Which is the better option

[Ratmosphere]

So I want to buy an Aphonopelma chalcodes but need to choose which option fits best. I can either get a 3" unsexed captive bred for 30 dollars or a 5" wild caught female for 50 dollars. Which would be the best option?

 

[Vanessa]

Why are they still unsexed at 3"? Are they coming from an experienced seller or a personal collection? Does the same person have 3" females for sale? I am always suspicious that they are male when they are being sold unsexed at that size. Yes, I understand that some hobbyists are not able to sex them at that size, and I have purchased females that size and larger who were sold as unsexed because of it, but too many people do that to get rid of sexed males.
I know that this is a slow growing species, and $30 is a great price regardless because they will be around for a long time even if they are male, it just really rubs me the wrong way when people are untruthful like that in order to sell known males. Just call them a male, discount them, and suck it up.
I would try to get a ventral shot of the one who is 3" and see what people say.

 

[chanda]

I am always suspicious that they are male when they are being sold unsexed at that size. Yes, I understand that some hobbyists are not able to sex them at that size, and I have purchased females that size and larger who were sold as unsexed because of it, but too many people do that to get rid of sexed males.
I know that this is a slow growing species, and $30 is a great price regardless because they will be around for a long time even if they are male, it just really rubs me the wrong way when people are untruthful like that in order to sell known males.

I have noticed that, too! Last spring I needed a bunch of good-sized (adult or subadult) South American tarantulas in a relatively short time for a Geography Day
presentation, so I hit Craigslist. The majority of the spiders were sold as "unsexed" - and almost all of them have turned out to be male. (The jury's still out on a few of the younger ones.)

 

[Vanessa]

I don't think that not wanting to be lied to is an unreasonable expectation. And not wanting to be taken for a fool is not unreasonable either. There are dealers out there who have males on their price list, that are heavily discounted, and then there are dealers who have females, unsexed, but no males. Those are the ones that I will avoid if at all possible. Don't tell me that you randomly picked ten tarantulas out of a group of twenty and the first ten you looked at were the females, that you have for sale for a huge price increase, and you stopped looking at the rest of them when you found those ten. No, you looked at all twenty of them, determined that ten were female and ten were male, and now you are just lying to your customer and building their hopes up that they might get a female when they won't. And all for just a few extra bucks.
That is a lousy way to do business and I have owned my own business and I can appreciate that you have to make money. However, in the long run you are going to lose your clients when they find out that you have been dishonest with them. And yes, they will figure it out because they are not as stupid as the seller thinks they are. It is lying and cheating to make a buck and that is not the way to do business if you want to be successful in the long term.

 

[Walker253]

If the seller has multiples, they are probably grouped. I'd ask for the smallest 5" female. Most Aphonopelma live seemingly forever. I have a 5" female and a 3" female. That big girl is absolutely impressive.
Now for the 3" unsexed. Male chalcodes are dark brown, not blonde. I'm not a 100% sure if the males start blonde and then turn dark brown when they mature or not.

 

[KezyGLA]

The growth rate of these awesome sp. is awfully slow. I would grab the WC female.. You will be waiting an eternity for the 2".

As for sellers listing Ts upward of 2" and still being unsexed I do get a little suspicious. However, they may have been bought in bulk from somewhere else and were bought as unsexed. Maybe they just havent been able to get a good exuviae from a few specimens and cant be sure. Better advertising as unsexed than female if not 100% which also seems to happen more than it should.

 

[Ratmosphere]

The seller is well known in the hobby. She says that the 3" ones are juveniles if that makes a difference!

 

[Venom1080]

go for the female. WC or not.

 

[KezyGLA]

lol that doesnt make much of a difference. With this sp. at 3" it would be a large juvenile. The average a max between 4-5"

 

[Bugmom]

If the seller has multiples, they are probably grouped. I'd ask for the smallest 5" female. Most Aphonopelma live seemingly forever. I have a 5" female and a 3" female. That big girl is absolutely impressive.
Now for the 3" unsexed. Male chalcodes are dark brown, not blonde. I'm not a 100% sure if the males start blonde and then turn dark brown when they mature or not.

I can tell you that hentzi males are striking when they mature - they go from tan carapace and brown legs to a rosy gold carapace and jet black legs. So freaking pretty.

But back to the question at hand - I would get the juvenile because you have no idea if that 5" female is going to live another 10 years or a month.

 

[Vanessa]

At 3" you can see the difference on a ventral shot and hold off selling those who are looking female until you can determine 100% from the next moult. They want to know because a female might go for over $100 and they want to get that for as many of them as they can.
I bought an unsexed 1.5" Euathlus sp. Red recently for $40cdn. I knew full well that the person selling them either confirmed male or suspected male, or they would have kept them to sell for $200+ as a confirmed female in the next few months. I still bought him because, with their slow growth rate, having a 1.5" male is worth every penny at $40. Especially since I have three others that I am hoping will give me one female, at least. I posted a ventral shot here and the feedback I got was male. Even at that size, people can have a pretty good idea and keep the females back to confirm with a moult.
My point is that an honest breeder will have males, females, and unsexed in their price list because in their search for profitable females they have absolutely come across males. I question any seller who only has females and unsexed - especially when they are in the 3" range.

 

[Bugmom]

I question any seller who only has females and unsexed - especially when they are in the 3" range.

I understand people are gunshy, but I had 4 GBB slings and they were all, in fact, female. I had 5 P. irminia slings, and 4 of them were female. Out of 4 A. ezendami slings, 3 were female.

 

[Vanessa]

I understand people are gunshy, but I had 4 GBB slings and they were all, in fact, female. I had 5 P. irminia slings, and 4 of them were female. Out of 4 A. ezendami slings, 3 were female.

Did you purchase them at 3"? Spiderlings are not 3".

 

[viper69]

So I want to buy an Aphonopelma chalcodes but need to choose which option fits best. I can either get a 3" unsexed captive bred for 30 dollars or a 5" wild caught female for 50 dollars. Which would be the best option?

If the unsexed one is CBB get that one, unless you are on-board for raping the environment get the WC one. If you get the WC no one knows its age. Would you buy a car if you didn't know long it was going to last???

 

[Bugmom]

Did you purchase them at 3"? Spiderlings are not 3".

I've raised them all from slings.

 

[viper69]

I understand people are gunshy, but I had 4 GBB slings and they were all, in fact, female. I had 5 P. irminia slings, and 4 of them were female. Out of 4 A. ezendami slings, 3 were female.

That's unusual, spraying estrogen in their tanks??

 

[Ellenantula]

I always go for sexed female. I don't breed but I do want a long-lived pet.
I am skeptical, but anything over 3" inches and unsexed = male.
Yeah, I have been wrong millions of time in my lifetime. But still, someone can successfully breed but not determine gender???????????
I will pay a LOT more for female sexed.

 

[viper69]

I always go for sexed female. I don't breed but I do want a longtime pet.
I am skeptical, but anything over 3" inches and unsexed = male.
Yeah, I have been wrong millions of time in my lifetime. But still, someone can successfully breed but not determine gender???????????
I will pay a LOT more for female sexed.

Or is too lazy or doesn't care to do so I've run into many sellers at times like this, even a breeder or two.

 

[Vanessa]

I've raised them all from slings.

Then of course they are unsexed. Every seller has only one type of spiderling - unsexed. My problem is with a seller who has multiple juvenile females on their price lists, along with unsexed at the same size... but no males. Some of those unsexed individuals are males and it is not honest to be selling them as unsexed.

 

[Vanessa]

Or is too lazy or doesn't care to do so I've run into many sellers at times like this, even a breeder or two.

How many sellers do you know who are too lazy to determine whether they can get $30 for a tarantula or $150? I don't know any who won't make the effort to find a few that will make them more than ten times the money.