Grammostola rosea
Chile Rose Tarantula
Grammostola rosea by lofaesofa
Adult Size:4-6inches
Locality: Bolivia, Northern Chile and Argentina, found in scrubland and deserts
Habits: Terrestrial
Temperament: Variable - some are very docile and calm, whilst others can be extremely aggressive.
Temperature: 70-85f
Humidity: 50-60%
Diet:Pinhead crickets for spiderlings, adults will happily take larger insects (crickets, cockroaches, locusts etc).
Housing: The Chile Rose Tarantula is amedium sized species which does well in a 5-10 gallon tank. An inch or two of substrate (compost or coco fibre) is all which is necessary as this species does not like to burrow (although it may make a small 'scrape'). A piece of cork bark or similar should be provided as a hide, as well as a shallow water bowl.
Notes:
Contrary to commonly held thought, this species should be kept dry for the most part (a light misting every week or so is all which is required) as long as a water bowl is provided. This is a confident species, often choosing to sit out in the open when when hides are provided (hides should still be provided at all times). Many keepers also report strange behaviours exhibited by the chile rose tarantula; the only thing which should be read in to from this is the chile rose has a variety of ecotypes and is quite variable.
Chile rose tarantulas are often recomended as a beginners species, however I believe this to be a mistake and would never recomend them to a beginner. The majority of Chile Roses are of course very docile and do make good beginners pets - there are however a good number which are highly aggressive and can be very intimidating to beginners. For this reason it can be a bit of a Russian Roulette as to whether you get a specimen suitable for a novice. A better beginners species would be a Red Knee Tarantula, Brachypelma smithi.
