My experience at the expo and my new T. Help.

[Redmachine]

Hey guys and gals.
Firstly, the sos snake expo was amazing, so much to look at. So much fun, it has been my second expo. I noticed they did not have as much to exhibit as sos 2010. For instance, they didn't have the large monitor lizard running around, something me and a friend were looking forward to. The large 2. Something meter boa constrictor in a bucket was something to look forward too but I didn't see it. It all just seemed. . Smaller.
Anyways onto my question, I bought a small chilian rose T on sat, I made a rookie mistake of not being prepared for this and I can't find any good info about them on the net. Its all diff stuff for different sites.
Firstly (again or . . Would that be secondly?) How do I give the t water? The stall I bought it from just said mist some water into its lil tank.

Secondly, when to feed? The guy at the stall said I could feed her today, so I went and bought crickets, threw one in and weny away. When I came back a few hours later it was gone. I thought T's killed their prey, and strung it up in a web. Not completely eat it. And also, how much to feed a week and how big of prey?
Thanks in advance.
Btw. What did you get at the expo?

[Van777]

Spray your contaner every 3 days or so. Spray the 1 side of the contaner on the side. I feed my tarantulas every Wed and Sun.
On the expo side, this years SOS expo was not as nice as last years SOS expo. SOS say they are the biggest expo in SA but the Reptilians expo was much better this year. I am looking forward for next year 2 expos.

[Redmachine]

Sweet thanks for the reply. My chilaian rose is still very small though. When was the reptilian expo? When is it again?

[Pinx]

Hi there, new to this,,, i purchased my very first snake at the expo and im completely loving it!

[Scorpion]

It is never a good idea to buy an animal first and then try and acquire the info on how to keep it...

To answer your questions though.

1. Get a a new unused spray bottle and mist the container every couple of days as pointed out above. I assume you are keeping it in a tank that is heated or how are you providing heat?

2. Feed small crickets. Crickets shouldn't be as big or bigger than spider. Slings will sometimes take fresh pre killed crickets. Spiders "liquidise" their prey, so all that is left is a little ball of exoskeleton, so chances are your spider ate the cricket or the cricket has burrowed into the peat in the container - check this as you dont want to leave uneated crickets in the tank for extended periods of time.

The Chilean Rose is one of the easiest and hardiest T's to keep. Your should find pleeeeeenty info and care sheets on the net.

Regarding the SOS expo, in my opinion, the SOS Expo looked bigger than the Reptilians expo. This years SOS Expo seemed to have a better turnout of people than last year - the organizers can confirm this. There seemed to be more people exhibiting, breeders from all over the country, that were not at the Reptilians expo. The Reptilians expo also has other pets on exhibit or for sale such as birds, fish, rabbits etc.

[Karin]

It is never a good idea to buy an animal first and then try and acquire the info on how to keep it...

To answer your questions though.

1. Get a a new unused spray bottle and mist the container every couple of days as pointed out above. I assume you are keeping it in a tank that is heated or how are you providing heat?

2. Feed small crickets. Crickets shouldn't be as big or bigger than spider. Slings will sometimes take fresh pre killed crickets. Spiders "liquidise" their prey, so all that is left is a little ball of exoskeleton, so chances are your spider ate the cricket or the cricket has burrowed into the peat in the container - check this as you dont want to leave uneated crickets in the tank for extended periods of time.

The Chilean Rose is one of the easiest and hardiest T's to keep. Your should find pleeeeeenty info and care sheets on the net.

Good advise from Scorpion.

As Rosies are one of the most commonly kept Ts, there is A LOT of info on the web, and all your questions will be answered there. Please do your research, even though they are hardy, it is important to know how to care for them to make sure they stay healthy. Research will tell you that they do not grow quickly, that they can fast for long periods, info on molting, feeding humidity, etc.

How big is your sling? The crickets you feed should normally be the size of the sling's abdomen. If very small, I normally pre-kill the cricket before feeding the sling as some tiny slings can be fightened by live prey. Size will also determine if you should mist or give a water bowl.

[Redmachine]

Yes, i agree it is never a good idea to buy an animal first then try and acquire the info. Hence the ''rookie mistake''.
Okay. so for water i just spray one side of the tank.
As for the heat, i am not using any heat source. Most of the care sheets i came across say its not a good idea to have one or ''If you don't have to wear a wool sweater or a parka to stay warm,
If you don't have to run naked because it's so hot,
Any temperature you're comfortable at will suit your Chilean rose just fine.''
Scorpion, you didnt answer my question as to how much to feed the T.
I dont have any hides either in the tank, is it necessary?
Thanks in advanced.

[Cronje Rademan]

hi Redmachine
Go check out tarantulas.co.za, it's a forum similar to this and you'll be able to find a massive amount of info there.

[fastback]

Welcome to the Hobby of spiders.

Which stand did you buy the spider from?

Just feed it once a week, and feed it one prey item at a time.
Yes it is not that cold yet, but make sure you have a heat source for winter.
Take it this way, if your temps start dropping below 10 degrees, that is your indicator that it is getting cold and your spider will need heat.

[Redmachine]

Hey fast back. darn it, i had there card and was gonna check yesterday but i forgot. heh.
thanks to all the replies, i just posted a question on tarantula.co.za.

[Redmachine]

Okay, so i bought my T from the MR TARANTULA stall. From a guy named Jozua and his son Michael, very nice people.