What have we here?

http://paintedover.com/uploads/2/tarantula.jpg

Neighboorhood boy apparently did not want to keep it anymore as it terrified him and I found it waiting in the basement when i got home from work. I have no problems with "bugs" but I also have no experience (beyond mantidae). I am a research ho - and not one to have anything before I am well versed and prepared - this fact alone makes me nervous. Not of the tarantula but of caring for it properly.

Please help identify this (likely common) specimen so's I can give it the attention it deserves.

I'm not seeing the pic of it.

Can you try again or email me a pic direct to fourfeathers@mfire.com?

Damn - that's weird - I musta lost my remote linking mojo altogether :(

Can anyone else not see it?

Got your email.

For everyone else interested, this is the picture that was sent to me about the tarantula in question:

http://img54.photobucket.com/albums/.../tarantula.jpg

Looks to me like a Grammostola rosea aka "Chilean Rose" Some call it a "Rose Hair", but "Chilean Rose" is the correct common name.

Very easy to take care of. Just give it a suitable hide, a water dish, and some peat moss for substrate. This species does not like it humid. So don't try to raise the humidity level. It will NOT appreciate it. Bone dry is best. It is also a terrestrial species so floor space is more important than height of the enclosure. It is not an arboreal species. It will stay on the ground.

And as I mentioned, a water dish. I take a plastic soda bottle and cut the bottom part off. Wash/rinse well and just fill with water. DO NOT put a sponge, cotton, or anything BUT water in the dish. Most all pet stores do this and I will never understand why they do this. Ignorance. Spiders DO drink water, and they don't need to suck it out of a sponge. They don't do that in the wild and they don't need to do it in captivity. Not to mention that a sponge, cotton, etc, is a breeding ground for bacteria and crickets will defecate on it, making it even more unsanitary.

This is generally a docile species that rarely kicks urticating hairs and will tolerate handling. Although I do handle mine, I do not recommend it to others. If you do decide to handle yours, make sure that you test him/her before doing so. And by that I mean take a pencil and gently touch the tarantula with the eraser part on the opisthosoma (abdomen) and/or the feet. If it lunges and grabs the pencil, it's either hungry or just not in the mood to be handled. Again, I do not recommend it. I do so knowing that there could be consequences and I take that chance. That's my choice. I do not recommend it though.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Good luck and have fun!

GRACIAS AND BLESSYA!
"Rosehair" kept bouncing around in my head - but I thought that was maybe from watching too much Citizen Kane (:P).

Appreciate the well detailed advice!


Can no one really see that pic twice?? OY remote links have not been kind to me.

I see both of them.

I see 'em both as well.

I respect the fact that you educate yourself before taking on the responsibility for another living being. I am the same way. I always research the hell out of something before I bring it home (if I don't know anything about it that is). I've waited years before obtaining a BP, but I've always wanted one. Just wanted to wait until I knew enough about the species and until I knew I had the time and resources to provide for it properly, wish more people were like that! And, of course, I still have a lot to learn!

Good luck w/your 'rose'!

Heh - yeah I admit, grudgingly, finding it in the house before I was fully prepp'd made me feel so . . . . skanky.

LOL!! Dude, you crack me up!!

It happens sometimes though....don't beat yourself up! A few years ago, I 'obtained' a baby green iguana and knew nothing about them, well very little. Luckily, we had an empty 55 gallon tank that we weren't using at the time (we are avid Tropical Fish hobbyists as well). The next day I bought a couple books, spent quite a few bucks, and learned on the fly. He grew very well and thrived, but I was so worried all the time, until of course I knew we were doing right by him. It's kinda how I feel about Sophie right now--worried that is, and Sophie was a planned acquisition!!When we moved to FL, we gave him to my sister-in-law and now he's HUGE!! It warms my heart!! :D

what a cutie!!
Well Marcus said all that needed to be said.
and I can see both pictures too.
Thanks
Rusty