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**Phil Rea** · 03-01-08, 10:09 PM

I post a bit on one of the Breitling ones, so you're not alone with the watch obsession

Your temps sound fine, as G. rosea are pretty tolerant, and the spider would be ok in an enclosure that size. Provide the spider with a hide, a water bowl, and appropriate substrate and you should be good to go with that setup.

**Peter Lacey** · 03-01-08, 10:25 PM

Welcome to the forums.
You seem to have chosen the most popular 1st T and for good reason. The G. rosea is hardy, requires little attention, is of good temperament and info regarding it is readily available. It does possess urticating hairs (bristles) but as its quite docile you may never get to see them. What seems to attract many to the rosea is its individual characteristics, little peculiarities specific to the individual rather than the species. A good choice and one most will agree as an excellent starter.

Your temperatures seem fine but its worth making sure they don't slide below the 60s. Although rosea come from Chili where extremes prevail keeping it at a low (-60) or high (90+) temperature for long periods might affect its well being, at the least its eating habits.

I have an exo-terra myself and although they're a little hard on the wallet I do believe them to be excellent terrariums. Its quite reassuring to have clip locks on them with the facility to add additional locks.

You're enclosure should include a dry substrate (peat/coco-fibre/vermiculite), but definitely NOT cedar wood chips. You should include a water dish (a plastic bottle top will do), you should avoid misting and your rosea will appreciate a bit of cork to burrow under (you can start this off yourself). Feed it a cricket once or twice a week and you'll have created an environment used by many. Everything else is merely to create something nice to look at but in reality superfluous. I've included little twigs and dried material found in peat just to break up the surface, however "rosie" moves these around as she pleases.

My recommendation would be to go for a 4th instar, juvenile or sub-adult. Its fun watching them grow and unless something goes seriously wrong you'll have at least a few years with your T. Its worth noting that males do not live as long as females in the T world, so it would be a shame to purchase an adult male only to see it die with the first or second year.

You can find an excellent resource on G. rosea from the eminent Stan Schultz here:

403 Forbidden

http://www.ucalgary.ca/%7Eschultz/roses.html

I'm sure you'll enjoy your rosea, I'm sure you and your partner will be relieved by the worries and as everybody says, you'll not stop at one!

**Andrew Ferguson** · 03-01-08, 10:27 PM

Thanks Phil. The temp was the only think I had any doubt about. I'll probably work on the set up over the next few weeks just making sure I have the humidity correct then purchase the spider. As I'm starting with an adult I want to make sure its new home will be as cosy stress free as possible.
In the meantime, I can just observe some of the house spiders

**Peter Lacey** · 03-01-08, 10:30 PM

ah! the house spiders. These don't mix as well as I presumed, there's a post about it which illustrates the dangers.

**Andrew Murdoch** · 03-01-08, 10:35 PM

That all sounds very similar to the set up I have, I also added a heat mat and placed it on the back of the viv. I got a tem/humidity guage. I also got a Chile Rose as well. I am new to this too Andrew but its a great hobby. I also have a Mexican Red Knee and am thinking of getting more.
I love watches too, this is weird, now there are guys with watch obsessions too. i have an Oris Big Crown! But if I could afford a good watch it would have to be I.W.C. (international Watch Company) These really are the bomb, check out the Grande Complication.

**Andrew Ferguson** · 03-01-08, 10:38 PM

Hi Peter and thank you for the detailed reply. I read Stan Schultz guide earlier today and have saved it for future reference. It was his comment about the Summer / Winter variances that got me thinking about my room temperature. It was just the only thing I needed clarification on and couldn't seem to find the info on all the sites (I've checked loads, believe me!) that I'd seen.

The house spiders are staying in the corners high up in the coving in the hall way and kitchen. Luckily we don't get many in the living room where I'll be keeping their much larger distant cousins.

**Toran Tanner** · 03-01-08, 11:06 PM

welcome dude. enjoy the addiction

**Peter Roach** · 03-01-08, 11:21 PM

My recommendation would be to go for a 4th instar, juvenile or sub-adult. Its fun watching them grow

Generally you will only find medium sized adults for sale as 99.9% of all grammastols rosea's for sale are wild caught.
Grammastola's in general are one of the slooooooowest growing tarantula species available

and may take years to become a 'big hairy spider'

I would recommend getting your 1st T from the spidershop (www.thespidershop.co.uk)
Lee is well known and trusted in the spider keeping community for selling top notch tarantulas, scorpions and spiders and a service second to none.

Chile rose ....

Page not found - The Spider Shop

http://www.thespidershop.co.uk/insect/product_info.php?products_id=253

.

**Andrew Ferguson** · 03-01-08, 11:33 PM

Thanks for the link. I've been looking at the Spidershop over the last few days pricing up eqipment and have decided to get a lot of my equipment Exo-terra, forceps etc from him.

May as well get the spider from there too

**Peter Roach** · 03-01-08, 11:41 PM

I think we should start having a bet on how long it takes you to get another spider

Most people start with one but soon realise that the spider will only eat a few crickets a week and there are dozens and dozens of crickets in a box............ and it is a shame to waste all them crickets ....... might as well get another 1 ......or 2 ...... or 5 or 6

And soon you will end up lhaving a wall like this

**James Box** · 03-01-08, 11:44 PM

roseas are a great first choice! well done on not choosing the usual smithi

hmm as far as hair flicking...some roseas do it, some don't. i've been lucky with mine so far... old world T's or a few of the new world arboreals are the only ones without the hairs...if you can lock the tank and are prepared for something with a bit of attitude and speed, there are some gorgeous and interesting species out there...
starting with a young spider can be good as you can slowly get used to the T and its needs as it grows. even feisty spiders start out relatively harmless, though i'd still not want a pokie to bite me lol
slings are delicate, but maybe a juvenile would be alright...my second T's were G rosea juveniles, and they have done great so far. sub-adult now, i think.

**Andrew Ferguson** · 03-01-08, 11:45 PM

WOW!!!!!

Well the wife does keep going on about getting a bigger house. I think though I will stick to one first. I don't want to push my luck with the mrs

**James Box** · 04-01-08, 12:07 AM

just you wait, she'll probably fall in love and end up more addicted than you

**Robert Farmer** · 04-01-08, 08:02 AM

Originally posted by James Box View Post

just you wait, she'll probably fall in love and end up more addicted than you

I hear that lol, the girlfriend was at first a bit weird about having 20 or so of the beasts in the bedroom (more than anything it was the crix that annoyed her), I was talking about downsizing the collection at a time and she'd have none of it!

She's even got two herself, the fast pretty orange one (p Murinus) and Eugene (as of yet unidentified sp)...

Funny creatures those 2 legged naggy things...

Anyhoo's as said before good choice, hopefully you'll have years of fun.

Do you intend on handling?

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Newbie requiring some clarification on my setup.

Newbie requiring some clarification on my setup.

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