How old is my Tarantula and is the animal male or female?

[BenTarantula]

Hey guys. My first post. My first Tarantula. I don't know how to sex or age my Tarantula. I imagine more photos would be required to make this determintaiton, but the spider prefers to burrow. I purchased the spider three days ago.

 

[Arachnoclown]

Looks to be only a few months old. Impossible to tell the sex yet...maybe in a year or so.

 

[BenTarantula]

Thanks much for your response!

 

[BenTarantula]

Looks like he or she molted. Exciting!

 

[BenTarantula]

He or she molted again!

 

[BenTarantula]

Updated pic!

 

[octanejunkie]

Still too small to sex...

 

[BenTarantula]

No worries. Thank you for your response! I should rename the thread as now it is just about updates with my first spider.

 

[Oursapoil]

Hi Ben,
Congratulations on your first T and welcome to the forum. Would you mind to let us know the species?

 

[BenTarantula]

This is what the container says:

 

[Stan Schultz]

This is what the container says:

Please excuse me, but I feel the need to rant and rave a little here.

Whoever labelled that tarantula committed a whole string of sins. Namely:

1) The scientific name, even if it's just the genus name (e.g., Aphonopelma here) is supposed to be underlined or italicized.

2) While the Mexican state if probably correct, they misspelled it. It's "Tamaulipas." (BTW, I'm currently camped in Zapata, Texas, directly across the Rio Grande River/Falcon Reservoir from the panhandle of Tamaulipas.)

3) That name is highly suspect because its not a "well known" common name (think Mexican redknee or Tucson blond here). On this side of the Rio Grande River (less than a half-mile away from Tamaulipas) the two dominant species are Aphonopelma anax (Texas tan tarantula) and A. moderatum (Rio Grande gold tarantula). I've attached several photos of adults for your enjoyment. While it is entirely possible that "Aphonopelma sp. Tamalipas rose-hair" is a new species, it is at least equally probable that it's one of the two kinds mentioned above. While the Mississippi River is apparently a major obstacle to eastward tarantula migration in North America, the Rio Grand River between the USA and Old Mexico (often little more than a large creek), not so much.

4) A common mistake among collectors, newbies, and enthusiasts alike is to name their tarantulas as somethingoranother-hair. Be advised that tarantulas do not possess hair. Mammals such as humans, whales, pangolins, opossums, dogs, and donkeys have hair. It's a diagnostic feature to help in identifying whether the thing that has your finger firmly impaled with its teeth is a mammal or not! Try very hard to not use the term "hair" with respect to tarantulas.

Now that you've been told this, you've been elevated to the next higher level of sophistication, and will be held accountable if you violate that dictum! <roflmao>

And the fact that whoever labeled that carton violated all four rules/conventions leads me to think that they don't know what they're talking about, that they're just guessing. Or worse yet, copying someone else's errors. There's also a fair probability that it's merely more commercial hogwash intended to separate you from your cash.

If indeed it turns out to be A. anax, you indeed have a "primo" spider. They're long lived (15 to 25 years for a female), hardy, docile creatures, even if they're not incredibly flashy. You can postpone the neon-glow, bitey things for later. This one is a far better choice as a newbie's pet.

Note: To the rank enthusiast A. anax and another tarantula, A. hentzi (Texas brown tarantula) are nearly indistinguishable. I separate them by their geographic origin: A. anax is native principally to southern Texas, especially the Lower Rio Grande Valley and some distance inland, while A. hentzi is found more towards north Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and a few neighboring states. As far as pets are concerned, they're both exceptional tarantulas.

If it turns out to be a Rio Grande gold tarantula (RGG), it's not a complete washout though. RGGs are a smaller sized tarantula with an attitude problem. They don't live quite as long, (12 to 15 years, perhaps), but are much prettier. A friend of mine who got one was ecstatic over his, even though it bit him every second time he touched it. It seems his first tarantula was a Haitian brown (Phormictopus cancerides) that bit him literally EVERY time he touched it! But, RGGs make interesting cage pets that can teach you a lot about tarantulas anyway.

All three species of tarantula are kept in the traditional fashion as babies. After they've developed a prominent suit of bristles (NOT hair!), especially with an obvious patch of urticating bristles, they may gradually (over 2 or 3 molts) be switched to living in a generic, arid species cage and care regimen. In fact, the default technique for caring for adult tarantulas in general is more or less based on these species' care.

Enjoy your newfound little buddy!

(The RGG pictured here is a very young male. Adults will commonly have 4" DLS.)

 

[BenTarantula]

You've given me much to investigate!

 

[octanejunkie]

Jesus, @Stan Schultz, do you walk on water too?
Passionate response, sir.

 

[Poppy2020]

Yes, he does walk on water! Love the book— bought it over 10 years ago!

 

[octanejunkie]

View attachment 54678
Yes, he does walk on water! Love the book— bought it over 10 years ago!

I know, I have it too LOL

 

[Stan Schultz]

Yes, he does walk on water! Love the book— bought it over 10 years ago!

No, I do not walk on water! Sorry. But I do tread lightly around tarantula burrows! For example, I am now staying in an RV park (I live in a motorhome) just outside Zapata, Texas. In my yard I have at least two Rio Grande golds (A. moderatum) and one or two Texas trapdoor spiders (Ummidia, sp. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ummidia.) I check on them a couple of times a day. When I leave for Canada in a few days, I plan on throwing a little party for them, and leaving them here for my return next Fall.

But, the park host caught a very young Texas tan (A. anax) that I'm probably going to take back to Canada this Spring.

About the photo of your TKG3: You're not using it anywhere near enough. By now it's supposed to be dog-eared, coffee stained, with ketchup and mustard smears, maybe even beer stains, with all sorts of notes and cross references penciled in the margins, and post-it notes marking key pages. Maybe even with a few pages falling out! As a pristine, museum specimen it's next to worthless.

But, do not throw away the old, worn copies. Those are priceless. Bequeath them to your grand-kids, or donate them to a local library. Everybody in this world needs to discover what a tarantula REALLY is!

_______________________________________________________________________

Three evangelistic creatures that are simply intolerable:

A recovered alcoholic,

A born-again Christian,

And a converted arachnophobe!

<roflmao>
_______________________________________________________________________

The photos:
RRG-095046-020.jpg - Adult female Rio Grande gold (A. moderatum)
Aph_moderatum-Zapata-230.jpg - An RGG in its burrow. Not to be confused with the piece of weed resting across the entrance.
A-anax-20365-031.jpg - Very young, probably male, Texas tan tarantula.
Texas_trapdoor-20358-020.jpg - Can you pick out the trapdoor spider's burrow?
Texas_trapdoor-20358-021.jpg - There it is! I've circled it in red.
Texas_trapdoor-20360-020.jpg - I've propped the lid open with my pocket knife (~5" point to butt). And yes it's in there. You'll just have to take my word for it.

 

[Poppy2020]

“About the photo of your TKG3: You're not using it anywhere near enough. By now it's supposed to be dog-eared, coffee stained, with ketchup and mustard smears, maybe even beer stains, with all sorts of notes and cross references penciled in the margins, and post-it notes marking key pages. Maybe even with a few pages falling out! As a pristine, museum specimen it's next to worthless.

But, do not throw away the old, worn copies. Those are priceless. Bequeath them to your grand-kids, or donate them to a local library. Everybody in this world needs to discover what a tarantula REALLY is!“

Ah.....but you see I worked in libraries for nearly 20 years! I know how to take care of my precious books . That particular book even has a paperback protective plastic covering!

 

[Phobik1]

Please excuse me, but I feel the need to rant and rave a little here.

Whoever labelled that tarantula committed a whole string of sins. Namely:

1) The scientific name, even if it's just the genus name (e.g., Aphonopelma here) is supposed to be underlined or italicized.

2) While the Mexican state if probably correct, they misspelled it. It's "Tamaulipas." (BTW, I'm currently camped in Zapata, Texas, directly across the Rio Grande River/Falcon Reservoir from the panhandle of Tamaulipas.)

3) That name is highly suspect because its not a "well known" common name (think Mexican redknee or Tucson blond here). On this side of the Rio Grande River (less than a half-mile away from Tamaulipas) the two dominant species are Aphonopelma anax (Texas tan tarantula) and A. moderatum (Rio Grande gold tarantula). I've attached several photos of adults for your enjoyment. While it is entirely possible that "Aphonopelma sp. Tamalipas rose-hair" is a new species, it is at least equally probable that it's one of the two kinds mentioned above. While the Mississippi River is apparently a major obstacle to eastward tarantula migration in North America, the Rio Grand River between the USA and Old Mexico (often little more than a large creek), not so much.

4) A common mistake among collectors, newbies, and enthusiasts alike is to name their tarantulas as somethingoranother-hair. Be advised that tarantulas do not possess hair. Mammals such as humans, whales, pangolins, opossums, dogs, and donkeys have hair. It's a diagnostic feature to help in identifying whether the thing that has your finger firmly impaled with its teeth is a mammal or not! Try very hard to not use the term "hair" with respect to tarantulas.

Now that you've been told this, you've been elevated to the next higher level of sophistication, and will be held accountable if you violate that dictum! <roflmao>

And the fact that whoever labeled that carton violated all four rules/conventions leads me to think that they don't know what they're talking about, that they're just guessing. Or worse yet, copying someone else's errors. There's also a fair probability that it's merely more commercial hogwash intended to separate you from your cash.

If indeed it turns out to be A. anax, you indeed have a "primo" spider. They're long lived (15 to 25 years for a female), hardy, docile creatures, even if they're not incredibly flashy. You can postpone the neon-glow, bitey things for later. This one is a far better choice as a newbie's pet.

Note: To the rank enthusiast A. anax and another tarantula, A. hentzi (Texas brown tarantula) are nearly indistinguishable. I separate them by their geographic origin: A. anax is native principally to southern Texas, especially the Lower Rio Grande Valley and some distance inland, while A. hentzi is found more towards north Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and a few neighboring states. As far as pets are concerned, they're both exceptional tarantulas.

If it turns out to be a Rio Grande gold tarantula (RGG), it's not a complete washout though. RGGs are a smaller sized tarantula with an attitude problem. They don't live quite as long, (12 to 15 years, perhaps), but are much prettier. A friend of mine who got one was ecstatic over his, even though it bit him every second time he touched it. It seems his first tarantula was a Haitian brown (Phormictopus cancerides) that bit him literally EVERY time he touched it! But, RGGs make interesting cage pets that can teach you a lot about tarantulas anyway.

All three species of tarantula are kept in the traditional fashion as babies. After they've developed a prominent suit of bristles (NOT hair!), especially with an obvious patch of urticating bristles, they may gradually (over 2 or 3 molts) be switched to living in a generic, arid species cage and care regimen. In fact, the default technique for caring for adult tarantulas in general is more or less based on these species' care.

Enjoy your newfound little buddy!

(The RGG pictured here is a very young male. Adults will commonly have 4" DLS.)


View attachment 54670View attachment 54671

I've seen a few ads lately for A. Tamaulipas by some well known dealers and thought there was something odd about another kind of Rosehair that nobody knew about intil now. Some hype to get the sling price up cuz they are selling at $60 or so each. The Hentzi and Anax are on my wish list of Females as well as Chalcodes. Really cool Tarantulas. Way ta Lay It Down Schultz!

 

[Oursapoil]

I know, I have it too LOL

I think we all do

 

[BenTarantula]

I added a piece of egg carton to create hide for the spider. My concern right now is that the substrate is rather moist.