Grammostola rosea – Chilean rose tarantula

The body is brown to grey-brown, and the carapace and legs are covered in paler, pinkish or coppery setae that give the species its name. The hobby keeps colour forms: the typical grey-brown form with a pink sheen and the RCF (red colour form) with a clearly reddish carapace and legs.

Adult females reach a leg span of about 12–15 cm. Males are slimmer, longer-legged and carry tibial hooks after the final moult.

For years G. rosea and G. porteri were confused in the trade, and some keepers believed most spiders sold as G. rosea were actually G. porteri. In 2022 Aguilera, Montenegro and Casanueva synonymised G. porteri with G. rosea, which the World Spider Catalog adopted.

Listings may still use both names. They now refer to the same species, but colour forms (such as RCF) are best bred separately.

An adult female needs an enclosure with a floor of about 30 × 30 cm. Use 6–10 cm of dry substrate (soil with sand or coco fibre) with one slightly moist corner. The spider usually uses a ready-made hide and rarely digs deep.

Keep the gap between substrate and lid small to reduce the risk of falls. A cork hide and a water dish are enough.

The species comes from dry country and handles 20–26°C well. An overly humid enclosure does not suit it: the spider then often sits on the walls or the cork to avoid wet substrate.

A permanent water dish is enough as a moisture source. Good ventilation matters more than misting.

Juveniles eat small crickets or roaches every 5–7 days, adults once every 1–3 weeks. Grammostola rosea is famous for long fasts: adult females may refuse food for several months, especially in winter and before a moult. If the spider has water and a full abdomen, there is usually no reason to worry.

Growth is very slow. Females mature after several years, often 5–8, and live more than 20 years. Males mature earlier and live much shorter.

Grammostola rosea is considered calm and predictable, although nervous individuals do occur. When disturbed it is more likely to kick urticating hairs or rear up than to bite.

Do maintenance with tongs. Handling a tarantula always risks a fall and injury to the spider, even with calm species.