Hi Guys

Does breeding and getting a successful sack shorten the life span of the mother tarantula?

Would be very hard to say (or to prove either way), so would come down to opinion.
Imo, a spider using a lot of energy to produce an eggcase could shorten its life. I try and give my female a year of breeding followed by a year of no breeding whenever possible.

It could if you are a male and end up on the wrong side of the females fangs

And the other thing that needs to be taken into account is the risk of infection from a mating.... I lost 2 favourites of mine soon after matings!

What? infections? never heard of this befor?

I kind of remember the Magnificent Duke doing a bit of research on this back in the day, maybe he can give us some feedback?