Grammostola rosea is his life almost over

Ok so I bought my rose hair and later learned that he is a male he's fairly large and I think I bought him after his last molt because he has the "mating hooks" and the round black bulbs on the end of his pedipalps. I am worried because I read that after they devolop these their life is pretty much over is this true?
This site told me that information http://tarantulas.com/rosea.html look at the topic is your rose a mature male?

diabollicallycursed wrote:

after they devolop these their life is pretty much over is this true?

Pretty much.

If you're lucky they can go quite a while -- my fiancee grabbed a MM from a Petco, partly so someone wouldn't be jaded to the hobby if their first T died a month after getting it, and partly for a breeding attempt with her girl. He wound up living for over a year in our care and fathered a few hundred babies.

I heard one account of a male G. rosea that actually made a post-ultimate molt and gained a second set of spurs on his legs (really weird-looking). The pictures are buried somewhere in this forum, I think in the spider / tarantula sticky photo thread.

I bought mine a few-months-ago and he already had his hooks. Didn't die yet ...

Damn I was hoping you were going to tell me the website lied
I really love this Tarantula he has lived 4 months so far. How can I prolong his life is there any way.

There's a technique but it basically involves removing the pedipalds and softening his hooks. Trust me, too much effort. I'd say a MM rosehair can go like a year or so.

Yeah, just pimp him out so you get some babies.

I'm really sad now. But I will def get a female

Andrew273 wrote:

There's a technique but it basically involves removing the pedipalds and softening his hooks. Trust me, too much effort. I'd say a MM rosehair can go like a year or so.

Just out of curiosity what is the technique?

I won't try and do it but we do have a specialty vet in Toronto. They deal with insects and arachnids and other exotic pets.

I'm curious to know how that works? Does it actually work, have you seen it first hand?

I haven't either and I can't find anything on the web about it.

I'm thinking of getting a female and breeding them. How many spiderlings can a female have? Aprox how many of those will survive? And what do I need to do once they are born?

My fiancee bred this species a couple years ago. The sac had around 400 eggs, around 300 hatched (when they're in the "eggs with legs" stage, they can cannibalize their neighbors), and once they molted into mobile little spiderlings she put each into a 2-oz delicup with a bit of cocofiber.

The sac in question was dropped in August of 200 . . . 7? Yeah, '07 I think, and my little T that I kept is now a little over 1/4" legspan (probably closer to 2 cm).

Wow they are slow growing aren't they? ummm....my rose is HUGE about a 6" leg span how old would you say he is?

you can never tell how old a T is by looking at it.. but he is a big boy. my rosea dropped a sack (very unexpected.. and unsuccesful ) and she was TINY.

I think when he dies or even before I'm gunnah try my hand at raising an avicularia versicolor or a martinique pink-toe. They seem really interesting. They are also magnificent looking.We have a pet store here my friend works at I found out today she can order ANY tarantula. Scorpions are a different story.

From what I've heard a G. rosea can take five to ten years to reach adult size.

I was told 5-6 but I can cross my fingers for 10 I really love this guy he's so gentle and docile and he's got character and sometimes attitude lol.
I'm getting the versicolor I've already ordered it my fiance doesn't know yet *snicker* she's gunnah lose her mind I'm driving her nuts with the arachnids.

My fiancee would only be driven nuts if I didn't get her a versi, too.

diabollicallycursed wrote:

Andrew273 wrote:

There's a technique but it basically involves removing the pedipalds and softening his hooks. Trust me, too much effort. I'd say a MM rosehair can go like a year or so.

Just out of curiosity what is the technique?

Umm if remember right you have to wait until he is actually molting. You put glycerine on his tibial spurs to soften them (though I think they may lose the last couple of sections from their legs). Then you either put glycerine on the palpal emboluses or you cut them off (I can't remember which), either way he is losing his peldipalps. I believe if he manages to successfully molt he will be even more spindaly looking. Last I checked no MM have made it past 1 post ultimate molt. There's a more accurate description of what to do in The Tarantula Keeper's Guide. It isn't worth it. I'm hoping my female rosehair will molt soon so I can pimp out my MM and get some babies.

Mr. Mordax wrote:

My fiancee would only be driven nuts if I didn't get her a versi, too.

In my opinion they are THE most beautiful tarantula I have ever seen.