On average how long do mature male T. stirmi last?

[14pokies]

I ask because I believe my female is do to molt anytime now. She is a young adult and her last molt was 11 months ago.. I have only had her for 12-13 months so I don't know her molt history.. She is still feeding but not as voraciously as normal and she looks like she is nearing a molt.

My male is under a month mature so I'm trying to decide whether to pair her and (long shot) hope for a sac or wait for her to molt and then pair her. ( Yes I know getting a sac is still a long shot)

My other thought is to pair them in hopes of kicking her into molting sooner.. If you haven't witnessed this first hand you may think I'm really stupid.. I have had females that molt a solid year to 18 months apart, molt get paired a month or so later and then molt again in two months..

If you have had a MM stirmi and can recount how long they lasted it will help me narrow down my best plan of action..

How long MM's last is influenced by heat so that info would be helpfull as well. My temps are steady mid 80's ATM. Cooling him to keep him around a bit longer isn't an option right now unfortunately.

-Thanks, Ryan

*Edit*

Here's a pic of her to show the slight darkening of her abdomen..

 

[Nightstalker47]

If you have had a MM stirmi and can recount how long they lasted it will help me narrow down my best plan of action..

I haven't had one yet, both have been females...but I know a local breeder that had an impressive specimen, it was well over one year or so post molt when he showed it to me. Looked fine and healthy still.

How long MM's last is influenced by heat so that info would be helpfull as well. My temps are steady mid 80's ATM

Hydration is probably the most important factor with MMs, they seem to be bulletproof if you stay on top of that IME. They can tolerate the higher temps so long as water is around. They might eat more in those instances as well.

When breeding theraphosa, its key to keep the females slightly cooler after the pairings...issues are likely to arise with the eggs if not. A lot of the "theraphosa are so hard to breed" rumble was the result of people keeping them too warm while gravid. The breeders I spoke with said lower seventies is the range you should aim for, keeping them at higher temps long term is not ideal...just something to consider. They need lots of sub to work with too, females are likely to burrow down deep and close off all entrances during the process.

I ask because I believe my female is do to molt anytime now. She is a young adult and her last molt was 11 months ago.. I have only had her for 12-13 months so I don't know her molt history..
My male is under a month mature so I'm trying to decide whether to pair her and (long shot) hope for a sac or wait for her to molt and then pair her.

With such a fresh male, who's likely to live another 18 months or so, and a female that far into her molt cycle....I don't see the point in pairing them just yet.

 

[14pokies]

I haven't had one yet, both have been females...but I know a local breeder that had an impressive specimen, it was well over one year or so post molt when he showed it to me. Looked fine and healthy still.
Hydration is probably the most important factor with MMs, they seem to be bulletproof if you stay on top of that IME. They can tolerate the higher temps so long as water is around. They might eat more in those instances as well.

When breeding theraphosa, its key to keep the females slightly cooler after the pairings...issues are likely to arise with the eggs if not. A lot of the "theraphosa are so hard to breed" rumble was the result of people keeping them too warm while gravid. The breeders I spoke with said lower seventies is the range you should aim for, keeping them at higher temps long term is not ideal...just something to consider. They need lots of sub to work with too, females are likely to burrow down deep and close off all entrances durin the process.

With such a fresh male, who's likely to live another 18 months or so, and a female that far into her molt cycle....I don't see the point in pairing them just yet.

Makes sence to keep them cooler after pairing.. I was just talking with a friend the other night about how they seem to get stressed out at higher temps..

Yea water is vital but that is an after thought.. Everything I keep gets a water dish regardless..

She is on 10 inches of substrate

As long as they don't last only a few months I will just keep the male on hold.. It will work out well then because by the time she molts, gets fattened up and then paired the temps around here will be dropping off. Keeping my T room in the seventys won't be a problem. It is right now though..

Thanks man .

 

[cold blood]

I ask because I believe my female is do to molt anytime now. She is a young adult and her last molt was 11 months ago.. I have only had her for 12-13 months so I don't know her molt history.. She is still feeding but not as voraciously as normal and she looks like she is nearing a molt

I would think as long as she molts within the next few months you should be good.

My male is under a month mature so I'm trying to decide whether to pair her and (long shot) hope for a sac or wait for her to molt and then pair her. ( Yes I know getting a sac is still a long shot)

I was just having this conversation with another breeder...we have both paired ts we thought were ready to molt, only to get a sac from it rather quickly.

I have an ezendami on a sac right now, due for a molt last month.

My other thought is to pair them in hopes of kicking her into molting sooner.. If you haven't witnessed this first hand you may think I'm really stupid.. I have had females that molt a solid year to 18 months apart, molt get paired a month or so later and then molt again in two months..

But yeah, I hate it when this happens. I recently paired an ornata that had been molting on a 14-15 month schedule....paired her and she molted in about 4 months. Same for my larger irminia....18 month cycle consistently...molted 6 months later......funny...and frustrating how that happens.

How long MM's last is influenced by heat so that info would be helpfull as well

Heat would surely have an effect...cooler temps should provide a longer lifespan, even if only slightly.

I agree though, hydration is most important, I think that the vast majority of MMs die from dehydration rather than old age. I don't mist too many ts, but I do tend to mist MMs regularly for lots of drinking opportunities along with damper than usual sub and a water dish. MMs in my care tend to last an annoying amount of time....I have several over 2 years mature, including a pokie.

 

[14pokies]

I would think as long as she molted within the next few months you should be good.

I was just having this conversation with another breeder...we have both paired ts we thought were ready to molt, only to get a sac from it rather quickly.

I have an ezendami on a sac right now, due for a molt last month.

But yeah, I hate t when this happens. I recently paired an ornate that had been molting on a 14-15 month schedule....paired her and she molted in about 4 months. Same for my larger irminia....18 month cycle consistently...molted 6 months later......funny...and frustrating how that happens.


Heat would surely have an effect...cooler temps should provide a longer lifespan, even if only slightly.

I agree though, hydration is most important, I think that the vast majority of MMs die from dehydration rather than old age. I don't mist too many ts, but I do tend to mist MMs regularly for lots of drinking opportunities along with damper than usual sub and a water dish. MMs in my care tend to last an annoying amount of time....I have several over 2 years mature, including a pokie.

You bring up a good point and one that I have often wondered about. If I did pair her or any female close to a molt would she maybe "ovulate" faster and kick out a sac so that she can just go ahead and molt..

I have had plenty of females molt out shortly after pairing under similar circumstances so I wouldn't say it would increase my odds but what could it hurt ya'know..

 

[Theneil]

What could it hurt?

The man could get munched on...

 

[14pokies]

What could it hurt?

The man could get munched on...

Honestly males getting munched is spoken about far more often than it happens.. The only time I lose males is when I co hab them.. In that case I kind of already expected that outcome..

 

[Theneil]

Bad news always does get reported more...

The comment was mostly for entertainment purposes. i've gotten the impression that you generally know what you're doing.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Good timing for this question as my male T. stirmi died last Saturday. It matured on September 1, 2016 and died on May 28, 2018 making it mature for almost 2 years. By comparison, my Theraphosa apophysis male matured on 10/31/2016 and is still alive, well, and making sperm webs regularly.

 

[Theneil]

@AphonopelmaTX Out of curiosity, were your males bred at all during that time? i read somewhere on these forums that there was a suspicion that males that mate tend to live longer.

 

[14pokies]

Good timing for this question as my male T. stirmi died last Saturday. It matured on September 1, 2016 and died on May 28, 2018 making it mature for almost 2 years. By comparison, my Theraphosa apophysis male matured on 10/31/2016 and is still alive, well, and making sperm webs regularly.

Wow.. That's surprisingly long.. I figured being a tropical species a year would be pushing it..

i've gotten the impression that you generally know what you're doing.

Depends on who you ask ...

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

@AphonopelmaTX Out of curiosity, were your males bred at all during that time? i read somewhere on these forums that there was a suspicion that males that mate tend to live longer.

No, both males were not bred to females. The male T. stirmi that recently died looked like it just wore itself out. It was housed in a large clear plastic storage container about 2-3 times its full leg span and constantly walked around and pushed on the lid of the container. It ate dubia roaches on a regular basis and always had access to clean drinking water and the substrate of coco fiber was consistently damp. Given the age and condition of my apartment (old historic building), it got to experience the natural cycle of the seasons. Cool in the winter and hot in the summer. Winter temperatures ranged from about 65 - 70 degrees F and summer temperatures around 75 to 80 degrees F. For the past couple of months I noticed a slow decline in its health. During its prime, it was very active and very high strung. I couldn't open the lid without it going crazy and running about. When its health started to decline, it stopped wandering its enclosure, started getting scared of the dubia roaches, and I just found it dead. The legspan of this thing is massive. Measuring from one side tarsus of right leg 1 to right tarsus of leg 4 the leg span is 9 inches. Measuring diagonally, tarsus of left leg 1 to tarsus of right leg 4, the measurement is 10 inches. I still have it dead in the freezer awaiting preservation in alcohol.

By contrast, my mature male T. apophysis is kept in a clear plastic shoebox container just a few inches longer than its leg span. In that setup, it doesn't climb or wander as much as the T. stirmi male did. I guess it knows it is in a confined space and can't walk around as much. However, it is tricky to make correlations on why my male T. apophysis has outlasted my male T. stirmi considering T. apophysis is a much more hardy species of Theraphosa than stirmi or blondi are. Both my male and female T. apophysis can go longer periods of time without damp substrate and generally drier conditions than my T. stirmi and T. blondi can. The latter start showing signs of stress and dehydration sooner.

 

[Ran]

My mature male lived close to a year and a half once he began building sperm webs. I would definitely wait for her to molt again especially since he is so recently mature. If they are kept in the same room you will hear them drumming to each other...I could hear it from down the hallway! Mating them now could cause problems with the females molt cycle as she needs all that fat storage for the very long process of adult Theraphosa (4-6 months) which she could lose to a sac....possible to lose both....has happened to me with other stirmi, don’t want that to happen again.

 

[Theneil]

@AphonopelmaTX Thank you!

 

[14pokies]

My mature male lived close to a year and a half once he began building sperm webs. I would definitely wait for her to molt again especially since he is so recently mature. If they are kept in the same room you will hear them drumming to each other...I could hear it from down the hallway! Mating them now could cause problems with the females molt cycle as she needs all that fat storage for the very long process of adult Theraphosa (4-6 months) which she could lose to a sac....possible to lose both....has happened to me with other stirmi, don’t want that to happen again.

Good info thanks! Yea I'm going to hold off.. He is wondering alot but as far as I can tell he hasn't made a sperm web..

I also want to wait because she is still relatively young and I have a feeling that with how I have been feeding her this last year she will put on considerable growth with this molt.. I have had bad luck with young females eating there sacs.. I don't want this girl to do the same.

I'm not in any rush other than I want to get CB babies in the hands of as many keepers as I can so that the reputation of this species being fragile can get put aside.. As it is the reputation of them needing high temps and soggy soil are headed to the way side.. If we can just get more healthy stress free imports like her reproducing we can end the stigma that comes from stressed out parasitised WC stock.

 

[Ran]

Sounds good! When I bred my last female to get a fertile sac, she was between 9-10”, she is now @10”. I kept 3 female slings that are now 8” and 4 years of age. I also did not pull the sac and only lost 1 sling but sold the rest. These definitely need more CB slings in the hobby and better care sheets provided.

 

[Kieron2626123]

Some theraphosa males have been known to reach over 2 years very easy longs u keep them cool and damp