The Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula is native to parts of South America in countries such as Chile, Bolivia and Argentina. It is a medium sized tarantula growing to a leg span of about 6 inches.
These spiders can live for a long time in captivity with males typically living for about 5 years while females can live for up to 15 years.
It is a species of ‘New World’ Tarantula. Other new world species include the Antilles Pink Toe Tarantula, the Mexican Red Knee Tarantula and the Salmon Pink Birdeater.
Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula Taxonomy
The Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula belongs to the Family Theraphosidae. This essentially means that the spider is a tarantula and over 1,000 different spiders have been identified as part of the family Theraphosidae.
Theraphosidae belongs to the infraorder Mygalomorphae. While many of the other species in this infraorder are often referred to as tarantulas or ‘false tarantulas’, the species in the family Theraphosidae are considered the ‘true’ tarantulas.
Tarantulas can be found throughout the American Continent (excluding Canada), Africa, parts of Mediterranean Europe, South-East Asia and Australia.
This species belongs to the genus Grammostola. This genus was first described in 1892 by Eugene Louis Simon. The scientific name for the Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula is Grammostola rosea.
Grammostola is a large genus containing 21 different species. All of these species are native to South America. Some of the other species in this genus include the Brazilian Red Rump Tarantula and the Chaco Golden Knee Tarantula.
Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula Description
The Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula is brown or black in color with “rose” colored hair on their carapace. This is the hard shell towards the front of their body.
Like all tarantulas, they have 8 legs and another 4 appendages towards the front of their body. The two pedipalps are used to feel in front of them and also act as claws.
The two chelicerae contain the fangs and venom. Tarantulas strike downwards to subdue their prey and inject their venom. They are a medium sized tarantula that can obtain a leg span of about 6 inches.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Chilean Rose Tarantula is native to the Northern portion of Chile. Their range extends into parts of Argentina and Bolivia. Their range extends Southwards, past Santiago but does not extend into the Southern parts of Chile.
They typically live in the desert and shrublands of their range which is cut off by the mountain ranges in the region. This is a terrestrial species that spends the majority of its time on the floor.
It was long believed that these spiders don’t burrow because they tend to stay on the surface in captivity. However, it has recently been discovered that a lot of these spider’s retreat to burrows in the wild.
Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula as Pets
The Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula is one of the most popular tarantulas kept in captivity. They have been kept as pets for a long time now and captive bred breeding is well established. This means there is no reason to obtain wild caught specimens.
Grammostola rosea are regarded as being quite docile and are typically regarded as a beginner species due to their temperament and easy-care requirements.
However, there are always exceptions and each individual tarantula will have its own temperament. Some people have reported having a very aggressive Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula but this is the exception rather than the rule.
Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula Feeding
In the wild, the Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula will prey on small arthropods. They inject their prey with venom which breaks down the meal into fluids. They will actively chase down their prey rather than spin webs to catch them.
In captivity, the Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula can be a very peculiar eater. They can be a ferocious feeder and then all of a sudden completely refuse to eat for weeks, even months at a time.
This is probably the most difficult aspect of keeping these tarantulas and can be a worry for new keepers. However, it is completely normal behaviour and they will start eating again with the same ferocity when they are ready.
A spiderling Grammostola rosea can be fed flightless fruit flies and pin head crickets. You can feed them one or two items at a time depending on the size. This should be done twice a week.
Any uneaten food should be removed within 24 hours. If hour spider refuses a meal just wait a few days and try again. With adults, you can wait a week before offering food again.
Juveniles can be fed once every week or so but the meal will have to be more substantial. You can feed them 2-3 small or medium crickets depending on the size of the spider.
An adult Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula can be fed 4-5 crickets every 2-3 weeks. Keep an eye on your tarantula’s weight and adjust meal size or duration between feeds accordingly.
You can supplement your tarantula’s diet with other insects for a more balanced diet. Other food items you can offer include Dubia Roaches, Locusts and Mealworms.
Grammostola rosea Housing
A spiderling Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula can be housed in a clear acrylic amac box. However, these boxes need to have holes drilled along the sides of the container to promote cross ventilation.
With spiderlings, you need to be careful with the holes in their enclosure. Spiderlings are capable of squeezing through small holes so make sure the holes aren’t too big.
While Grammostola rosea is a terrestrial species, they should be kept in an enclosure that is taller than it is wide. This is because they like to burrow and this will allow for a deep layer of substrate.
You can include some cork bark in the enclosure to act as a hide on the surface as well as a small shallow water bowl.
As the spider grows, you will need to increase the size of its enclosure. A general rule of thumb is that you want to give these spiders an enclosure width of 3 times their leg span to provide them with enough space to move around.
You also want to fill the enclosure halfway with substrate to allow them to burrow, if they choose to do so. As they are a terrestrial species, you don’t want too much distance between the top of the substrate and the roof of the enclosure.
A fall from any find of height can be fatal to a Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula. Aim for a height of no more than 1.5 times the spiders leg span.
This essentially means that a fully grown tarantula with a leg span of about 6 inches can comfortably be housed in an enclosure measuring 18 inches wide x 18 inches tall.
In this setup, the spider will have 3 times its leg span of floor space. If the substrate is filled half way it will have 9 inches of substrate and 9 inches of height. This is 1.5 times the spiders leg span.
Temperature
You can keep your Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula at room temperature. If the temperature is comfortable for you, it will be comfortable for them. This adds to their ease of care as you don’t need any special heating equipment.
However, if you live in a cold climate, you may want to add some supplemental heat during the winter months. You typically want to keep them between a temperature range of 70F-75F.
If you need to add heat to your enclosure, an under-tank heat mat is your best option. This should be connected to a good quality thermostat to ensure the cage doesn’t get too hot.
You don’t need to provide your tarantula with any special kind of lighting such as UVB. An adequate day/night cycle is all they need.
Substrate
In the wild, the Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula usually lives in burrow in the ground. Therefore, you should offer them a thick layer of substrate to allow them the opportunity to burrow in captivity.
However, many of these spiders won’t dig a burrow in captivity and will live in a hide on the surface. There are a number of substrates that will work well for these spiders.
While they come from drier regions, the burrows they live in are below the surface where it is more humid. Therefore, you want a bit of humidity in the enclosure but nothing excessive. Aim for around 60-70% humidity.
Coco Fibre and potting soil are two of the most common substrates used for these tarantulas. These substrates are cost effect, sanitary and hold the correct levels of humidity well.
Grammostola rosea Handling
Handling a Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula is a matter of personal preference. These tarantulas are known to be quite docile and their bite isn’t very venomous so it is a species that many people like to handle.
A bite from a Grammostola rosea tarantula will typically result in a bit of pain, itching and maybe some swelling. People often feel a burning sensation around the area of the bite.
It is important to remember that every tarantula has its own individual personality so while this is considered a docile species, not every specimen will be docile.
