How to Care for a Chilean Rose Tarantula

The Chilean Rose (grammostola rosea) is one the most popular choices for a pet tarantula and is an excellent starter species because it is hardy and docile. This specimen is primarily exported from Argentina, Bolivia and Chile and can found in virtually any pet store. The following steps will help you care for this popular species.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Select a female over a male. Females can live up to 15 years, with an average of 12, but males have a much shorter lifespan.

2. Use a five to 10 gallon tank to house each specimen individually. A Chilean Rose should have a tank 10 to 15 inches wide and it should not be able to touch the ceiling. An adult has a leg span of about five inches.

3. Lay down two to three inches of substrate like peat moss or potting soil and keep it slightly damp. This species can burrow but normally does not, preferring to web instead. A small clay flower pot makes an excellent retreat.

4. Keep the enclosure for this tarantula warm (70 to 85 degrees) and humid (75 to 80 percent). Humidity should be monitored and can be increased by covering the top of the enclosure with plastic wrap. The humidity should be increased when it is about to molt, which occurs about once a year although adult females can skip a molt.

5. Provide crickets or other large insects as live prey but be sure to remove all prey animals when the tarantula is about to molt. Use a shallow container as a water dish.

Tips & Warnings

• No tarantula should be handled. Although this species has weak venom, some people might be allergic to it. The Chilean Rose, like all New World tarantulas, can flick hairs from its abdomen when threatened, which can be irritating to some people.

Resources

• Learn more about keeping invertebrates as pets at Virginiacheeseman.