God, I am so unlucky...

[CS2x]

My tarantula is refusing to eat, or even react to my presence. It moves around occasionally....but...that's it.

Maybe it's my fault, maybe I'm unlucky. But, at least my emperor scorpion (which is supposed to be a boring species) has really impressed me (very reactive, and acitve) and my mantises have been great...

Anyway, to my point....How could I tell if my tarantula is a male? Because, I'm assuming that the reason it has been like this for the past 2 months is because it might be an adult male, which is practically a worthless animal that'll die anyway soon.

Thanks in advance, and I'm sorry if this question has been asked a million times before....my species is a chillian rose.

 

[Immortal_sin]

I would suspect, that if it were actually a mature male, it would be moving around quite a bit, looking for a way out, so he could go find a female!
First things first...how does the abdomen look? Does it have fresh water? Does it sit out in the open, or in a burrow, or hide?
How often do you feed, or try to feed it?
Rosehairs are probably the most confusing and enigmatic tarantula you can have. Their behaviour can be baffling, annoying, and just plain mysterious!
I say, as long as his/her abdomen looks round, and not shriveled, it's doing what it's supposed to do...just sit there!
As for telling whether it's a mature male or not, it will have distinct 'hooks' under the front pair of legs. It will also have rounded pedipalps, that some people describe as looking like boxing gloves. Finally, the male is usually much thinner than the female, not as bulky, and leggier. But it's difficult if you don't have another to compare to
Hope that helps!

Edit: oh, and some of my tarantulas don't react to my presence either, or move from the same spot, for what looks like days at a time...this is normal!

 

[Code Monkey]

I don't want to sound mean here, but your post is a perfect example of exactly why people shouldn't get any pet before they do their research. Everything you describe is exactly how tarantulas behave.

They don't eat all the time, and sometimes not for months. Unless you're poking at them (or you've got some of the really hyperbolic species) they generally could not care less that you're around. They don't do a whole heck of lot, period. They're more like beautiful display pieces that occasionally get up and do something with that slow, sloth-like grace and, yet, can then pounce with blinding speed when they need to.

You're not unlucky, just uninformed by your own inaction.

 

[Immortal_sin]

see, you got a nice reply, and a not so nice reply, ....but the message is the same: your tarantula is behaving normally

Go Nadkicker Go!

 

[chaset]

T's doing somthing.

I find if i want to see my T's doing somthing i usually look around 3am and i can find all of them out and about, My Poke is usually climbing about, my B Vagans is makeing some new and crazy web, in its water dish, or my Seemani is sitting out side of its house kicking bristles at me. None of them do anything around this time.

 

[Lycanthrope]

ouch code monkey, but hey the truth hurts;P

 

[Exodus]

Code, you need to work on ur people skills.

 

[MrT]

Code,
As ever, your right on the money. Your people skills are fine. Telling it like it is, is just " being straight up ". Hopefully most people wont be offended by straight forward answers. IMO

E

 

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by Ben B.
Code, you need to work on ur people skills.

Whatever do you mean? That was high diplomacy for me Like begets like in my book.

 

[King_Looey]

I think code told it straight, well done. People get all upset when i tell it straight. Wonder why.....

 

[jwb121377]

Originally posted by CS2x

Anyway, to my point....How could I tell if my tarantula is a male? Because, I'm assuming that the reason it has been like this for the past 2 months is because it might be an adult male, which is practically a worthless animal that'll die anyway soon.
[/QOTUE]

I know code monkey does the nad kicking here but I have a issue with what you said! I know you may not of wanted a male, however, there is no reason to call it worthless! It is still a *PET* you choose to care for, and that attiude is un-called for. Even if it was mature male you may still get a couple of good years from it. Well tarantulas dont have feelings the rely on their keepers to care for them. The only thing taht can come from your attitude is bad.

 

[Tarantula Lover]

Hi

before i got my spider i did a lot of research and i think you should to!

James

 

[mebebraz]

James is right, I felt he did alot of researh before hand.
I have a buddy that is in a wheelchair, unable to move from the neck down, is he "useless"?

 

[King_Looey]

i have a huge fat curly hair, he is too fat to do much, so he is useless. But to me, he means a lot.

 

[jwb121377]

king looey I wonder about you sometimes. You do always make laugh though..

 

[Chris]

The approach immortal took was to me the best... it is possible to tell it like it is without being a dick... yes we all get frustrated when newbs ask newb questions but...

HELLO!!!!!!!!

This is a questions forum jackass! Ostracizing someone for asking simple questions will only make them not want to ask anymore questions and that will lead to the tarantula possibly suffering.

When I started collecting T's 6 years ago I would have killed to have forums like this to answer my concerns. Luckily I accidentally picked a rose hair instead of the king baboon they had there... turns out I made the right choice. Back then tarantula info was scarse at best. These forums are probably the best thing to ever happen to the hobby so let's try and be a little more friendly to the less godly people than you ok monkey?

(This isnt meant to start a flame war so if you have anything to say to me do it by email please)

 

[Code Monkey]

As Chris requested, I have taken any "personal" grievances to private message, but I did want to address something in a more general sense.

I'm not one to suffer fools gladly in real life or online (imagine that). If the original post had actually been something akin to

Is anything wrong? My new Chilean rose refuses to eat and it's always pretty listless. Plus, I'm afraid it might be a mature male, how can I find out?

I would have either ignored it, or fired off yet another patient response - you don't get to 650 posts around here just because you like to run your mouth, you also like to answer questions.
But that's not what the post was like. First off, try to find the question the poster was asking (hint: there isn't one - the only question in their post is an illustrative one they ask to themselves to emphasise just how worthless their tarantula is). That poster came to a tarantula board and proceeded to declare that they were so unlucky because their new tarantula was just a stupid pet and almost certainly a stupid, worthless pet. (They then proceed to apologise for asking a question that must have been asked before even though they never did ask any question).

What exactly is there that deserves any sort of an answer, polite or not? I actually gave a very straight up answer to the implied questions, and I did point out that it would sound mean even though there is nothing remotely personal in it, just uncushioned fact. If that poster didn't find themselves welcomed with loving, open arms from me and left, then too bad. I'm not here to make people feel good about themselves, I'm here to engage in dialogues about invertebrates and whatever the other topics of the day are, as well as help people who can write an actual, thoughtful question and not just make an ignorant rant and expect everyone here to drop everything to rush off to the keyboard to help their ungrateful selves. These boards are an incredible resource, but you are going to get out of them what you put into them.

 

[Mister Internet]

Somewhere in this big cruel world, a pair of testicles is crying their little eyes out...