Tarantula Questions...

[Jace]

I recently bought a Chilean rose tarantula (on December 24th to be exact) and Chili has yet to eat for me. Not too concerned about that, as he is a healthy size. However, he is extremely active and constantly walking around his enclosure and even trying to climb the sides. I am not used to a tarantula being so active-is this normal? Should I offer him more floor space?

As well, I have been trying to find out the differences between an Antilles Pink Toed tarantula (A. versicolor) and a Pink Toed (A. avicularia). I definitely have a Pink Toed, but how can I tell if it is one or the other?

Thanks for the help!!

[Animalnstinct]

Rosie's can go awhile without eating so like you mentioned nothing to worry to much about. When I got my first rose hair she went months without eating.

What are you currently using as substrate? Sometimes when they start wandering around it's because they don't like the substrate. Which could be a few things like it being to damp, using bark chips, and even the floor being a bit hot from a heating pad underneath.

If you think it could be from dampness try letting the substrate dry out a bit and just provide a little water dish. If you are using bark chips you should try and get rid of that right away as bark chips can cause possible future problems outside of just discomfort for your T.

In regards to the possibility of a heating pad making the ground too warm, I would also get rid of that as long as your house doesn't get real cold. Heating pads can lead to different issues as well and as long as your comfortable she should be comfortable.

The Avicularia versicolor (Martinique or Antilles Pink Toe) is readily identifiable against the much more common Avicularia avicularia (Common Pink Toe). The former is bright metallic blue as a s'ling and juvenile until it reaches maturity and takes on a dramatic change in appearance - from blue to a striking abdomen covered in red setae, and both the carapace and legs will have a green to dark bluish sheen to them. The Avic avic on the other hand is what you will find most commonly at the local pet store, and is almost entirely black with the pink scopulae at the end of each leg.

I hope that makes it's almost 1:30 am here I'm starting to really feel it, lol

[Jace]

Thanks for the reply-especially at so late a time!!

With Chili, I am using Reptile Bark...I am guessing this is the wrong substrate. What should I change it to? I was online last night looking it up and most sites suggested coconut husk-is this what you use? The substrate is otherwise dry and there is a small water dish available at all times. I don't use a heat pad as my house is a pretty comfortable temperature.

Hmmnm, well, I will have a good look at some pictures of Kamani and see if I can tell. I just don't trust the store I bought her at on properly IDing her. She was sold as a A. avicularia. I am also in the process of buying another Pink Toed, labelled as A. versicolor, but honestly, both tarantulas look the same to me. Might be the lighting in the store though. Thanks for the time and the help!

[Animalnstinct]

We're up late some nights completing projects and other work for our clients! So not a problem at all.

Tarantula's don't tend to appreciate repti-bark very much, something about the texture tends to annoy a lot of them. With the additional health risks it can present, it's almost frustrating that a lot of pet stores recommend it! Coco husk, aka Eco Earth, Plantation Soil, Coir and a variety of other names it goes under is what we use and recommend. The bricks go for about $3-4 for one, or usually $8-9 for a pack of three, and expand tremendously. It's soft, looks great, and can be easily burrowed into, plus you can always recycle it for plants when the T is done with it.

Here's a good picture of the Common (Avic avic):

http://www.zootours.ca/pages/ourshowanimals/03.jpg

Notice how the legs, carapace and abdomen are all jet black, and the scopulae at the end of each leg is bright pink? These and the Avicularia metallica are sometimes confused in images, because of their similar appearance - the metallica tends to be more bluish in color though, with whitish tips on their setae.

Here's the versicolor:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...color_9_Fh.jpg

Brilliant red and while the body structure is similar in shape, size and fuzziness the overall appearance is quite dramatically different. It was late last night when I posted that previous reply and I mistakenly mentioned the legs being the same color as the carapace. The legs are actually the same color as the abdomen as is made glaringly obvious in the above image! Ours is still a bright blue little girl, so I was working on sleep deprived imagery in my head.

[Jace]

Wow-those images really made it obvious!! Thank you! Kamani is definitely an A. avicularia. She is still beautiful, but not in such an obvious way. I am still unsure about the one I want to buy, but either way, I know I can get her for a deal and it will be money well spent either way.

I went out and bought a brick of coco husk, as well as a slightly larger terriarium. Between the coconut hut and water dish, there wasn't a whole lot of room in the original container for Chili, so I wanted to give him a bit more floor space.

Your info and experience has been a great help! I included a pic of Kamani, who is absolutely beautiful in my eyes. She has been an excellent tarantula to learn from and has been very patient with my sometimes bumbling good intentions!!

[Animalnstinct]

Well, I don't want to complicate this any further for you... but that could be an Avicularia metallica. I asked a friend who has many more Avics than I and they aren't 100% sure either without more pictures, but are leaning towards an A met too. The problem is that with those two species of the Avic genus, flash and ambient light can play so many tricks it's easy to misidentify via photos - it's not all that easy sometimes in person, for that matter.

The hair (setae) all over her body, does it look like it has a white tip up close and personal, or is that just a result of your flash? If they're white tipped then it is more than likely an A metallica. If that was just the flash, A avicularia.