• Are you a Tarantula hobbyist? If so, we invite you to join our community! Once you join you'll be able to post messages, upload pictures of your pets and enclosures and chat with other Tarantula enthusiasts. Sign up today!

URGENT. PLEASE ADVISE.

Phil

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
3,919
Location
UK.
OK, so some of you may have seen the Gooty UK thread where a female Gooty was being offered as original owner moving away. I picked the spider up on Wednesday evening and just collected the tank and everything in it (including the spider) as the owners sister had kindly brought it up a little nearer to where I lived. There was a molt in the cork tube but it was too dry/brittle to do anything with but I am almost certain that she is in fact a he.....very large approx 6" maybe more and leggy with a small abdomen (I know the latter could be down to the molt though) I only have a couple of pics which I will include below but there was some behaviour last night at 4am to be precise that leads to me to be almost certain it's a male without getting the underside shots. The tank I re housed i to is next to my bed and I was woken to rapid tapping noises. Checked what he/she was doing and it was strumming the pedipalp against most of the surfaces in the tank. So, getting to the point now.....
A) I understand this strumming is only performed by the male (when looking for a bit of spider love) is this correct?
B) The same tank was used to house my female that tragically died, so is it possible that the strumming is due to it sensing the presence of another spider? It was cleaned but the same logs retained etc.
C) Do females strum pedipalps?
D) Is this something that all spiders will do if they think k there is another in the enclosure....see point B) above.

There is no sign of a sperm web anywhere as was literally in the tank only a matter of hours before it woke me up. Moved to a different room now btw as I am knackered!
20160213_184705.jpg

I will update with pics of the underside as soon as I can.
 

Nicolas C

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
686
Location
Corcelles-près-Payerne, Switzerland
Phil, yours could be very well be a mature male: all your clues indicate it. Poecilotheria lack tibial spurs, but have the emboli. Try to post a picture of the underside of the pedipalps as soon as possible to be sure.

To answer your questions:

A) yes
B) could be, but some males drum even when no females are in proximity
C) no, as far as I know...
D) not all, some drum, some shake and drum (or only shake), some touch with pedipalps, it all depends. But the Poecilotheria's drumming is particularly loud and obvious. Like a good Keith Moon solo when females were around...!
 

Phil

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
3,919
Location
UK.
Phil, yours could be very well be a mature male: all your clues indicate it. Poecilotheria lack tibial spurs, but have the emboli. Try to post a picture of the underside of the pedipalps as soon as possible to be sure.

To answer your questions:

A) yes
B) could be, but some males drum even when no females are in proximity
C) no, as far as I know...
D) not all, some drum, some shake and drum (or only shake), some touch with pedipalps, it all depends. But the Poecilotheria's drumming is particularly loud and obvious. Like a good Keith Moon solo when females were around...!
Thanks for the response. Will update pics as soon as possible.
 

Phil

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
3,919
Location
UK.
And if you want to soften the old molt, you can put it in some water with a drop of dish soap for a few minutes. Then you can unfold it without any problems (unless it was chewed too much!).
Yep tried that but it was too battered.:(
 

Scoolman

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
1,091
Location
New Mexico
Mature males drum to identify themselves to the female, if the female is interested she will drum in response. Being that he is in a further females enclosure he may well be picking up her pheromones.
If you don't have a female, I am sure you can find someone who does and needs his services.
 

Phil

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
3,919
Location
UK.
Mature males drum to identify themselves to the female, if the female is interested she will drum in response. Being that he is in a further females enclosure he may well be picking up her pheromones.
If you don't have a female, I am sure you can find someone who does and needs his services.
And @Nicolas C ....please see pics that I think 100% confirm MM...am I correct?
20160214_220226.jpg
20160214_220203.jpg
 

Nicolas C

Well-Known Member
3 Year Member
Messages
686
Location
Corcelles-près-Payerne, Switzerland
Hey Phil, you are correct. It seems you have a mature male ready for some intercourses here: on your first picture, the two reddish spots are the emboli (if I'm not mistaken). If you can find him a lady, maybe you could bargain a 50/50 loan and receive about 75 tiny metallica slings! Mature male P metallica are really sought after.

And Scoolman is absolutely right when he says that females do answer by drumming too. I forgot about that in my short answer to you...
 

Phil

Well-Known Member
1,000+ Post Club
3 Year Member
Messages
3,919
Location
UK.
Hey Phil, you are correct. It seems you have a mature male ready for some intercourses here: on your first picture, the two reddish spots are the emboli (if I'm not mistaken). If you can find him a lady, maybe you could bargain a 50/50 loan and receive about 75 tiny metallica slings! Mature male P metallica are really sought after.

And Scoolman is absolutely right when he says that females do answer by drumming too. I forgot about that in my short answer to you...
Thanks, that's what I thought too. Some more pics from this morning may be a bit cleare. Was doing a full circuit of the tank.(See last pic)......thank god I moved him from my bedroom yesterday or I reckon I would have had another sleepless night!
20160215_081907.jpg
20160215_081805.jpg
20160215_082004.jpg
 

Latest posts

Top