Well, here he is...

[T&KBrouse]

Because I have no sense of self control, this little guy came home with me today.

Thanks for looking!

K

 

[Sunrise Reptile]

When you say "little fellow", do you don't necessarily mean it's a male or?

I'm guessing it's a G. rosea, or Chilean Rose? They're great theraphosids! I would recommend using peat moss as substrate, and not keeping this tarantula too humid. They like their home a little on the dry side. Good Luck and happy invert keeping! :main_thumbsup:

 

[T&KBrouse]

Yup! Its a G. Rosea. (Sorry, didn't mean to leave that part out.) I have no idea if its male or female. Honestly, I wouldn't know where to look to find out, either.:main_huh:

We got him/her with the little critter keeper tank it's in. I plan on taking him out, giving the tank a good cleaning and putting in some either peat moss or potting soil. He has a small waterdish. Should he have a hide?

I've been doing ALOT of research on T's for a few months now, but any advice on their care would be more than welcome.
Book research can't replace the advice of experienced handlers!

Thanks,
K

 

[ReptileMan27]

Its a female most likely, males are smaller and quite rare to find..

 

[T&KBrouse]

Its a girl? Cool!
Now to come up with a diabolically annoying name just to make my son's hair hurt!
Then again, I might stick with "Little Feet."

 

[Sunrise Reptile]

Jason, it may be a female but it's still kind of hard to tell from that picture. The size would be a pretty good indication.

K, about what would you judge the legspan to be? Also regarding your hide question - it would certainly benifit from some sort of a hide. The little "half-log" hides work great for them, but then again a cleaned piece of bark (if you can find one outside) would work just as well. The only thing there is make sure it's nothing that could potentially fall on the tarantula.

Ask as many questions as you like, and Jason or I would be happy to help. Also, a great sorce of invertibrate info for you would be The Venom List. There are a lot of experienced invert keepers/breeders there. :main_yes:

 

[T&KBrouse]

About a 2-3 inches span right now. I tried to use the coffee cup as a gauge. Didn't realize it was Jake's Spiderman cup until afterwards.

Thanks!
K

 

[leolover2]

Very nice!!

 

[Sunrise Reptile]

At that size, unless you have experience sexing inverts, it's pretty hard to tell if it's male or female. It becomes much easier after about the "four inch legspan" mark, because at about that size males will reach maturity. They then have bulbs at the end of their pedipalps (front most appendages to either side of the mouth), and spurs or hooks on the back side of the first set of legs at the first joint of that set of legs. It "looks" female, but honestly at this point (unless you're good at ventral sexing), it really is too early to tell. So it's best to just enjoy it and watch it grow for a while. Enjoy your new tarantula! :main_yes:

 

[T&KBrouse]

Thanks!

I got to take her out today and really looked at her before I started cleaning her tank. Shes so cool!!

Gave her a nice, thick layer of dried coconut fiber substrate, fresh water and some sticks to climb on or hide under. When I moved her back to her newly remodeled home, she never flinched once and seems really content.

Even my grandson, Zane, thought she was cool!

 

[Sunrise Reptile]

Sounds like you're all set! They make very fascinating pets. Enjoy!!! :main_thumbsup:

 

[LimaMikeSquared]

Its a female most likely, males are smaller and quite rare to find..

I beg to differ males of this specie are not hard to find, and they are one of the most popular tarantulas in the hobby. However people tend to send off the males for breeding rather than sell them when they are mature.

T&KBrouse - To find out the sex for sure you will need to look at a moult. On the inside between the upper pair of book lungs if it is female there will be a clear leafy flap with a spermithicae (sp?) present.

If you want to try and sex from the outside then you need to look between the upper set of book lungs again. Males typically have narrow spaces between the book lungs and a triangluar patch of dark hairs between the book lungs. Generally over a white line.

Females tend to have wide spread booklungs no triangle of hairs and a very prominant line running between the book lungs.

Sorry if it against the rules for posting othe forums up (some places it is) but I found this thread on another site extremely useful for sexing, you may need to follow the extra link a couple of post down.

http://www.the-t-store.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=11017&hl=sexing

Mlales only show palps and hook when the mature and the last maturing molt can occur anywhere from about 4-5 inches.

2-3 inches should be enough to sex from the molt skin quite accurately, you may be able to take a good educated guess from the underside but you may need to do some research. It does take practise to sex them. If you could get a pic of the underside of the abdomen and post it you may be able to get a educated guess from other people on the boards.

Lovely Chile Rose you have there though. Got my fingers crossed for a girl for you.

LMS

 

[T&KBrouse]

Wow... Sounds very complicated...
If she turns out to be a he, thats okay. I'm not planning on doing any breeding or anything. She, or he, will always just be my "Little Feet."

(Keeping that info, though, for when I get brave enough to learn that aspect of T ownership )

Thank you!

K