New T not very mobile

[emsdad70]

Hi all. We have a new Chilean Rose and she isn't very active. She just sits in her log. When feeding, she waits until an oblivious cricket wanders into her lair. We had a different "hiding spot" the first few days we had her, but she wouldn't go near it, just sat on the moss in the corner, but now that we have the half-log, she moved in and doesn't seem to venture out. It's not very enjoyable, we could've saved the money and just made a terrarium. Any suggestions?

 

[Josh]

How often does she come out? What is her enclosure like?

 

[emsdad70]

I haven't seen her come out since Tuesday the 25th. She is in a 10 gallon tank. Inside the tank is substrate, stone water bowl, moss, rock, a stick and her half-log. It's possible that she comes out when we're asleep or at work/school, but I haven't seen any evidence. We can tell that she does change position in the log, but we'd like to see her out and about.

 

[jetfire]

As far as display spiders go, it's a crapshoot really. My redleg is usually out and about, but I might see my Suntiger once or twice a week. I think it comes down to the individual spiders, some are just shier than others. Have you considered moving the enclosure to a darker room, with less ambient light? Sometimes that helps a T feel more secure, in my experience.

 

[emsdad70]

The room is fairly dim. One lamp usually. How about temperature? We got her at Petco (which, upon reading other threads, is apparently the worst place in the world to buy one, but no other pet place in town had a tarantula) and they said that she needed a heat lamp. Since then, I've read other sites that said she does fine at room temperature. I don't want to bake her, but I don't want to chill her either. We don't handle her and only get in her cage to clean it and refresh the water. I'll try moving her tank and see if that helps out. Thanks for the help so far, its really appreciated!

 

[jetfire]

If the room is already fairly dim, try just losing the light. I keep my t's at an average room temp of 75°, with nighttime dips of a couple degrees. I don't bother with lights or heat sources, and they've been doing just fine.they're located across the room from the window, so while they do get some ambient light, they're still comfortable.

 

[Samuraisid]

Grammostola porteri, the Chilean Rose.

These are the most popular Tarantula in the hobby, and the one that "everybody" says is the best beginner species. Oh, how far from the truth that statement truly is, as you have unfortunately found out. It likes to sit in the corner of the enclosure, presumably not moving/eating/drinking/pooping for days or months or even a year at a time (yes, a whole year). This is all considered "normal" by Rose Hair Standards.

emsdad70, everything you describe is totally normal. Pet Stores are generally poor places for gathering information, its the Nature of the Beast. You wouldnt go to a CAFO to get proper cattle husbandry, would you? My T's all do fine at room temp, which has extremes between 90F in the summer and low-50F in the winter.

 

[emsdad70]

Thanks to both of you for the advice. I removed the heat lamp and he (or she, we don't know) seems to be a little more active. We've had a cold snap here this weekend, I had to turn the heat on, but the temperature has remained in a good range for the T.