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Hey guys, rose hair tarantula question!

Tarantula0408

New Member
3 Year Member
Messages
21
So guys, I'm getting my first tarantula very soon, a rose hair, this is my plan on supplies and all that, please tell me if I'm wrong, and any advice I can get on this tarantula will be highly appreciated, thank you:)
I have a question, can I keep it in a critter tote that is 14.5 in length, 8.6 in width, and 9.6 in tall, is this big enough to keep it?
Supply list:
Critter tote(described above)
Eco earth( is 4 inches of Eco earth good?)
Those wood houses
A small water dish(4 in diameter, 1/2 in depth) should I get one a bit bigger?
That is the initial list, later on I want to buy it decorations such as branches and leaves
Is this good for my rose hair? I'm also planning on feeding it regular mealworms, how many should I feed and how often?
Thank you :)
 

Sabeth

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3 Year Member
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816
Location
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The cage size sounds fine. You could probably actually go a little smaller if you wanted to. Ordinarily I would say 4 inches of sub isn't necessary, but since the height is over 9 inches that sounds like a good thickness since it will lessen the height a bit (Ts can be severely injured from a fall in a too-tall tank). Eco Earth is great. Make sure you use it dry, not wet. Rosies hate wet sub...yet you will often see them on the wet stuff in pet shops. :(

Be careful of wooden hidaways...wood types such as cedar are dangerous to use with Ts. You could try cork bark or half-log hideaways.

A 4-inch diameter water dish sounds good, but I would try to get one slightly deeper than 1/2-inch. The deeper ones stay full longer. The more shallow the dish, the more quickly the water evaporates. About a 1-inch depth is good. If you don't mind refilling the dish more frequently, though, 1/2-inch is fine.

I've never fed mealworms, only crickets. Adult Ts can thrive just fine on 6-8 crickets per month...I would imagine it's similar with mealworms, depending on how big they are.

Sounds like you're more than ready. Good luck and enjoy the T hobby! ;)
 

Tarantula0408

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3 Year Member
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21
Thanks for the help:) glad to see that I'm going on the right track!
Yea, petsmart has the tarantula in a tiny cage with damp moss, poor thing is just clinched on the side trying to get out:( can't wait to rescue him/her
Thanks for helping me out:)
 

DalilahBlue

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Plastic plant pots, cut in half, make great cheap hides. That's what I use for most of my T's.

Be wary of a deeper dish. You do not want one your T could submerge itself in. Their lungs are on their bellies, so you don't want anything that is too deep.

The biggest water dish I use is actually a cap off a Gatorade bottle. I just make sure it has water in it daily.

Some rosies will burrow, so be prepared to increase the substrate if needed, though my rosie has never attempted to burrow
 

BigTGirl93

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3 Year Member
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429
Location
Maryland
Thanks for the help:) glad to see that I'm going on the right track!
Yea, petsmart has the tarantula in a tiny cage with damp moss, poor thing is just clinched on the side trying to get out:( can't wait to rescue him/her
Thanks for helping me out:)
WOW my mom surprised me with a Rose Hair from Petsmart not too long ago, and she was in an xsmall critter cage with little substrate and a big wet sloppy sponge for a water source?! I am not trying to judge but Petsmart (in my opinion) doesn't take care of their animals properly. When got her home and into a bigger enclosure with dry sub its like she just wanted to dance lol. I also don't even think they fed her because she has been eating like a horse! She even has some old injuries to her legs as well that have never heeled but she moves around fine. You are on the right track! Goodluck with your new T! Pictures! :D
 

Tarantula0408

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3 Year Member
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21
Hah thanks! That's the exact same situation the one in my petsmart is, I'm getting a large critter tote for him/her, it's pretty big, like the size of a 5 gallon tank, can't wait, but I need to get 50 bucks to get it
 

BigTGirl93

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3 Year Member
Messages
429
Location
Maryland
I would not be concerned Rose Hair T's are popular, but each one is very different, I think more people have questions about Rosie's than any other T. Any type of T can go a long while without eating, but as long as their water is filled, he will be okay. :)
 

entomology

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395
Location
South Africa
Well your starting off with the correct T one alway asks the question is the enclosure big enough ?? Well the tarantulas in the wild is the earth big enough because that's its playground lol. Although they are either arboreal or terrestrial they only live for 2 things nr1 is to hunt for food and nr 2 is to reproduce . Grammostola are found in grasslands habitat and are " hardy" species and prefer less humidity so only keep a water dish inside keeping humidity at around 60%. As too the hight they can climb the glass, but if they fall tarantulas mechanics are designed to anticipate the fall to some extent. The peat is also a soft landing unless u take it out and handle the T an if it gets startled and falls or u drop it the possibility of death is relatively high. They are more suites for ground space than hight.I cannot comment on the Meal worms as I also don't use them as feeders. I only use Dubois roaches and Turkistan roaches which I have on a special diet. Also remember some tarantulas like to hide and some like to be in the open they all unique and different in their own way so always provide a hide / retreat and it will chose to use it or not.. I wish u all the best with ur new T an am sure we will be hearing allot about it if in doubt and u will never go wrong just read up on its natural habitat and simulate it and ur T will thrive . Keep us up to speed on ur new T chap!!!

Regards
Entomology
 

Chubbs

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What is a good beginner turantula I was thinking a red rump or Chilean rose?
Chilean rose is not a good beginner species IMO. They can be defensive and are prone to abrupt mood swings. They also go on very long fasts which worries a lot of owners. Sometimes they'll go months without eating. If you want a tarantula that actually eats on a regular basis, don't get a rose hair. The only reason so many people get them is because they're cheap and always available.
 

Therasoid

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3 Year Member
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496
Location
Ohio
What is a good beginner turantula I was thinking a red rump or Chilean rose?
I suggest a B. albopilosum as a beginners T. Very docile, good eaters, grow to 6" and easy to care for. My girl is a teenager and has never kicked hairs or made a threat pose. Did I mention they think they're bulldozers? [emoji3]
 

Chubbs

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I suggest a B. albopilosum as a beginners T. Very docile, good eaters, grow to 6" and easy to care for. My girl is a teenager and has never kicked hairs or made a threat pose. Did I mention they think they're bulldozers? [emoji3]
A great suggestion. You won't find a better first tarantula.
 

Shelboooobie

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I'm just got a rose hair about a month ago, && the frist few days he was out and about, he made webs all over his hide && now it's been like two weeks since he's actually came out of his hide. He moves around in their but he won't come out.?? Is this normal.
 

DVirginiana

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187
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NC
Sounds like an upcoming molt to me, but you'll get more responses if you create your own thread for this.
 

octanejunkie

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following this thread as we are just starting out and sans pet, yet
 
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