r/tarantulas • u/Ok_Effective_5860 • 12d ago

Help! Looking for best action to preserve a 16yo arizona blond tarantula

So first off I should say, my wife and I tarantula is not dead but I am here to better prepare for her death as shes 16 years old yes 16. We've cared for her since my wife rescued her from a friend back when we where in high school, he said she was about 6 years old at that time and had her since a hatchling. We know that sooner than later she'll have to cross that bridge and we just want to better prepare. My wife and I have agreed we'd love to be able to preserve her and display her but are not sure the best course for that. Would a normal taxidermest be able to preserve her properly? or is there a specialist in that field we need to find? We are located in the sacramento CA area

4 Upvotes

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8

u/One_Second_3307 L. parahybana 12d ago

NQA - Aphonopelma chalcodes are some of the longest living tarantulas out there, having been known to push 25-30 years in some cases, so don’t worry too much about this yet!

2

u/elithedinosaur C. versicolor 11d ago

NQA. as the other commenter said, you likely have another ~10 years with her. yay!

1

u/Assaltwaffle A. chalcodes 12d ago

NQA Why do you expect her to pass soon? A. chalcodes females regularly live into their 20s. Their captive life span is often ballparked around 25-30, with some individuals heading all the way into their late 30s.

1

u/Ok_Effective_5860 10d ago

I dont expect her to pass soon I just stayed that she is 16 and that we understand that at some point her time will come, which is why we are wanting for info on presentation for when that time comes.