Male tarantulas have a bad rap

[Sharno]

Hey all.

We know you want a female tarantula -- everyone wants one, and everyone is willing to pay a premium for a female rather than take on a lowly male. People want a female because they live longer (for the most part - the most common reason).

So you want a 20-25 year commitment to an animal, rather than a 3 - 5 year? (I am generalizing on the lifespans - but basically assume male lives # years and female lives # x 5 years.

When a male matures in your care, it's not the end of the road - you have the ability to trade him to someone breeding, or sell him to someone breeding, and get another tarantula. He's going to have a better end-of-life scenario.

Five years is a long time. How many people jump in and out of the hobby within two years? College kids with a dorm - great pet - but they graduate and then what?

If your intent is to honestly take a tarantula and commit 20+ years to its care, via moving, marriage, divorce, etc., that's great. But there's nothing wrong with taking on a male because their lifespan is still measured in years, not months.

The times I have had a male reach maturity I've either traded him for slings or other tarantulas or sold them to a breeder who wants to expand the hobby. Is there another reason males are shunned?

 

[lazarus]

3-5 years if you get it as a tiny tiny sling. If you get a juvie of a fast growing species you may end up with a mature male in less than a year.

 

[SuzukiSwift]

I see your point and kind of agree but also understand why people don’t want to purchase males unless breeding. If you know you’re buying a male then it’s likely already a juvie meaning that you’re getting more like 2-3 years (more or less depending on the species and conditions).

I’ve had many mature males over the years and they were dear to my heart because I raised them from slings, unfortunately where I am I can’t find people who will breed and care well for my males.

Males are great yes but would I buy one if I wasn’t planning to breed? Probably not, however I understand and encourage those who would. All Ts are amazing, male and female alike.

 

[Garetyl]

I kinda like having pets with longer lifespans. That being said, I won't say no to a very good boy and if any of my ts moult into mature males, they're staying here with me.

 

[jrh3]

The sex doesn’t matter too much to me. I like them both, but Maybe because females have more color generally and people want that wow factor. Not saying males don’t just females tend to be bigger and more colorful.

My favorite part of the hobby is watching them grow and molt so I'm good with either.

 

[Vanessa]

There is more to it than just their lifespan. People are also looking at resale value and being in a better position to breed themselves. It is much easier to be sitting on a female for years, than having to try to find a female for some species of males. I am sitting on a number of males that I am never going to find females for because they are just not common enough in Canada.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I am sitting on a number of males that I am never going to find females for because they are just not common enough in Canada.

I've got a couple MMs that appear to be quite rare in the UK/EU and the prospect of watching them wither and die because I can't find buyers or afford AFs for them is quite depressing tbh.

Both hooked out within 5 months of getting them as well (one's a fast growing dwarf species and the other was purchased as an "unsexed" juvenile) which sucks.

 

[docwade87]

I can see and understand both sides. I like the ideas of both. I don’t prefer one or the other currently.

 

[Dman]

I've got a couple MMs that appear to be quite rare in the UK/EU and the prospect of watching them wither and die because I can't find buyers or afford AFs for them is quite depressing tbh.

Both hooked out within 5 months of getting them as well (one's a fast growing dwarf species and the other was purchased as an "unsexed" juvenile) which sucks.

I bought my very small sp. Colombia lg in March at an Expo unsexed. One molt later in April it hooked out. Sucks when that happens. I recently traded him for credit towards a X. immanis sling.

 

[FrDoc]

I do not become attached to my spiders as some here (not criticizing in the least, that’s just me). So, I don’t care in the context of longevity. I do however have preference in another context, dimorphism. I buy slings exclusively, one at a time, and I actually don’t have some species that I really like because I don’t want to wind up with a drab, leggy male, instead of a colorful, buxom wench spider. Yeah, in some areas of life I’ll admit I am quite superficial.

 

[The Grym Reaper]

I bought my very small sp. Colombia lg in March at an Expo unsexed. One molt later in April it hooked out. Sucks when that happens.

That's even worse luck than me, my P. burgessi (purchased at 6cm DLS) moulted twice in my care and my H. sericea (purchased as a 2cm sling) moulted 3 times

 

[Willa]

I could see liking both, because on one hand you have a pet that could be with you for like a third of your life, but on the other hand males are nice if you're limited on space and whatnot, and want more turnover so you can enjoy more species!

buxom wench spider

Best phrase I have ever heard.

 

[Teal]

I prefer male animals in general as I tend to mesh better with them... and I have had some very beloved male Ts. It saddens me that people have so much disdain for them, honestly... Ts aren't parthenogenetic, so males are kind of essential to the survival of Theraphosidae.

 

[Thekla]

When I first read the thread title I thought it would be about drumming males with no sense for rhyme and rhythm.

At the moment, I have 4 confirmed males (2 of them mature) in my collection and I love all of them. But to be perfectly honest, although it'll be sad when they're gone someday, it's kinda nice to know there'll be space for new Ts in the future.

 

[Clareesi]

I have a 57 year old parrot who could live into his 80s so I'm used to long term commitment pets. With that, I dont mind males. I would just feel bad if I couldnt provide a female for one once he matures.

 

[Liquifin]

Feel bad for male tarantulas in this hobby. It feels like a leftist feminism movement pushed males into a corner.

Jokes aside, I can see why males are underappreciated, but I'm not gonna lie. I'm starting to see more females than males now on this forum (odd but true). I gotta say some male species of T. are just almost non-existent and are more in demand than the female counterpart. An example is the B. emilia in the US, I haven't seen a male B. emilia in almost ages and are more sought out than female B. emilia. I understand people don't want males when they do go get one, but at least get him off to a breeder because those people with female T.'s wouldn't be able to have a female T. if there wasn't a male T. to help reproduce that female/offsprings.

 

[MrTwister]

I have been lucky and have sent most MMs back to breeder. Usually getting two or more new slings from each. The few that have remained are actually some of my favourite to watch, because they actually move.

 

[Anoplogaster]

I think the thing that confuses me the most is people talk about males dying as if females won’t eventually die. Males just die sooner. And when they reach their ultimate molt, they take on morphologies and behaviors that facilitate breeding. MUST they breed? What makes breeding more of a duty for a male, but optional for a female? The idea that non-breeding males “wither away and die, never satisfying their sole purpose in life” is based on an anthropomorphized perspective that I generally don’t buy into. A male expresses the morphology and behavior, but it’s not going to eventually become sad and depressed if it doesn’t find a mate. It’s not capable of that emotion. So when I get males, I don’t tend to trade, loan, or sell them. Because they’re still my spiders. And I still enjoy them as a species. And the fact that they become more active when they reach maturity is more of a bonus to me, since their behaviors become much more interesting.

 

[MintyWood826]

It must be so sad to have a MM of a rare species knowing that he's going to die before you even find someone with that species, much less both the opposite sex and of breeding age in your country.

 

[Vanessa]

MUST they breed? What makes breeding more of a duty for a male, but optional for a female? The idea that non-breeding males “wither away and die, never satisfying their sole purpose in life” is based on an anthropomorphized perspective that I generally don’t buy into. A male expresses the morphology and behavior, but it’s not going to eventually become sad and depressed if it doesn’t find a mate. It’s not capable of that emotion. So when I get males, I don’t tend to trade, loan, or sell them. Because they’re still my spiders. And I still enjoy them as a species. And the fact that they become more active when they reach maturity is more of a bonus to me, since their behaviors become much more interesting.

I can't agree with this more. It's the same thing when men are against their dogs and cats being neutered. It's the person who has a problem with a male animal not mating before it dies, there is absolutely zero evidence that the animal could care less. Yes, some males do pace around, but I have plenty of females who do as well. I have also had a number of mature males who were very chill and never paced at all.
I do like to trade my males, though. In the hopes that I get a couple of offspring and eventually a female. If I already have a female, I'm not too concerned about it and he lives out the balance of his life with me. I don't subscribe to this whole pressuring people to mate their males thing. If they want to, then go ahead, but if they don't then I leave it at that.