L. klugi breeding question

volcanopele

Arachnosquire
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Sep 11, 2016
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My AF L. klugi “Wanda” finally ate last night after fasting for 5 months. She last ate a large dubia in mid-July. She refused her next feeding in early August. I’ve tried feeding her a large dubia roach once a month since then and she’s refused to eat them, though she did express some interest (dragging the roach with her feet, walking over to it and hold it down with her feed or her chelicerae). Last night, I fed her a VERY LARGE female dubia, and she quickly snatched it up and ate it. This morning, she finished off the aborted dubia fetus so I guess she was a bit hungry.

When Wanda stopped eating, I presumed that she was just going into pre-molt. I’ve had her since last September and her only molt with me was in October 2016, and that she was just molting a bit early. But August, September, OCTOBER, and November came and went and still she didn’t molt. She developed a bald patch, but it never turned dark. I knew she was doing reasonably fine since she regularly went to the water dish toilet.

I wasn’t all that upset about all this except I had been considering breeding her. I have a mature male klugi that I planned to pair with her after she was done with molting. He matured in late July. But she kept not molting, and before she ate, I had basically accepted that he wouldn’t be able to fulfill his destiny. But now she is back to eating again, and I’m not sure what to do. I am considering breeding them this week, now that I know she isn’t going to molt anytime soon. She could molt two months from now, but I don’t think Pietro will be viable in three months time when she would be ready at the earliest. Maybe she isn’t going to molt until next fall.

So I guess my questions are these: should I still go ahead with a breeding attempt? She is now on month 14 since her last molt but now that she is eating again, I’m not sure she is going to molt anytime soon. Is he even still viable? He matured 5 months ago and he isn’t showing as much interest in food as he did even two weeks ago. Is she even interested in mating? One of my theories about her fast was that she was interested in sex, and she was trying to hold her fire in fear that what she was sensing was a mate and not food. The two of them used to be on the same shelving unit and they did know about each other (I caught Wanda tapping numerous times). They are now in separate rooms.

This would be my first try at breeding tarantulas. If you guys think it is a terrible idea, I understand. I have a juvenile male klugi that should mature in the next year if this isn’t successful or if doing this with Pietro right now is a bad idea.
 

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Walker253

Arachnobaron
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Jun 12, 2016
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I might get her warmed up and powerfeed her to see if you get a molt to happen. You might get a good pairing and she could molt a week later. See if you can speed things up a bit.
 

jaycied

Arachnoknight
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Mar 2, 2017
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I agree with Walker253, but also at this point you could just try pairing them. If you try to pair them and then powerfeed, you could persuade her either to molt or lay a sac. If she molts and the male is still alive then you can give them another go.
 

volcanopele

Arachnosquire
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Sep 11, 2016
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thanks for your responses. I did have a mating attempt last night, the first time I’ve ever tried to breed any of my spiders. He moved toward the female slowly but surely, shaking each time he stopped. She didn’t really do much to move things along, but neither did she try to go after him in any way. However, things progressed much slower than I expected and I had to remove him from the female’s enclosure before they were able to consummate the proceedings. I will probably try again later this week, but when I have more time.

I guess my biggest concern is that he might not be viable by the time she would get around to molting because now I have no clue when she might get around to doing that. He is starting to show less interest in food. So I’ll try again. If she molts before laying an egg sack, well, I’ll be disappointed, but it would be good to have that experience.
 

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cold blood

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should I still go ahead with a breeding attempt?
No, you've waited way too long. Knowing when she last molted, you should have paired right after she began to refuse (probably around when she was tapping). .
She is now on month 14 since her last molt but now that she is eating again, I’m not sure she is going to molt anytime soon.
She will molt relatively soon...too soon to develop eggs, lay them, hold them for another month plus and then re fatten up.....there's just no time left for this in her current molt cycle IMO

Is he even still viable? He matured 5 months ago and he isn’t showing as much interest in food as he did even two weeks ago
A lack of interest in food is normal. As long as he's making sperm webs, he should be viable. Lasiodora males can live a surprisingly long time. He may very well still be viable after she molts.

Is she even interested in mating?
She was when she was tapping.....I doubt she is now, although she still may pair (Lasiodora pair quite readily), but I still don't think she has the time left in her molt cycle. IMO pairing is just risking getting the MM eaten.

This would be my first try at breeding tarantulas. If you guys think it is a terrible idea,
Terrible idea....find a different species to start with. I doubt you are prepared for 1-3 thousand slings to re-house and feed before selling (we're talking several hours just to check them every day)....feeding would take days to complete and when done, the process would need to begin again....lots of work involved with huge sacs....and Lasiodora slings aren't exactly easy sells, even if they are the slightly more desirable klugi.....Avics or Psalmopeous would be better choices to start with....JMO.
 
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volcanopele

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So when she stopped eating, it WAS because she was interested in mating? The reason I didn’t mate them back in August (besides also spending much of the month away from home) was because I presumed that she going into pre-molt when she stopped eating and I wanted to wait until after she molted to breed them.

As far as starting off with a different species, if I didn’t have someone who could take the spiderlings off my hands, I would agree with you.
 

cold blood

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So when she stopped eating, it WAS because she was interested in mating?
No, that's not how it works. It stopped eating because it had its fill.
The reason I didn’t mate them back in August (besides also spending much of the month away from home) was because I presumed that she going into pre-molt when she stopped eating and I wanted to wait until after she molted to breed them.
At that point though, is a great time as you now lessen the chance of a female mistaking the MM for a meal and you know you have a pretty long time till next molt.

Usually the idea is to fatten the female quickly, so its plump (which maximizes energy the t can put toward egg production).

I have someone who could take the spiderlings off my hands

That first months will still be an absolute ton of work, separating them into individual enclosures and getting them their first meals before you send them off.

Great though that you have someone to take them all off your hands...that's incredible considering the size of their sacs. Best of luck.
 
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