At what size is abdomen considered a viable gender indicator?

[violentblossom]

... who really don't know what they're doing...

That was a bit harsh.

In their defenses, a few admitted that they were basically guessing, and then they turned the T's over and looked that way, flashlight and everything.

 

[curiousme]

I have read that tip before and we(hubby and me) have actually tried to 'guess' at sex that way. This was when we had been in the hobby a very short period of time(i haven't seen the suggestion in a long time) and we thought it might at least be a way to make a more educated guess. One T that we tried this with, we 'guessed' female and it hooked out the first molt with us. The other we 'guessed' male because of the skinny abdomen and long legs, but didn't see tibial hooks. We turned out to be correct on that one, but it was already mature and was a species that doesn't have the tibial hooks.


We have never really tried to sex any of our Ts definitively, but this method is definitely not the reliable way.

 

[Stan Schultz]

That was a bit harsh. ...

True. But, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Sometimes even I must get a good, harsh slap in the face to institute a reality check. My ego is hurt, and I may grumble or whine, but I'm careful not to commit the same mistake again.

I like to think of it as a "warm boot." (As in computer-speak.)

... In their defenses, a few admitted that they were basically guessing, and then they turned the T's over and looked that way, flashlight and everything.

There are three or four ways to make at least a good guess at a tarantula's sex, and in the hands of an experienced enthusiast they're all a lot more reliable than something as wishy-washy as relative abdomen size. We've itemized them in TKG2 and TKG3.

What's the magic potion for gaining that experience? Nothing special. Just grab the tarantula and look. When it finally molts and you have a shed skin to examine (and this isn't rocket science either), you can tell within a very narrow margin of error whether you were right or wrong. After four or five tries you can get fairly good at it. As experience accumulates and you get to see more and more of the variations in the theme of "little pot belly," "epigynal bulls eye," narrow vs wide epigynal plate, relative size of oral field, etc. you fine tune your "guestimater" and your success rate improves markedly.

Enjoy your he/she/it/maybe tarantula!

 

[TalonAWD]

What's the magic potion for gaining that experience? Nothing special. Just grab the tarantula and look. When it finally molts and you have a shed skin to examine (and this isn't rocket science either), you can tell within a very narrow margin of error whether you were right or wrong. After four or five tries you can get fairly good at it. As experience accumulates and you get to see more and more of the variations in the theme of "little pot belly," "epigynal bulls eye," narrow vs wide epigynal plate, relative size of oral field, etc. you fine tune your "guestimater" and your success rate improves markedly.

Well said!