size

[corij]

h all i, im new here and new to tarantulas , i recently bought a B.Vagans adult female. i was reading that they get to be a solid 6 inches ,so how would you judge a solid six inches to be ?

id guess mine is 4 or 5 depending on how its walking . when its sitting hunched up id say 3 inches

 

[Ghost]

Hi and welcome to the forum and the hobby,When it comes size you should be looking at diagonal leg span to give you a size for your T.....

 

[Therasoid]

h all i, im new here and new to tarantulas , i recently bought a B.Vagans adult female. i was reading that they get to be a solid 6 inches ,so how would you judge a solid six inches to be ?

id guess mine is 4 or 5 depending on how its walking . when its sitting hunched up id say 3 inches

Measurement is DLS (Diagonal Leg Span), the tip of the inner front leg to the tip of the inner rear leg on the opposite side of the body. This is standard measurement in the U.S., other countries measure body length.
For an accurate length I use a fresh molt and lay it out flat, otherwise its an estimate on a live T due to its legs being bent.
Btw, welcome to the forum and a highly addictive hobby. B. vagans are a sweet species. [emoji3]

 

[corij]

maybe mine is a solid 6 inches after all! [ if im imagining measuring it diagonally with its legs straight out ] it surely must be 6 inches . i guess the only way id know for sure is to see a few others to compare . the lady i got it off said it was XXL but to my eyes it doesnt look big about size of a small mouse

 

[Thivo]

Hi there and welcome...
Probably it is still less than 6"... I am also imagining how you measure your B.Vagans, and it is really hard... Same like you, I am also asking advice and searching the web on how is the easiest way to measure our T's and while searching I found this post and I hope it will help you too...

In a nutshell, no. Virtually every scheme that has been proposed has some serious failing. Here are some of them:

1. Tarantulas change shape and proportions
a. As they grow.
b. As they gain weight.
c. As they drink.
d. As they mature.

2. Living tarantulas are remarkably reluctant to let you measure them.

3. Shed skins are stretched way out of proportion so they aren't very good references under the best of circumstances.

4. The measurement you take depends on whether the tarantula is relaxed or tense, outstretched or wadded up, etc.

And lots more confounding issues.

"Sam Marshall (Tarantulas and Other Arachnids, 2001) has suggested using the length of the femur of the front legs as a good measure by which to compare tarantulas' sizes. This is probably a much better measure for scientific purposes than any other because this dimension would not vary appreciably depending on the tarantula's state of obesity or hydration. However, it still carries major problems when comparing animals of different sex or species. Also, from the enthusiast's point of view, one must admit that stating that one's tarantula has a 4.67 centimeter femur length just doesn't have the same impact as stating that it has a thirty centimeter leg span!" (Third edition of The Tarantula Keeper's Guide, in process.)

As a result, just about any measurement that's given is really only a guesstimation and often subject to a lot of "poetic license." It's been said that women always lie about their weight, guys about their height, and tarantula owners about the size of their tarantulas.

Generally, the two measurements most commonly used are

1. Leg span. The distance from the tip of one front leg to the tip of the rear leg on the opposite side when the tarantula is in a relaxed, stretched-out posture.

2. Body length. The length from the front of the tarantula (i.e., the most forward part of its chelicerae) to the rearward most part of its opisthosoma (abdomen) exclusive of the spinnerets.

For most immature tarantulas and mature females, the ratio between these two measurements is about 2:1 within reasonable levels of accuracy; so you can translate from one measurement to the other when making comparisons. Adult male tarantulas vary too much in proportion to be able to make any such ratio claims.

 

[corij]

cheers for the info ^ i must admit that Before i got into the hobby i thought [from what id seen on TV ] that tarantulas were bigger than what i now realize they are. i had a stereotypical view .
Since buying mine iv also seen some really small specimens [rosies for the most part] on sale as adults. im now thinking that is because everyone wants an adult so sellers are bending the truth , and that most are in reality juveniles. i could be wrong but thats just how im seeing it.
Time will tell on my own tarantula size wise

 

[spidey noob]

i just meshure the leg span as sugested above, dont see the need to over complcate it.