This ever happened to you?

[8Pat]

Hi everyone!

I was trying to mate my rosies this weekend. Upon introducing the male to the female she first attacked him. But I thought it was more of a threat display like it sometimes happens in those circumstances. I didn't notice it right away, it happened quite fast, but after they mated I saw bleeding on the male abdomen. I took emergency action and stopped the bleeding by dusting him with flour.

I know it's pretty common for females of many species to attack and even kill and eat their mate but with rosies?... Has anyone ever had a male rosie killed by a female while attempting mating?

Good day!
8Pat

 

[The Red Queen]

IME, rosies, as well as some of the most docile tarantulas (like Brachypelma sp), can be the most vicious when it comes to mating.

And oddly enough, the most aggressive tarantulas (Ex: OBTs) can be the most gentle during mating. Go fig :?

 

[Alice]

well, interesting, i have made a similar experience.

some ts relatively slow to display any defensive behaviour (in my case a. versicolor and g. pulchra) were very aggro during mating and i had to save both males' lives with my tongs. incredible, my puppy-sweet pulchra tried to eat her mate twice!

on the other hand, i have noticed that with quite defensive species (like pokies, obts) the females are much gentler with the males. strange, isn't it?

 

[Talkenlate04]

I have had this happen as well. A few years back I was mating a Rosea pair and it seemed to have gone well, there was the initial burst of aggression and they settled down and did the deed. But later in the week the female crawled up to the top of her hide and was spread out in a fairly normal position. Then the tank started to stink, when I lifted her up there were puncture wounds under her that had slow leaked and she died.

Hope they recover!

 

[P. Novak]

I agree, my females were usually aggressive to my male after about the third mating, but it's definately not unusual for them to act aggressive during any mating at all.

One of my females attacked and took the males leg off. After resting for a couple of weeks, another female attacked the same male and bit his adbomen. He died a few weeks after the last attack