Meet Laghodessa, My Rose Hair T

[Rogue628]

This is my true first T. He's (I believe it's male from what I've been told) named after evil spiders off a game I play lol. So far he's been a pleasant experience, although he's kinda creeped me out a time or two, but you have to remember, I'm trying to get over my fear of these creatures so I shake it off and handle him a little later. He's not being defensive in the least, it's all me lol. I'm getting much better though

Sorry for such bad cell pics. Next time I'll take him outside during the day so you can see him better.





I have noticed something that he does when he's walking on me. Is it common that he protrude his spinnerets while he's walking or is it something I should be concerned about?

And those of you who are more experienced with these guys can you double check my husbandry? I have him in a sterilite container on eco-earth. His temps are pretty stable at 80 with humidity at 60 or over. I have a little sponge in a shallow water dish as I was told he could drink better this way. I have no hide in there as of yet. But I do keep him in a semi dark area away from where I think there's not much sound or vibration. I read somewhere that vibrations can be disturbing to them. The pet store say they feed theirs a cricket or two a day but I've been feeding him about 2-3 crickets every 5 or so days. Also, if anyone has any idea to about how old he is....whether he's a young adult or adult or even male? What do I look for when he's about ready to molt?

And to be on the safe side, when I handle him, I'm usually sitting down on the floor and not standing up as I know an accidental fall will kill him.

Any helpful information on my new critter is more than welcome! I want my first T experience to be a good one.

Thanks!

[DragonsEye]

Ditch the sponge! (I wish idiots would get a brain and quit telling people to use one.) It does NOT make it any easier for him to drink and instead provides a "wonderful" breeding ground for fungi and bacteria. If this was pet store advice, remember that pet stores are often run by idiots and train their employees to be founts of misinformation. Only rarely will you find a pet store that has anyone knowledgeable about exotics and actually listens to that person.

How was sex determined? If a pet store is going by what their suppliers tell them, then it is still a crap shoot. Bummer if it is a male -- they only live to be 4 or 5yrs old. Female, G. rosea, on the other hand live 25+yrs.

You don't need anything special for a hide -- a box with a hole cut in it will suffice until you find or make something you like better. In any event, don't be surprised if it never uses the hide. G. rosea often don't. Still, not a bad idea to have one in there so if it does decide it wants to use one, it can.

Standard room temps are fine. No supplemental heat should be used unless your room temps get into the 40s F. Yes, this species is from hot arid regions, BUT during the day they hide in their burrows where temps are much cooler.

Is your entire room that humid or are you supplementing the humidity? 80% is very high. As with room temps, they will do just fine with whatever your RH currently is.

Very common for there to be spinneret movement as they walk about. As with many spiders, they may even leave a small silk trail as they go. Remember, your T's vision is pathetic. Most of its awareness of the world comes via tactile and chemosensory input.

What is the diagonal legspan (approximately)?

G. rosea will often go through cycles of binging and fasting. Your feeding schedule should be fine. Just make sure NOT to leave prey in the tank for days at a time. If you drop some crickets in its tank in the morning and by evening they are still there, remove them. (Or if you drop them in before bed and they are still there in the morning.)

If your T refuses food, it may simply not be hungry, may not like the prey offered (though don't worry about crickets -- those are always satisfatory) or the T may be in PREMOLT. The length of time spent in premolt varies with the T and with age. The older the T, typically the longer the stages of the molting process take. If the T repeatedly refuses food, premolt is likely. Withhold food -- and don't wig out. They can go great lengths of time without eating. (My female typically does not eat from November/December through March or April -- and this usually has nothing to do with molting. Rather this is due to her internal clock following a "hibernation" cycle, if you will.) Once your T does molt, DO NOT offer food for a week or two. It takes time for the fangs to fully harden.

[exwizard]

Kudos to you for deliberately conquering your phobias. I wish more people did this with snakes.

One of these days I will have a few Ts. I'm just not ready for one yet.

[MrBD1980]

Can't help with the husbandry as I know sod all about t's, just wanted to second the above statement on you facing the fears and doing something about it!!

I wish you a happy time!

Ps pics are always welcome here and I'd love to see yours as time goes by.

Have fun!

Brian

[Rogue628]

Ok, I ditched the sponge as soon as I read the post. Honestly, from the way the guy spoke and the fact that he keeps T's, I thought he was giving decent advice. He was also just guessing at what sex it is. He stated typically females have a larger abdomen than their thorax area whereas a male's abdomen is about the same size as the thorax, but it's not a guarantee.

I do have a little heat on him because I did do a little online research and a few sites said that temps should be between 75-85 with humidity in the 60's. My ambient humidity is 60 or higher. Where I live, right now it's hellaciously hot (triple digits) and humid enough to make life miserable and finds it way inside. Actually, the only animal I have to mist right now is my rainbow. I'll take it off heat if room temps are fine... it rarely gets under 70 here right now.

As far as it's size, I have no precise way of measuring it right now, but when I hold it and it stretches out it's legs, it's legspan can completely cover my hand, from palm to fingertips, so I'm going to say 4-5 inches?

Good to know I have it on a decent feeding schedule. I was worried about underfeeding or possibly overfeeding.

And I'm relieved that it's ok for their spinnerets to come out while I'm handling. Being ignorant about it, I was worried something may be wrong or it was showing signs of something I wasn't aware of that I needed to know about lol.

I really need to read up on how they perceive their surroundings. I knew their eye site wasn't good, but didn't know it was really bad. Can you give me a link or two that will give me the right information I need to know about my new little friend?

And about facing my arachnid fear, well....years ago I had a fear of snakes, so I bought one. Now I keep 10. I truly have a passion for these animals. I just wish I wasn't so clumsy so I would feel more confident about learning how to keep hots. I'd like to add just one to my collection.

I had been throwing around the idea for the last several months about getting a T to help with my arachnid fear. The one thing that made me hesitant was some people had told me even the most docile wouldn't be able to handle a good amount of handling, while others said they could. Not that I hold this one for hours on end everyday, but I do make an effort to take it out about once every other day to every couple of days and let it walk on my hands and arms for about 15 minutes. It seems to be ok with this handling schedule.

I also have a wild caught native tarantula. I do NOT handle this one or even attempt to, but my MIL almost ran over it and brought it home, thinking I'd like it. It seems to be doing well in captivity and I've been keeping it in the exact same conditions as my rose hair. I am going to eventually release it back into the wild, but only when I find confident I've found a safe place for it. I actually got this critter before I got the rose hair. After having it for a couple of weeks and having a fascination with it, the boyfriend got me the rose hair so I could take the next step in getting over my fear and handle one. lol

ExWiz...they are remarkable animals in their own right. They feel nothing like I expected...they're extremely light and feel soft when it walks on me. They're really cool to watch feed. This one's extremely fast when going after food, almost pounces on the nasty little cricket (I don't care for crickets lol). It's nothing at all like I thought it would be. I doubt I go crazy over T's and get into them as much as snakes, but I can see them being a truly neat pet to have, if nothing more, to watch.

Oh...one other thing. Since pet stores give alot of unreliable information.....is it really ok to give a T a pinky mouse, like once every month or so?

[TinkerbellsMom]

Omg i commend you on your bravery! I have neverrr been afraid of snakes but if i even get close to a spider or any type of archanid i would get literally queezy with fear. You are my hero lol but i dont think i would ever be able to do what u have done or have an interest in trying lol. But ur awesome defintely haha

[DragonsEye]

Originally Posted by Rogue628

He was also just guessing at what sex it is. He stated typically females have a larger abdomen than their thorax area whereas a male's abdomen is about the same size as the thorax, but it's not a guarantee.

His guess is worth as much as a coin toss. Seriously.

Differences in abdomen size of the sexes does not become apparent until maturity. Even then it is unreliable as a host of other factors such as genetics, species, and how plentiful food was all come into play.

While genetics testing is reliable, it is also (obviously) an expense that few of us are going to consider "affordable". This leads to two other methods -- both of which require a good amount of practice and experience to do accurately with any ease (and even then infrequent mistakes are still possible). One such method is to examine the spider for epiandrous fusillae. Here's a good article discussing them though the photos in the article would not show up for me. Still it is a good place to start off.
http://www.birdspiders.com/faq_sex.php/

Examining the exuvia (molt) for spermathecae is the other method though this one is better suited for larger Ts (yours would be plently large enough for this). Here's another article that goes into both the use of fusillae and spermathecae in sexing: http://tarantulas.tropica.ru/en/sexing

Originally Posted by Rogue628

I do have a little heat on him because I did do a little online research and a few sites said that temps should be between 75-85 with humidity in the 60's. My ambient humidity is 60 or higher. Where I live, right now it's hellaciously hot (triple digits) and humid enough to make life miserable and finds it way inside. Actually, the only animal I have to mist right now is my rainbow. I'll take it off heat if room temps are fine... it rarely gets under 70 here right now.

Take the heat off.

Originally Posted by Rogue628

As far as it's size, I have no precise way of measuring it right now, but when I hold it and it stretches out it's legs, it's legspan can completely cover my hand, from palm to fingertips, so I'm going to say 4-5 inches?

At that size it is close to mature. Use of the exuvia next time it goes through ecdysis (molts) for sexing should be quite "doable".

Originally Posted by Rogue628

Good to know I have it on a decent feeding schedule. I was worried about underfeeding or possibly overfeeding.


Oh...one other thing. Since pet stores give alot of unreliable information.....is it really ok to give a T a pinky mouse, like once every month or so?

Some hobbyists will purposely overfeed their arachinids. The process is referred to as power feeding. It is done to move a sling rapidly up to adult size. The downside is it does reduce the animal's lifespan somewhat.

Is it "okay"? There are those that debate that pinkies are not nutritionally appropriate (some even feel it is detrimental) while others think it is just fine. Let's just say it is totally UNNECESSARY. Your T will do just fine on an exclusively insect diet. If you choose to feed a pinkie to your T now and then you can, there is just no reason to do so.

Originally Posted by Rogue628

And I'm relieved that it's ok for their spinnerets to come out while I'm handling. Being ignorant about it, I was worried something may be wrong or it was showing signs of something I wasn't aware of that I needed to know about lol.

G. rosea have a rep for doing wierd things for no apparent reason.

Originally Posted by Rogue628

I really need to read up on how they perceive their surroundings. I knew their eye site wasn't good, but didn't know it was really bad. Can you give me a link or two that will give me the right information I need to know about my new little friend?

Even most of the true spiders have rather crappy eyesight. (T's are considered "primitive" spiders.) Among the spiders the only ones with really good eyesight are those that are active hunters like the little jumping spiders, wolf spiders, and such.

You should be able to find info either by Googling or hitting your library. There are books out there that make for an interesting read.

Originally Posted by Rogue628

I just wish I wasn't so clumsy so I would feel more confident about learning how to keep hots. I'd like to add just one to my collection.

I hear you there! Seen some gorgeous hots on this forum. I just don't trust myself not to get stupid/overconfident or careless.

Originally Posted by Rogue628

The one thing that made me hesitant was some people had told me even the most docile wouldn't be able to handle a good amount of handling, while others said they could. Not that I hold this one for hours on end everyday, but I do make an effort to take it out about once every other day to every couple of days and let it walk on my hands and arms for about 15 minutes. It seems to be ok with this handling schedule.

Depends on what one considers a "good amount" as well as the individual T. Some species of T are notoriously defensive. Others like G. rosea often are referred to as "pet rocks" because they are so inactive. Generally speaking, roseas are incredibly docile. HOWEVER, it is possible to come across an individual that has not read the "behavior manual" and instead is completely psycho. As with any animal, learn its body language so you can spot the "don't touch me" signs.

Do keep in mind that it can indeed be stressful for the T and the T will never "get used" to being handled. When it comes to brain power snakes aren't the brightest creatures, but they are veritable mental powerhouses compared to Ts. Pretty much every time you pick up your T, it's like it's happening for the first time.

Originally Posted by Rogue628

I doubt I go crazy over T's and get into them as much as snakes, ...

You obviously haven't been to a herp show and seen some of the plethora of different colors and attitudes they come in ....

[Rogue628]

Thanks for all the information. And I did take it off heat. So far I haven't seen any signs that it preferred the heat. It still pretty much sits/lays in the same place it was before then. Yeah, kinda like a pet rock. The only time I've seen it active was during feeding and when I take it out. Quite different from the wild caught native one which is always on the move and spinning it's ground web.

Speaking of which, is it ok to disturb that web? When I spot clean I'm not sure if I should take it out, leave it alone? I just leave it be for now. It's not messy, IMO, just a light webbing in the one spot.

I haven't been to a herp show in YEARS. I plan to hit one up before the end of the year since I moved much closer to an area that actually has them. I like to 'oooh and ahhh' over some of them online (of course, I like the ones that are known to be aggressive lol) but I'll probably be drooling over snakes more than any other critters there lol. I may eventually get a green bottle blue one just because I think it's so pretty. But that will probably be the extent of my tarantula collection. lol

[DragonsEye]

Originally Posted by Rogue628

Quite different from the wild caught native one which is always on the move and spinning it's ground web.

Not having seen it, this is of course just conjecture. However, there is a good chance that the "wild caught native" might very well be a male T -- and a mature male at that. Sexually mature males are always on the move as they search for a receptive, mature females. Females generally do not stray far from their burrows. Also, mature males spin a sperm web frequently. This might be the case for your wild T.

No, destroying the webbing when cleaning out the tank is not a big deal.

Originally Posted by Rogue628

I may eventually get a green bottle blue one just because I think it's so pretty. But that will probably be the extent of my tarantula collection. lol

Famous last words.

[Rogue628]

The native one will sometimes spin a thick web. The rose hair will spin a thin one....so thin that at a glance you can't see it (so far).

From what I've been told talking to people at work, tarantulas seem to be pretty dense in this area. A couple of people told me they see 2 to 3 in their yards a week. They're either brown or black. The one I have is black.

There were a few other T's that piqued my interest when I was looking for some care guidelines for mine, but I've read they're either really skittish or aggressive in nature and shouldn't be handled. They were the cobalt blue and a Costa Rican Zebra. The boyfriend really liked the king baboon and the bird eater, but after reading they were very aggressive, lost interest.

What do you know about these and their temperaments?

[DragonsEye]

Defensive is a more appropriate word as well as territorial (which is another form of defensiveness). Just as there are snakes that are strictly "look but don't touch" animals, there are T's that are the same way. Doesn't make them any less worth keeping but does mean that you have to approach them with the mind set that you will not be handling it. ("What's the point of having one then?" many would ask. Same point as owning fish or a hot snake -- to enjoy their beauty.)

The Old World T's, as a general rule are all more defensive and flighty than the New World T's. The baboons definitely fit this bill to a "t". In fact a common whimsical reference in the trade to the orange baboon T is to call it an "OBT" ... meaning "orange bitey thing".

Cobalt blues tend to be "pet holes" -- remaining in their burrows most of the time or with only their front legs sticking out of the hole.

[Rogue628]

I get your point about having animals that aren't really able to be handled. Right now I really enjoy animals that don't mind being handled. I really enjoy the hands on experience...pun intended

Maybe one day I'll get to a point where I want an animal for it's beauty and be satisfied with just observing it.... and have enough experience and animals that I don't mind having one to just watch. Oh wait...I already have one...the wild T lol. There are quite a few non venomous snakes I'd like to have that don't care for having human attention (GTP comes quick to mind), but I'd really like to have some good experience with the more easy going ones before getting to that level of keeper. I'm working on it though. A retic and blood are my next two purchases for snakes. I think both will give me good experience with more temperamental animals than the ones I have. Who knows? Maybe after enjoying my rose hair for a while, I may decide to step my T keeping up a level. There really are some gorgeous tarantulas out there. At the present time, I'm still working on my arachnid fear. And so far, so good I've really enjoyed having both critters around and observing them as they're complete opposites of one another.