# Male vs Female T's



## AraneaeRosie (Aug 9, 2016)

Are male tarantulas more 'agressive' and defensive then female ones?
I just got a G pulchrieps male sold to me as a female and I bought 'Her' for handling and something for my little sister to possible pick up.
Is he more likely to bite because it's a male?
I got a Grammostola rosea which has been an angel so far, thought that since they are in the same family he could be as docile as her but some people say mature males are more likely to bite then a mature female


----------



## louise f (Aug 9, 2016)

Is it a MM ? Because if it is, it is only thinking of one thing. Females 
I would not recommend handling spiders, they have no benefits from that.

Reactions: Agree 6 | Informative 1


----------



## AraneaeRosie (Aug 9, 2016)

Yes hes mature


----------



## shining (Aug 9, 2016)

You should get a refund.

Reactions: Agree 9


----------



## louise f (Aug 9, 2016)

AraneaeRosie said:


> Yes hes mature


I would try to get my money back.

Reactions: Agree 6


----------



## Vanessa (Aug 9, 2016)

Every single tarantula on this planet - male/female, old/young, NW/OW, terrestrial/arboreal - have the ability to bite you and your little sister.
It is one thing to get bitten yourself, because of your own actions, but it is entire realms more irresponsible of you to allow your little sister to be bitten.
Tarantulas are wild animals who do not have the ability to be tame or trained. Handling them carries a risk for their well being and yours. All of them are capable of biting.

Reactions: Agree 12


----------



## gypsy cola (Aug 9, 2016)

Males are more flighty and skittish. Some G.pulchripes are incredibly defensive and can change attitudes after molts.

if you are going to be handle, keep low and on the floor and keep it limited. Please do not handle daily.

Think of it as ice cream... Delicious but not necessary. T's are better as observation

Reactions: Agree 2 | Informative 1


----------



## chanda (Aug 9, 2016)

If a mature male was sold to you as female, you should definitely try to get a refund. While a mature female can provide many years of companionship, a mature male - much like dairy products - comes with an expiration date, and the clock is ticking. Once a male tarantula matures, his remaining life expectancy is typically measured in months, a year at most.

Reactions: Agree 2 | Informative 1


----------



## mistertim (Aug 9, 2016)

VanessaS said:


> Every single tarantula on this planet - male/female, old/young, NW/OW, terrestrial/arboreal - have the ability to bite you and your little sister.
> It is one thing to get bitten yourself, because of your own actions, but it is entire realms more irresponsible of you to allow your little sister to be bitten.
> Tarantulas are wild animals who do not have the ability to be tame or trained. Handling them carries a risk for their well being and yours. All of them are capable of biting.


Completely agree with this. While some tarantulas certainly tend to be more tolerant of handling than others, there is no guarantee that it won't one day decide it isn't in the mood for you and bite you, or your little sister. They are wild animals that act mostly on pure instinct, and will behave as such. And yeah, its irresponsible of you to put your little sister in the potential line of fire. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but if she gets bitten you are going to feel terrible about it and the blame will be on you.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3


----------



## Haemus (Aug 9, 2016)

I bought what we believed was a 4" female G. pulchripes and molted into a mature male within a few months. I traded him back to my dealer for a pair (M & F) juveniles and a sling. 

I do my best to avoid handling despite their docile reputation. Fully grown their fangs are like fishing hooks and catching two of those in a finger wouldn't be a good time.

Reactions: Agree 2


----------



## Poec54 (Aug 9, 2016)

Adult males tend to be more high strung, probably because they're out of the safety of a retreat and traveling, exposed & vulnerable to a variety of predators, and because their purpose in life is to get intimate with females who are usually larger and stronger than them, and who may kill males without warning at any point in the proceedings.  You'd be jumpy too. 

BTW, I also am against handling.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 5 | Informative 1 | Funny 1 | Useful 1


----------



## MrsHaas (Aug 9, 2016)

Poec54 said:


> Adult males tend to be more high strung, probably because they're out of the safety of a retreat and traveling, exposed & vulnerable to a variety of predators, and because their purpose in life is to get intimate with females who are usually larger and stronger than them, and who may kill males without warning at any point in the proceedings.  You'd be jumpy too.
> 
> BTW, I also am against handling.


Ditto on the no handling... Although I know lots of us (including myself) have made the mistake of doing so before realizing the risks.

I've noticed the same with mms.  I wouldn't bug a mm, lol, I've seen many of mine get pretty unhappy when bothered.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## Quixtar (Aug 9, 2016)

Poec54 said:


> Adult males tend to be more high strung, probably because they're out of the safety of a retreat and traveling, exposed & vulnerable to a variety of predators, and because their purpose in life is to get intimate with females who are usually larger and stronger than them, and who may kill males without warning at any point in the proceedings.  You'd be jumpy too.
> 
> BTW, I also am against handling.


I don't know about Ts, but some spiders have evolved in which the males are even more venomous than the females for this reason. The Sydney Funnelweb (Atrax robustus) comes to mind.

Reactions: Informative 1


----------



## Poec54 (Aug 9, 2016)

MrsHaas said:


> I've noticed the same with mms.  I wouldn't bug a mm, lol, I've seen many of mine get pretty unhappy when bothered.


 
An example is Augacephalus ezendami.  Females are relatively calm by African standards (don't run far or fast, occasional defensive pose), but I've had adult males race out of their cages and across the floor.  Never had a female AE do _anything _like that.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


----------



## louise f (Aug 9, 2016)

Poec54 said:


> An example is Augacephalus ezendami.  Females are relatively calm by African standards (don't run far or fast, occasional defensive pose), but I've had adult males race out of their cages and across the floor.  Never had a female AE do _anything _like that.


That was exactly how my MM C.darlingi was. He ran out of his cage when i wanted to mate them, and across the floor and gave me a threat pose that nearly made him fall back over.

Reactions: Like 2 | Funny 2


----------



## Chris LXXIX (Aug 9, 2016)

AraneaeRosie said:


> Are male tarantulas more 'agressive' and defensive then female ones?





AraneaeRosie said:


> I bought 'Her' for handling and something for my little sister to possible pick up.





AraneaeRosie said:


> Is he more likely to bite because it's a male?


I love your comment, it's laughable but somewhat genuine and full of a lovely ignorance at the same time

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## viper69 (Aug 9, 2016)

AraneaeRosie said:


> Are male tarantulas more 'agressive' and defensive then female ones?
> I just got a G pulchrieps male sold to me as a female and I bought 'Her' for handling and something for my little sister to possible pick up.
> Is he more likely to bite because it's a male?
> I got a Grammostola rosea which has been an angel so far, thought that since they are in the same family he could be as docile as her but some people say mature males are more likely to bite then a mature female


I know animals from the same SPECIES that vary in disposition, take humans, some are nice some aren't. No different with Ts.

I've not noticed any difference between genders, except males are more high strung at times, thought not always IME.

Reactions: Agree 1


----------



## darkness975 (Aug 9, 2016)

@AraneaeRosie I would not handle your spider.  Especially a mature male.  That is just asking for a problem.

If you were sold a mature male as a female I would get a refund.  As others have said mature males are on an extremely limited time frame and if the spider was already mature when you obtained it than that time frame is truly short indeed. 

Good luck.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


----------



## chanda (Aug 9, 2016)

Some mature males can b


viper69 said:


> I know animals from the same SPECIES that vary in disposition, take humans, some are nice some aren't. No different with Ts.
> 
> I've not noticed any difference between genders, except males are more high strung at times, thought not always IME.


Ain't that the truth! 

The main difference I've noticed between my male and female T's - and this is not true of _all_ of them, but does seem to be a bit of a trend - is that the mature males tend to be far more active. The females and juveniles are more likely to sit in one spot or hang out in their hides most of the time whereas the males do quite a bit more running around. Also - at least with my male _Avicularia versicolor_ - housekeeping became less of a priority once he matured. He really let his "bachelor pad" go, abandoning all efforts to clean/maintain/repair his web after he ripped a hole in the bottom of it to eject his final molt. He would still hang out in his little web hammock and use it as a retreat when startled, but I don't think he did anything else to tidy up or repair it.

As far as handling goes, I can't say as it makes much difference. (Yes, I am one of those horrible people who does - on rare occasions - handle some of my tarantulas. Break out the torches and pitchforks and summon the angry mob.) I have some female tarantulas that are a bit on the cranky side and others that are very docile. The same is true of the males. I have a mature male _Aphonopelma_ who has always been an absolute sweetheart. He'll walk right onto my hand and allow me to point out his tibial hooks to my students. (He is also surprisingly spry for such an old man - he matured on me nearly a year ago and is now looking a bit on the scrawny and threadbare side but is still feeding and getting around well.) The spider in my profile picture is a mature male _Aphonopelma_ that I found stuck in a tree. I helped him down, took a few pictures, then sent him on his way. He did not behave at all defensively and was very cooperative when I was holding him. Only one of the wild _Aphonopelma_ that I've found while out hiking has postured or tried to flick hairs when I got close enough to take pictures (and yes, it was a male). 

When it comes to wild tarantulas, those with established burrows (which I would assume are more likely to be mature females) are much more skittish than those that I find out wandering around (which are usually mature males or juveniles). The presumed females stick close to their burrows and dart down them the second I get close. The wandering males and juveniles, on the other hand, seem generally unconcerned about my presence and make no efforts to avoid me when I approach them to get a closer look or take pictures. 

I can't say as the gender makes a great deal of difference. Species/genus definitely plays a part, with some species being much more aggressive or skittish than others, but ultimately it comes down to the individual spider - and what kind of mood they're in on any given day.


----------



## AraneaeRosie (Aug 16, 2016)

Thanks for all the replies, i've handled him a few times now, yes he is more runny and skittish then my females but is just as sweet ^^


----------



## Toxoderidae (Aug 16, 2016)

AraneaeRosie said:


> Thanks for all the replies, i've handled him a few times now, yes he is more runny and skittish then my females but is just as sweet ^^


Just don't handle anymore.

Reactions: Dislike 1 | Agree 2 | Helpful 1


----------



## darkness975 (Aug 18, 2016)

AraneaeRosie said:


> Thanks for all the replies, i've handled him a few times now, yes he is more runny and skittish then my females but is just as sweet ^^


What we are trying to say is that handling is not good,  period. Regardless of if the spider is "sweet" or not.  For the record they are not "sweet."  They are an instinct driven invertebrate that does not "think" in the way many people anthropomorphize them.  But if you are going to handle them at least do it safely.  Meaning do it close to a soft surface close to the bottom so if (when) it falls it does not fall far and hopefully does not rupture anything. 

Good luck.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


----------



## Exoskeleton Invertebrates (Aug 19, 2016)

Obviously she has been handling her tarantula therefore the comments that were made in regards of handling was disregard.

At least she handle a tarantula that is not aggressive and is more docile than some other species of any animal. 

I'm sure she realizes that any animal can be unpredictable.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


----------



## Nephila Edulis (Mar 25, 2017)

AraneaeRosie said:


> Are male tarantulas more 'agressive' and defensive then female ones?
> I just got a G pulchrieps male sold to me as a female and I bought 'Her' for handling and something for my little sister to possible pick up.
> Is he more likely to bite because it's a male?
> I got a Grammostola rosea which has been an angel so far, thought that since they are in the same family he could be as docile as her but some people say mature males are more likely to bite then a mature female


If you want something cool a young child can handle, get a corn snake, hognose, ball python, etc, etc. tarantulas don't really benefit from handling unless you do something like filming where you want viewers to get a better look at the animal

Reactions: Agree 1


----------

