Hey succesful breeders! Question...

[Scorpionking20]

Hey guys. I'm getting more into the hobby with plans on breeding GBB/versi/pulchra within the next year, and I am really looking forward to working with these species and spreading the fruits of my labor. I've had quite a bit of experience (Not as much as many here, but much more than most people) keeping Ts, but I've never attempted breeding.

I've a beautiful A metallica girl that molted near a month ago and just found a mature male yesterday at the lps, hooked out and all. So I thought I'd try my hand with these guys before I move to more expensive species to gain a little more experience first.

My questions are twofold.

1)My girl is very healthy looking, her abdomen is a little small but she's refusing food (hopefully a good sign) and is just under 6" distal leg span on her last molt (that was her molt, so I'm not sure if she's 6" or not now). He's about half her total size, but with a dls of about 5'ish.

Do males of such a smaller size make good breeders? And have you successfully mated with males being much smaller than females?

2) As he's mature already and I got him yesterday, I've not seen him make any sperm webs, but his palps are huge. Is there a way you can tell if he's already loaded up? And if he's loaded already, will he not make any sperm webs until he mates with a female and deposits what he has?

Thanks for any advice/help/answers guys. I'm really looking forward to seeing these two go at it. They are both beautifully blue and have amazing white setae on them. Very, very fluffy, and both have really great temperaments.

 

[dianedfisher]

Freshly molted female with fresh male are a breeder's dream. The size of the male is unimportant. He'll get the job done just fine. I like to use a breeder box and let the pair "find" each other. Just throwing the male in with a female is so crass. Sometimes it takes more than 48 hours for my pairs to come out and successfully copulate, but I have a very low "munch" rate on males. I think they appreciate my efforts. Feed both T's and then open their respective cages within a larger container. The male then can retreat to his habitat if he wishes. It's funny, but often my males retreat to the FEMALES habitat and the females end up in the MALES. Good luck. Avicularia are a great species to start your breeding program. Di

 

[venomous.com]

It's funny, but often my males retreat to the FEMALES habitat and the females end up in the MALES.

Jeez, you too? This happens to me virtually every time I put em together. Then I have to peel stickers and swap them on the cages to keep everything in order

 

[BrettG]

Yep,our males ALWAYS run to the females retreat after doing the deed...And to the OP,Avic metallica are a GREAT way to start breeding. They are very easy to pair,dont seem to agressive,and dont need any special requirements to breed really.As long as your female is a couple months into a molt,you should be fine. But be warned,it can take FOREVER for a female that size too actually make up her mind and molt.

 

[Scorpionking20]

Yep,our males ALWAYS run to the females retreat after doing the deed...And to the OP,Avic metallica are a GREAT way to start breeding. They are very easy to pair,dont seem to agressive,and dont need any special requirements to breed really.As long as your female is a couple months into a molt,you should be fine. But be warned,it can take FOREVER for a female that size too actually make up her mind and molt.

I can see that they don't want to molt when you want them to! When I got mine, she was very thin and very premolt. She came out and took 2 weeks to harden up, and I've fed her on a regular basis even though she often refuses food (See my "Catch and Release" thread) She's not huge right now (in the abdomen) but seems very healthy and has started to web over her enclosure with some very pretty webbing between bark and the wall...what's interesting is its very low.

To the above posters, thanks for the tips. I have them both in 10 gallons with non-sliding lids, so I don't think I can shark tank them as I don't have a huge enough container to put them in. Any other tips for a situation like that? Other than putting the male far from the female?

 

[xhexdx]

Jeez, you too? This happens to me virtually every time I put em together. Then I have to peel stickers and swap them on the cages to keep everything in order

This happens to me, too.

To the OP: Please make sure they're both the same species before you breed them. Avicularia is kinda muddy, if you know what I mean.

 

[Scorpionking20]

This happens to me, too.

To the OP: Please make sure they're both the same species before you breed them. Avicularia is kinda muddy, if you know what I mean.

I was kinda concerned about that too, but at the same time comfortable with them. Unless 2 blue avics with white'ish setea are off, I think I'm set. If you guys have something else for me to take a look at before I pair them I'd be more than happy to hear your' thoughts! I understand the genus is messed up, and if there are any other signs they may be differing species I could look for please share.

 

[xhexdx]

I'd like to see pictures of both spiders.

 

[Scorpionking20]

I'd like to see pictures of both spiders.

It's Joe, right?

Anyways, I'll get some pictures of him once he comes out. He's already made a tube web (busy little bee! Pretty cool...all my others have taken a long time to settle in) so when I notice him out and about I'll send pics for you to confirm. I'm not feeling like hybridyzing and while confident they are the same species, I'm really not in a rush to have them meet either. I can afford to take my time anyways since he's not made sperm webs.

On a side note, as I recieved him as a MM, is there a way to tell if he's carrying sperm already? Will they continue to make sperm webs even if they are "loaded" already?

Thanks for your' guys' comments! Keep it coming.

 

[xhexdx]

Yeah, I be Joe.

If you want to dissect his palpal emboli, you can tell if he's loaded. However, I wouldn't recommend this. :}

He'll continue to make sperm webs, yes.

Avicularia MMs don't tend to live very long after maturing (when compared to MMs of other species), so you might want to be a little hastier with getting pics and trying to pair them. They say mature males are only good for their first few months after maturing, so your guy's clock is ticking.

 

[Scorpionking20]

Wow...thanks for the info Joe. I'll try to grab some pictures tonight or tomorrow if I can. I may wait to see if he'll make some sperm webs first though as I don't want to disturb him. I fed him today, but dropped a cricket into his new tube web and I don't think a pic from the top of the tube web would be enough to actually see anything. I can barely see legs and knew he got the cricket because I could see his spider dance through the tube. Very adorable. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again for the help...blunt or not, information from the more experienced is always appreciated in my book.

 

[gumby]

Can I just say its refreshing to see people encouraged to breed animals! Im on a chinchilla forum and im not planing on breeding my chins any time soon but the second I mention ive got males and females they jump on me about not breeding unless ive got pedigree animals.

at the op I thinnk I have had this problem with other species in the past the male running and such. I dont think I had the right species so be carw

 

[Scorpionking20]

Ok Joe and anybody else, is this A metallica? Pics of my girl have been shown on other threads and I'm sure you've seen them, as many people showed me she was actually an A metallica (rather than an A avic)

Hope this pic is good enough...he was out and about then ran away when I opened the lid. At least you can see some white hair though.