might start breeding pretty soon.

ArachnoFreak666

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i found a female A. geniculata online for $139.99 and i have the male. how high would you guys say the demand is for these Ts? because i obviously wont want to keep all the slings, except for 1. also is $139.99 for a 5"+ female A. geniculata a reasonable price?
 

CBickert

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I would argue that's a fair price for a female. It is at 5" and they get around 8" so it's still growing. I wouldn't breed until it got at least 7". Right now it's putting it's energy into growing.
As far as demand goes, <edit> $8 and other breeders on the classifieds have them for $12. You won't make a killing, but people love Acanthoscurria genus so you might be able to move them.
Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in.
 
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Ultum4Spiderz

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I would argue that's a fair price for a female. It is at 5" and they get around 8" so it's still growing. I wouldn't breed until it got at least 7". Right now it's putting it's energy into growing.
As far as demand goes, <edit> $8 and other breeders on the classifieds have them for $12. You won't make a killing, but people love Acanthoscurria genus so you might be able to move them.
Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in.
Yeah this is a excellent species, faster growing than LP also and about the same size 7-9". Id buy some in bulk price for a good deal :) U get so many price could be cheap.
 
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cold blood

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Yeah, they are popular, but also pretty abundant, plus they have huge sacs....You won't make much cash per say, but they should be easier to unload than many, if not most of the other similarly inexpensive species. Their popularity could make for good trade bait with some of the larger dealers as well.
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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Yeah, they are popular, but also pretty abundant, plus they have huge sacs....You won't make much cash per say, but they should be easier to unload than many, if not most of the other similarly inexpensive species. Their popularity could make for good trade bait with some of the larger dealers as well.
Perhaps but better to just sell to hobbyists, large dealers just re-sell back to us w/ way higher prices. Large dealers are very good though, for Ts with big eggsacks like LP. Lp should be cheaper with 1000 T sacks , weeed out weak slings I bet they would get bigger. Kind of like buying the same roach feeder only 3-10x price of normal roach sellers.
 
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cold blood

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Perhaps but better to just sell to hobbyists, large dealers just re-sell back to us w/ way higher prices. Large dealers are very good though, for Ts with big eggsacks like LP. Lp should be cheaper with 1000 T sacks , weeed out weak slings I bet they would get bigger. Kind of like buying the same roach feeder only 3-10x price of normal roach sellers.
Yeah, but if he's got 1000 slings to unload, that's a ton of time and effort. By taking chunks and trading them or other species you want you can still sell to hobbyists, but also get yourself free t's along with moving better numbers in one fell swoop.
 

Poec54

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I would argue that's a fair price for a female. It is at 5" and they get around 8" so it's still growing. I wouldn't breed until it got at least 7". Right now it's putting it's energy into growing.
That 5" female isn't ready yet, and shouldn't be put with a MM, as she could get killed. My biggest genic female had zero interest in mating at 7" in 2013. Tried several times. Then she molted, close to 8", and when I put the same male in, she was extremely receptive. The only downside, particularly from the male's point-of-view, is that the second he finished the insertions, she gave him a bear hug and sunk her fangs thru his head, I couldn't pry her off of him. In 2014 I'm waiting for her to lay a sac. She could molt and I'd have to start over. This is not a fast process, and my female's well ahead of the 5" one you're looking at.

A 5" female genic is still 2 or 3 sheds from maturity, so you have time. Considering the sac size, you might just want to wait and get a MM on breeding loan in a couple years. Slings are also tiny, like 1/4" or less. It doesn't take many genic sacs to saturate the market with slings.

Another word of advice: as a future breeder, when getting slings stop thinking in terms of one-of-this, one-of-that. You don't know the sex, and some die in molt. Get slings in groups, a minimum of 3, and preferably 5 to 10+. Otherwise you can die of old age before you get things going.

I've been back in the hobby for 2 1/2 years, and have hatched out 30 sacs (10 species) so far. That's been done with careful planning of acquisitions and having MM's on hand when my females mature. That means having females at least 2 years older than my young males. I think in terms of breeding groups: 2+ adult females of a species with a steady supply of juvenile males. For a female that produces 5 sacs in her life, 5 males are required. As you build up your females, you'll switch gears and need mostly males.
 
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DVMT

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As you build up your females, you'll switch gears and need mostly males.
Must be true. I see requests all over for MM of several species on a very consistent basis. I am ready to send off my 2nd MM in as many months for trades that the wife and I are more than happy with. I find building up our collection this way suites us fine. Took us a while for both males, I'd say 2 years+, to raise from 2" or so to maturity.
 

ArachnoFreak666

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That 5" female isn't ready yet, and shouldn't be put with a MM, as she could get killed. My biggest genic female had zero interest in mating at 7" in 2013. Tried several times. Then she molted, close to 8", and when I put the same male in, she was extremely receptive. The only downside, particularly from the male's point-of-view, is that the second he finished the insertions, she gave him a bear hug and suck her fangs thru his head, I couldn't pry her off of him. In 2014 I'm waiting for her to lay a sac. She could molt and I'd have to start over. This is not a fast process, and my female's well ahead of the 5" one you're looking at.

A 5" female genic is still 2 or 3 sheds from maturity, so you have time. Considering the sac size, you might just want to wait and get a MM on breeding loan in a couple years. Slings are also tiny, like 1/4" or less. It doesn't take many genic sacs to saturate the market with slings.

Another word of advice: as a future breeder, when getting slings stop thinking in terms of one-of-this, one-of-that. You don't know the sex, and some die in molt. Get slings in groups, a minimum of 3, and preferably 5 to 10+. Otherwise you can die of old age before you get things going.

I've been back in the hobby for 2 1/2 years, and have hatched out 30 sacs (10 species) so far. That's been done with careful planning of acquisitions and having MM's on hand when my females mature. That means getting having females at least 2 years older than my young males. I think in terms of breeding groups: 2+ adult females of a species with a steady supply of juvenile males. For a female that produces 5 sacs in her life, 5 males are required. As you build up your females, you'll switch gears and need mostly males.
yeah im not saying i want to buy her and then immediately start breeding them. i just want one because it would be reassuring to me to have both the male and female, so i wont have to go looking when i am ready and the Ts are ready. plus on top of that, the site i found her on is the only one that has a sexed female of that size. so i kind of want to jump on it while i have the chance

---------- Post added 11-22-2014 at 10:45 AM ----------

I would argue that's a fair price for a female. It is at 5" and they get around 8" so it's still growing. I wouldn't breed until it got at least 7". Right now it's putting it's energy into growing.
As far as demand goes, <edit> $8 and other breeders on the classifieds have them for $12. You won't make a killing, but people love Acanthoscurria genus so you might be able to move them.
Hopefully someone with more experience will chime in.
yeah im not to interested in the amount of money i will make, i just want to breed because its interesting to me and would be something cool to learn to do. i just wanted to know what the demand was like for these so im not sitting with a bunch of slings and having a hard to getting rid of them.
 

Poec54

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i just want one because it would be reassuring to me to have both the male and female, so i wont have to go looking when i am ready and the Ts are ready. plus on top of that, the site i found her on is the only one that has a sexed female of that size. so i kind of want to jump on it while i have the chance...i just wanted to know what the demand was like for these so im not sitting with a bunch of slings and having a hard to getting rid of them.
How big is your male genic? Hopefully not more than 2", or he may mature before that female's ready. Geniculata is a great species (big, hardy, colorful, and always hungry) and a 'must have' for most collections. But 1/4" slings scare off a lot of people. They sell much better after a few sheds.

BTW, I've recently seen some people selling 'sexed pairs' of juvenile T's (3" range), most likely from the same sac. While this is common with reptiles, I think it's a questionable practice with spiders, bordering on deceitful, as most beginners don't know that they can't breed a pair like that unless they really manipulate food and temps. For example, with some of the fast-growing tropical species, males can mature in 8-15 months, whereas females are usually more like 30 to 36 months. With most, if not all tarantulas, nature did not intend for siblings to mate with each other.
 

ArachnoFreak666

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How big is your male genic? Hopefully not more than 2", or he may mature before that female's ready. Geniculata is a great species (big, hardy, colorful, and always hungry) and a 'must have' for most collections. But 1/4" slings scare off a lot of people. They sell much better after a few sheds.

BTW, I've recently seen some people selling 'sexed pairs' of juvenile T's (3" range), most likely from the same sac. While this is common with reptiles, I think it's a questionable practice with spiders, bordering on deceitful, as most beginners don't know that they can't breed a pair like that unless they really manipulate food and temps. For example, with some of the fast-growing tropical species, males can mature in 8-15 months, whereas females are usually more like 30 to 36 months. With most, if not all tarantulas, nature did not intend for siblings to mate with each other.
he actually is over 2" i measured his last molt (not sure if thats too accurate) and it was 4" exactly. if your correct and he out grows the female, then i guess id have to go buy a male when the female is ready:/ lets hope thats not the case.
 

Poec54

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he actually is over 2" i measured his last molt (not sure if thats too accurate) and it was 4" exactly. if your correct and he out grows the female, then i guess id have to go buy a male when the female is ready:/ lets hope thats not the case.
If your male was 4" at the last molt, he's close to 5" now. He'll mature long before a 5" female. Scratch that plan. Timing is a huge part of breeding, and you still have a lot to learn, especially before you start throwing money around. Immature females should be about 2 years older than the immature males you want to breed them with. These two could have been sac mates.
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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That 5" female isn't ready yet, and shouldn't be put with a MM, as she could get killed. My biggest genic female had zero interest in mating at 7" in 2013. Tried several times. Then she molted, close to 8", and when I put the same male in, she was extremely receptive. The only downside, particularly from the male's point-of-view, is that the second he finished the insertions, she gave him a bear hug and sunk her fangs thru his head, I couldn't pry her off of him. In 2014 I'm waiting for her to lay a sac. She could molt and I'd have to start over. This is not a fast process, and my female's well ahead of the 5" one you're looking at.

A 5" female genic is still 2 or 3 sheds from maturity, so you have time. Considering the sac size, you might just want to wait and get a MM on breeding loan in a couple years. Slings are also tiny, like 1/4" or less. It doesn't take many genic sacs to saturate the market with slings.

Another word of advice: as a future breeder, when getting slings stop thinking in terms of one-of-this, one-of-that. You don't know the sex, and some die in molt. Get slings in groups, a minimum of 3, and preferably 5 to 10+. Otherwise you can die of old age before you get things going.

I've been back in the hobby for 2 1/2 years, and have hatched out 30 sacs (10 species) so far. That's been done with careful planning of acquisitions and having MM's on hand when my females mature. That means having females at least 2 years older than my young males. I think in terms of breeding groups: 2+ adult females of a species with a steady supply of juvenile males. For a female that produces 5 sacs in her life, 5 males are required. As you build up your females, you'll switch gears and need mostly males.
Very impressive breeding :) Most species take way longer than 2.5 years to grow I imagine you buy a lot of adults?

How often do males kill a undersized female? in breeding?
 

Poec54

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Very impressive breeding :) Most species take way longer than 2.5 years to grow I imagine you buy a lot of adults?

How often do males kill a undersized female? in breeding?
Most of my species are from high rainfall tropics, and grow fast, plus I keep them warm. Actually, most tarantulas are from the tropics. The 'average' for T species worldwide: males probably mature in 1-2 years, and females in 3-5 years. Desert and temperate species are much slower growing, due to a limited supply of food and water in their habitats for most of the year.

Most of my spiders have been acquired as slings or juveniles. I've gotten some adult/subadult females, especially if I have juvenile males. Some of my AF's have been w/c and I bred them soon after and gotten slings, but there's not many w/c T's being imported anymore; most country's are closed down. That's the nice thing about tropicals: fast growth. If my collection was all Brachypelma and Aphonopelma, I wouldn't have had any sacs yet in the last 2 years. I'm getting too old to bet the farm on producing slings of them.

I don't pair up undersize females, as they're much more likely to produce a small sac with a low survival rate. Not worth it. For example, using Poecs (my favorite): females have to be both 6" and 2 1/2 years old before I'll pair them up. The exception being metallica, which is a small species, for them 5" minimum. With ornata and rufilata, I want females to be close to 7". If you use females that are closer to full size, then they have more resources to divert into egg production. With small females, you have less resources to begin with (smaller abdomen capacity) and then that has to be shared by two competing major demands: growth and eggs; they can't do full justice to both. When growing Poecs molt, their abdomens shrink way down, everything possible went into growth. They come out of it skinny and starving. Once they're near full size, they retain a much higher percentage of abdominal reserves after molting. That tells you something.

Poecs are more tolerant of each other than the vast majority of T species. Pairing up other species, with a large MM and a small female (who may or may not be sexually mature), certainly can result in the death of one, seeing as how they're prone to cannibalism. Occasionally, a MM will kill a full size female (firsthand account's been posted here). Why rush a 'teenage' or 'preteen' female? It's much better to put more thought into it, and get the timing better.
 

ArachnoFreak666

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If your male was 4" at the last molt, he's close to 5" now. He'll mature long before a 5" female. Scratch that plan. Timing is a huge part of breeding, and you still have a lot to learn, especially before you start throwing money around. Immature females should be about 2 years older than the immature males you want to breed them with. These two could have been sac mates.
true, okay well ill just wait until he is fully mature then. but then i have a feeling im not gonna be able to find a fully mature female for him.
 

Ultum4Spiderz

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Most of my species are from high rainfall tropics, and grow fast, plus I keep them warm. Actually, most tarantulas are from the tropics. The 'average' for T species worldwide: males probably mature in 1-2 years, and females in 3-5 years. Desert and temperate species are much slower growing, due to a limited supply of food and water in their habitats for most of the year.

Most of my spiders have been acquired as slings or juveniles. I've gotten some adult/subadult females, especially if I have juvenile males. Some of my AF's have been w/c and I bred them soon after and gotten slings, but there's not many w/c T's being imported anymore; most country's are closed down. That's the nice thing about tropicals: fast growth. If my collection was all Brachypelma and Aphonopelma, I wouldn't have had any sacs yet in the last 2 years. I'm getting too old to bet the farm on producing slings of them.

I don't pair up undersize females, as they're much more likely to produce a small sac with a low survival rate. Not worth it. For example, using Poecs (my favorite): females have to be both 6" and 2 1/2 years old before I'll pair them up. The exception being metallica, which is a small species, for them 5" minimum. With ornata and rufilata, I want females to be close to 7". If you use females that are closer to full size, then they have more resources to divert into egg production. With small females, you have less resources to begin with (smaller abdomen capacity) and then that has to be shared by two competing major demands: growth and eggs; they can't do full justice to both. When growing Poecs molt, their abdomens shrink way down, everything possible went into growth. They come out of it skinny and starving. Once they're near full size, they retain a much higher percentage of abdominal reserves after molting. That tells you something.

Poecs are more tolerant of each other than the vast majority of T species. Pairing up other species, with a large MM and a small female (who may or may not be sexually mature), certainly can result in the death of one, seeing as how they're prone to cannibalism. Occasionally, a MM will kill a full size female (firsthand account's been posted here). Why rush a 'teenage' or 'preteen' female? It's much better to put more thought into it, and get the timing better.
Great breeding advice :).
Yeah Fast growing species , are my favorite but I do keep some slow growers.. Yeah a Male could kill a female, I just didn't know it happened that often I guess Ts are not well armored like scorps, pedes one bite could be fatal easily.
 

Poec54

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Yeah a Male could kill a female, I just didn't know it happened that often I guess Ts are not well armored like scorps, pedes one bite could be fatal easily.
The one post here that I remember about a MM killing an adult female it was paired with was a regalis, certainly not one you'd think would do that.

I have some slow growers too, there's some great species from dry areas. Mine are proving to be faster growing than some of the dire statements I've read about them. I got some juvenile G pulchripes last year, around 3", and two have recently matured into MM's. A 1 1/2" P muticus from the beginning of the year is now a little over 3". Warmth and a decent amount of food make a difference.

---------- Post added 11-22-2014 at 09:29 PM ----------

true, okay well ill just wait until he is fully mature then. but then i have a feeling im not gonna be able to find a fully mature female for him.
Probably not without spending a bundle. Your best bet is a breeding loan or selling/trading him.
 

VenomousMe

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I paid $65 dollars for a female A geniculata (about 6") from a breeder here on AB. I would not ever pay 135 for a common T, adult female or not. My recommendation is wait, and check the breeders here.
 

ArachnoFreak666

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The one post here that I remember about a MM killing an adult female it was paired with was a regalis, certainly not one you'd think would do that.

I have some slow growers too, there's some great species from dry areas. Mine are proving to be faster growing than some of the dire statements I've read about them. I got some juvenile G pulchripes last year, around 3", and two have recently matured into MM's. A 1 1/2" P muticus from the beginning of the year is now a little over 3". Warmth and a decent amount of food make a difference.

---------- Post added 11-22-2014 at 09:29 PM ----------



Probably not without spending a bundle. Your best bet is a breeding loan or selling/trading him.
I cant just sell or trade him. hes one of my favorite Ts. and how would I know im 100% going to get any of the slings when I do a bredding loan.
 
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