Guide to breeding tarantulas?

[l4nsky]

I've tried searching the boards but can't find any decent guides to breeding tarantulas-particularly the actual mating/pairing process. Can you show me an actual helpful thread?

http://arachnoboards.com/threads/dos-and-donts-of-breeding.283783/#post-2479591

http://arachnoboards.com/threads/first-breeding-attempt-tips.278996/

I found these two general guides in 15-20 minutes along with maybe 40-50 species specific threads with good general advice, not counting the actual breeding reports. The information is out there. The individuals here on this board and in this post are a very passionate lot and they will always welcome those who can match that passion about the subject, but can seem rather hostile if they feel the OP hasnt approached the subject with the same dedication and fervor. Dont be discouraged, learn how to learn, and keep stoking your passion for the hobby.

Thanks,
--Matt

 

[khil]

http://arachnoboards.com/threads/dos-and-donts-of-breeding.283783/#post-2479591

http://arachnoboards.com/threads/first-breeding-attempt-tips.278996/

I found these two general guides in 15-20 minutes along with maybe 40-50 species specific threads with good general advice, not counting the actual breeding reports. The information is out there. The individuals here on this board and in this post are a very passionate lot and they will always welcome those who can match that passion about the subject, but can seem rather hostile if they feel the OP hasnt approached the subject with the same dedication and fervor. Dont be discouraged, learn how to learn, and keep stoking your passion for the hobby.

Thanks,
--Matt

Thanks for the reply. I think I've got the general process understood now, my one question left is how to tell if a the female has been successfully impregnated. Am I looking to wait until the male touches his emboli to the females epigastric furrow?

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

I just read through this thread and just wanted to point out that the terms "gravid" and "pregnant" are synonymous. It's just that you never hear the term "gravid" being used for animals whose young develop inside the mother's uterus. Both terms are correct in the context of this discussion. Tarantulas, and all arachnids for that matter, are only pregnant (or gravid) when the ovaries start producing eggs and the abdomen becomes incredibly fat. I'm sure many here have seen mated tarantulas that became really big some time after pairing or scorpions that look like they are going to pop before producing young. Just because one sees a proper insertion of the male's emboli into the female's gonopore does not necessarily mean that female will produce eggs. There are plenty of times where insemination is successful, but the female molts before becoming gravid or never produces eggs without molting.

 

[l4nsky]

Thanks for the reply. I think I've got the general process understood now, my one question left is how to tell if a the female has been successfully impregnated. Am I looking to wait until the male touches his emboli to the females epigastric furrow?

Hola,

I think this maybe the root cause of your disconnect with the members here. Breeding T's isnt like breeding reptiles or amphibians. With the latter, pre conditioning in the form of temp manipulation, humidity manipulation or even rain chambers is the critical step. With T's, it's the opposite. After a successful pairing, the female stores sperm until she deems it's the right time to create new life. Therefore, post conditioning is the most important aspect to let the female know that time has arrived. That's why everyone is asking for a specific species, as each species triggers are different. Generally speaking, if you've witnessed a good insertion (watch some YT videos to see what you're looking for) and the female becomes ravenous and grows large in response to your post conditioning, she will likely be gravid.

Thanks,
--Matt

 

[khil]

Hola,

I think this maybe the root cause of your disconnect with the members here. Breeding T's isnt like breeding reptiles or amphibians. With the latter, pre conditioning in the form of temp manipulation, humidity manipulation or even rain chambers is the critical step. With T's, it's the opposite. After a successful pairing, the female stores sperm until she deems it's the right time to create new life. Therefore, post conditioning is the most important aspect to let the female know that time has arrived. That's why everyone is asking for a specific species, as each species triggers are different. Generally speaking, if you've witnessed a good insertion (watch some YT videos to see what you're looking for) and the female becomes ravenous and grows large in response to your post conditioning, she will likely be gravid.

Thanks,
--Matt

That works, thanks.



As for this "gravid" vs "pregnant" debate, AphonopelmaTX hit the nail on the head. I have no idea why some people were getting so fixated on this arbitrary terminology. It's like when some random kid looks at a beetle and says "what kind of bug is that?"....are there people actually pretentious enough to say "It's actually not a bug dumbass it's a beetle, bugs refer to hemipterans only"???

FURTHERMORE Look at dictionary.com's definition of gravid

gravid \GRAV-id\, adjective:
Being with child; heavy with young or eggs; pregnant.

preg·nant
–adjective 1. having a child or other offspring developing in the body; with child or young, as a woman or female mammal.
2. fraught, filled, or abounding (usually fol. by with): a silence pregnant with suspense.
3. teeming or fertile; rich (often fol. by in): a mind pregnant in ideas.
4. full of meaning; highly significant: a pregnant utterance.
5. of great importance or potential; momentous: a pregnant moment in the history of the world

Or look at this, one of many peer reviewed articles that refer to mammals as gravid https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article-abstract/45/4/598/852435

It's pretty clear it's an interchangeable term. Note that I never referred to tarantulas as "pregnant" but used the term "impregnated" for lack of a better word. I know that at least in the hobby, people use gravid for egg layers and pregnant for live bearing mammals. There was no reason to throw my thread off on a tangent for using that terminology.


Anyway I've gotten what I need out of this thread. Thank you so much to those who have helped.

 

[esa space station]

Maybe I'm dumb but I cannot find one on this website. Is there a good guide on the mating process (pairing time, ensuring female gets pregnant, etc)?

Theres another way to be really precise many books can be purchased online for each individual species i did with mine and translated 60 A4 pages from german to english even after reading many a breeding report .

 

[yetkin]

Technically, they do not become "pregnant"... they become "gravid." But, moving on from that... Here are some basics:

1. Know when both Ts have molted.
Females should be bred as soon after their last molt as possible to help lessen the risk that they will molt out.
Males have a shelf life once they mature. The fresher the male, the better.

2. Keep your male HYDRATED. Look for sperm webs.

3. For pairing, I recommend keeping the male and female enclosures near each other or sharktanking (keeping the male in a secure enclosure inside the female's enclosure) if possible for at least a few days before attempting a pairing.

4. Be prepared with tools to separate the pair if things go south and you want to try saving the male. Rarely, males will try to kill females also and they can also possibly be injured in a scuffle.

5. I recommend supervising all pairing attempts. Watch videos to know what a successful insertion looks like.

6. Probably should be #1, but, KNOW WHAT SPECIES YOU HAVE. Don't pair Ts bought from pet stores under common names. Acquire your specimens from reputable people who you trust to be honest about the species and origin of the spiders. Do not hybridize species or mix locales of the same species.



Definitely read the Breeding Reports for whatever species you are looking at breeding.

İts a old thread but can ı ask what you mean by molt out in your 1. Tip what happens if you pair them and female molts before giving a eggsac?

 

[l4nsky]

Then the female will not produce a fertile eggsack without being paired again. Females fertilize the eggs when they are laid, and until that time they store the male's sperm in their spermatheca. When they molt, they shed the lining of their spermatheca, losing its contents in the process.

 

[yetkin]

Then the female will not produce a fertile eggsack without being paired again. Females fertilize the eggs when they are laid, and until that time they store the male's sperm in their spermatheca. When they molt, they shed the lining of their spermatheca, losing its contents in the process.

Thanks