Hello all
This is my first post on this site and i'll start off with a query over something a little odd that has happened to my Grammostola Rosea and not being an expert, i'd like to open this to any readers that may have an idea or an answer.
I bought my first tarantula in November 2011 and 'he' went through his first moult in February, but his colouration has me a little confused as it doesn't relate to anything i've seen before. Before the moult, i would say that he was of the grey colour form, perhaps slightly more brown if anything but he wasn't pink or copper from what i've seen through galleries here and in books (The 'Tarantula keepers guide revised edition' is basically my Bible!). He had a small gold patch on the abdomen and small patches of pink around his eyes, but otherwise he was what i'd expected a Chilean Rose to be.
However... during the moult he appearted to be virtually all black as he emerged from his old skin with the addition of yellow fangs, although I knew that this would be more or less the case until the new skin had dried and hardened to some extent. But weeks on from his moult, he is still almost black. He has a copperish trim around the main body section (thorax?) with some copper hairs on his legs but only the first segment nearest his body, otherwise he's charcoal coloured now!?!
I've seen an image of a variation called 'Pulchra' (?) which appeared completely black, but i can't understand why his colouration has changed so much from a single moult. Any suggestions as to what has happened? I will post some images of him before and after the moult soon so you can see exactly what i mean, but this occurance seems a liitle strange to a novice keeper.
Thank you.
This is my first post on this site and i'll start off with a query over something a little odd that has happened to my Grammostola Rosea and not being an expert, i'd like to open this to any readers that may have an idea or an answer.
I bought my first tarantula in November 2011 and 'he' went through his first moult in February, but his colouration has me a little confused as it doesn't relate to anything i've seen before. Before the moult, i would say that he was of the grey colour form, perhaps slightly more brown if anything but he wasn't pink or copper from what i've seen through galleries here and in books (The 'Tarantula keepers guide revised edition' is basically my Bible!). He had a small gold patch on the abdomen and small patches of pink around his eyes, but otherwise he was what i'd expected a Chilean Rose to be.
However... during the moult he appearted to be virtually all black as he emerged from his old skin with the addition of yellow fangs, although I knew that this would be more or less the case until the new skin had dried and hardened to some extent. But weeks on from his moult, he is still almost black. He has a copperish trim around the main body section (thorax?) with some copper hairs on his legs but only the first segment nearest his body, otherwise he's charcoal coloured now!?!
I've seen an image of a variation called 'Pulchra' (?) which appeared completely black, but i can't understand why his colouration has changed so much from a single moult. Any suggestions as to what has happened? I will post some images of him before and after the moult soon so you can see exactly what i mean, but this occurance seems a liitle strange to a novice keeper.
Thank you.
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