Is my baby a female?

[Arlo]

Hello, everyone!

I went to a reptile expo this morning to look at blue tongue skinks and ended up taking Shelob home with me She was an impulse buy (not recommended, obviously), but I have a ton of experience with a million other animals, and I'm very eager to learn everything I can about spiders.

Now, I was told Shelob hasn't molted yet, but the woman who sold her to me has 20 years of experience with tarantulas and was confident she was a girl. Could anyone confirm? The pictures are awful, bare with me. I just brought her home and was too excited for a proper photoshoot.

Also, I was told a 4 gallon tank would be enough for now, as a bigger tank would make it hard for her to find her food and water. Is that true? Should I change anything about her current setup?

Thanks in advance! Please, be kind to me, I'm here to learn

 

[WolfSpider]

Tank is fine--maybe a little more substrate near the rock. Don't want your T falling on that rock. ..and yes, it is a girl.

 

[Arlo]

Tank is fine--maybe a little more substrate near the rock. Don't want your T falling on that rock. ..and yes, it is a girl.

Thank you very much for your reply! I will immediately add more substrate and moss on top of that hide. Just out of curiosity, how can you tell it is a female?

 

[WolfSpider]

Ventral picture between the first set of book lungs you can see the curved gonioslit which represents the female sperm receptacle. The absence of a fusillum also suggests female. Please remember, ventral sexing is less precise than examining the exuvia.

 

[Arlo]

Ventral picture between the first set of book lungs you can see the curved gonioslit which represents the female sperm receptacle. The absence of a fusillum also suggests female. Please remember, ventral sexing is less precise than examining the exuvia.

Wow, this is super interesting. Thanks again for all this info. I will do my best to get her molt to confirm her sex, but everything is pointing to her being a girl

 

[octanejunkie]

Research, still the best game in town

How to sex your tarantula

The only real accurate way to sex a tarantula is by examining the epigynal area located between the anterior book lungs of the tarantulas shed skin but to do this you must first know what you are looking for. FEMALE ANATOMY This is a picture of the female sex organs located between the...

www.tarantulaforum.com

Welcome to the forum!
Why not post a hello in the Introductions section, too?

 

[Arlo]

Research, still the best game in town

How to sex your tarantula

The only real accurate way to sex a tarantula is by examining the epigynal area located between the anterior book lungs of the tarantulas shed skin but to do this you must first know what you are looking for. FEMALE ANATOMY This is a picture of the female sex organs located between the...

www.tarantulaforum.com

Welcome to the forum!
Why not post a hello in the Introductions section, too?

You are absolutely right. I will post an introduction soon! And yes, research is my number one priority right now. I've been watching videos all night lol

 

[octanejunkie]

You are absolutely right. I will post an introduction soon! And yes, research is my number one priority right now. I've been watching videos all night lol

Did the seller tell you what genus and species your T is? The scientific name, specifically...

Your best research would revolve around your species T and their husbandry needs

 

[Arlo]

Tlitocatl albopilosus. I've been watching videos specifically about this species. My main concern at the moment is making sure that she has enough space. I'm used to giving my animals the biggest enclosure I can possibly find, so it feels weird to be told there is such thing as an enclosure that it too big for a T. I will look into getting a 10 gallon when she is a little older and bigger.

 

[DustyD]

Yeah, it is a hard thing for me to grasp sometimes that tarantulas don't usually need a lot of space. A general rule of thumb I have seen for terrestrials such as yours is enclosure length 2-4 times the T's diagonal leg span and width about 2-3 times. Keep the top to substrate distance shorter. I aim for 1 to 1.5 times DLS to try to minimize fall damage.

And some keepers replace the screen top with something that still allows airflow but cuts the risk of the t getting it's foot caught in the mesh while dancing on the ceiling. I have an acrylic top, others simply put tape around a good portion of the top to prevent Ts from walking on it.

Enjoy t keeping. They really can be fun to take care of.

 

[Arlo]

Hey DustyD, thank you so much for your advice.

Right now Shelob is in an ExoTerra 8x8x8 which should equal a 4 gallon tank. I'm planning on purchasing a bigger tank as soon as she gets a little bigger.

As far as the lid goes, I've been reading many horror stories about Ts getting their paws stuck in the mesh, and have already placed an order for a replacement acrylic top with a small strip of mesh for airflow. I'm planning on drilling some holes in it as well for added ventilation.

Tonight she has been very busy building her web. Should I destroy it to add a bit more bedding to the enclosure? I feel like the more bedding I add, the less space for her web she'll have, but she might not care about that...what do you think?

 

[DustyD]

I had a similar situation with my Grammostola pulchripes and I just let her webbing alone as she obviously had plans, which turned out to be molting.

I am not familiar with your species, so I don't know how much digging they do. The ones I have like to remodel their hides and move things around. Not sure where yours is webbing, but I too might try to add some substrate on the hide as a possible cushion.


I have an Exo Terra 8x8x8 too, but have not used it yet, waiting for some kind of inspiration and for my T's to get a little bigger. One concern I have is my T's bulldozing the substrate to the front and blocking the air holes.

 

[Arlo]

I had a similar situation with my Grammostola pulchripes and I just let her webbing alone as she obviously had plans, which turned out to be molting.

I am not familiar with your species, so I don't know how much digging they do. The ones I have like to remodel their hides and move things around. Not sure where yours is webbing, but I too might try to add some substrate on the hide as a possible cushion.


I have an Exo Terra 8x8x8 too, but have not used it yet, waiting for some kind of inspiration and for my T's to get a little bigger. One concern I have is my T's bulldozing the substrate to the front and blocking the air holes.

Just woke up to find all of her decorations and water cap buried under soil. I'm a little hurt since I put so much time and effort into that setup, but I guess it's her home after all :') You were right on point when you said they bulldoze substrate to the front, covering the air holes. Still, I feel like there are enough air holes at the top of the tank, plus I read opening the front door of the enclosure daily helps with circulation.

They certainly are very funny creatures. Can't wait to see what she does next...

 

[Teresaisrad]

I have my T albo in the same enclosure. She loves to dig. Her name is Gimili. She will be ok in there for quite some time.

 

[Arlo]

I have my T albo in the same enclosure. She loves to dig. Her name is Gimili. She will be ok in there for quite some time.

What a great name Does she use her hide at all? I'm thinking maybe mine is too big but Shelob might start creating tunnels underneath at some point.

Glad to hear the enclosure will be good for a while, it's so well made and easy to move around!

 

[Teresaisrad]

Gimili just digs and stays under there for a hide. I didn't provide a hide knowing that they dig to make their own. It's up to you really if you remove it.

 

[Arlo]

Gimili just digs and stays under there for a hide. I didn't provide a hide knowing that they dig to make their own. It's up to you really if you remove it.

I will give it a week, then remove it if she doesn't use it once

 

[Teresaisrad]

Here’s mine. You can see her tunnels to the left and right

 

[Arlo]

View attachment 59695
Here’s mine. You can see her tunnels to the left and right

What a cutie..I just read a couple more things about hides and terrestrial spiders and of course you were right. They don't really need them. I will remove the hut, add more bedding and make sure to add a few pieces of bark. Hopefully the missy likes that

 

[Arlo]

View attachment 59695
Here’s mine. You can see her tunnels to the left and right

I followed your lead, removed the massive hut and added soil. She seemed pretty pleased. Where do you get dry leaves? I'm worried that the ones I can find outside could carry parasites.