Hello,

I have never had an interest in spiders, but since starting college, I have fallen in love with the Chilean Rose Tarantula they have there. She is beautiful!

Can anyone give me some advice?

What size cage/tank do they need?
Do they just eat crickets?
Am i right that you put a damp tissue in for water?
What litter do they live on?
How often do they need cleaning out?
Do they need lots of excersice/handling?
Do they bite
Do they need heat/light/damp conditions?

Thanks

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Hello again

I have just answered your questions about GALS. There is tons of info on the web and that forum I mentioned Reptile Forums UK - Care, Pictures, Classifieds & More there are lots of keepers of arachnids on there too.

Although Chile Rose's are ideal beginners, Tarantula's don't make ideal pets. They can be relatively easy to look after, and are quite cheap to buy and house, but they do require a little bit of specialist knowledge, for example regarding shedding.

Chile Rose's don't require a lot of space, in fact they can get stressed in too large a tank, without any hiding places. I would recommend a 18-24"x 12" tank.

Yes, crickets are usually the staple diet. You can feed locusts too, however avoid mealworms as they just burrow under the substrate before the spider has chance to catch them.

No, tissue paper or a sponge should not be put into the water dish, as it harbours bacteria.
I use a small dish that you put a plant pot on - it cost 25p from the garden centre and it's about 1cm deep. This is shallow enough so that they don't drown. This can just be rinsed out and cleaned every few days, and topped up.

I use coir for the substrate.

Tarantulas don't need any handling. The British Tarantula Society recommends that Tarantulas only be handled when absolutely necessary.
Having an exo skeleton, they are very fragile and if dropped of if they jump from a height, that can split their abdomen and will be fatal.
It's for this reason that they make good display pets.

Chile Roses as a general rule are a calm and docile species, however there are exceptions and yes they can bite. A bite will feel like a bee sting - unless you so happen to be severely allergic, which will be more dangerous.

They don't require any light and Chile Roses hate humidity, they should be kept dry.
They will however appreciate a heat mat, unless the room they are kept in is warm constantly.

thank you so much for all of your help.

your a star rep

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No worries. Do you think you will still get one?

i honestly don't know. I'd really like one, but i worry i'm not knowledgable enough

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Well just do tons of research, if you haven't already get signed up on RFUK, as they will tell you everything you need to know.

I'd get a mexican red knee over a chillie rose because they're more attractive. But saying that, i probably wouldn't own a T at all

I'm more of a scorp girl

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I suppose they can be nicer to look at (however the Red Chile Roses are gorgeous) but I hear they tend to hair flick a lot more than Chile's.

My bf's uncle has just bought a Thai black *shudder*

I'll stick with my royal and geckos (when i get them)

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