Sharing my mild disappointment

[setsunadiava]

I got my very first store bought arachnid four months back. It was a beautiful Eresus walckenaeri, sold to me as a confirmed female juvenile. I knew nothing about spiders at the time and I have bought many more spiders from the dealer since.
Today she molted out male. White strips on the legs, red with black dots on the back, the whole deal. I hate how disappointed I feel. I swear I really love Lily and I hate that I do feel disappointed.
Just sharing my experience.

 

[MBullock]

I got my very first store bought arachnid four months back. It was a beautiful Eresus walckenaeri, sold to me as a confirmed female juvenile. I knew nothing about spiders at the time and I have bought many more spiders from the dealer since.
Today she molted out male. White strips on the legs, red with black dots on the back, the whole deal. I hate how disappointed I feel. I swear I really love Lily and I hate that I do feel disappointed.
Just sharing my experience.

When it comes to trues, you can sex the penultimate male by observing the palps- penultimate males will have palpal bulbs present and they will be under-developed.

 

[DustyD]

Your disappointment is understandable and felt by many of us at one time or another. Misidentification of sex is fairly common, I think. Enjoy him for what he is and maybe find a breeder that could provide more reliable information or posdibly send him out to a breeder in the hopes of getting some slings from the pairing.

 

[setsunadiava]

The dealer has offered to exchange him with another from the same egg sack for me, but looks like mine was the first to mature so he still doesn’t know if the ones he has are male or female.

 

[setsunadiava]

I think lily molting out male after my dealer thought he was female has shaken his faith in his ability to tell the sex apart.

 

[Blackdog]

It could have been due to the sheer number of slings that either the dealer or the breeder could have accidentally mishandled the container? Otherwise once bitten twice shy and that is why I buy local

 

[Lentulus]

I hope you’re feeling better. Seems like you have a good dealer to work with that’s willing to make things right. Such a small spider, I bet it’s very challenging to sex.

 

[m0lsx]

Sold to me as a confirmed female juvenile.
Today she molted out male. White strips on the legs, red with black dots on the back, the whole deal. I hate how disappointed I feel. I swear I really love Lily and I hate that I do feel disappointed.
Just sharing my experience.

You are not the only one who has this experience or feeling. I had it twice from one order to a well known European dealer, so I stopped buying sexed juvi's / matures from him, as I read about others having the same experience. But his prices on slings were good. So I still brought from him.

Really, there is little that can be done. We all make mistakes. So unless it was a known regular mistake via this dealer, then, it could have been a genuine mistake.

Personally, I do not buy sexed juvi's, or adults, unless they are from a source I know I can trust. I mainly either buy a few slings, buy from hobbyists I know I can trust. Or I buy via a private advert, where the enclosure etc make it well worth the price. And I have had some real bargains via private ad's.

 

[setsunadiava]

You are not the only one who has this experience or feeling. I had it twice from one order to a well known European dealer, so I stopped buying sexed juvi's / matures from him, as I read about others having the same experience. But his prices on slings were good. So I still brought from him.

Really, there is little that can be done. We all make mistakes. So unless it was a known regular mistake via this dealer, then, it could have been a genuine mistake.

Personally, I do not buy sexed juvi's, or adults, unless they are from a source I know I can trust. I mainly either buy a few slings, buy from hobbyists I know I can trust. Or I buy via a private advert, where the enclosure etc make it well worth the price. And I have had some real bargains via private ad's.

This dealer is very good, he has the part of the molt attached to the tarantula tub, this was maybe an honest mistake. He immediately offered to rectify the issue after all. I can’t let it go since I paid for a sexed female so it was a bit expensive. :/

 

[setsunadiava]

It could have been due to the sheer number of slings that either the dealer or the breeder could have accidentally mishandled the container? Otherwise once bitten twice shy and that is why I buy local

Oh I buy very local, as in I visit the store to buy. He did have four from the same sac at the time so maybe they got mixed up? Regardless I hope the one I’m getting exchanged is in fact female. It’s weird that mines done maturing and the rest from the same sac are still on their way.

 

[m0lsx]

It’s weird that mines done maturing and the rest from the same sac are still on their way.

It is not weird if you stop & think about it. The fact the male has matured first means he cannot inter breed with his own egg sack. I think Darwin described it as nature adding papers (exam papers?) to the sexual exam.

 

[Blackdog]

Oh I buy very local, as in I visit the store to buy. He did have four from the same sac at the time so maybe they got mixed up? Regardless I hope the one I’m getting exchanged is in fact female. It’s weird that mines done maturing and the rest from the same sac are still on their way.

I got a mystery sling as they unboxed 300 from the same breeder and a label slipped off. $20 got me a Mexican fireleg

 

[setsunadiava]

I got a mystery sling as they unboxed 300 from the same breeder and a label slipped off. $20 got me a Mexican fireleg

Wow. Very jealous here

 

[MBullock]

It is not weird if you stop & think about it. The fact the male has matured first means he cannot inter breed with his own egg sack. I think Darwin described it as nature adding papers (exam papers?) to the sexual exam.

Im glad you mentioned this, because you remind me of an interesting adaptation within Bolas spiders
Mastophora cornigera males emerge from the eggsac tiny and sexually mature, and are usually dead by the time their sisters have matured!

 

[m0lsx]

Im glad you mentioned this, because you remind me of an interesting adaptation within Bolas spiders
Mastophora cornigera males emerge from the eggsac tiny and sexually mature, and are usually dead by the time their sisters have matured!

Darwin, if I remember correctly. Used girls making necklaces from flowers to explain his theory. . The flowers came in two forms & the girls could only make their necklaces from one form & Darwin realised that the very thing that made these flowers suitable, or unsuitable for necklaces, also stopped these two species from cross pollinating.

Nature is very clever about protecting itself.

 

[setsunadiava]

Darwin, if I remember correctly. Used girls making necklaces from flowers to explain his theory. . The flowers came in two forms & the girls could only make their necklaces from one form & Darwin realised that the very thing that made these flowers suitable, or unsuitable for necklaces, also stopped these two species from cross pollinating.

Nature is very clever about protecting itself.

Absolutely fascinating! Does that mean there might be a chance those other three might be female? In any case I’ve decided to keep my new boy, sure the disappointment was heavy but it’s still the same lily who I raised with so much love and care. When it’s time and if I can find a female for him I’ll let nature take its course. Till then I’ll continue to admire what a beautiful creature he is.

 

[DustyD]

Yup I agree. And you may observe and learn new things with the male.

 

[setsunadiava]

He hasn’t fully emerged yet, but here he is, peeking out. He’s still unbearably cute.

 

[setsunadiava]

He hasn’t fully emerged yet, but here he is, peeking out. He’s still unbearably cute.

 

[setsunadiava]

Sooooo I talked to my dealer and he’s assured me that lily will definitely live at least a few more years! And that since I decided to keep him, he’ll cut me a good deal the next time I buy from him, and that the moment any of the Eresus walckenaeri molt female I’ll be contacted. So it’s a happy end for us all. Thank you for listening and leaving all the lovely comments.