.
 
Keep a baseball bat close at hand in most cases, or a pair of size 13 boots is also a favourite weapon of choice.
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LoL

A good friend of mine had an Asian mustard (i think that what it was called) damn that thing was one agressive spider and made houdini look like a beginner!! A local zoo ended up giving it a home after his wife said either it went or she and their baby would! Apparently hes still in touch with the zoo occasionally, even the zoo say its one agressive sob (but they love it)

Hes got a chocolate labrador now says its a lot more fun but he misses the fear that spider put in him (bloody wierdo ;) :p )
 
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Asian Mustard would most likely be a Chilobrachys huahini/andersoni and I'd agree that they can be huge stocky and very defensive beasts. I've got a few spiderlings and large juveniles - hopefully a male and female for breeding :)

Micky_Love

In my opinion the hardiest, cheapest and easiest of spiders to keep is Pterinochilus murinus, the "Usambara" Baboon.

However (and it's a pretty big "however") this is one of the fastest moving and most defensive of tarantulas. That said, they tend to remain in their silk burrow and would prefer to hide if disturbed. Still, the defensive aspect forces me to say that in no way would I recommend this spider for the novice.......although I bought one as my second tarantula :)

If you want the docile end of the market, and are more interested in behaviour than handling and so on, a Chromatopelma cyaneopubescens might be a good idea. These will live either terrestrially (on the ground) or semi-arboreally (halfway up a tree) depending on the set up you provide them with. They grow fast, are very pretty, produce huge amounts of silk and get quite large. They are a little nervous but as a non-handler this won't really matter. :)
 
Asian Mustard would most likely be a Chilobrachys huahini/andersoni and I'd agree that they can be huge stocky and very defensive beasts. I've got a few spiderlings and large juveniles - hopefully a male and female for breeding
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I pointed my friend in the direction of this thread and he sent an email over to me of which some i thought appropriate to share ;)

It's my understanding that it was a Chilobrachys sericeus common name Asian mustard a cracker of a spider! However, it was dare i say it ''evil tempered'' a very angry fellow and not to be handled or trusted ;) as you well recall :p. Ive included a link to pick of one
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It scared the bejesus out of everyone :-)

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yip that looks like the blighter

right and with that works over and im off home to bed...night
 
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Originally posted by Lostkat
If there's a smigeon of moisture on the substrate, that's your reason why. Chile Rose's like it bone dry.
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Ah.. that's the problem
It was a compacted wood fibre substrate that you have to expand in water. I squeezed out as much of the moisture as i could, but i guess it can still detect a little.
Would you recommend microwaving the substrate to remove the last water or just leaving it to dry out naturallly? There is a little condensation where the substrate is touching the glass.
 
Some people microwave their soil as a way of sterilizing it, so I guess you could try that.

Or if you have the tank nice and warm with ok - good ventilation the tank will dry out quite rapidly on its own. Don’t worry about the G.rosea won't be harmed by the moisture in the meantime..
 
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