Tarantula Breeding

A Tarantula is not trouble-free to breed. The first problem is trying to find a male. They are not frequently imported and when adult they do not have long lives. If you have got a pair, bring in the spiders to each other very watchfully and be vigilant the whole time. If they mate, take away the male at once afterwards or it will be killed by the female. Expectantly the mating will result in eggs that will finally turn into small little spiderlings. They must be separated from the mother or they will be eaten. Spiderlings feed on any appropriate sized live food like fruit flies or baby crickets. More about tarantula breeding is elaborated below.

Selecting a Pair

Make sure that the male and female you have selected are mature, belong to the same species and molted pretty recently. A majority of adult tarantulas are females but assuming all of them to be females is not correct. The majority of male tarantula types have hooks or spurs on the underside of their front legs. Every mature male has enlarged pedipalps or a fifth pair of legs. You have to wait until the female sheds her skin or molts. If you do not wait, the female may lose the sperm along with the molt.

Breeding Tarantula

Place the male tarantula inside the cage of the female. Never place a female in a male’s cage or else she may become aggressive. Be watchful to ensure that female does not assault the male. Arrange to place a jar over the female to protect him if she attacks him.

Now you have wait as it may take ten seconds or three hours but ultimately the male will approach the female. As she rears up, the male lifts her and deposits his sperm into her epigastric furrow. Before mating, both of them may thump the soil, stroke legs and otherwise behave unusually. This is a common part of the process.

Now remove the male from the tank at the earliest after breeding process is over so that it does not eat up the female. May be you have to allow them to breed once a week for many weeks to make sure that they have suitably mated.

You have to wait again for an egg sac to appear in about 35 days. Spiderlings take 45 to 90 days to be hatched if the female has taken care of the sac in an appropriate manner and has left them relatively undisturbed. Nevertheless, do not be astonished if she eats it. Many tarantulas gulp down the egg sac even if least disturbed.

Tips for Tarantula Breeding

1. Before mating, place half a shell of coconut in the tank of female. The coconut shell is a good place for the female tarantula to spin her web for the egg sac.
2. Breed tarantulas at night as it is the time when they mate in feral conditions.
3. As you place two tarantulas together, keep standing there so that you can quickly remove one of them if they start fighting.

As mentioned above, tarantula breeding is not an easy task but if you are completely familiar with the steps, preparations, precautions and tips involved, you can do it successfully. Help yourself from the above account and breed tarantulas the way they should be.