Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 12:53 pm Post subject: Avicularia avicularia Breeding Report
This is also posted on the ATS Board, but I figured I'd post it here as well.
26JAN08 - Female Molted
01MAY08 - MM arrived in the mail
03MAY08 0730 - I rehoused the male yesterday. I put a piece of the female's web in with him to see if it would stimulate him to make a sperm web. I checked him last night and it looks like he did make a sperm web. This morning I put the two together to see what would happen. The female started drumming almost immediately, but he didn't do anything! He didn't drum, but he looked like he was doing push ups, kind of like what you see lizards do. I'll try again in a few days.
03MAY08 2139 - Mating attempt #2 took place tonight, lots of drumming from the female, nothing from the male! He does push ups, but no drumming...weird. It was like they couldn't get in the right position or something. The male gave up and just left her enclosure. There is evidence of sperm webs in his enclosure. I'm not sure what charged palps look like, but they look pretty swollen to me so I'm pretty sure he's ready.
05MAY08 - Commenced cohabitation
07MAY08 - They have been cohabitating for 3 nights now. I checked on the male and his palps are looking especially bulbulous (if that's a word) and shiny. I think he's ready to go! I hope he makes his move tonight!
05MAY08 - Heard really loud tapping last night around 1AM. I thought I was dreaming that CIWS was going off. I'm not sure what happened, but the male was still alive when I woke up at 7. Apparently post-hardcore metal music induces males to start building sperm webs. He's making one right now as I type this.
10MAY08 - Nothing woke me up last night so I'm not sure if anything went on. I don't think there's really a way to tell if mating was successful until she makes a sac.
02JUN08 - Well, she wasn't fattening up or anything. I know it takes a while, but I'm impatient so I tried hooking them up again. This time she backed him up in a corner and they hooked up! I witnessed one good insertion! The deed is definitely done! Now I can finally start playing the waiting game without any doubts...
Here's a pic of his sperm inside her.
14JUN08 - Its been about a month and a half since that last picture was taken. Here she is now. I don't know if she's gravid or not, but I held a light under her and I thought I saw the orange glow.
27JUL08 - SUCCESS!!! I went to check on her today and there was a big white blob in her web! I'm VERY excited! I plan on pulling the sac in a couple weeks.
Congrats Kyle,
A.Avics are the first T's that i bred successfully. If i did it again i would leave the sac w/ the mother. _________________ “Look down at me and you see a fool;
look up at me and you see a god;
look straight at me and you see yourself.”
That's so exciting! Thanks for the great breeding report and all the fantastic photos!
Good luck with the babies! The parents are *gorgeous*! _________________ "Tarantulas are friends, not food" (but I bet they taste pretty good with butter and lemon!)
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