First Time Owner

[Josh Reading]

Hey there all,

I recently got my first tarantula (the popular Chilean Rose) and ive got a few things that i need clearing up if you all dont mind

1) The Petshop guy said that i need to keep the tank temp 22-25C, but with my current heater the max it will go is 19-21, the spider seems fine because hes still active and feeding. so does this really matter?

2) I woke this morning to find my spider in its hide, it had been there for over 14hrs, then awoke, so am i right in thinking that the Chilean Rose is a night spider?

NEW

3) About humidity, the humidity atm is between 75-80 according to the Humidity Meter, but the tank is not damp, is this right? the guy at the store told me that it must always be kept as damp as it was when i first got the tank (the peat was slightly damp ect) i was just wondering if the conditions its in atm are still ok? its eating and is active ect, making me think that its happy in its current situation, but i would rather have others opinions please

[Josh Reading]

[Simon Batten]

where do you have the heat mat on the tank

[Mark Pennell]

Josh
Yes your T' will be more active at night, as Simon mentions, where is your heat mat. If it’s underneath, best move this to the back of the tank and then back this up with insulation like polystyrene tiles etc. This will heat you spider much more efficiently and prevent overheating of the mat.

Welcome to the forum.

Regards
Mark
P.S The BTS does not condone handling and as such has a non handling policy.

[Josh Reading]

Currently under half the tank, as instructed by the Pet Shop Owner,

Also whats with the non-handling policy?

[Neil Richardson]

Handling tarantulas is not recommended for both you and their sakes. If you should drop them, a fatal injury is quite possible.

Also, the heatmat should NEVER be on the underside of a tank, tarantulas instinctively burrow to avoid heat, so will just end up getting too hot when they burrow down to meet a heatmat. Stick it on the outside of the back of the tank, or on one end instead so that you still get a temperature reading.

[J M Clegg]

My personal advice is always "Think Wild"

The non handling policy mate, it's a personal choice. There is a risk when you handle them that they could feel threatened and resort to their defences injuring you, Utricating hairs can itch for days and worse still is a bite!
Also if they decide to jump they could harm themselves, a fall from just a couple of inches could result in damage to your spider a kill it. There not like cats and don't always land on their feet!

Try to bear in mind that your spider in the wild would not regularly encounter humans and wouldn't take kindly to being picked up and petted.

Like I dare say most of us, your first spider was bought out of sheer curiosity and with all things you feel it necessary to "help" it by moving round the furniture of it's tank etc. Again think back wild, your spider would manage just fine. Moulting is another example, again try and think wild.

The Chilean Rose is a perfect beginner spider and will rarely react to being handled, I have one which I know won't complain about the occasional handling - I use it to help people who have a phobia and they soon over come it. I also have a Mexican Red Knee (Brachypelma Smithy) and a Curley Hair (Brachypelma Albopilosa), both of these are supposedly fine to handle. The Smithy flicks hairs as soon as the lid is removed and the Albopilosa jumps on it's back legs and flashes it's fangs, I leave both well alone.

You will ultimately learn more about your spider by watching it, than by having it crawl over your hand. The downside with this and as you have already identified, spiders are predominantly more active at night. In the wild it's both cooler and there are less natural predators at night which makes it safer for a spider to go out. You will also find that some nights, your spider stays in. This can be down to a number of reasons, it may not wish to come out, it may not be hungry, it could be coming up on a moult? But by watching and learning you will gain a better understanding of spider behaviour. Your hands don't need to be in there!

You will also more than likely find that one is not enough! A spider will only be active for a short while every night. So you will need more than one to keep you entertained on a nightly basis. For me personally, I get more satisfaction from watching a spiderling grow and moult into a sub adult and then adult spider. It's low cost (a sling typically cost between £3 and £ and requires little effort, pretty soon you find you have a number of spiders to watch on an evening.

Sorry for rambling on!

The BTS forum is great place to ask the questions though, there are a lot of good people here and some of the discussions are often fantastic reading!!!!!

[Josh Reading]

I am already considering buying another spider in the next few weeks,

I moved the heat mat to one side of the tank, like advised and instantly the spider was more active.

Was thinking about a pinktoe next

Josh,