"I've had my Chilean Rose Hair for a year and a half, and he's the best! Definitely a great first tarantula. I've seen a lot of these comments say otherwise, but in my experience I have handled him a LOT (he loves crawling on people's heads ^^) and no mood swings.
If you're not convinced about the docility and easy handling, however, some good things to know before handling your tarantula are the body signals. Whenever anyone wants to take out my lovely, I make sure to 1) completely remove the lid - you have a better opening to pull away if you're jumpy. 2) be gentle and not immediately intrusive - if you only intrude a little in his space, you can still see his reactions: rearing up means go away, jumpy means you should leave him be for a while, and a calm stand-still means go ahead. 3) keep an eye on him while he's out - you can tell if he's getting anxious or irritated or wanting to be left alone.
As far as feeding goes, it depends on age. The younger they are, the more often they need food. But keep to a regular schedule. For mine, I usually feed him a gut-loaded cricket once a day or every other day, unless there's been a break from lack of availability. (I catch a lot of his food rather than buy)
REMEMBER: if you put ANY food in there, and it's not gone within 24 hours, take it out. ESPECIALLY if your spider is moulting. Even crickets can do serious damage during this time, due to the fragility of the cuticles, both new and old.
Mine's at it's second molt since I've had him and both times he stops eating for 2-6 weeks before hand and approximately 2-3 weeks after. If yours is nearing a moult, you'll know by how he looks (you will see more cracks along the old cuticle the closer he gets), how he acts (slowly moving, not responding to extensive outer stimuli, refusing to eat anything even if it crawls under/over him), and what the habitat starts to look like (mine has a half-log that he'll burrow in, blocking the entrance with a TON of the moss and webbing - he basically creates a wall, held together tightly - and webbing will be not only over the moss in his burrow but over all of the moss in his entire home - he makes a sturdy, sticky floor). Don't freak out when he's on his back, legs up! If he's like that, do NOT touch him or give any food - he is in a fragile state and even the crickets' mandibles can kill him.
If you moisten the habitat, be careful that you don't overdo it. Too much moisture can cause mold and bacteria to grow and will kill him if it grows extensively.
Hope these tips help somebody out, and I know that if you take the time to get to know one of these amazing creatures, you will learn to love them. :)"
"Angel912"
