Posting on behalf of a colleague... sexing a tarantula?

Re: Posting on behalf of a colleague... sexing a tarantula?

James Laidlaw — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:01:59 GMT

[quote user="Mark Rowland"]

[quote user="Niall Taylor"]

What on earth for - are they thinking of having it spayed?

[/quote]

Hmm how about a suprelorin implant, they seem to be in vogue

[/quote]

Or a concious dental perhaps?

Re: Posting on behalf of a colleague... sexing a tarantula?

Lorna McHardy — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:42:52 GMT

[quote user="Niall Taylor"]

[quote user="Jenny Smith"]One of the other vets has noticed she has a tarantula... booked in next week... to be sexed. [/quote]

What on earth for - are they thinking of having it spayed?

Niall

[/quote]

<choke>

Re: Posting on behalf of a colleague... sexing a tarantula?

Lorna McHardy — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:41:19 GMT

[quote user="Jenny Smith"]

One of the other vets has noticed she has a tarantula (no more details re: exact species etc) booked in next week for a health check and for the spider to be sexed. We're a bit stumped!

Any helpful hints and tips?

[/quote]

Yes, find out what the vet did to upset the receptionist/nurse who booked it in!! The power they have over us....

Re: Posting on behalf of a colleague... sexing a tarantula?

Michael Woodhouse — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:04:18 GMT

[quote user="Sarah Keir"]Except it likely that the owner will be mortified that they may have given the wrong name to the tarantula! It will have to be re-named![/quote]

Suggest a sexually ambivalent name - Alex the spider has a ring to it............

Re: Posting on behalf of a colleague... sexing a tarantula?

Bob Russell — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:33:46 GMT

Easy in theory but notoriously tricky when you only have one specimen in front of you!

Have you got anyone happy enough to 'handle' it? Any idea what species?

A Chile(an) Rose will usually be very quiet but some red knees can be crabby. Don't put your face close to look especially if they are happily flicking hairs at you - you don't want them in your eyes!

Just check if they have a shed skin! The ventral abdomen is usually easier to view.

Even the experienced can get it wrong so don't panic!

Re: Posting on behalf of a colleague... sexing a tarantula?

Mark Rowland — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:23:51 GMT

[quote user="Niall Taylor"]

What on earth for - are they thinking of having it spayed?

[/quote]

Hmm how about a suprelorin implant, they seem to be in vogue

Re: Posting on behalf of a colleague... sexing a tarantula?

Mark Rowland — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:17:48 GMT

They probably want to know if it will live longer than 3 (which is a good age for a male). In general males have smaller abdomens and longer legs. Adult males also have bulbous pedipalps and tibial spurs. Posting a digital macro image of its ventral abdomen would also help.

Shown is an adult male: Upper arrow is the tibial spur, lower is a pedipalp

Goodluck

Re: Posting on behalf of a colleague... sexing a tarantula?

Niall Taylor — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:10:51 GMT

[quote user="Jenny Smith"]One of the other vets has noticed she has a tarantula... booked in next week... to be sexed. [/quote]

What on earth for - are they thinking of having it spayed?

Niall

Re: Posting on behalf of a colleague... sexing a tarantula?

Sarah Keir — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:26:43 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

The other way is to toss a coin. If it is a 'pet' living on its own the likelyhood is that it will not matter much to the owner!

[/quote]

Except it likely that the owner will be mortified that they may have given the wrong name to the tarantula! It will have to be re-named!

Re: Posting on behalf of a colleague... sexing a tarantula?

Bob Russell — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:39:52 GMT

Most reliable way I know is to send a moulted skin to an expert!

http://www.birdspiders.com/faq_sex.php

London Zoo did one for me a long time ago. We have two in our consulting room and a few others dotted about the place. At its peak we had over 100!!!

The other way is to toss a coin. If it is a 'pet' living on its own the likelyhood is that it will not matter much to the owner!

Re: Posting on behalf of a colleague... sexing a tarantula?

Mark Hedberg — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:39:02 GMT

So basically, if your tarantula is young, it's best to wait until they're *gulp* bigger. :)

Re: Posting on behalf of a colleague... sexing a tarantula?

Mark Hedberg — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:38:26 GMT

tarantulas.com/sexing.html

Male Or Female?

Although mature males may be obvious once you learn the characteristics, they often look very similar to the female prior to the ultimate molt. It is true that adult females are generally larger (often significantly so) and more heavily built than males, and that their chelicerae (the "jaws" that terminate in fangs at the front of the body) are proportionately broader. But these are subtle differences that require some experience to use and several specimens to compare. They can even fool the experienced keeper. Below we discuss the most accurate method of sex determination, the microscopic examination of molted specimen to detect the absence or presence of spermathecae only found in females. We also mention a good method of visually sexing tarantulas by careful examination of the epigastric furrow region on the underside of the abdomen [or opisthosoma] and link to an informative page on another site that details this method. Although it can be difficult to use this method reliably in young tarantulas, even novice keepers can often sex their adult tarantulas by careful study of the illustrations provided.