Help!

[SuperG]

Caught this ?male? Wolf spider (?) several weeks ago, he has been eating crickets and generally very happy although tonight he started creating this crazy web on his water bowl any ideas? Assumed it was a wolf spider now I'm wondering trying to keep him until spring but concerned...please help.

 

[chanda]

She appears to be making an egg sac, but the whole "in the water dish" thing is odd... Was there water in the dish when she started? Or did you refill the dish after she started making the sac?

 

[Ungoliant]

Caught this ?male? Wolf spider (?) several weeks ago, he has been eating crickets and generally very happy although tonight he started creating this crazy web on his water bowl any ideas? Assumed it was a wolf spider now I'm wondering trying to keep him until spring but concerned...please help.

That's definitely a female making an egg sac.

If you show a picture of her face, we can confirm whether it's a wolf spider.

 

[Liquifin]

Females make eggsacks just like that, I have had wolfspiders as pets before from my area. They will make an eggsack then seal themselves in a hide if given one, and become very defensive over there eggs. They will still eat, but rarely since there on mother duty. Always keep waterdish full as the mother will start to have a shrink on her abdomen drastically. So keep water dish full at all times! sometimes if a mother abandons her sack, it indicates that its a dud sack or she could be too weak from hunger or dehydaration to care for them, aka dying (worst case scenario). But hope this helps and good luck if it is a fertile sack .

 

[Wolfspidurguy]

mine did this when it was creating an egg sac... But mine never finished making one because it lost two legs in the posses... i dont even know how but it did

 

[SuperG]

Sorry for the delay, yes she's been carrying this for about 2 weeks, today she is super active . It's cold outside here so I'm concerned what to do when she has the babies although I've read they ride around on her a few weeks (if she is a wolf spider) once they leave her body do I separate them then(?) We just tried to save her from the cold, this has been quite an experience. We moved her into a larger home etc but we really don't have any idea wh at we're doing, she has a nice home with crickets every 2 days and water but when the babies come we don't know what to do any help is appreciated. I am attaching a current photo with her little sac, it seems to be getting a bit larger... yikes, and some more owe up photos before she was in her new home hit thought maybe they were a bit easier to see her (?) Thank you so so much, everyone!

 

[SuperG]

One last photo. Any help again is greatly appreciated I am finding precious little on Google as to what to do after babies come out... all I wanted to do was save her from the winter, she was in my finished basement, walking on white carpet, normally I release all critters but it was January so... and she was pretty interesting looking and the rest is history I live in PA, near Gettysburg if that helps at all. I am just at a loss as to what to do. My boyfriend said he can find a place to let them loose but I'm concerned it may be in building where his studio is and I'm sure they have a bug guy spray... Ugh. Can they survivor in the cold or ? I'm kind of emotionally invested to some extent at some point I just really can't find out a lot of information.
Thanks again!

 

[Wolfspidurguy]

One last photo. Any help again is greatly appreciated I am finding precious little on Google as to what to do after babies come out... all I wanted to do was save her from the winter, she was in my finished basement, walking on white carpet, normally I release all critters but it was January so... and she was pretty interesting looking and the rest is history I live in PA, near Gettysburg if that helps at all. I am just at a loss as to what to do. My boyfriend said he can find a place to let them loose but I'm concerned it may be in building where his studio is and I'm sure they have a bug guy spray... Ugh. Can they survivor in the cold or ? I'm kind of emotionally invested to some extent at some point I just really can't find out a lot of information.
Thanks again!

okay so id put her in a air tight Tupperware bin with holes poked in it with a pid once they scatter id collect a few to keep and release the rest

 

[SuperG]

Thanks, will they ride around on her awhile? I'm assuming a few weeks? If I release the rest can they live in cool temps or will they die right away, just curious, I have an outdoor garage that's insulted to some extent, I hate for them all to just die...

 

[SuperG]

she's acting MUCH more active than normal today so I sense something is going to happen soon (?)

 

[Wolfspidurguy]

Thanks, will they ride around on her awhile? I'm assuming a few weeks? If I release the rest can they live in cool temps or will they die right away, just curious, I have an outdoor garage that's insulted to some extent, I hate for them all to just die...

i started keeping spiders in the middle of winter and wolf spiders were the first i kept so cold temps arent too big of an issue and yes they will ride on her back for a while

 

[Wolfspidurguy]

she's acting MUCH more active than normal today so I sense something is going to happen soon (?)

idk ive never had one successfully make a sac

 

[Tia B]

She opens up the egg sac and they'll clamber onto her and stay there for a couple weeks to a month. Feeding her will feed all of them, because she will share her prey with the babies. Once they disperse, they'll prey on each other and numbers will go down. They'll eat from shared prey still, so offering a pre-killed soft prey item like a waxworm can work.

 

[SuperG]

She opens up the egg sac and they'll clamber onto her and stay there for a couple weeks to a month. Feeding her will feed all of them, because she will share her prey with the babies. Once they disperse, they'll prey on each other and numbers will go down. They'll eat from shared prey still, so offering a pre-killed soft prey item like a waxworm can work.

Oh god...they'll kill each other? Lol, can they stay in the same 10 gallon aquarium or? nature is really messed up. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this. I know its been happening forever I've just never been a party to it. Any insight or anything helpful such as the wax worm I would really appreciate I really just didn't want to put the spider out in the middle of January, i didn't expect all of this but I'm committed to doing the right thing. Thank you

 

[Tia B]

Oh god...they'll kill each other? Lol, can they stay in the same 10 gallon aquarium or? nature is really messed up. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this. I know its been happening forever I've just never been a party to it. Any insight or anything helpful such as the wax worm I would really appreciate I really just didn't want to put the spider out in the middle of January, i didn't expect all of this but I'm committed to doing the right thing. Thank you

It's better to leave them together for at least a little while, it's nature's way that the weaker, more timid spiders get eaten. That way the stronger slings survive. A ten gallon should give them enough space that a lot of them could survive. In a smaller space, they'll come into contact with each other more and therefore more will get eaten. If you provide a stable food source, there will be less cannibalism but it will still happen.

 

[SuperG]

It's better to leave them together for at least a little while, it's nature's way that the weaker, more timid spiders get eaten. That way the stronger slings survive. A ten gallon should give them enough space that a lot of them could survive. In a smaller space, they'll come into contact with each other more and therefore more will get eaten. If you provide a stable food source, there will be less cannibalism but it will still happen.

Oh okay, thank you so much for all of your help, I'll post some pictures when she opens the sac, I'm thinking her increased activity means something but not sure, time will tell i guess!

 

[Tia B]

It's better to leave them together for at least a little while, it's nature's way that the weaker, more timid spiders get eaten. That way the stronger slings survive. A ten gallon should give them enough space that a lot of them could survive. In a smaller space, they'll come into contact with each other more and therefore more will get eaten. If you provide a stable food source, there will be less cannibalism but it will still happen.

You can buy fruit flies and waxworms from most pet stores. Don't use just fruit flies to feed the babies, they're not nutritious enough, but they're a good small prey item that you don't have to worry about hurting the slings. The waxworm has to be prekilled, they likely won't eat it otherwise and it may try to hurt them.

When all the babies are off the mother for a couple days, you might want to take her out. She might attack them as they grow if she sees them as a threat or food source.

 

[Tia B]

Oh okay, thank you so much for all of your help, I'll post some pictures when she opens the sac, I'm thinking her increased activity means something but not sure, time will tell i guess!

Right before she opens the sac, they'll usually create a little web hide so no predators can get her while she's helping the babies out of the sac. If you see her putting up dirt curtains or holding out her sac in front of her, it's probably time. She'll look like she's cradling it.

 

[Ungoliant]

I've read they ride around on her a few weeks (if she is a wolf spider) once they leave her body do I separate them then(?)

They ride on their mothers' back until their first molt, at which time they disperse to fend for themselves. This may be anywhere from a few days to a couple weeks.

Oh god...they'll kill each other? Lol, can they stay in the same 10 gallon aquarium or?

In nature, spiderlings disperse when they start feeding, and this reduces cannibalism among sac-mates.

If they have a large enough enclosure with adequate food, you might be able to reduce cannibalism, but the only way to prevent it for sure is to separate each spiderling.

A harsher approach is to not worry so much about cannibalism, and let them weed out the weak among them.

Once temperatures are reliably above freezing, you can release them outside.

 

[The Snark]

OP, you could take a lesson from the Sparassids. An extreme example of cannibalism and survival. The mom genetically has an off switch on her eating which turns back on shortly after the hatching. Unlike the lycos, the kids are armed and dangerous at birth and put it in boogie mode the moment they hatch. Get the frak away from mom and siblings ASAP. Just think of a more primitive survivalist that considers anything as potential food.
Lycos are a little more sophisticated, but still, fellow slings are a buffet meal.