Should I Breed Her?

NickolaiFinukov

NickolaiFinukov

Arachnopeon
Joined
Dec 25, 2013
Messages
6
So, I have been in the hobby for... I'd say four or five years now and my oldest Tarantula, Fasha (http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/attachment.php?attachmentid=132297&d=1417152141), a large Grammostola Rosea well into maturity struck me with a strange itch that I garner most collectors eventually feel, which is the itch to try and breed their specimens.

Now, I am completely uninterested in trying to make a profit selling Tarantula Slings. There are people FAR more experienced than me who can devote a lot more time to their little eight legged children than I can currently. HOWEVER, she is my oldest and, dare I say, most loved baby & I worry that she may be close to being past breeding age to far down the road and I would miss out on an opportunity to allow her to pass on her genes.

Of course the other problem would be finding keepers for all the little things! As we all know, Grammostola Rosea is notoriously common in the hobby and if I were to successfully breed her I couldn't bear the idea of simply killing any of the spare slings. Where would I go to sell them or trade out here in spudland Idaho, I ask myself.

NOW! The Actual Questions

#1: How did you (reader) gain your first experience Breeding? When did you get the urge to do it and how did it go? If you haven't bred, have you ever had the urge to do it?

And

#2: What on God's Green Earth do breeders DO with all of them? Yeah, I know some of them run stores and thus have a running drain on the sling count... but what about the general hobbyists who just get the urge to do so? What about them?

#3 (Optional) any suggestions for my conundrum?
 
Ultum4Spiderz

Ultum4Spiderz

Arachnoemperor
Arachnosupporter
Joined
Oct 13, 2011
Messages
4,655
ARACHNO-SMACK48 said:
I am about to start my first breeding project in just a few days. I am breeding T. stirmi!
Click to expand...
Good luck they must be hard to breed slings are out of my price range $100ea usualy. I could buy wholesale, if it was a lotttt cheaper:biggrin:.

I am trying to breed my B vagans but female wants to munch the male.
 
awiec

awiec

Arachnoprince
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
Messages
1,325
1. I had my experience breeding true spiders (I haven't bred tarantulas yet), I just found a female, fed her well and then found a male and watched them dance.
2. Breeders can contact wholesalers to buy their slings from them, sell them on their own or trade them.
3. Advice for you, you'll call me heartless, I would let the slings cannibalize each other until you get a manageable number as sadly CB rosea's aren't in high demand and they sell for dirt cheap. I wouldn't be surprised if you would be able to sell them to a wholesalers for 10 cents a piece.
 
1

14pokies

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Messages
1,735
Ultum4Spiderz said:
Good luck they must be hard to breed slings are out of my price range $100ea usualy. I could buy wholesale, if it was a lotttt cheaper:biggrin:.

I am trying to breed my B vagans but female wants to munch the male.
Click to expand...
I think the reason that there so expensive is the low egg count..25-50 I hear is common. The slings are huge tho 3/4 to 1in at 1st instar. I hope arachno-smack48 documents his breeding trials and shares it here on ab. I have had a few people tell me over the years that they bred this species but for all I know its fish story's. But one enthusiast I trust told me it was pretty straight forward he said the 1st sac he got was flat because the females burrow was to small so she couldn't turn it properly. Once he corrected this he said he got 3 sacs from 2 females and egg count ranged from 25 for one sac 38 from another and his largest was 50.
 
A

ARACHNO-SMACK48

Arachnoknight
Joined
Oct 29, 2013
Messages
284
I will try to document the process but I am currently having trouble uploading pics to AB so it may just be a written documentation. I really hope the pairing goes well and my female becomes gravid and produces a big healthy sack.
 
NickolaiFinukov

NickolaiFinukov

Arachnopeon
Joined
Dec 25, 2013
Messages
6
awiec said:
1. I had my experience breeding true spiders (I haven't bred tarantulas yet), I just found a female, fed her well and then found a male and watched them dance.
2. Breeders can contact wholesalers to buy their slings from them, sell them on their own or trade them.
3. Advice for you, you'll call me heartless, I would let the slings cannibalize each other until you get a manageable number as sadly CB rosea's aren't in high demand and they sell for dirt cheap. I wouldn't be surprised if you would be able to sell them to a wholesalers for 10 cents a piece.
Click to expand...
I appreciate the advice. I wouldn't call you heartless, really, it's better to let them do the natural thing rather than sell some and then have to kill them myself. So, I guess it makes the situation a little bit more grey. There's a local pet store, or maybe I could make a posting on craigslist to see how may people I could get to want to invest in one.

THANKS
 
assidreemz

assidreemz

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
68
NickolaiFinukov said:
I appreciate the advice. I wouldn't call you heartless, really, it's better to let them do the natural thing rather than sell some and then have to kill them myself. So, I guess it makes the situation a little bit more grey. There's a local pet store, or maybe I could make a posting on craigslist to see how may people I could get to want to invest in one.

THANKS
Click to expand...
Dude, they are just bugs but first of all, dont breed spiders if you dont know what youll do with them therefore your solution would be killing them intentionally. Second, as you obv are attatched to your rosea, why crush her legacy by producing a bunch of unwanted slings, with them being to widely spread in the hobby ATM, again with the end result being you snuffing them out as soon as they begin to exist??
 
1

14pokies

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Messages
1,735
assidreemz said:
Dude, they are just bugs but first of all, dont breed spiders if you dont know what youll do with them therefore your solution would be killing them intentionally. Second, as you obv are attatched to your rosea, why crush her legacy by producing a bunch of unwanted slings, with them being to widely spread in the hobby ATM, again with the end result being you snuffing them out as soon as they begin to exist??
assidreemz said:
Well said! "me" Hey honey look I just hatched out my rosea sack,there second instars! "My gf" o baby that's great, congratulations!!! "Me" I have no clue what to do with them,wanna watch me smush'em? Lol!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
kongekilde

kongekilde

Arachnosquire
Joined
Oct 23, 2012
Messages
67
My first breed was G.rosea (24 years ago ) and it was awsome trying it, the first time was for me the most awsome time and i never forget it :)
If i breed a sp i cant sell i give Them away as freebees :) but normal i use the freebes for when i sell and put Them in as extras; )
From My first time and to now i have done so many eggsac's i cant Even count and finde easy breeding sp to Borring so try My Best
With only 3 genus and some off the more rare sp now :) this way i dont end up feeding 1000 off slings
 
Sana

Sana

Arachnoprince
Joined
Oct 26, 2014
Messages
1,139
You could always send your extras over here. I'm always happy to have more T's.
 
Poec54

Poec54

Arachnoemperor
Joined
Mar 26, 2013
Messages
4,745
NickolaiFinukov said:
#1: How did you (reader) gain your first experience Breeding? When did you get the urge to do it and how did it go? If you haven't bred, have you ever had the urge to do it?
#2: What on God's Green Earth do breeders DO with all of them? Yeah, I know some of them run stores and thus have a running drain on the sling count... but what about the general hobbyists who just get the urge to do so? What about them?
Click to expand...
1 - Put two adult spiders together and supervise them. Watch them and learn. Not that hard, they do most of the work. They had the 'urges', not me.

2 - I've hatched out 30 sacs in the last 18 months. I sell/trade most of my slings to dealers so I don't get overwhelmed packing and shipping out small orders all day. Some people sell their surplus in the classifieds on this site. If you don't know how to find homes for the slings, don't breed.
 
assidreemz

assidreemz

Arachnosquire
Joined
Sep 10, 2014
Messages
68
Ultum4Spiderz said:
+1 Id like some G rosea are so cool as babys I imagine.
Click to expand...
I got a G. rosea sling as a freebie and shes awesome!! Tackles prey right off, anytime I touch her enclosure she starts patrolling the perimeter to protect her territory haha!

And if I leave her lid off long enough she climbs up to the edge and dangles her front legs- not to escape bc shell do that and "hang out" for a few minutes then goes to another side to "hang out" Super cool animal.

EDIT: Im hoping she ends up RCF, I understand she prob wont be but a boy can dream eh??
 
Fear Not Tarantulas

Fear Not Tarantulas

Fear Not Tarantulas
Joined
Aug 30, 2013
Messages
15
Hi Nickoiai. First, I think it's great that you are taking this seriously and seeking out information from others before jumping in there.

1. My young (then 16) nephew came to live with us and brought almost 40 tarantulas with him. I spent much time with him caring for them and helped him obtain some breeding pairs. It seemed that helping him find a way to support his addiction to the hobby was a good idea. His collection about tripled in size as egg sacs were produced and additional pairs were obtained. I have since started my own collection, but it is more fun to have someone who has an appreciation for these critters around and doing it as a 'group' effort.
2. Well first, it IS ok to 'make a profit' from your breeding efforts. When you factor in the cost of supplies over time, it can take a lot to really be able to say there was a "profit" anyways. One way to find homes for slings is to find a breeder and trade them for something else. Also, you can check your local pet shops to see if they will purchase some. They will often give you a better deal if you trade for store credit - and its usually the locally owned shops who will purchase them. You may consider keeping some in deli cups to raise - it's quite satisfying to watch them grow and develop. When you are ready to sell, you will likely not have a problem finding someone here on the boards interested in them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top