chilli rose not using hide

[vincent winyard]

hi there everyone i need some advice. i dont know if this is normal but my chilli rose dont seem to want to use her hide. she does everything you would expect a chilli rose to do. she eats well and has settled down great since i got her three weeks ago. the only thing i dont understand is why wont she use her hide. im using a half log wich has plenty of room for her to go in but for some reason she dont seem interested. the tank she,s in measures 12 by 12 by 12 inches. would she be alright if prehaps i removed the hide alltogether to give her more room or just leave things as they are .

[matthew spooner]

maybe she just doesnt want to hide. to be honest, it may be the hide. i have used a half log once before and the T didnt use it, i was left pondering. out of interest i took it out one day to replace it with a flower pot to see if she would use that, when i lifted the log i found that the humidity builds up too much inside it and it was rotting, thats why she didnt use it, try using something else, i use ceramic flower pots now, plastic ones are just as good

[vincent winyard]

cheers matthew i,ll give it a go with a flower pot and see how she gets on with it. you would think these spiders would be happy with a half log as it,s more natural material but if they prefer a flower pot then a flower pot she can have ha ha. thanks for help mate.

[Mrs Linda Street]

Hi Vincent, another option for you to consider is a half coconut, we use quite a few of these on different T's and find the like them, if not, they can sit on the top of them lol

[vincent winyard]

thanks linda thats a good idea
I'll give them a try and see what she likes best

[Peter Lacey]

Suggests to me your G. rosea is comfortable in what it perceives to be its burrow.
You shouldn't suffer too much humidity if you're keeping it on the dry side, as recommended for G. rosea.

[vincent winyard]

Hi Peter,
Thats what my wife said, think I'll try something like a pot and see what happens
thanks

[Peter Lacey]

Unless your objective is to get your tarantula to hide I'd leave as is. Most people complain when they don't see the Ts not because its always on display. I'd be more concerned if it were continually on the side of the glass or on top of the cork and NOT on the substrate.

[vincent winyard]

I thought they were happier when hiding, but if she's ok not hiding then I.m happy to leave things alone
thanks

[Craig Mackay]

I wouldn't worry. If she wanted to hide then she would find a way. You should just be grateful that she's content to stay on display, lol. My chile Rose doesn't use her hide. She used to when I had her in a bigger tank so I'm assuming she felt a little insecure in the larger tank and now shes content in the smaller one. You've got to remeber that in terms of instincts she's every bit as wild as the wild ones and she'll do what she wants to do. They know better than us whats good for them. You just need to learn when she's behaving in ways that suggest something isn't right as Peter says regarding staying on the glass/plastic or avoiding the substrate. But don't worry, your still new to this and it takes time to learn their body language (if we ever fully can). Your doing fine, and doing the right thing by asking questions when your not sure.

[vincent winyard]

hi craig thanks for your help. your right i still have much to learn about tarantulas and i am getting there gradually. i just want everyone to know on this website im very greatfull for all the help and advise ive received from you all thankyou. by the way im pleased to say my young smithi had her first molt on sunday and all is well. one thing i couldnt believe was the vibrant colour and size of her after just one day she really does look fantastic.

[Mrs Linda Street]

Hi Vincent, glad to read your Smithi has moulted out ok. They are still one of the most striking looking T's around

[Craig Mackay]

by the way im pleased to say my young smithi had her first molt on sunday and all is well. one thing i couldnt believe was the vibrant colour and size of her after just one day she really does look fantastic.

Awesome, that'll have put your mind to rest. I find that whenever any of mine have moulted its been about a 25-30% increase in size. Its truly remarkable! It always boggles my mind to think of a bigger spider being inside the spider, lol!