(Almost) First time T owner! G. rosea

[daviddunn]

I had a T when I was about 9 years old, I'm not sure what it was, but now that I'm more knowledgeable about T's, I'm almost positive it was a male G. pulchra (I say male, because I remember it having a small abdomen compared to the rest of his body, and he only lived about 1 year after I got him). Anyway, I decided to try my hand at Tarantula ownership again, but this time I wanted to dive in with an abundance of knowledge about these beautiful and interesting 'bugs'. So I decided to get the all time favorite "first" T, I got a G. rosea. Let me say, she is a real beauty! I am not 100% positive it's a female, but there were 2 roses, both were about the same size (4.5" or so), one had a significantly smaller body, and was more brightly colored, he also had spurs, so I know he was a male. The other, from my research, and general knowledge of spiders, looked like a female to me, so I bought her.

She is so gentle, and from what I can see, she actually likes to crawl onto my hand! as soon as I take off the top, if I put my hand out, she'll crawl over to it. She seemed to take to her new home quite well, she's already rearranged it a bit, dug a few holes, made some ground webbing, and pushed the dirt where she wanted it. Keep in mind, I just got her yesterday, so I'm absolutely amazed at how comfortable she is.

Here are a couple photos of her, I named her Sophie. I know it isn't possible to get a 100% accurate sex until I see a molt, but could you guys help confirm that it is a female? Like I said, she's about 4.5", so if it were a male, wouldn't he have his spurs, and enlarged pedipalps already?

 

[Talkenlate04]

You would need a picture of under her for me to sex her........ At that size if you get a good ventral shot I can sex it for you.

 

[daviddunn]

Sorry they're all a little blurry. This is the first time I've ever cupped a T, and let me tell you, she did not like my hand on top of her, one bit. I guess it gets easier with practice? I hope one of these will work, she's really black underneath, so it might be hard to see. Thanks for your help. =)

 

[Talkenlate04]

Looking female to me man........ how big is she now?

 

[daviddunn]

I can't find my ruler, but I would guess around 4.5". I'll measure to make sure though.

 

[Talkenlate04]

Its ok size has nothing to do with my sexing..... its female....... nice T congrats.

 

[daviddunn]

I was close, actual measurement (normal stance) is 4 inches. So I guess this means she has a little bit of growing to do, but still mature enough to show whether or not it could be a male, right?

P.S. Thank you for your help. I hope she'll be with me for a long time, and I already want another T! They're a lot of fun, I can already see that she has a bit of a personality. I couldn't have asked for a better T to get me started, I think she'll teach me a lot.