Sex my B. auratum...

The Shadow

Arachnosquire
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Oct 26, 2006
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Sorry but these are the best pics I could get. Ill try to get better ones soon if need be. Thanks y'all.


 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
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Nothing screams male to me right off the bat, but those pics are pretty bad. You need some clearer pics and some closer ones.
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
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How big is that T?
They are clearer pics but the area we are looking at is blocked in both pics. Epigastric furrow, between the upper anterior book lungs. That’s where we need clear pics. Do you know where I am trying to point you to?
 

ornata

Arachnoknight
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Jun 4, 2007
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207
it seems to be an femal, since I cant see any spurs at the front of the underside of the tibia(legg 1)

I think all brachypelma males have this spurs
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
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He is not looking at a mature male, he is trying to ventrally sex this T. As of now he does not have a clue if its a boy or girl.
 

verry_sweet

Arachnobaron
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Jul 22, 2006
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Hey shadow what type of soil do you have in there? I’m just curious because in the very first pic it looks like a little fertilizer ball/granule in the back there. Plus it shouldn’t be climbing the walls like that if it were comfortable in it's environment. I know you were asking to have it sexed so I’m not trying to be a know it all I’m just wondering. Also maybe just a little bit more substrate for his safety in case of a fall would be food for thought. But it’s your T so you can do as you wish. I’m just nosy :eek: .

Good luck… hope it’s a female!!!

Steph
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
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Looks like he is using potting soil with loam and fish eggs. Yes fish eggs. They are in certain potting soils. Thats the yellowish shiny sort of clear ball you see in the first pic. And the loam is the other white things all over.
 

verry_sweet

Arachnobaron
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Looks like he is using potting soil with loam and fish eggs. Yes fish eggs. They are in certain potting soils. Thats the yellowish shiny sort of clear ball you see in the first pic. And the loam is the other white things all over.

Fish eggs? No kidding…. ok disregard my previous post….thanx Ryan for clearing that up for me.

Steph
 

The Shadow

Arachnosquire
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yikes, I have been using this kind of soil since september or so...sounds like I should switch to peat, like I was gonna...
 

IdahoBiteyThing

Arachnobaron
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Ditch the potting soil?

In the picture of the potting soil, the two items you are referring to are a) particles of perlite, and b) timed-release fertilizer pellets. Perlite, the white, irregularly shaped nuggets, are a naturally occuring siliceous rock that expands when heated, making it light, porous and water retentive. The round, fish-egg-looking things are timed-release fertilizer pellets that generally release nutrients for anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months depending on their composition. Probably (although I am not aware of any reported problems) not an ideal item for a T tank. I would think T's would be unlikely to ingest them, but IF they did, it would give them a pretty whopping dose of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and/or Potassium. I would ditch the soil. My opinion. Tony
 

Talkenlate04

ArachnoGod
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That is not fertilizer its fish eggs. Fish eggs and fish products in general are very good for your garden and potting soils. It's not going to do anything to your T, I have used that stuff off and on and never seen a problem.
If he were to pick up that yellowish ball it would pop and have fluid in it. Fertilizer of the time release variety is hard through and through and meant to dissolve over time when exposed to water.
 

IdahoBiteyThing

Arachnobaron
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pete and repeat

That is not fertilizer its fish eggs. Fish eggs and fish products in general are very good for your garden and potting soils. It's not going to do anything to your T, I have used that stuff off and on and never seen a problem.
If he were to pick up that yellowish ball it would pop and have fluid in it. Fertilizer of the time release variety is hard through and through and meant to dissolve over time when exposed to water.
Hey Ryan, we had this exact same discussion before, and you were going to research this one. Did you? I can find 0 references to fish eggs in potting soil anywhere, I even called our county extension office master gardeners, a local nursery, and googled this to death. The only answer I can find is that these are timed release fertilizers. I don't want to belabor the point, and maybe they are not harmful to T's, but I'm quite sure they are fertilizer and not fish eggs. As fertilizer, I would have to at acknowledge that there may be a potential to harm a T. Maybe if we knew specific brands of potting soil being used, we could ask the manufacturer for a definitive answer. I can tell you that MiracleGrow potting soil has an MSDS sheet that lists their fertilizer additives including ammonium nitrate, calcium phosphate, ammonium phosphate and potassium sulfate, and warns against ingestion or inhalation, but gives it a pretty low risk level (1) for humans. I think we should be 100% sure that these little spheres are either fish eggs or fertilizer, and whether they are truly harmless, or potentially dangerous. I just want to make sure we're giving accurate info. please note image of Osmocote fertilizer prills (the technical term for fertilizer little bally things) is this what we're seeing? Your humble servant, Tony
 
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Taceas

Arachnolord
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May 12, 2006
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They're fertilizer balls. :rolleyes:

All fish eggs I've ever felt are squidgey when you smoosh them, these balls in potting soil have a hard outer layer and a liquid inside, and when you crush them they're most certainly hollow.

I can't imagine them using fish eggs in potting soil anyway. Maybe as a after market fertilizer you can buy, similar to fish emulsion, but they're not going to put fish eggs in potting soil to rot, sorry but no can-do.

Personally I would ditch the dirt if its got fertilizer in it, balls or not. You can buy plain unadulterated peat moss at any Walmart or coconut coir from any petstore.
 

The Shadow

Arachnosquire
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Oct 26, 2006
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Should I take a pic of the bag? My camera sux, as you can tell in the previous photos. No its not just the guy taking the pics, my camera literally sux. lol..!
 
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