I bought a spidering, not sure about the gender?

[aragogogog]

I bought my first tarantula today, a spiderling and im not sure on its gender but i really have to know, ile be going to university in a couple of years in another country and im sure it will be impossible to bring it with me, and im scared that it will live too long if its a female! any help would be appreciated! thank you so much for reading this

 

[Alexandra V]

It can be tough to tell on spiderlings, there is no sure fire way of telling without a molt, but sometimes if you look on the bottom of the abdomen of the spider there will be what's called the epiandrous fusillae ("epiandrous bullseye") which will look like a patch of hairs that have a different sort of sheen to them. If you see one, then it's more than likely a male.

Another way you can tell is if you look at the spider from the side, if there's a distinct sort of "pot belly" on the underside of the tarantula's abdomen, then it's probably a female, but if it doesn't have one then it could be either sex.

I wish I had pictures to help illustrate it. Again, unless the spider molts for you before you go away for schooling (which it undoubtedly will if you're only going away in a couple years) then there's no 100% accurate way of sexing a spiderling just by looks.

Hope this helped!

 

[Quazgar]

To the best of my understanding, there is no way to tell from the outside of a sling what sex it is. The patch between the booklungs that you would be looking for doesn't appear until much later in life. The only way to find out is from the molt, and even then with a sling it is extremely difficult and takes a lot of experience to be able to find the spermathacae (or lack thereof...) What species is it? If it's a slow growing species like a Brachypelma or Grammastola, even if it is a male it could well be alive in a few years when you go to school.

 

[shanebp]

Better get your hands on some Tarantula Miracle grow

 

[Shell]

Another way you can tell is if you look at the spider from the side, if there's a distinct sort of "pot belly" on the underside of the tarantula's abdomen, then it's probably a female, but if it doesn't have one then it could be either sex.

?? Wondering where you got this from. Never have I ever heard of a spider being sexed this way, or of this being fact.

You can roughly sex a spider ventrally (by looking at the underside of the spider, if you know what you're looking at.) There isn't going to be much to look at on a sling, and you will have to wait for it to grow a bit before you can attempt this.

The only guaranteed way to sex a spider is via molt, even then you're going to need it to gain a little size if it's just a tiny sling.

 

[Formerphobe]

What species is it and how big is it? Some species take 5 - 8 years to reach maturity. Others grow up pretty quickly, but will still live several years.

 

[Alexandra V]

?? Wondering where you got this from. Never have I ever heard of a spider being sexed this way, or of this being fact.

I read it in my copy of The Tarantula Keeper's Guide (revised edition). I'd give you the page number but I don't have the book on me at the moment. Of course its not a sure fire way of sexing, but it might have been worth a shot for the OP to get a bit of a guess...

 

[xhexdx]

I read it in my copy of The Tarantula Keeper's Guide (revised edition). I'd give you the page number but I don't have the book on me at the moment. Of course its not a sure fire way of sexing, but it might have been worth a shot for the OP to get a bit of a guess...

I'm guessing you either misread or misunderstood what was being conveyed.

Either way, that's not a good way to sex a spider, especially a spiderling.

To the OP: In a couple years, when you're ready to go to college, sell the spider if you still have it. Problem solved.

 

[spiderfield]

Another way you can tell is if you look at the spider from the side, if there's a distinct sort of "pot belly" on the underside of the tarantula's abdomen, then it's probably a female, but if it doesn't have one then it could be either sex.

I don't own a copy of TKG, but I can say that, in my experience, with juvie/adult specimens of some Brachypelma, Megaphobema and Theraphosa species a lateral view of the opisthosoma will show the anterior portion of the epigastric furrow protruding. It almost looks like a lip (no pun intended), or as Alexandra V put it, a "pot belly".

Of course, as Shell stated, the sure-fire way to sex is via molt.

 

[bioshock]

Supposedly there was a guy on here that could sex slings as soon as they were born, but i dont know who he was or how accurate he was.

There is really no way to tell the sex till its about 2'' in size then you can sex it. Just be patient time is everything.

 

[Shell]

I'm guessing you either misread or misunderstood what was being conveyed.

I agree with Joe.

I don't remember reading anything like that in my TKG, although I suppose I could have missed something. Anyway, just saying, I've never heard that before.

 

[xhexdx]

There is really no way to tell the sex till its about 2'' in size then you can sex it. Just be patient time is everything.

That's not true - it depends on species, and how good your microscope is.

 

[bioshock]

That's not true - it depends on species, and how good your microscope is.

Im sure not everyone has a microscope handy..... Im basically saying 2'' you could see it with your eyes fairly well. If you cant sex it at 2'' you never will be able to.

 

[xhexdx]

Can you sex a 2" Avicularia ventrally?

 

[bioshock]

Im not saying i can or cannot. Plus im talking about sexing a molt not ventrally. All i could do is guess on the ventral shot. No expert by any means.

 

[xhexdx]

Ah, ok.

2" molts aren't too hard, I agree.

 

[aragogogog]

thanks guys!