Grammostola cala
From WikiPets
This is a specific care sheet for Chilean Rose Reds (Grammostola cala), for more in this genus see Category:Grammostola.
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The Chilean Rose Red is similar to the Chilean Rose but has a darker red on its carapace and abdomen. Discussions are in place to determine if it is actually a separate species or just a colour morph. It is common in northern Chile. It ranges from the Atacama Desert region west into Argentina and Bolivia. Grammostola cala is the tarantula most frequently seen for sale in pet shops. The reason for this is that they are very hardy and very docile, as well as large and attractive. Two different colour phases exist: one has an overall brown colour with pink hairs and a pink carapace; while the other has red hairs all over it's body. Grammostola cala does well in captivity when kept between 24-28°C. It is an excellent species for beginners to keep as a pet because of their passive temperament. Adults feed readily on crickets and roaches; spiderlings can be fed pin-head crickets. It takes the spiderlings about 3 to 4 years to reach adult size.
Tarantula Information (for a more detailed Tarantula care review see Tarantula Care Sheets | |
| Regions Found: | Northern Chile, Bolivia and Argentina |
| Class: | Terrestrial |
| Longevity: | Will mature in 3-4 years |
| Adult Size: | 11-13cm |
| Temperament: | Very docile and skittish |
| Urticating Hairs: | Yes |
| Venom Potency: | Unknown |
| Grammostola cala Housing Requirements | |
| Tarantula Housing: | Floor space is more important than height, a deep substrate should be provided for burrowing. A good retreat is required. |
| Temperature: | Between 22-30°C |
| Humidity: | About 60-75% |
| Special Requirements: | No special requirements. |
| Breeding Grammostola cala Tarantulas | |
| Breeding Difficulty: | Easy |
| Egg sac size: | Up to 350 |
| Danger to Male: | Sexual cannibalism is particularly prevalent with this species. |
| Grammostola cala Diet | |
| Livefood insects such as crickets, locust, butter worms, meal worms, superworms, houseflies and cockroaches. | |
| Recommended Pet Supplies for Grammostola cala | |
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Contents |
[edit] Housing
Chilean Roses would ranther adopt a rock as a home than burrow for themselves as they live in dry conditions and burrowing can be difficult. They can be kept in a low-humidity terrarium (60-75%) at least twice the spiders' legspan in length, with a retreat for hiding and an appropriate substrate such as peat. They are quite happy living at room temperatures of around 22-30°C.
[edit] Feeding
The diet of this tarantula is typically insects such as crickets, grass-hoppers, beetles, moths, mealworms, cockroaches and pinky mice. A staple diet of crickets is fine however it is best to mix things up a little. Typically these pets should be fed two weekly feedings with one to three food items. Uneaten prey should be removed after one day to prevent problems. Food must usually be fed live, as dead prey may be rejected or go unnoticed.
[edit] Handling
Be gentle, allow the tarantula to walk onto your hand with a push on its abdomen. Grammostola rosea rarely bites, but when it does the bite causes swelling and intense pain for several hours to up to even a day. If your rose begins to rear back and raises its front legs in a threatening posture it may feel threatened by you or just be in an irratable mood. Leave it be and try andother day, sometimes this is just an exceptionaly moody tarantula.
[edit] Breeding
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This species is fairly easy to breed and produce upto 350 offspring, which is why you will find a large amount of these spiderlings in petshops.
