search for enlightenment

[dr_hemlock2]

Hello
I have been in this hobby for almost a year now acquiring knowledge and experience at raising and keeping tarantulas and it has been exciting and very interesting to me. Now I would like to take this step further I have acquired a few females of different species mostly terrestrial breeds and I would like some information and or links to information on the proper ways to start breeding different types of species. It would be nice if there was a step by step guide but I am not sure if there is one for each species. I figure someone has the experience and perhaps the time to help this old veteran out and get him started in a new direction in this hobby. I would welcome any links and comments on the raising also would like any reports of success or failures in this practice. I am always looking for info here and it is a good place to gather info for sure. I find I am going to have something to interest my mind while I am off. Thank you in advance
Doc

 

[cacoseraph]

one of the most overlooked aspects of breeding, it seems to me, is syncing up your spiders with your local seasons

i "cheat" and just leave my bed/bugroom window open pretty much 24/7/365 so i have winter lows of ~50*F and summer highs of ~100*F. this is outside the operational parameters of some bugs, though, for sure.

so far i haven't failed to get viables from breeding tarantulas 2 eggsacs/babies and 2 more females that have been bred but i am waiting for a molt or eggsac from


there is also the possiblity that mating your female multiply to the same male or multiply to different males increases her fecundity. this too seems to not be a common practice

 

[JMoran1097]

i really would love to start breeding, but I don't want to deal with the endless amounts of slings that would follow.

 

[Stan Schultz]

i really would love to start breeding, but I don't want to deal with the endless amounts of slings that would follow.

This does not have to be a problem.

In nature, only 0 to 2 or 3 out of every eggsac will ever survive to breed. The mortality rate is almost unbelievable. There are two results to this:

1. The world isn't overrun with tarantulas within 5 years.

2. Only the most lucky and most fit babies ever survive to pass on their genetic legacy.

When enthusiasts breed tarantulas in captivity they love every one of the offspring, and normally make no effort whatsoever to weed out the weak or deformed ones. In fact, they often make heroic attempts to save each and every one of little darlings from a quick and (often justified) death. So, we end up with tarantulas that fail to develop fully formed fangs, that have great difficulty molting (hence losing one or more legs, for instance), without spinnerets and a bunch of other defects.

The best strategy, instead, would be to leave all the babies together for a few weeks or even months to give them a chance to cannibalize each other. Of course a few good ones will get killed in the process, but the overwhelming majority of small, weak or deformed ones will also be weeded out. This can only help the hobby by helping to ensure that only the strong, healthy ones of good genetic character are allowed to reproduce.

Before you start screaming at me, you should be reminded that this same basic principle (selective breeding, not necessarily cannibalism!) has been in use for millenniums by dog breeders, horse breeders, even some human civilizations (e.g., the ancient Hawaiians) to strengthen their breeding stock.

So, go ahead and try breeding a few common tarantulas. Just plan ahead to let them winnow their own numbers down to 1/2 or even 1/3 of the original hatch to eliminate the bad ones and help you manage the numbers that you have left.

But what do you do with the remaining 300 B. smithi babies? Look in the "Dealers" section of this and other arachnid message boards. AFTER you have the babies in hand, contact each one to find out who might give you a few clams for them.

Or, merely advertise them on these boards for other hobbyists.

Or, take them to a local herptile show and set up a booth to sell/give them away. (Or make a deal with another exhibitor for them to sell them for a percentage.)

Or, give them away to friends and family members as Christmas, birthday, Valentine's Day, anniversary, etc. presents!

Sometimes you've just gotta get creative!

Hope this helps. Enjoy your tarantulas!

 

[dr_hemlock2]

update

natural selection is a good thing for sure as only the strongest should survive been this way from the start. what i was hoping to do is maybe get a sticky started for those of who are breeding can have a place to share the wealth on experiences they have had etc. i would especially be interested in the steps involved with different species i know it would be like trying to get the one best recipe for the best chili but since i have been here on this forum i have not noticed a place where breeders can post not just their reports "yields" but what they did to prepare to get those yields. i would especially like to see the different tools involved i am sure there are some for example for those species that are terrestrial i have seen pictures of the females with their egg sacs but i do not know how they got these pictures i mean did she bring them out for a photo shoot. also i would like a centralized place for info on the different breeds and their characteristics as to whether a egg sac should be pulled. it is too difficult to have to hunt around and gather this info at present.
thanks
doc
:drool: