The Animal wrote: @ T-rad, I won't argue you on this point. Each to his own.

But the thing is, if we as keepers want a failsafe method, we need one that works for all spiders, all the time.

And the only method I see to determine that is by checking spermaticae. Or the bulbous pedipalps and tibial spurs, or if there's an eggsack present.

TH

I agree with you 100% buuut if one is at a petshop and the only way is by ventral sexing then its worth a shot. It's your only way at a petashop, so instead of buying a T blindly, you can try ventral sex in the hopes that you are right but with the possibility of you being wrong at the same time. as long as one understand the odds i would say go for it.

Ok i do agree with both sexing methods but, a big but :whistle: , iv had a 90% success rate with ventral sexing but that being said i would never buy a spider as a male or female from ventral sexing. I use ventral as my own quick method when buying or looking at my spiders to maybe determine the sex. I would strongly disagree with a breeder or seller selling guaranteed F/M spiders from ventral. Ventral does work but its not the best method because mistakes do happen with this method. So if you selling males and females stay away from this method.

Hope i made sense lol

I heard some thing earlyer about spinnerets, is this what you were talking abt and if so can any one explain what this means!?
You cant see them to clearly, sorry!

Those are the 2nd smaller set of spinnerets. The other pair is the obvious ones.

So it dosent mean any thing abt male or female?

Brachypelma wrote: So it dosent mean any thing abt male or female?

Nope, not those.

The ones mentioned in the thread are the ones between the front set of book lungs on the male. They are extremely tiny and covered with hairs to protect them. They are the ones that the male use to create the sperm web when mature.
More info here: www.birdspiders.com/faq_sex.php :D