Can i handle my chilean rose tarantula yet?
I would give it a couple days yet, then gently handle it (I am assuming you know how to handle tarantulas). As for feeding, when was it last fed? It should be fed a pinky every week. It may refuse food for awhile though due to the stress of moving but offer food every week. Spiders generally get more active when they get hungry.
Reply:I would leave the spider to settle in for at least 3 days, in order for it gather its surroundings and the fact that G. Rosea are territorial it will need to mark territory, You should check when it last fed by the store you bought it at, i feed my Chilean rose once a week on a diet solely consisting of brown crickets and have done for the past 14 years with no trouble, if you do need to feed it 4 or 5 crickets will suffice as they will hunt and store them, once the spider has settled in you should be fine to handle him/her as Chileans are a docile breed of tarantula. There are two ways in which to pick up a tarantula for handling, the 1st is to scoop under the spider and lift it out of the terrarium, this is the best way of picking the spider up for handling if this is your 1st tarantula, the second, which as you become more confident in handling you could try, is to pick up the spider between its 2nd and 3rd pairs of legs using you thumb and index finger and place it on your other hand, either way always be sure never to hesitate when going in to handle the spider as this may give the tarantula cause to alarm and flick the urticating hairs as it will not be used to your scent at first, chances of this happening are slim because of the docile nature of the species, as are bites but it could happen.
Hope this helps:) and have an enjoyable 15-20 years with your new spider.
Reply:I have a Chilean when i got mine i was told to leave for 3 days to settle and feed about same time or little longer.
Reply:Wait a few days before you mess around with it too much. I've had the occasional spiderling eat a cricket minutes after it's in its new home, but, most of them don't eat the first week.
You definitely don't need to feed it a pinky a week. Pinkies should be occasional items only. Grammostola rosea is a sporadic eater, so I just about never feed pinkies as unless you raise them yourself they can get pricey in comparison to feeding crickets or roaches. Especially if you buy it a pinky and it doesn't feel like eating that mont.
Reply:Hi I had one of them as well, it took about a week before he would eat anything. I don't recommend handling them as far as i know they dont really like it, something to do with the sweat on your hands.
Oh yeah another important note about spiders;
"The shedding process in spiders is the most traumatic time in their lives. To shed the skin the spider first weaves a 'silk bed' and then flips onto its back on the silk bed and comes out of its skin backwards. People have often mistaken the shedding process for the animal being dead! So it is important to recognise when your spider is shedding its skin.
At this time the spider must be left alone and not disturbed, any food items left in the cage should be removed and the animal should not be handled. As mentioned earlier, the skin is very soft after shedding has taken place, so again the animal should not be handled, and should preferably be left alone for a few days to recover."
Im one of those people who thought it was dead - sorry frank
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