Chilean Rose Hair

(Grammostola rosea/porteri)

Care Sheet

Scientific Name: Grammostola rosea / portier

Common Name: Rose Hair Tarantula or the Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula

Type: Terrestrial

Category: New World

Endemic Location: Chile, Bolivia and Argentina

Diagonal Leg Span (DLS): 6”(15cm)

Urticating Hairs: Yes Type III

Growth Rate: Medium

Life Expectancy: Females 20 years / Males 5 years

Recommended Experience Level: Beginner

The Rose Hair Tarantula or the Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula. Known in the hobby by the scientific names Grammostola rosea and Grammostola portier. You can also find these tarantulas under the common names Chilean Fire Tarantula, Chilean Red-Haired Tarantula and Rosie. This may be the most common tarantula in the hobby and can usually be found in pet stores across the world. This is New World Terrestrial Tarantula that is endemic to scrub lands of Chile, Bolivia and Argentina. Part of the reason they are so common in the hobby is because wild caught specimens were cheaply exported from Chile. If you purchase your tarantula from a reputable tarantula breeder/dealer..you will most likely be getting a captive bred specimen. The danger from buying this t from a pet store, especially large national chains, is that they are selling wild caught tarantulas that can be full grown but they have no idea what sex the T is, how old it may be, and wild caught specimens can have parasites or other health issues that can cause issues further down the line. So you are always better off buying captive bred specimens not only to support tarantula dealers and breeders, but also so you are not supporting the large scale trade of wild caught specimens.

 There has also been a lot of confusion about whether a Rose Hair tarantula is a rosea or portier so hopefully we can break down the differences here. This is another prime example where common names can be misleading and why most keepers eventually prefer to use scientific names to avoid confusion. 

 The Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula (Grammostola porteri) is one of the most commonly available tarantulas in the pet trade today and is quite often the first species kept by most enthusiasts. Rose Hairs are most often a grayish brown with a pinkish hue across the top of their head. These tarantulas grow very slowly until they reach about 5” diagonal leg span, sometimes larger. The rose hair has become so popular because of its long life expectancy and incredible hardiness. As with any tarantulas though, keeping more than one together has proven fatal and the largest will cannibalize the others.

When first brought into the pet trade the Chilean Rose Hair was known scientifically as Grammostola rosea and was available in two color forms, red color form and normal color form. After much studying on the taxonomy of this species they were discovered that the true Chilean Rose Hair with the gray or “normal” color form was Grammostola porteri while the red color form Rose Hair was the actual Grammostola rosea.

  I keep my spiderlings in an acrylic amac box modified for housing spiderlings. Make sure the holes aren’t too big so the tiny spiderling doesn’t squeeze its way out. I fill the enclosure up over halfway with substrate and provide a cork bark hide and tiny water dish if possible. If not i just drip a little water on the side of the enclosure twice a week to make sure it access to water. I keep these slings, like all my slings, in my spiderling nursery that keeps the temp and humidity a little higher than the rest of the room. Once they have outgrown that enclosure I move them into an acrylic juvenile enclosure with more width than height. I fill up the enclosure at least ½ -⅔ the way up with dry substrate and provide a water dish and cork bark hide. I will also add some sphagnum moss, dried leaves, or fake plants to make the enclosure look a little more natural. I keep my juveniles and adults at room temperature between 68-74f. If you are comfortable, your tarantula is comfortable.

And as adults I move them into a 2.5 5 gal enclosure. It is important to provide your t with at least 3x its leg span in floor space so they have enough room to move around. I also make sure to fill the enclosure up at least half way or more with substrate as this species is know to climb the walls and across the top of its enclosure, especially after a rehouse. I don’t want more that 1.5x its leg span from the top of the enclosure to the substrate to avoid any damage that could come from a fall if it were to start climbing the walls. 

 This species can have an awesome feeding response, when it feels like eating. Rose hairs are notorious for going on hunger strikes for months at a time and it can be very worrisome to a new keeper. No matter what stage your t is in life. If it closes itself off in it burrow or just refuses to take food for weeks or months at a time, don’t worry, this is perfectly normal behavior for this species. 

 I feed my spiderling rose hairs confused flour beetles or FFF until they are large enough to start taking pinhead crickets or red runners. I feed the one or two pinheads twice a week until they have begun growing out of their spiderling stage. If they don’t take down their prey within 24 hours, i remove the prey and try again at least 4 days later. For juveniles, i feed 2-3 small-medium crickets, or one medium dubia roach every 7-10 days. As this species nears pre molt they can really cut back on feeding and may go months without taking food before they molt. I wait at least a week after a molt before attempting to feed my juvenile, giving them plenty of time to harden up. And for adults, i feed 4-5 large crickets or one large dubia every 2-3 weeks, sometimes less depending on the size of the abdomen and appetite of the tarantula. Again, if the t goes months without eating at this size, i do not worry. My Rose hair once went 14 months without taking a cricket until she finally molted. I wait 10-14 days after a molt before attempting to feed again and remove any uneaten prey within 24 hours.

   This species is a staple in the hobby and many peoples very first tarantula. My first 2 tarantulas were Rose Hairs. Even though they are usually considered an ideal beginner tarantula some people claim that they can be feisty and defensive from time to time. This hasn’t been my experience, but I have heard this reported from enough people to at least mention it. As with all tarantulas, their personalities can vary between specimens of the same species. Things such as stress level, type of husbandry and how long since they last fed can all factor in to their attitude. Tarantulas are even known to change their personalities after a molt. So no matter what species you are interacting with, it is always best to attempt to gauge their mood before coming into close contact with them. Overall this a hardy , easy to care for, and classically beautiful tarantula that is a must have for any collection. They may get passed over a lot because they are so common, but they truly are a gorgeous tarantula.