How to Determine the age of a Goliath

[PaulaPope]

I am preparing to purchase a female (supposedly) Goliath tarantula (not sure which of the three species). The pet store tech told me, over email, that she was about 8" now. Do any of you have an idea of how old she might be? My guess is that she's probably just reached adulthood, since she's about 2/3 or more of the size she'll likely grow, but I don't know how that relates to her years. Can anybody help? Thanks, in advance.

 

[Sam_Peanuts]

There's absolutely no way to tell a Ts age by its size since how much/fast she grows depends on how much she eats.

 

[Formerphobe]

She's about 8 inches old.

 

[Misty Day]

No telling without know how it was raised. Could be 3 years old, could be 10-15 years old. Ages don't really matter when describing a tarantula anyway, I often see people say the t's "age" which is moSt likely wrong anyway, and expect us to know what size it is ect. It doesn't matter with t's.

 

[PaulaPope]

Tcks123: I didn't realize it could vary that much. I appreciate your serious response.

 

[ARACHNO-SMACK48]

I mean no offense by this but you should really educate yourself more before buying the T. The scientific name is probably T. stirmi this is the most common of the genus. Also most pet store employees that I have met are completely ignorant when it comes to exotic animal care and their ignorance causes animals to suffer unnecessarily. Forget everything the pet store people are telling you and do some research. AB is a good place to start. I applaud you for coming here for help. A lot of people here really know what they are doing. Anyway to answer your question, if it is intact female.. which is a 50/50 chance unless the pet store which you are buying from knows how to accurately sex tarantulas ( which I am guessing they do not), then it could be male and only have little while to live. It could even be a small mature male meaning it will not live long at all. Also you should know that this is not an overly docile species. There are much better starter T's out there. It's not something you will be able to pickup etc. Also mine is a real hair kicker (and these species hairs are awful in my experience). So anyway research proper care requirements etc and then buy it if you think you are ready. They are great T's just not what I would call a beginner level T.

 

[Poec54]

Your Theraphosa is almost certainly a stirmi; they're easier to breed in captivity than the other two species, and they're also the only one being brought in from the wild.

8" is a subadult. I've had 9" stirmi molt into 10" adult males. Can they sex it correctly? With stirmi, look at the vent. If there's a dark arrow above the vent, pointing to the sternum, it's a male. Most Theraphosa max out at around 10". Don't count on yours getting any larger than that.

Keep Theraphosa on moist substrate (I use bagged top soil) with good ventilation. They like high humidity, but don't like soggy, stuffy cages with stale air. They should always have a full water bowl. Use a disposable plastic bowl (3 oz soufflé cups, buy them by the sleeve from restaurant supple stores). You won't believe the vile things you'll find in the water bowl. Best to pitch it and put in a fresh one.

Other than that, get some weight on them, and then you can slow down on the feedings. Beware the hairs. I use 18" tongs for cage maintenance. If they start kicking hairs, put the lid on and come back later. If you get hairs on you, before you start scratching use sealing tape to remove them. Do not handle your spider. Do not rub your eyes after you've opened it's cage.

 

[PaulaPope]

ArachnoSmack48: I have had two tarantulas for a couple of years now. I take no offense...I'm a novice yet and know it. I've researched these particular tarantulas for several months now and I do realize that I'll likely not be able to handle it, although I have seen videos of people handling theirs. But, I could never find any information for trying to determine the age, unless you had a very young one. I seriously appreciate your input.

---------- Post added 10-29-2014 at 12:04 PM ----------

Poec54: Thank you for your words of wisdom. That's a great idea about the disposable cups.

 

[Ultum4Spiderz]

I am preparing to purchase a female (supposedly) Goliath tarantula (not sure which of the three species). The pet store tech told me, over email, that she was about 8" now. Do any of you have an idea of how old she might be? My guess is that she's probably just reached adulthood, since she's about 2/3 or more of the size she'll likely grow, but I don't know how that relates to her years. Can anybody help? Thanks, in advance.

Id just buy one on AB , I don't think pet-stores can accurately sex Ts. Emperor scorps also die often in pet store care.,:cry:
MM Goliath can reach 8- 11" inches so size.

 

[ARACHNO-SMACK48]

Oh ok I was under the impression that you were new completely new to the hobby for some reason. You may want to learn scientific names so you can communicate more easily with people on AB. I am glad you are researching. When I got my first T I had been researching for several months too. That was not long ago and now I have a bunch. Everyone's gotta start somewhere. Just wanted to make sure you weren't getting all of your husbandry info from the petstore. You will learn a lot just from reading threads on the boards and doing research. Poec has quite a few T. Stirmi last I checked. His info is on point. I only have one 8-9.5 inch female at the moment so I am not nearly as experienced. Also as previously stated, exact age isn't overly important for T's it's more based on size and number of molts until maturity. Good luck.

 

[Poec54]

Additional note on vent sexing.: I put them in 32 oz deli cups, but for some Theraphosa you may need something larger. I use a flashlight to get a good look. Usually pretty easy this way.

 

[PaulaPope]

ArachnoSmack48: I know the names of the three species, I just don't know which of the three the one at the pet store is.

---------- Post added 10-29-2014 at 01:45 PM ----------

Poec54: So, you can see the vent markings well enough through the bottom of the cup to tell? I've just been waiting until they either climb up against the side of the tank or they molt. lol

 

[Poec54]

ArachnoSmack48: I know the names of the three species, I just don't know which of the three the one at the pet store is.

---------- Post added 10-29-2014 at 01:45 PM ----------

Poec54: So, you can see the vent markings well enough through the bottom of the cup to tell? I've just been waiting until they either climb up against the side of the tank or they molt. lol

Probably 99.9% of the Theraphosa you'll see for sale in the US will be stirmi, which is good, as it's the hardiest of the genus.

Yes, big deli cup and a flashlight. Theraphosa are easy to vent sex from juveniles to subadults; either it has a dark arrow or it's all brown above the vent. You can't go by raw size as some males mature out very large.