OMG I kind of "rescued" a tarantula-- help!

[Charlet_2007]

actually the most I've seen a T. have is close to 400 to 500 babies not thousands lol..

also 3 slings is a good number to work with to get a female..

You can keep them in deli cups only till there leg span reaches half there room in a deli cup.. A 10g tank is all they need for the rest of their life..

Sounds like you fed it a cricket that was infested.. it also sounds like Nematodes tho...

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

i was not speaking quite as literally as you took some of the stuff i said to be lol! i know they dont literally have thousands. but there are still a lot. I always buy five little ones in hopes of a female. and i wasn't talkin deli cups like the tiny ones. BIG ones, and/or chinese takeout containers work great.

[GarterGirl]

there was no mistaking worms for spinnerettes. these were WORMS... they were eating their way out of her, and were also crawling around the tank. GROSSSSSS.

Oh, poor Charlotte!

i was not speaking quite as literally as you took some of the stuff i said to be lol! i know they dont literally have thousands. but there are still a lot.

Well, my dad would think it was even more unacceptable to have tarantula babies crawlin all over my room. But I still think it would be pretty cool.

[Charlet_2007]

ok sexing T.s 101 here it is lol

P. metallica ( Female Left) (Male Right)


B. smithi



Now how you can tell the difference.. This is Trev P. from the site i told you about..

I could be wrong but the paired lips are there and not to mention males usually don't have a raised edge along the front edge of the "beltline"

I've made a mock up of what I'm talking about.

Males have a single D on the front half of a ventral view along with the epiandrous fussilae shown here in blue.


Females have a double D aka "paired lips" and a raised edge on the flat side of the front D (if that makes sense).



and the original for comparison.



I hope this helps you..

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

can you do this with babies???

[adamanteus]

I kept a Trinidad Chevron once, years ago.... but it got out and dragged me all around the house! Never again!

[Charlet_2007]

lmao yeah i know it sucks when you have escapees lol

[Lori P]

Natalie, I have to thank you for that great course on sexing them! I'll be referring back to that when I'm brave enough to pick her up and check out her underside. Next year. Or the year after. Or I might just wait to sex her by seeing how long she lives...in two years if she's still alive it'll be a girl... LOL!!!! But seriously, that's a great bit of info there. :-)

[GarterGirl]

Wow, Natalie!
This info is awesome. I don't think I'll need it any time soon.
Thanks!

[Lori P]

Just a quick update, Tatiana has eaten two crickets. :-) And I got to give one of the girls at work, Shannon, an absolute coronary by leaving Tati's molt on Shannon's keyboard. :-) It was a good day. LOL