OMG I kind of "rescued" a tarantula-- help!

[Lori P]

Oh for the love of [insert diety of your choice]----

So I went to get live pinks for Desdemona this evening. At this pet shop, there has been for the last several months a rose hair tarantula kept in this tiny little critter keeper, in the very back of a display case behind some fish tank display pieces. I guess I kept looking at it after I first noticed it, because it had nothing in that little space but a water bowl, and that took up most of the space... anyway, over the last 2 or 3 months it's never sold. And I guess I started feeling sorry for it, with nothing at all to do in life but sit in that tiny plastic cage.

Well, today I get there and on the front counter is a bunch of sale stuff, and sure enough, in this deli cup is a tarantula-- marked down from 19.99 to 9.99. After checking the case in the back, I realized that was my little pal who had been there so long. And while I'm waiting for the girl to get my pinkies, a group of young total hoodlum teenage boys come in... start looking... one of them picks up the deli cup and SHAKES IT... and then they start daring each other to buy it, come on, it's only 10 bucks, etc etc... lots of crude language and they are tossing the cup around between them. Then they lower their voices, and I can't hear what they're saying but they start bantering with the young kid behind the sales counter, and I hear him say "Hey, once you buy it it's yours, I don't care what you do with it."

That was it. I FLEW up into them and blurted out, Oh, I just bought that tarantula, I'm sorry, the girl was supposed to set it behind the counter-- and I grabbed the cup and bolted for the back of the shop. LOL

So now I have a tarantula and I'M A LITTLE FREAKED OUT!!!! Ok-- here's what I have her in-- a 5.5 gallon tank with a screen lid. Mulch/bark type substrate. Hide log. Greenery to hide in/climb. Water bowl. Is this acceptable for now-- I can move her to a 10 gallon tank this weekend. I misted the substrate and the spider herself (I've decided it's a girl) and have left her alone. Pics:







Is this an adequate set-up for now? When should I first offer crickets? Will she eat pinkies too as I read somewhere? Would she eat f/t or does it have to move? Should I mist her or just her tank?

Don't worry, I'm going to read more on them but know some of you are tarantula experts!!! THANK YOU!!!!

And incidentally, the owner is going to hear from me tomorrow-- this is the attitude they promote in their store? "Once you buy it I don't care what you do with it"??!!!! Oh, yeah, hell fire and dalmatians are in store for that guy tomorrow!!!!!

[Zephyr]

Good job! XD
I'm sure the little guy or gal thanks you for it. XD
Everything looks fine, just remember tarantulas don't like a lot of space. Give her deeper substrate to burrow and don't keep the temps too high; keep it humid-ish. She might be on or go on hunger strikes, so don't be concerned if she doesn't eat as long as her abdomen isn't shriveled and small.
My two cents.
Excellent rescue. <3

EDIT-
5.5 should be fine. Too much space will majorly freak HER out. :P

[tikichick]

Good for you!!!!! Those kids... I shan't say what I'd like to do to them!

That setup is great! Very nicely done! It looks big enough to me. I'd let her/him settle in for a while in that. Go ahead and give it a cricket. You may want to pinch the legs off or crush the cricket's head so it doesn't have to chase it down... but only if she's sluggish. If she's active, she should chase it down right away if she's hungry. See how she does with one cricket and then you can give her another one. Do you know how long it's been since she was fed? I think for Grammastola rosea (aka Chilean Rose) it's something like 4 crickets every week or two.

Here's the place for all you need to know about T's... Arachnoboards - Powered by vBulletin. I'm TikiChick on there also.

Oh and that's cypress mulch, right? Not cedar?

Caresheets:
Arachnopets - Tarantula General Care Sheet
Grammastola rosea - Chilean rose Caresheet
CARE AND HUSBANDRY OF THE CHILEAN ROSE TARANTULA

[Zephyr]

Good for you!!!!! Those kids... I shan't say what I'd like to do to them!

That setup is great! Very nicely done! It looks big enough to me. I'd let her/him settle in for a while in that. Go ahead and give it a cricket. You may want to pinch the legs off or crush the cricket's head so it doesn't have to chase it down... but only if she's sluggish. If she's active, she should chase it down right away if she's hungry. See how she does with one cricket and then you can give her another one. Do you know how long it's been since she was fed? I think for Grammastola rosea (aka Chilean Rose) it's something like 4 crickets every week or two.

Here's the place for all you need to know about T's... Arachnoboards - Powered by vBulletin. I'm TikiChick on there also.

Oh and that's cypress mulch, right? Not cedar?

Caresheets:
Arachnopets - Tarantula General Care Sheet
Grammastola rosea - Chilean rose Caresheet
CARE AND HUSBANDRY OF THE CHILEAN ROSE TARANTULA

Actually looks like shredded cocoa fiber. :P
What a rabble rouser I am. XD

[Lori P]

Thank you guys so much!!! Now Kyle-- when you say her abdomen shouldn't be shrivelled and small-- can I tell that from the top or do I have to pick her up? (I may have saved her but I'm not quite ready to actually HANDLE her yet, LOL!!!)

The substrate is Jungle Bed-- it contains Forest Bed, vermiculite, coconut bark and I think a touch of calci-sand.

Laura, those links are AWESOME!! I'm not sure I'm ready to join another forum-- I'd lose time here!!!-- but we'll see. The care sheets are great, thank you!!!

I'll put more bedding in there tomorrow to make it deeper... from what I've read, room temp is fine and no special lighting...

"You may want to pinch the legs off or crush the cricket's head so it doesn't have to chase it down..."

Laura!!! Sheesh... I better change New Hope to Last Hope... LOL!!!!!

Hubby doesn't know she's here yet. Bets on how long it takes him to notice??!!

[tikichick]

Last Hope, lmao! The search on the forums will bring up all kinds of good info if you have specific concerns. Good place to look for pics of other's roses, other setups (and yours looks better than most of them by far!!) and tips, tricks, etc. I don't recall if you have to join to see the pics or not... I'm not very active on there, but I do enjoy looking for viv ideas there from time to time.

Oh, and your substrate should be fine

[anji1971]

Lori, good for you!!! Those kids need a good swift kick!
I know that normally you're absolutely horrified by spiders, so this just shows how big your heart is for creatures in need. Three cheers for you!!
I'm betting that by the end of the month you're posting pics of you holding her.........

[enigma200316]

way to go Lori, and by the way its a very nice looking spider.....

[Loren]

Lori- Great job. Sounds like a great start. Just read up on the species, as you already are, so you know specifically what it needs in the way of humidity and temps. I would say it probably could do ok on just crickets, and use pinks rarely or as a treat, but thats just my guess.
When it comes to handlng- if you dare- take a pencil and gently nudge her on the rear, and judge her reaction. If she is not aggrevated, you can try to very gently nudge her on to your hand. keep your hand low to the cage floor, in case she falls, falls can kill a tarantula. Do not blow on her- they hate that. Any time you want to make her move, just very gently nudge from behind. If she does seem aggrevated, I wouldnt hold her.
I just have one tarantula right now, and am not an expert, but thats just my experience. And a 5.5 g tank is probably just fine.
I caught mine myself while walking on foot in the desert in the middle of the night. Shes a real sweetheart. I just give her a cricket or 2 a week. Found my first Rosy Boa that night too.
Now I have to post more pics.

[Loren]

And I can just about picture you grabbing that tarrantula from those kids- pretty comical in my mind.