Signs of being gravid?

JoeyExotic

Arachnopeon
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Feb 26, 2021
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Hey, I had purchased a paired P.Regalis. I was wondering what signs I should look out for to determine if she is gravid or not. Also, about how long typically until the abdomen starts to look abnormally large?
 

l4nsky

Aspiring Mad Genius
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Jan 3, 2019
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  • Large abdomen
  • Increased appetite/out in the open more often hunting
  • Increased webbing to prepare
Any idea when she was paired or what her conditioning has been (feeding frequency, increase/decrease in temps or humidity etc?)
 

Smotzer

ArachnoGod
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Jan 17, 2020
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Like said, but All you can do is wait, and hope it doesn’t molt out if it was actually paired.

These kind of deals are always a little bit of a gray area, I personally don’t trust it unless I trusted and knew the person who paired it, when it last molted, when it was paired, feeding, proof, etc.... maybe you know all this but didn’t say.

where did you purchase it from?
 

JoeyExotic

Arachnopeon
Joined
Feb 26, 2021
Messages
2
I purchased it from someone local that I do trust for the most part. She was actually part of a communal, and still in with the male when I picked it up.

it’s only been a month. So, I didn’t really expect to be seeing signs yet outside of maybe increased appetite. I was just curious on what to be on the lookout for.

This is definitely my first time around with working with a female that has been paired. So any tips would be appreciated.
 

l4nsky

Aspiring Mad Genius
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Jan 3, 2019
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So breeding tarantulas is entirely different from breeding reptiles, amphibians, fish etc. For the latter animals, it's all about pre-pairing conditioning. You essentially have to get them in the mood prior to the actual introduction by modifying their temps, humidity, feeding schedule, light exposure etc and do it inline with what they would experience in the wild. For tarantulas, this strategy is flipped 180 degrees as post-pairing conditioning is essential. Female tarantulas store sperm until they decide the conditions are optimal to create and raise an eggsack. If those conditions never occur, then she will just molt out, lose the stored sperm, and start over from square one. The only pre-pairing conditioning needed for tarantulas is to make sure both parties are well fed to reduce the chance of cannibalism. After the pairing, you'll need to modify the tarantulas temperature, humidity, and feeding schedule inline with what they would experience in the wild to inform your girl that she can successfully raise an eggsack to slings. Each tarantula has different parameters and I'm sure you can find what has worked for other people by reading the breeding reports on AB or using the search function to find relevant threads. You might want to ask the original owner if he knows the last molt date for your girl or if he actually witnessed an insertion by the male. Both of those are key pieces of knowledge to have. Typically, my big female regalis molts once every 10-12 months. Ideally, you'll want to have her paired within the first 3 months of her last molt to give yourself time to trigger an eggsack.
 
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