# A. Versicolor sexing



## iJay (Jan 31, 2018)

I'm planning to buy a versi. Someone offered me 2"-2.5" unsex. My veteran keeper friends told me it would probably be male since versi's are very to easy to gender at that size. Showed them some vague pictures (pictures below) of the versi that was sent to me and all 4 of them said it looks like a male. I kinda wonder how they come up with a male assumption just by looking at the said pictures? Do guys think the versi in the pictures looks like a male? TIA and happy keeping.

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## Nightstalker47 (Jan 31, 2018)

iJay said:


> I'm planning to buy a versi. Someone offered me 2"-2.5" unsex. My veteran keeper friends told me it would probably be male since versi's are very to easy to gender at that size. Showed them some vague pictures (pictures below) of the versi that was sent to me and all 4 of them said it looks like a male. I kinda wonder how they come up with a male assumption just by looking at the said pictures? Do guys think the versi in the pictures looks like a male? TIA and happy keeping.
> 
> View attachment 265055
> View attachment 265055
> View attachment 265056


I don't know how your friends could possibly decipher gender with dorsal shots of that quality...you can barely see it. No clue on sex.

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## iJay (Jan 31, 2018)

Nightstalker47 said:


> I don't know how your friends could possibly decipher gender with dorsal shots of that quality...you can barely see it. No clue on sex.


That's the same thing I am wondering about. All they say is something about the body build and leg lengths. BTW, all of them are owners of versi and 1 of them have bred versi's before.

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## Andrea82 (Feb 1, 2018)

You can't sex a Theraphosid reliably by looking at how it's built...
But at that size it should be easy to sex it ventrally. You need pictures of the 'underside' of the spider, of the area between the first pair of booklungs. 
I wouldn't buy from a seller that is 'sexing' his spiders dorsally...

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## Ellenantula (Feb 1, 2018)

Ventral shot needed.  And even that isn't always 100% -- save next exo to be sure of gender.

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## The Grym Reaper (Feb 1, 2018)

Can't tell from those pics so your "veteran" pals are chatting breeze.

It's Caribena versicolor now btw, they were moved from Avicularia yonks ago.

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## Nightstalker47 (Feb 1, 2018)

iJay said:


> That's the same thing I am wondering about. All they say is something about the body build and leg lengths. BTW, all of them are owners of versi and 1 of them have bred versi's before.


They are clueless then, you can't sex C.versicolor with grainy dorsal shots. 

We need vent pics, body build and leg length is identical up until the male matures. If sexing were that easy, everyone would be doing it. Don't believe that nonsense.

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## iJay (Feb 1, 2018)

Thank you all for your inputs. I guess I'll go ahead and buy this versi,  take my chances and pray for the best (that it's a female). I hope the seller is saying the truth that he wasn't able to sex the Ts and not just releasing it because he already knew that it's a male.


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## Andrea82 (Feb 1, 2018)

iJay said:


> Thank you all for your inputs. I guess I'll go ahead and buy this versi,  take my chances and pray for the best (that it's a female). I hope the seller is saying the truth that he wasn't able to sex the Ts and not just releasing it because he already knew that it's a male.


I wouldn't. Seriously, don't. They don't know what they're talking about. Press for ventral pics.

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## The Grym Reaper (Feb 1, 2018)

Andrea82 said:


> I wouldn't buy from a seller that is 'sexing' his spiders dorsally...





Andrea82 said:


> I wouldn't. Seriously, don't. They don't know what they're talking about. Press for ventral pics.


Seller listed as unsexed, it was the OP's "expert" friends that claimed to know the sex from the dorsal shots.

@iJay  I'd ask for some good ventral shots anyway, while it might be genuinely unsexed (I have one the same size that isn't sexed because it tore up the moult before I could hook it out to sex and it's not obvious ventrally either) there is the chance that they're knowingly offloading a male.

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## iJay (Feb 1, 2018)

The Grym Reaper said:


> Seller listed as unsexed, it was the OP's "expert" friends that claimed to know the sex from the dorsal shots.
> 
> @iJay  I'd ask for some good ventral shots anyway, while it might be genuinely unsexed (I have one the same size that isn't sexed because it tore up the moult before I could hook it out to sex and it's not obvious ventrally either) there is the chance that they're knowingly offloading a male.


Thanks a lot for the advise. Unfortunately, ventral shots is not possible ATM because the versi is hiding deep inside its webbing (suspected premolt). Anyway, I don't care anymore if it's male or female. I just want to have a versi. Would you guys know what is the lifespan of a male versi based on experience? Google says 2-3yrs but is it really that short?


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## Nightstalker47 (Feb 1, 2018)

iJay said:


> Thanks a lot for the advise. Unfortunately, ventral shots is not possible ATM because the versi is hiding deep inside its webbing (suspected premolt). Anyway, I don't care anymore if it's male or female. I just want to have a versi. Would you guys know what is the lifespan of a male versi based on experience? Google says 2-3yrs but is it really that short?
> 
> View attachment 265106
> View attachment 265107


They live longer then that. Males would take somewhere around 3 years to mature from sling size, and have another 1-2 years after that. Your looking at something like 5 years total, maybe even longer.

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## iJay (Feb 1, 2018)

Nightstalker47 said:


> They live longer then that. Males would take somewhere around 3 years to mature from sling size, and have another 1-2 years after that. Your looking at something like 5 years total, maybe even longer.


Aha! Thanks for that info. Living 5yrs with my Ts is more than enough for me.

Reactions: Optimistic 1


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## The Grym Reaper (Feb 1, 2018)

iJay said:


> Would you guys know what is the lifespan of a male versi based on experience? Google says 2-3yrs but is it really that short?


It's taken my male about 18 months to go from 2cm to a little over 3 inches, I'd be surprised if he hooks out before the end of this year.

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## cold blood (Feb 1, 2018)

iJay said:


> Thank you all for your inputs. I guess I'll go ahead and buy this versi,  take my chances and pray for the best (that it's a female). I hope the seller is saying the truth that he wasn't able to sex the Ts and not just releasing it because he already knew that it's a male.


now if its male, that doesnt automatically mean it not unsexed.  But keep in mind that getting a male isn't necessarily A bad thing.....mms are valuable and constantly in demand.


Nightstalker47 said:


> They live longer then that. Males would take somewhere around 3 years to mature from sling size, and have another 1-2 years after that. Your looking at something like 5 years total, maybe even longer.


not my experiences at all.

Ive raised a lot of versi, all from slings....IME a male typically goes from 2i to a mm in about a year to a year and a half tops....after maturing they may live another 6 months to a year.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Informative 3


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## Nightstalker47 (Feb 1, 2018)

cold blood said:


> now if its male, that doesnt automatically mean it not unsexed.  But keep in mind that getting a male isn't necessarily A bad thing.....mms are valuable and constantly in demand.
> not my experiences at all.
> 
> Ive raised a lot of versi, all from slings....IME a male typically goes from 2i to a mm in about a year to a year and a half tops....after maturing they may live another 6 months to a year.


Interesting, those growth rates are pretty damn fast. 

I don't have all that much experience with Avics tbh, only raised one male some years back. When I bought him he was 2" and it took him over two years to mature. 

Didn't realize versicolor grew so fast. How quick did your females mature?


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## Andrea82 (Feb 1, 2018)

My male C.versicolor hooked out within two years as well.

Reactions: Informative 2


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## cold blood (Feb 1, 2018)

Nightstalker47 said:


> Interesting, those growth rates are pretty damn fast.
> 
> I don't have all that much experience with Avics tbh, only raised one male some years back. When I bought him he was 2" and it took him over two years to mature.
> 
> Didn't realize versicolor grew so fast. How quick did your females mature?


Im still waiting on a female...im 0 for 17 so far.

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## Nightstalker47 (Feb 1, 2018)

cold blood said:


> Im still waiting on a female...im 0 for 17 so far.


 That's ridiculous. Buy a sexed female lol.

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## Venom1080 (Feb 1, 2018)

cold blood said:


> Im still waiting on a female...im 0 for 17 so far.


I really hope that's a mistype, man.. 

In my perhaps overpriced "tarantulas of the world", males are listed as being leggier than the females, with smaller carapaces. Only by millimeters

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## cold blood (Feb 1, 2018)

Nightstalker47 said:


> That's ridiculous. Buy a sexed female lol.


It doesn't bother me, they are always enjoyable to raise, and even the MMs look great. 












MM C. versicolor



__ cold blood
__ Nov 1, 2017


















versi



__ cold blood
__ Jun 28, 2017



						MM versicolor
					



All the people breeding them need the males too, so its not like they aren't needed somewhere and going to waste...













mm versi



__ cold blood
__ Nov 1, 2017



						on the way to a date
					




I will get one _eventually_, and it will almost certainly be acquired as a sling.  


Venom1080 said:


> I really hope that's a mistype, man..


Nope...and I know its not really indicative of the male to female ratio with versicolor, just some bum luck....The only species I have had such poor luck with was the C. schioetdei.

But again, it doesn't bother me.

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## Venom1080 (Feb 1, 2018)

cold blood said:


> It doesn't bother me, they are always enjoyable to raise, and even the MMs look great.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah.. keep telling yourself that..

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## Goopyguy56 (Feb 1, 2018)

cold blood said:


> Im still waiting on a female...im 0 for 17 so far.


Still better than my cleveland browns. Gee willikers. That seems statistically impossible. Considering you more or less have a 50/50 shot give or take.

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## jaycied (Feb 1, 2018)

I've had my ventrally sexed suspect female for about a year now. She's only just gone past the 2.5" mark. Anyone else have info on the growth rate of females?


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## Venom1080 (Feb 1, 2018)

jaycied said:


> I've had my ventrally sexed suspect female for about a year now. She's only just gone past the 2.5" mark. Anyone else have info on the growth rate of females?


@cold blood  's our leading expert on males. I'd ask him.

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## cold blood (Feb 1, 2018)

jaycied said:


> I've had my ventrally sexed suspect female for about a year now. She's only just gone past the 2.5" mark. Anyone else have info on the growth rate of females?


I've never had one grow even close to that slowly....



Venom1080 said:


> @cold blood  's our leading expert on males. I'd ask him.


aaaaaand, I have never had a female...soooooo....

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## jaycied (Feb 1, 2018)

cold blood said:


> I've never had one grow even close to that slowly....
> 
> aaaaaand, I have never had a female...soooooo....


Boyfriend likes the house cold...sigh... I'm sure that's most of it. Everything I have takes ages to grow.

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## Venom1080 (Feb 1, 2018)

Make a cabinet.


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## jaycied (Feb 1, 2018)

We recently moved to a place where I can have them in my own room with a space heater, and everything has slowly started to grow faster. My versi went from 4 months between molts to a molt a month since we got here. Still doesn't seem like she's gained much size.

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## The Grym Reaper (Feb 1, 2018)

jaycied said:


> I've had my ventrally sexed suspect female for about a year now. She's only just gone past the 2.5" mark. Anyone else have info on the growth rate of females?


I got my female at 2", it's taken her 17 months to reach 4".

Reactions: Informative 1


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## iJay (Feb 2, 2018)

cold blood said:


> now if its male, that doesnt automatically mean it not unsexed.  But keep in mind that getting a male isn't necessarily A bad thing.....mms are valuable and constantly in demand.
> not my experiences at all.
> 
> Ive raised a lot of versi, all from slings....IME a male typically goes from 2i to a mm in about a year to a year and a half tops....after maturing they may live another 6 months to a year.


True that! But honestly, I will be happier if my 1st versi is a female. Well, that's me.


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## iJay (Feb 2, 2018)

cold blood said:


> It doesn't bother me, they are always enjoyable to raise, and even the MMs look great.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice little creatures you have there. 

I read somewhere that male versi's coloration is more radiant/brighter than fems. So that is a plus for males.


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## The Grym Reaper (Feb 2, 2018)

Freshly moulted male
View media item 45420View media item 45419
Freshly moulted female
View media item 47156
Same female at the same instar as the male is currently
View media item 42219

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## Andrea82 (Feb 4, 2018)

iJay said:


> Nice little creatures you have there.
> 
> I read somewhere that male versi's coloration is more radiant/brighter than fems. So that is a plus for males.


C.versicolor are splashes of paint no matter which sex really...


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## iJay (Feb 4, 2018)

Hello all! I have an updated ventral photo of the versi that I am asking about.. Can you give me an idea if it's a male or female? Looks female to me though. TIA

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## The Grym Reaper (Feb 4, 2018)

iJay said:


> Can you give me an idea if it's a male or female? Looks female to me though. TIA


I'd guess female, looks to be a slit there and the first pair of book lungs are miles apart (relatively speaking).

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## iJay (Feb 4, 2018)

The Grym Reaper said:


> I'd guess female, looks to be a slit there and the first pair of book lungs are miles apart (relatively speaking).


Thanks Mate! Cheers...


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## Nightstalker47 (Feb 5, 2018)

iJay said:


> Hello all! I have an updated ventral photo of the versi that I am asking about.. Can you give me an idea if it's a male or female? Looks female to me though. TIA
> 
> View attachment 265473


Clear female. See what you can accomplish with ventral shots?  @cold blood Is going to be jealous...

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## Lil Paws (Feb 5, 2018)

iJay said:


> I'm planning to buy a versi. Someone offered me 2"-2.5" unsex. My veteran keeper friends told me it would probably be male since versi's are very to easy to gender at that size. Showed them some vague pictures (pictures below) of the versi that was sent to me and all 4 of them said it looks like a male. I kinda wonder how they come up with a male assumption just by looking at the said pictures? Do guys think the versi in the pictures looks like a male? TIA and happy keeping.
> 
> View attachment 265055
> View attachment 265055
> View attachment 265056


LOL! I wonder if your friend works at my local Petco. The dude there swore my Avic is a male because of the abdomen size. You need ventral shots, but from what I've heard Avics actually are tricky to sex that way because they are super hairy (though it seems Versicolors are not—yours totally looks female from your ventral shot). Molt-sexing is the surest way to know.

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## NickW (Feb 7, 2018)

The Grym Reaper said:


> Can't tell from those pics so your "veteran" pals are chatting breeze.
> 
> It's Caribena versicolor now btw, they were moved from Avicularia yonks ago.


How long is one yonk?

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## The Grym Reaper (Feb 7, 2018)

NickW said:


> How long is one yonk?


A loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time.

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## iJay (Feb 18, 2018)

Hi all! So I just got another versicolor and tought of asking you guys again for sexing help based on ventral shots. She looks to be another female to me but want to hear other opinions. BTW she is around 1.5"-2". TIA


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## Nightstalker47 (Feb 18, 2018)

iJay said:


> Hi all! So I just got another versicolor and tought of asking you guys again for sexing help based on ventral shots. She looks to be another female to me but want to hear other opinions. BTW she is around 1.5"-2". TIA
> 
> View attachment 266753
> View attachment 266754


Looks more male to me.


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## iJay (Feb 18, 2018)

Nightstalker47 said:


> Looks more male to me.


Is it because of the seemingly hairy patch? Thanks for the input.


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## Ungoliant (Feb 19, 2018)

iJay said:


> Hi all! So I just got another versicolor and tought of asking you guys again for sexing help based on ventral shots. She looks to be another female to me but want to hear other opinions. BTW she is around 1.5"-2". TIA


In the future, please post ventral sexing images in the Epiandrous fusillae sexing gallery.


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## iJay (Feb 19, 2018)

Ungoliant said:


> In the future, please post ventral sexing images in the Epiandrous fusillae sexing gallery.


Noted on this.


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