Breed and sex verification

[MandiP]

Hi all! I'm new here... We've had our tarantula a couple yrs now but never quite sure of its breed and sex... Help? We "rescued" it from an owner who didn't want it... We named it 'Charlie' so it fits male or fem It's VERY docile and loves attention and socializing with us.

Sadly yesterday our youngest son dropped it and broke its foot We "fixed" it up with a drop of super glue and the bleeding stopped and it seems to be doing just fine today so that's good.

Anyways any help with species and sex would be greatly appreciated! Thx!

 

[MandiP]

Oh, if it helps ((since the pic is kinda dark)), its back is a pretty pink color as is some fur on its legs

 

[Nada]

It's a Grammostola Rosea (rose hair) and for a gender you'd need to post a pic of the under side.

 

[TheGreatWhiteKoos]

Yes, Definitely G.Rosea. Post a ventral so we can determine the sex.

 

[plessey]

It is a mature male Grammostola porteri/rosea ncf/whatever they are being called in the hobby these days.

 

[Nada]

Ha! I didn't even see the gloves, my eyes must be slipping lol

 

[MandiP]

Ooh great! Thx all!
So curiously, how can you determine the sex and age?

 

[Bast]

Age is kind of relative (unless you know a hatch date)...it's more going on size as to whether or not it's spiderling, juvie, sub-adult, adult. Mature males have Tibial Hooks (not all species get the hooks though) on their front set of legs (which are used to hold the female up during mating), and they will have bulbous pedipalps (kind of like boxing gloves), where as females will not get these. As for sex, you want to get a good look at the underside of the tarantula near where the abdomen joins with the 'head' of the T. A female will have an epigastric furrow, which is where the male deposits the sperm, and a male will not....some spiders are more easily sexed via moult as opposed to just looking at the underside (I still can't decide on my A.avic...i change my mind all the time depending on position and lighting...so waiting for a moult to be sure).

 

[ipreventdeath]

From what I have read (noone is 100% certain of this), the males will generally mature between 5 and 8yrs of age in the wild. Chances are he was wild caught. After the males reach maturity, they tend to pass within a year or so. Sometimes they can live longer, but it's rare. Not to bring you down or anything...