Tarantula Breeding Guide | Mating, Egg Sacs, Hatching, and Spiderling Care
A comprehensive guide to successful tarantula breeding. Learn to assess male maturity, safely conduct mating sessions, manage egg sacs, oversee hatching, and raise spiderlings—with practical procedures and important precautions throughout the entire breeding cycle.
Key Takeaways
A comprehensive guide to successful tarantula breeding. Learn to assess male maturity, safely conduct mating sessions, manage egg sacs, oversee hatching, and raise spiderlings—with practical procedures and important precautions throughout the entire breeding cycle.
Tarantula breeding may seem daunting, but success is achievable for many species when you correctly time the male's maturation, safely oversee mating, and properly manage spiderlings after hatching. Successful breeding not only allows access to rare or hard-to-source species, but also deepens your appreciation of tarantula keeping at a more sophisticated level. This article walks through the complete breeding cycle with practical procedures and essential precautions.
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The first critical step in tarantula breeding is confirming that the male has reached sexual maturity. After his final molt (terminal molt), a male tarantula becomes sexually mature, with the tips of his pedipalps becoming swollen and bulbous—a sign of sperm bulb development. Once this morphological change is visible, he is ready to breed. Mature males typically become more active and display roving behavior, actively searching for females.
One important consideration: the lifespan of a mature male varies by species, but is generally quite short—typically only 6–18 months after the terminal molt. For baboon spiders (African species), the post-maturation lifespan is particularly brief. Once maturity is confirmed, it is essential to attempt breeding promptly.
Female Condition Assessment and Preparation
Before mating, the female must be in good nutritional condition. Confirm that her abdomen is appropriately plump (not starved) and that she has not recently molted. A female should be at least 2–3 weeks post-molt, as her exoskeleton remains soft immediately after molting; a bite from the male could be fatal during this vulnerable period. Always wait for her exoskeleton to fully harden before attempting copulation.
It is common practice to reduce feeding 1–2 weeks before mating. Well-fed females tend to be more aggressive toward males. However, extreme fasting depletes her energy reserves, so maintaining feeding at about half the normal amount is also a valid approach.
Mating Observation and Safety Management
Supervising a mating is the most thrilling and delicate part of the process. Since the male faces a high risk of predation by the female after copulation, always have tongs or a long brush on hand during observation.
The procedure is as follows: open the female's enclosure and place the male nearby, allowing him to enter her enclosure voluntarily. (Manually handling the male can cause stress or trigger aggression, so encourage self-directed movement when possible.) As the male approaches, he will display signaling behavior—rapidly moving his pedipalps and vibrating his abdomen. If the female accepts his advances, she will become stationary and raise her body into a receptive posture.
Once copulation begins (the male braces the female's fangs against a hook-like structure and makes genital contact), observe without interfering. Copulation typically lasts from several seconds to a few minutes. Immediately after copulation ends, it is crucial to safely separate the male from the female using tongs or similar tools. Even if copulation appears successful, repeating the mating attempt 2–3 times can increase the probability of successful fertilization.
Egg Sac Management
After successful mating, the female will produce an egg sac (eggsack) weeks to months later. The egg sac is a silk-covered spherical mass that the female tends to by rolling it in her mouthparts—a behavior called "turning." This turning action is critical for oxygen supply and even heat distribution to the developing eggs.
In captivity, there is a risk that the female will abandon the egg sac or consume it. If abandonment is detected, retrieve it immediately and attempt artificial incubation in an incubator set to approximately 28–29°C (specific temperatures vary by species). While the female is guarding her egg sac, feeding is unnecessary, but water supplementation should continue. It is difficult to assess egg development from outside the sac, but if the sac's shape deteriorates or develops an unusual foul odor, these are signs of a problem.
Hatching and Spiderling Management
Depending on the species, egg sacs typically hatch within 4–12 weeks. As hatching approaches, movement may be felt from inside the sac. Immediately after hatching, the spiderlings are in the "sling" stage—their exoskeletons are soft and they are not yet capable of independent feeding.
After the sling's first molt, it becomes capable of independent behavior. At this stage, begin individual housing using small plastic containers (food storage boxes) with air holes drilled in the lids. Substrate should be a thin layer of slightly moistened vermiculite or coconut husk.
Begin feeding with cricket nymphs or fruit flies roughly half the sling's body length. Over the first few weeks, appetite can be inconsistent, so remove any uneaten food the next day to prevent mold and molting complications. Hydration is best provided by placing a cotton pad or sponge moistened with water in a corner of the container.
Spiderling Growth and Preparation for Sale or Transfer
Depending on species, slings typically grow to sub-adult or adult size within 1–3 years, undergoing periodic molts during this time. Before and after molting (signaled by reduced feeding response and darkening of the abdomen), withhold food and maintain a quiet environment. The first week after molting is especially critical—the exoskeleton remains soft, and contact with crickets during this period can be fatal. Do not feed for at least one week post-molt.
When breeding is successful, large numbers of spiderlings may be produced—some species can yield 100–1,000 or more. Excess individuals can typically be placed with reptile or insect shops, or traded and sold between breeders. When transferring spiderlings, it is the responsibility of an ethical breeder to provide the recipient with basic care information. Tarantula breeding can contribute to species conservation, and the proliferation of captive-bred (CB) specimens reduces pressure on wild-caught (WC) populations—making it a meaningful endeavor.
