Update with a question:
Was wondering maybe somebody could shed some light,so far 3 for 3 C. Sp. Hati Hati have molted female. Are percentages higher in some genera than others male vs female numbers ?

Martin Oosthuysen wrote: Update with a question:
Was wondering maybe somebody could shed some light,so far 3 for 3 C. Sp. Hati Hati have molted female. Are percentages higher in some genera than others male vs female numbers ?

You are not the first one to ask this question, especially since a lot of amateur herpetologists also keep tarantulas, and some if not many reptiles' sex ratios are influenced by incubation temperature.

The truth is that no one knows for sure. No one has ever actually done the experiment and reported the results. And, this is particularly puzzling because the experiment would be so easy. My guess is that no one ever really took an interest in the topic.

HERE'S A PLAN FOR ANYBODY WHO'S INTERESTED:
1) Breed a given kind of tarantula to the point of acquiring an eggsac. I'd suggest Brachypelma albopilosum, the curlyhair tarantula. They're docile and easily handled, relatively inexpensive, and easy to breed.

2) A few days after the eggsac is made, open it and divide the eggs among three Nefcy incubators (easy and cheap to set up).

3) Keep one incubator at 24° C. This is the tough part. You'll need to arrange for some sort of gentle heating and/or cooling. Think about it for a while. How about a Styrofoam box rigged with a Peltier device ?) The set up wouldn't be too difficult. All you'd need is one or more Peltier devices , a thermostat, maybe several, small, DC fans, and a DC power supply (e.g., battery charger). And a minimal amount of electrical expertise to hook it up properly. And, the ingenuity to ensure that it efficiently sucks heat out of the box and dumps it into the surrounding atmosphere. Piece-a-cake!

You'll need to build three Peltier rigs and use one for each incubator.

4) Keep another incubator at 27° C .

5) Incubator number three needs to be kept at a constant temperature of 30° C.

Some sort of accurate thermometer has to be used. This is really a no-brainer. You walk into your friendly, neighborhood pet shop and look at their old-fashioned, glass, aquarium thermometers. Choose three that all read the exact, same temperature. If your group is only one or two degrees different from the average of everything else on their shelf, it's okay. If you don't like those thermometers, use your favorites. We're not testing at what temperature there might be an effect, just whether or not there really is an effect over SOME temperature difference.

And, you'd need to keep an accurate daily log and lots of photos of the breeding, the setup, the progress of the incubation, and the babies as they develop. The babies should be large enough to determine their sex within a year or 18 months of you power feed them. You can use a USB microscope to help with this job.

[I have one of this brand and it works great. The supporting software is a huge problem, but I can help if you get back to me at the E-mail listed in my sig, below. NOTE THAT I DO NOT RESPOND TO PRIVATE MESSAGES ON THESE FORUMS. And, you'll also need to buy a decent holder for it. What they include is barely worth throwing in the trash can! Again, I can help if you get back to me at the E-mail listed in my sig, below.]

So, you've built the Peltier rigs, incubated the eggs, now possess a whole mass of data and 500+ baby curlyhairs. What do you do now?

1) Write up a description of what you did. (I can help proofread it for you, and offer suggestions.) Submit it to one of the major tarantula societies for publication, or publish it here by yourself.

2) Advertise the babies for sale. Dealers will only pay you a few sheckels each for them, but they'll buy the whole hatch! If my currency converter is working properly you should be able to get R12 to R 25 each. How does a check in the mail for R 6000 to R 12000 sound? (If I'm wrong about the currency conversion, substitute your own numbers.) Other hobbyists will also buy them, but since they're more trouble to ship one or two at a time, the price takes a quantum leap. What are baby to spiderling B. albopilosum worth in S.A. now?

Anyway, I'm probably just daydreaming, but if you can't dream you'll have no goals or aspirations to lead you.

____________________________________________________________________

I just love to hear about enthusiasts experimenting gently on their tarantulas!
____________________________________________________________________

Stan Schultz wrote:

Martin Oosthuysen wrote: Update with a question:
Was wondering maybe somebody could shed some light,so far 3 for 3 C. Sp. Hati Hati have molted female. Are percentages higher in some genera than others male vs female numbers ?

You are not the first one to ask this question, especially since a lot of amateur herpetologists also keep tarantulas, and some if not many reptiles' sex ratios are influenced by incubation temperature.

The truth is that no one knows for sure. No one has ever actually done the experiment and reported the results. And, this is particularly puzzling because the experiment would be so easy. My guess is that no one ever really took an interest in the topic.

HERE'S A PLAN FOR ANYBODY WHO'S INTERESTED:
1) Breed a given kind of tarantula to the point of acquiring an eggsac. I'd suggest Brachypelma albopilosum, the curlyhair tarantula. They're docile and easily handled, relatively inexpensive, and easy to breed.

2) A few days after the eggsac is made, open it and divide the eggs among three Nefcy incubators (easy and cheap to set up).

3) Keep one incubator at 24° C. This is the tough part. You'll need to arrange for some sort of gentle heating and/or cooling. Think about it for a while. How about a Styrofoam box rigged with a Peltier device ?) The set up wouldn't be too difficult. All you'd need is one or more Peltier devices , a thermostat, maybe several, small, DC fans, and a DC power supply (e.g., battery charger). And a minimal amount of electrical expertise to hook it up properly. And, the ingenuity to ensure that it efficiently sucks heat out of the box and dumps it into the surrounding atmosphere. Piece-a-cake!

You'll need to build three Peltier rigs and use one for each incubator.

4) Keep another incubator at 27° C .

5) Incubator number three needs to be kept at a constant temperature of 30° C.

Some sort of accurate thermometer has to be used. This is really a no-brainer. You walk into your friendly, neighborhood pet shop and look at their old-fashioned, glass, aquarium thermometers. Choose three that all read the exact, same temperature. If your group is only one or two degrees different from the average of everything else on their shelf, it's okay. If you don't like those thermometers, use your favorites. We're not testing at what temperature there might be an effect, just whether or not there really is an effect over SOME temperature difference.

And, you'd need to keep an accurate daily log and lots of photos of the breeding, the setup, the progress of the incubation, and the babies as they develop. The babies should be large enough to determine their sex within a year or 18 months of you power feed them. You can use a USB microscope to help with this job.

[I have one of this brand and it works great. The supporting software is a huge problem, but I can help if you get back to me at the E-mail listed in my sig, below. NOTE THAT I DO NOT RESPOND TO PRIVATE MESSAGES ON THESE FORUMS. And, you'll also need to buy a decent holder for it. What they include is barely worth throwing in the trash can! Again, I can help if you get back to me at the E-mail listed in my sig, below.]

So, you've built the Peltier rigs, incubated the eggs, now possess a whole mass of data and 500+ baby curlyhairs. What do you do now?

1) Write up a description of what you did. (I can help proofread it for you, and offer suggestions.) Submit it to one of the major tarantula societies for publication, or publish it here by yourself.

2) Advertise the babies for sale. Dealers will only pay you a few sheckels each for them, but they'll buy the whole hatch! If my currency converter is working properly you should be able to get R12 to R 25 each. How does a check in the mail for R 6000 to R 12000 sound? (If I'm wrong about the currency conversion, substitute your own numbers.) Other hobbyists will also buy them, but since they're more trouble to ship one or two at a time, the price takes a quantum leap. What are baby to spiderling B. albopilosum worth in S.A. now?

Anyway, I'm probably just daydreaming, but if you can't dream you'll have no goals or aspirations to lead you.

____________________________________________________________________

I just love to hear about enthusiasts experimenting gently on their tarantulas!
____________________________________________________________________

Okay wow,I expected an answer but not this detailed thanks ! Maybe I will be able to do this soon,won't be curlys but I have possible gravid pokies.