How to Care for a Chilean Rose Tarantula

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Last Updated: June 7, 2021 References

Chilean Rose Tarantulas are great for first time arachnid owners because they are exotic, but still rather docile. If you’re used to caring for more traditional pets, you’re probably wondering how to take care of it. By providing a proper habitat, feeding them a healthy diet, and maintaining their enclosures you can take great care of your new arachnid pet.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Providing The Right Habitat

Make sure you get one with a sturdy lockable mesh lid. The tank should be 3 times as long as your spider’s leg span (usually around 3-5 inches). Floor space is more important to a tarantula than the height of the terrarium.
Make sure t place the terrarium in a location that remains out of direct sunlight. If the tarantula were to overheat it could die.^{[1]
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Think about food storage. Typically live crickets come home from the store in a flimsy cardboard box. If you don't want crickets escaping and running free in your house you may consider purchasing a small plastic cage to keep them in.
- If you line the small cage with paper towels and throw in an empty toilet paper roll the crickets will climb on these making them easier to retrieve come feeding time.
4
Select substrate type. There are many kinds of substrate or bedding materials to choose from such as peat moss, coconut fiber, or potting soil.
- Potting soil is commonly used because it is easily accessible and very affordable. You can find it at any Walmart for around $3 for a bag. It retains moisture nicely, but does not absorb moisture as well as other substrates which can result in puddles and mud.
- Peat moss is another favorite because you can buy a good size bag for around $10 at many retailers like Walmart. It allows the spider to form good burrows, and is more absorbent than potting soil. The issue to look out for with this option is its tendency to grow mold.
- Coconut fiber can be bought at any pet store and comes either compressed into bricks or loose in a bag. The bagged version is ready to go, but the brick kind requires you to re-hydrate the fibers before use which can get messy. The bricks are much cheaper, costing around $10 or less. This substrate absorbs water well and resists mold. Just make sure the fibers are kept moist enough, or your tarantula won't be able to burrow.^{[2]
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Once you’ve got your terrarium in its designated spot and placed upon its heater, you’re ready to fill it. You want to make sure whichever material you chose for substrate is at least 1 inch deep, but preferably 3 inches, and covers the entire bottom of the tank. This will allow your tarantula to burrow properly into its substrate.^{[3]
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Purchase an undertank heater. This will go under or beside one side of the tank, creating a warm side and a cool side. You can find these at any pet store or on Amazon. They come in a wide variety of sizes and wattages, the size you need depends on the size of your tank. A 5 gallon tank only needs a mini heater with about 4 watts, a 10 gallon tank will need a small to medium heater.
- Keep the tank in a relatively warm room of your house, and the temperature in the tank between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (21-26 degrees Celsius). Because the tank temperature is affected by the temperature in the house as well as the heater, it's a good idea to keep the heater at the lowest setting and monitor it for any dips in temperature.^{[4]
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Make sure the one you purchase is smaller than your spider is, and that you place it in a corner of the terrarium on the cool side of the tank.
8
Use a thermometer. Digital thermometers are the most accurate, easy to read, and affordable option. You can find one that displays both temperature and humidity for optimal monitoring of your pets habitat. Get one designed to read indoor and outdoor temperatures simultaneously. They have a probe meant to be placed apart from the base, this allows you to place the base at one side of the tank, and the probe at the other so you can check the temperature of the entire enclosure with the most accuracy.^{[5]
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- You can find these at most retail stores like Walmart or Target for around $10 to $15.
Chilean Rose Hairs like to burrow much of the day, make sure their habitat has plenty of coconut shells or logs for it to hide under. Your local pet store also sells many dome shaped items designed for small animals to hide under.^{[6]
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Keep the right level of humidity. Your tank should be kept at a 70% humidity level.^{[7]
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- If the tank is too moist, change the substrate material. If it is consistently too moist, you might want to try a different substrate material altogether.
- If you notice your spider lounging in their water dish, you need to lightly mist them, but try to avoid getting the substrate too wet. You want your substrate to stay just moist enough that their burrows don’t collapse.
11
Adjust for the seasons. Chilean Rose Hairs base their habits on their native Southern Hemisphere’s seasons (opposite of yours if you live in the U.S.) To help them adjust, keep the temperature in their terrarium at least 75 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Celsius) during the summer months. For the winter months, move them to a cooler area in your home, keeping the tank temperature in the the high sixties (around 19 degrees Celsius).
- You’ll also want to limit the amount of exposure the tank gets to natural and artificial light during the winter.^{[8]
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- If the room temperature during the summer months drops below 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) at night, you’ll need to get infrared or ceramic heat for night time.^{[9]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Feeding Your New Tarantula

Gently place your Chilean Rose Hair into the terrarium and let it explore for a day or two before you offer it food or handle it. It is best to limit the amount of handling for the first few weeks.
2
Offer your tarantula crickets. Only after the spider is acquainted with its new surroundings, should you try to feed it. Generally they will need to eat twice a week. To start out, put 2 to 3 crickets into the terrarium per feeding.
- You will learn if they need more or less by how they react to this. If they eat all the crickets you offered, they may need to be fed more. Adults typically eat 3-6 crickets per week.^{[10]
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  Research source} If they leave some crickets behind, remove the uneaten food (live crickets could cause them harm if left in there) and adjust future feedings to the amount they tend to eat.
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Dust the crickets with vitamins. Wild Chilean Rose Hairs eat a variety of insects, but captive ones only need to eat crickets that have been fed a quality diet. If you want to give your spider an additional health boost, you can dust the crickets with Calcium and Vitamin D supplements before offering them to your spider.^{[11]
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- Keep in mind your spider may not eat for weeks at a time as they have sporadic eating habits. Just make sure you always remove any uneaten food.^{[12]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Maintaining Your Tarantula

A tarantula is happiest when left alone. It is important that you do not handle your spider more than necessary. Over-handling can cause them to feel threatened and make them flick the urticating hair off their bodies or bite. Both can cause an anaphylactic reaction in the handler.^{[13]
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To keep you and your tarantula healthy, remember to always wash your hands before and after handling your pet.^{[14]
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3
Keep the terrarium clean. The terrarium will remain pretty tidy through routine spot cleaning. This includes cleaning and emptying the water dish, removing soiled substrate, and wiping down the inside of the tank daily. Every six months or so, you should clean the terrarium entirely.
- Always make sure the terrarium remains tightly closed as Chilean Red Hairs are amazing escape artists. When preparing to clean the tank, locate the tarantula before opening the lid.
4
Understand the molting process. You might notice it has refused food for a few weeks and maybe even spun a web in the tank. These are all signs your pet is about to molt. When you notice the spider has flipped on its back, don't worry. It hasn't died or gotten sick, the molting process has just begun! This can take anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours.
- Do not disturb your tarantula while it is molting. They are extremely vulnerable and any interruptions could actually kill them.
- Do not try to feed the tarantula while it's molting. It won't eat and the crickets can actually cause damage to their delicate new skin.
- Wait for it to completely finish shedding its skin and carefully remove the aftermath from the tank. You should wait at least 3 days after the molting process ends before trying to feed your tarantula.^{[15]
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Community Q&A

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Where is the best place to store crickets?

Katie Schoun

Community Answer

The best place to store crickets would be a large plastic container with a lid with some small holes in it so they can breathe.

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Tips

Make sure you’ve purchased your spider from a reputable breeder or pet shop. The employees should be able to answer any questions you have and the shop itself should look to be well kept.

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If the Chilean Rose Hair puts a piece of food in his or her web, don't take it out. It's normal for their food to be in their web.

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Warnings

All tarantulas are venomous and can bite. Although most people aren’t affected by the amount of venom a Chilean Rose possesses, you could always be allergic to it, so be very careful whenever you handle it. It’s also good to let others know this before allowing them to handle your pet.

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Do not handle your tarantula after it molts, their skin is very fragile.

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Chilean Rose Hair tarantulas should be housed alone. Do not put any other pet in its enclosure.^{[16]
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