The Senior Center

DE3 · Mar 14, 2004

About six months ago I bumped into a friend that I see 2-3 times a year.

In the course of conversation, he realized that he hadn't feed or watered his (one and only) tarantula in "at least 2 months". So he asked me if I wanted to take it. He thought it was called a "red knee. I call it "Tron" though." said he.

He showed up at my house a couple hours later with the T in a 10 gallon tank that looked reeealy scary. As if to issue a disclaimer, he said: "it's kind of old."

Hey, I thought -- a full grown B smithi -- cool!! I showed him a nice smithi that I have.

I searched my memory banks, and remembered that he had indeed bought a tarantula, a loong time ago. "almost 21 years ago" he said. "It was a little bigger than yours when I got it." My "youngster" smithi was three inches stretched out (hefty and healthy). So that makes "Tron" (funny name for a female) how many years old?...

Any other old-timers out there?

DE3 · Mar 14, 2004

BTW, this is the first time this annimal has been handled; at least since it was purchased ~21 years ago.

DE3 · Mar 14, 2004

Once I got it out of the cage, it was a sweety.

DE3 · Mar 14, 2004

last 4 now...

PapaSmurf · Mar 14, 2004

very nice B.smithi how big is she?

DE3 · Mar 14, 2004

very nice B.smithi how big is she?

If I pulled hard enough, 6".

But 5.5" - 5.75" is more likely.

Angelo · Mar 14, 2004

that T is 5 years older than me!

MrT · Mar 15, 2004

Wow,
That smithi is older than 1/2 the user's on this forum. LOL
She might have another 20 left in her.
Welcome aboard!!

Ernie

Diao · Mar 15, 2004

What is the oldest tarantulas can live? I thought ~20 was really pushing it.

Mendi · Mar 15, 2004

What a great T you were given! As far as long life, I believe there was a WC B.emilia female that was a mature that lived some 27 years in a Canadian zoo that's been recorded. But as long as it takes them to grow up, with the above data, you might be looking at a creature that can live to be 30-40 years under optimum conditions

Yeah, B.emilia isn't a B.smithi, but they do come from the same environment and grow at about the same rates. So they can be a good indicator for a species for the smithi in matter such as growth rates and life spans

Code Monkey · Mar 15, 2004

Originally posted by Diao
What is the oldest tarantulas can live? I thought ~20 was really pushing it.

I like this little piece written by Dr. Breene from either the ATS or Arachnic_world list:

Message: 12
Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2003 17:39:08 EDT
From: rgbreene@aol.com
Subject: Re: New Mexican Blond question

SB kept a few of them and after 5 years of near perfect care they were
only nickel sized! I'm copying this posting to him in the hopes that he
can correct me or elaborate on the story for us.

Click to expand...

The eggsac was produced in the summer of 1996.
I still have 2 left, they are perhaps half the size of the female as we
speak.
Something to consider.
1) These little guys have had all the heat and food they want all year long
(I don't believe in inside temps below 80F as you know).
2) In nature, they seal the burrow during winter and at hot times during
summer (no food).
3) In the desert, there often isn't prey available, it hasn't rained here
since May (except trace) and this is often the case. Limited prey big time.
4) The only way to guesstimate how long it takes to reach maturity in nature
here is to extrapolate from laboratory studies.
5) I trust this type of laboratory study almost as much as I trust the
current executive branch of the government and how far I can toss all of them at
once.
6) Wildly speculating, I suspect it takes from 25 to perhaps well over 100
years for an egg to reach adult. I may have spiders that were hatched before
Billy the Kid first rode through Carlsbad. You never know.

sb

cricket54 · Mar 15, 2004

I wish I could be so lucky to be given a tarantula like this! We had an old B. smithi be that we bought that way years ago
and had it several years before a neighbor kids killed it. It was the sweetest thing that the kids took to school and stuff.
Pretty good looking girl for being an old timer.
Sharon

da_illest · Mar 15, 2004

so are you telling me that it may take my rosie 1" sling YEARS to reach maturity considering they are slow growers?

Code Monkey · Mar 15, 2004

Originally posted by da_illest
so are you telling me that it may take my rosie 1" sling YEARS to reach maturity considering they are slow growers?

With few exceptions, it takes all of them years, the question is "how many?". I'd wager based on my experience with other slow growing Grammostola species that you're figuring another 5-6 years in captivity at the minimum.

Diao · Mar 15, 2004

Originally posted by Code Monkey
With few exceptions, it takes all of them years, the question is "how many?". I'd wager based on my experience with other slow growing Grammostola species that you're figuring another 5-6 years in captivity at the minimum.

In that case, I bought my G. rosea as an adult over 8 years ago, so I probably have a spider that is 15 years old. Yikes.

Overmenneske · Mar 15, 2004

I got my rosea in January, but the people I got her from purchased her in 1989.
She is therefore at least 15 years old.

DE3 · Mar 16, 2004

Originally posted by Code Monkey
I like this little piece written by Dr. Breene from either the ATS or Arachnic_world list:

The eggsac was produced in the summer of 1996.
I still have 2 left, they are perhaps half the size of the female as we
speak.
Something to consider.
1) These little guys have had all the heat and food they want all year long
(I don't believe in inside temps below 80F as you know).
2) In nature, they seal the burrow during winter and at hot times during
summer (no food).
3) In the desert, there often isn't prey available, it hasn't rained here
since May (except trace) and this is often the case. Limited prey big time.
4) The only way to guesstimate how long it takes to reach maturity in nature
here is to extrapolate from laboratory studies.
5) I trust this type of laboratory study almost as much as I trust the
current executive branch of the government and how far I can toss all of them at
once.
6) Wildly speculating, I suspect it takes from 25 to perhaps well over 100
years for an egg to reach adult. I may have spiders that were hatched before
Billy the Kid first rode through Carlsbad. You never know.

sb

[/QUOTE]

Thanks, CM. That illustrates my point very well.

Walter · Mar 16, 2004

Got my Nhandu carapoensis last summer - I've been told she's 15 or 16 y.o.

spyder7697 · Mar 16, 2004

I have a A. Avic that Was given to me as my first T. 16 years ago and it was a juvi then so nearest I can figure has to be at least 20-25 years old or something like that.
Ski-Ya Laterz
Russ

Code Monkey · Mar 16, 2004

Originally posted by spyder7697
I have a A. Avic that Was given to me as my first T. 16 years ago and it was a juvi then so nearest I can figure has to be at least 20-25 years old or something like that.

You can raise A. avic from sac to adult in about 2 years so I'd not be tacking on so much time to your estimate. Of course, I'm sort of floored in general as pinktoes are one of those Ts we've got a pretty good grip on how long they live and it's usually more like 8-10 years, not 16. I'd wager you weren't powerfeeding that spider for the past 16 years.

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