newbie

[newtots]

i'm considering getting a Grammostola rosea/Chilean rose, my only concern is the temperature of the cage/tank. i live in a basement so my room is about 68 Fahrenheit in summer and about 62 in winter, which i've read is too cold for a tarantula. i know i can't use a heat pad or lamp due to the unwanted cooking of the spiders, and a heater in my room tends to over heat it really fast due to the size of my room. i'm not sure if this is a solvable problem or not.... please help?!

 

[MatthewM1]

While your T will eat less and grow more slowly at those temps it won't kill it. A general rule is that if your comfortable at the room temperature your spiders will be as well.if you did want to up the temps a space heater is the recommended way to go. Get one with a thermostat and you can set it to only kick on once temps drop past a certain point

 

[Denny Dee]

i'm considering getting a Grammostola rosea/Chilean rose, my only concern is the temperature of the cage/tank. i live in a basement so my room is about 68 Fahrenheit in summer and about 62 in winter, which i've read is too cold for a tarantula. i know i can't use a heat pad or lamp due to the unwanted cooking of the spiders, and a heater in my room tends to over heat it really fast due to the size of my room. i'm not sure if this is a solvable problem or not.... please help?!

I think 62-68 degrees is too cool for a Chilean Rose to live a long and healthy life. If set up properly, you can use heat pads with T's. I use them on quite a few. Alternatively, you can pick up a space heater for the whole room. Since you only have one T at this time, you may not want to invest so I would go that route. Just make sure that the substrate has some depth and that the pad does not cover the entire length of the tank.

 

[newtots]

The first one I get will be a sling, about 1\2 an inch big, do they need any specific care or heat? I know that the housing for them is a lot simpler than the adults. But that's about the extent of my knowledge of slings

 

[Denny Dee]

There is an eternal debate about temperature requirements for captive T's. One school is to attempt to duplicate the native environment of the species as closely as possible. The other is to (as Mathew pointed out above) create an environment that is comfortable for you and that should suffice. Neither way is right or wrong as long as the T is healthy which is part of the fun of this hobby. Slings are probably more sensitive to temperature than adults and keeping the sling in a cooler temperature will definitely slow down their metabolism and slow down their growth.

As with all slings, keep the enclosure small so you can keep an eye on it. General rule of thumb is no bigger than 3x the leg span for width and 2x for height. There are some great sling enclosures available online. Check out Jamie's Tarantulas at: http://www.jamiestarantulas.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=1839. If you go this direction, the enclosure comes with everything you need including Eco Earth substrate.

Regarding temperature and humidity, they should be kept between 75-80 degrees (being from Chile) and humidity between 65-75%. As a sling, this can be accomplished by misting a corner of the tank and as they mature a water dish should be added. I use a whole room space heater to keep my spider room right at 75 which accommodates most tropical spiders nicely.

These are some very basic tips as there are tons of info online and on this forum. I have never owned a Chilean Rose so don't like to make recommendations without first hand experience but I am sure a Chilean owner will jump on here soon to assist you.

 

[newtots]

My options for buying one is either 1\2 inch or 3\4 inch slings

 

[Denny Dee]

No advantage for either. I would go with the 3/4 but would depend on the price gap? Some people like to raise them up from the smallest size to full adult but I am all over the board with that.

 

[newtots]

It's only a 5 dollar price difference.... Not much of a difference. I don't really care weather I start with an adult or not.. There just aren't many adults for sale in my area

 

[Denny Dee]

Then I would go with the 3/4 for sure.

 

[LauraMI]

Mind if I put in my two-cents? I have a 1/3" G. pulchripes & the thing drives me crazy w/ its eating patterns. I call it a roller-coaster feeder! My understanding is roseas are much the same. If you're prone to worry over a T that refuses to eat for months on end, maybe start with a good-eater. My G. pulchra, GBB, & especially my B. vagans are GREAT eaters...I've been gently chastised for over-feeding. The ONLY time they refuse is pre-molt. In fact, the B. vagans tags crickets that get too close pre-molt & kicks said-prey out of its burrow to die.
Rosie's are also kinda' pet rocks; my vagans & pulchra are both very active slings...esp. the vagans. Besides, vagans are more inexpensive than roseas...not that price determines inherrent value...but it does make it a great gateway tarantula.

 

[newtots]

I've just been researching the top breeds for beginners, that was more or less what my deciding factor was. I wanted something slower moving to help myself and kids overcome the fear of spiders. It was a toss up over the desert blonde and the Chilean rose

 

[LauraMI]

I don't know, but I thought slings in general are quick. As they get older, they mellow out, but all my slings move wicked-fast.

 

[LauraMI]

Also, I was afraid of spiders too; owning these tarantulas has me back to my girlhood days of peering down garden webs.

 

[Denny Dee]

I've just been researching the top breeds for beginners, that was more or less what my deciding factor was. I wanted something slower moving to help myself and kids overcome the fear of spiders. It was a toss up over the desert blonde and the Chilean rose

I think that is very wise. You can pick some of the faster more aggressive spiders for your 12th or 13th T .

 

[MatthewM1]

I don't know, but I thought slings in general are quick. As they get older, they mellow out, but all my slings move wicked-fast.

All T's are quick when they want or need to be. But on the grand scale of T speeds most NW terrestrials are slow compared to arboreals and OW's.

 

[newtots]

So I bought a euathlus sp red, who to my surprise came with a Brachypelma albopilosum... Both are doing well, my euathlus is slightly cranky and fasting for the moment, and my brachypelma albopilosum is cranky as well but still eating. Both are slings and I'm guessing might be in pre molt... Kind of hard to tell on the little guys

 

[Denny Dee]

Both are awesome T species. My red is a little shy. They are one of the most docile T species that I have encountered.

 

[newtots]

She's not really shy, she'll come right on my hand as soon as I touch her soil.. My curly isn't shy either.. As soon as the lid is open she'll take off at the first opening.... By the way, I say she but really have no idea on gender of either yet