Worth breeding???

[Tman86]

I have a mature female and almost mature male Aphonopelma hentzi. I was wondering if I breed them when they're ready if people are into this species? I wouldn't be doing it to make money so I would get rid of them for dirt cheap or maybe even just cost of shipping. I just want to breed for the experience but don't want to be stuck with a bunch of slings so taking a survey to see if i'd be able to get rid of Aphonopelma hentzi slings.

 

[Shrike]

I have a mature female and almost mature male Aphonopelma hentzi. I was wondering if I breed them when they're ready if people are into this species? I wouldn't be doing it to make money so I would get rid of them for dirt cheap or maybe even just cost of shipping. I just want to breed for the experience but don't want to be stuck with a bunch of slings so taking a survey to see if i'd be able to get rid of Aphonopelma hentzi slings.

I wouldn't say Aphonopelma are wildly popular. I doubt breeding would be profitable for you, but worth it as a learning experience? Yes. I don't think you'll be stuck with the slings as long as you're willing to drop prices or give away freebies, etc.

 

[freedumbdclxvi]

While I. don't have any yet, hentzi are a species I am interested in getting. They are native to my home state (Missouri), and I am pretty sure the one that was found in my house as a child was a hentzi. I say breed em and I bet you can get rid of them.

 

[grayzone]

NOBODY turns down a freebie haha
Aphonopelma are painfully slow growers. If you DO successfully breed them, use that experience in breeding some more desirable sp. when THOSE are ready to be sold, you can create package deals and whatnot... or at least have some well started Aphonopelma freebies to include with the order

 

[famish]

As Shrike and the others mentioned, it would be a great experience and nobody turns down a great deal - especially a freebie. While Aphonopelma hentzi might not be the most popular species right now, it is a beautiful tarantula in its own right. I'll pre-order one right now - there you go. You already have one less to worry about. It will make up for my A. moderatum female I had for about 10 years and regretfully sold.

 

[ragnarokxg]

I have a mature female and almost mature male Aphonopelma hentzi. I was wondering if I breed them when they're ready if people are into this species? I wouldn't be doing it to make money so I would get rid of them for dirt cheap or maybe even just cost of shipping. I just want to breed for the experience but don't want to be stuck with a bunch of slings so taking a survey to see if i'd be able to get rid of Aphonopelma hentzi slings.

I would want one if the price is right. Free is awesome.

 

[Tgrip77]

i would buy a dozen or so .....good luck

 

[Arienette]

i grew up in Missouri! i saw one once when i was young, perhaps that's how this all got started lol i would LOVE slings!

 

[Merfolk]

How about releasing some of them in their native habitat. Also, a lot of breeders let some broods cannibalize in order to weed out the imperfect ones. Almost impossible to avoid if you breed LPs!!!

 

[Amoeba]

Yep like has been said culling is an answer. This hobby is an addiction; hardcore hobbyists don't take cheap Ts only if they don't have a good reason. It's not guaranteed you will even get a sac.

 

[captmarga]

Try breeding them anyway. Chances are you won't get a sac until spring. I have a hentzi re-breeding project underway now. Working with a conservationist. We'll be doing a LOT of breeding in the near future. I have people that want them all the time, but the slings are painfully small ( )... as in they fit inside this ( ).

Go for it.

Marga

 

[tonypace2009]

Definetly worth breeding just for the experience .I enjoyed breeding mine from eggsac to second instars. Just prepare yourself
For a lot of spiderlings and taking care of them for quite a while they do take forever to grow . I ended up with over 400 spiderlings I still have over 340 of them left. Wonder if anyone would be interested in trading? I would like to get mine down to
About 50 I think they would be more manageable. Original question are they worth breeding yes will you make money off of
Them probably not much .but who is in this hobby to get rich?

 

[Tman86]

Thanks for all the replys I appreciate it. And its unanimous I will try and breed, probably not till around spring. And Merfolk I love the idea of releasing some back in the wild since I do live where they are native to. I will update with a post in future about how the breeding goes.

 

[Tarac]

Thanks for all the replys I appreciate it. And its unanimous I will try and breed, probably not till around spring. And Merfolk I love the idea of releasing some back in the wild since I do live where they are native to. I will update with a post in future about how the breeding goes.

First- do breed, always better to have CB available for each species than to rely on plucking them from the wild. Second, breed now if you can, more like the natural cycle as the wild males were recently wandering about, and then in spring she will produce a sac (if she does).

Finally, did you collect those T's locally? If you did not collect them in your area yourself I STRONGLY recommend, or even request, that you don't even consider releasing any of them back into the wild. You don't want to mix up the wild populations by introducing genes from another region. You may think it is nice and the intention I do understand, it is well-meaning. But it can adversely affect the wild population (if you can even be very certain of what species you have- my understanding is that Aphonopelma are a taxonomic mess right now anyway) in subtle ways like making them season-incompatible. It happens in butterflies and moths and beetles of the same species- move them from north to south or vice versa and you have whole generations trying to eclose in the dead of winter because they were from somewhere warmer before, etc. You could have inadvertently exposed it to something one of your other T's has- say some type of SE Asian pathogen from a WC cobalt or something. A million different little possibilities that can potentially spell disaster. It is almost NEVER a good idea to release anything you held in captivity back into the wild much less something you bred in captivity. That kind of work is best left up to professional conservationists and is a rare thing to attempt because of all those reasons and more. You really have to be extremely careful when attempting something like that, not something that even a highly motivated but not vetted conservationist should not attempt. There is simply too much you have to be absolutely certain of before you can consider safe.

Instead, I urge you to please sell them as it is great for us to have captive bred examples available, which is conservation in and of itself anyway but without the risk to the wild populations. Or give them away or keep them all, whatever you need to do that doesn't include releasing them. I'm sure you can sell them here, there will be plenty of interested parties. And it is a great opportunity to have some experience breeding that you shouldn't pass up, I agree. Just don't let them go, please.

 

[grayzone]

If you did not collect them in your area yourself I STRONGLY recommend, or even request, that you don't even consider releasing any of them back into the wild.

a big +1...

 

[Tman86]

Yes I caught them locally off a glade by my house. I didn't even know we had Tarantula in MO till I found them this summer. And thats how my addiction started lol. But yea I thought of some of the negatives of releasing back into the wild and determined if I get a successful sac I'd contact MO Conservation and see if they would help. There are concerns I had about over populating the glades with T's as well. At what amount are there to many T's per acre? The glade I found mine on I must have found 20+ other ones. So if I did release them it would be with the help of Conservation on glades were people have decimated populations already. I understand your concern and I have an Associates Degree in Applied Science, I love animals so no need to worry I wouldn't just randomly start releasing them places.

 

[grayzone]

maybe breed them, and release the both parents (if both still are alive) afterward. Just be sure to place them back where you found them originally. Its what I would do at least.

 

[LadySharon]

If I recall correctly the tman86 you said the male was "almost mature" so I'm guessing he has not had his ultimate molt yet? Has he molted in your care?

It's possible he may not molt to maturity until next year.

 

[Tman86]

If I recall correctly the tman86 you said the male was "almost mature" so I'm guessing he has not had his ultimate molt yet? Has he molted in your care?

It's possible he may not molt to maturity until next year.

you are correct he is not mature yet he is in premolt right now he's lost grip stopped eating and has the blackened patch on abdomen so hopefully molts soon. Judging by his size I think he will reach full maturity this moult but time will tell. That's also why I said I wouldn't be breeding till next year. If he's not mature I will release him where I found him and search for aMM. And no he has not molted previously in my care.

 

[tonypace2009]

you are correct he is not mature yet he is in premolt right now he's lost grip stopped eating and has the blackened patch on abdomen so hopefully molts soon. Judging by his size I think he will reach full maturity this moult but time will tell. That's also why I said I wouldn't be breeding till next year. If he's not mature I will release him where I found him and search for aMM. And no he has not molted previously in my care.

Do you have a picture of the male and what size is he? I am just curious I have a male that should have molted into a mature male but instead of male organs bulbous pedipalps and tibial hooks he is now right at 51/2 inches. My other males have always
Went from a dull darker brown to the hooked out black legged mature males you see roaming looking for females. I sexed
Him from his molt positive male. I am assuming somehow he prolonged his mature molt till next breeding season. I have never seen one do this before.