starcrusher
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2015
- Messages
- 6
Been going through the forums and there is really not enough information on keeping and breeding these critters! I have 5, currently, including one I've been raising since around November from a legspan of about 3/4", all caught wild here in Florida.
First, some guidelines on telling sexes apart: Males do not develop the bold black markings on the carapace as shown below until their penultimate molt, so juveniles tend to be difficult to tell apart.
(From Bugguide)
Males do, however, have consistently more black on the abdomen even as juveniles and slings. Females can show mottled colors too when they're young, but if you have a spider that has no black on it, you've definitely got a female.
There is no distinct difference that I have been able to tell, even comparing a juvenile male and female side by side, between the book lungs where we would see epiandrous fusillae on a tarantula.
On gauging maturity and mating viability: This is the part where I messed up big time. I'd have spiderlings to share and sell right now if I hadn't made my mistakes, but live and learn, right?
Like I said above, males develop their conspicuous markings in the penultimate molt. Even before that, if a male is in premolt (which I've observed to last no more than a few days) and about to come into pre-maturity, the black mask is visible (but duller) under the current carapace, making your spider appear to have changed color without a molt! Pretty cool.
In the penultimate molt, the male's pedipalps are already distinct from the female's, shown here in the molt from my now-matured male:
Now, here's where I went wrong: I assumed that, like tarantulas, the appearance of mature markings and pointed pedipalps signified a male's final molt. I attempted to mate my previous male with multiple females like this, and I was confounded as to why he wasn't "acting" like a mature male, since the breeding reports I could find for this species all lend to a reputation of being easy and quick to procreate. One of my females made a sac (after she ate my male), but she has a history of doing so and this one was sterile, like the rest.
I now know that males take TWO molts to reach maturity! I did my best to take photos of my MM, but people with actual cameras have managed it much better.
(Bugguide)
On the actually matured male, you can clearly see the palpal bulb as separate from the palp itself.
So, how do you tell if your female is mature?
Either she'll begin to make blank sacs and carry them around with her for a few days or weeks like so:
(Bugguide)
Or you will be able to see a distinct marking if you can get a good view of her underside:
Mature female, above, and juvenile, below. You can also clearly see that the pedipalps are not those of a mature or premature male.
(Bugguide)
I don't know what the dark spot signifies or if it has any purpose other than just being a mark of adult coloration, but in juveniles and males, there is no color difference between the two edges of the vent.
Females will often also begin to leave dots of web all over the place (as you can see in the photo of my mature female). This is the way the male will find his way to her.
Due to my major screw-up, I have yet to have facilitated an actual mating, but I'll update this thread or this post when I do.
Care, keeping, and miscellaneous information of use: Most of my H. venatoria live in mason jars. The larger ones live in small critter keepers or in those tiny tanks intended for betta fish (which is, of course, not enough room for a betta, but plenty for a spider). They don't need substrate and they won't do anything with it, although it does help for appearance's sake, because a container will gather a lot of poop and food boluses.
Maintenance is next to impossible. These guys are extremely fast and jumpy and I have never caught one that escaped without it either turning up somewhere in the house on its own for me to recapture, or unless I had a partner to help me catch it. Use extreme care when removing whatever waste you can or when rehousing. They will go anywhere. In air vents, down drains, into your purse or in the clothes in your dresser. Rehousing in a bathtub will not stop them from climbing out and making a getaway. They jump, and not like arboreal tarantulas jump - they can jump upward. They can also fall great distances, using a strand of silk to slow their fall, but I have never seen one actually hang from it. The silk is impressively tough. It feels similar to sewing thread or even fishing line.
All that said about escape hazards, keeping your H. venatoria where their containers might be jostled a little is not a bad idea (on top of filing cabinets, for example). Most will become used to a certain amount of vibration and won't bolt as soon as you open their containers to put food in or take it out. I have some specimens that will even take just a few steps forward when prodded with a paintbrush, because they've gotten used to it. If your spider does escape (and you have quick reflexes) there's no danger in just grabbing them up in your hand. I've done it with three different specimens so far and never been bitten. Even if you were bitten, their fangs are very tiny and may not even break skin.
These little monsters are extremely hardy and will survive just fine in a mason jar with nothing else in it except the occasional prey item dropped in. No heat or humidity is necessary. They almost never refuse a meal, even if their abdomens are swollen round, and will easily take on prey larger than themselves. Fascinating to watch hunt! They do seem to appreciate a light misting to their containers shortly before a molt, but (probably obviously) do not like being sprayed directly. Molting takes place upside-down and over a period of no more than thirty minutes or so.
If you get to watch your H. venatoria molt, you might see them do their stretching, rest a bit, and then go about cleaning their shed exuvium fastidiously. I have no clue why they do this; your guess is as good as mine.
I'm not sure exactly how long they live, but males mature within maybe 4-5 months of hatching, given plenty of food. I've had my largest female for about half a year now. She has molted twice in my care and each time she has grown, despite already having a leg span that has to be close to 5 inches if not more. I assume that with abundant food as spiderlings, a specimen could reach her size or larger, though she's the largest I've seen so far. Container size may also have something to do with adult size and rate of maturity (smaller container seems to mean smaller adult size), but again, small critter keepers/faunariums or a half-gallon sized enclosure if you're feeling generous is plenty of room.
In summary: this was my first pet arachnid species, and a great beginner for a foray into the world of true spiders!! The speed is something to be appreciated and handled with care, for sure. This is not a spider you will ever be able to hold in your hand (I've tried lmao), but it is a highly entertaining addition to anyone's collection and the prices for them seem reasonable if you're not in a place to just catch them outdoors. The weather is warming up and I'm finding more and more of them about, so if you're interested in wild-caught, I can see what I can do! Otherwise, with my male all grown up, I hope to be able to provide CB spiderlings!
Future topics will hopefully include:
Proper breeding, brooding, motherhood, how the spiderlings will function communally if left in a large container with the mother, and whether I can get a certain number of them out without them all going everywhere.
I would also like to try out "chilling" them in the refrigerator for short periods so that it's easier to work with them. One of mine was caught fortuitously during the winter, and she was considerably more mellow. But I really don't want to accidentally kill or permanently harm my bugs. :C
Anyway. I'm still new here so I'm sorry if this should've been posted elsewhere, and someone with the authority is welcome to move it if so. I just want it to be easy to find so that others can profit from the information I've gathered so far and will continue to expand on!
Hope to write back soon.
First, some guidelines on telling sexes apart: Males do not develop the bold black markings on the carapace as shown below until their penultimate molt, so juveniles tend to be difficult to tell apart.
(From Bugguide)
Males do, however, have consistently more black on the abdomen even as juveniles and slings. Females can show mottled colors too when they're young, but if you have a spider that has no black on it, you've definitely got a female.
There is no distinct difference that I have been able to tell, even comparing a juvenile male and female side by side, between the book lungs where we would see epiandrous fusillae on a tarantula.
On gauging maturity and mating viability: This is the part where I messed up big time. I'd have spiderlings to share and sell right now if I hadn't made my mistakes, but live and learn, right?
Like I said above, males develop their conspicuous markings in the penultimate molt. Even before that, if a male is in premolt (which I've observed to last no more than a few days) and about to come into pre-maturity, the black mask is visible (but duller) under the current carapace, making your spider appear to have changed color without a molt! Pretty cool.
In the penultimate molt, the male's pedipalps are already distinct from the female's, shown here in the molt from my now-matured male:
Now, here's where I went wrong: I assumed that, like tarantulas, the appearance of mature markings and pointed pedipalps signified a male's final molt. I attempted to mate my previous male with multiple females like this, and I was confounded as to why he wasn't "acting" like a mature male, since the breeding reports I could find for this species all lend to a reputation of being easy and quick to procreate. One of my females made a sac (after she ate my male), but she has a history of doing so and this one was sterile, like the rest.
I now know that males take TWO molts to reach maturity! I did my best to take photos of my MM, but people with actual cameras have managed it much better.
(Bugguide)
On the actually matured male, you can clearly see the palpal bulb as separate from the palp itself.
So, how do you tell if your female is mature?
Either she'll begin to make blank sacs and carry them around with her for a few days or weeks like so:
(Bugguide)
Or you will be able to see a distinct marking if you can get a good view of her underside:
Mature female, above, and juvenile, below. You can also clearly see that the pedipalps are not those of a mature or premature male.
(Bugguide)
I don't know what the dark spot signifies or if it has any purpose other than just being a mark of adult coloration, but in juveniles and males, there is no color difference between the two edges of the vent.
Females will often also begin to leave dots of web all over the place (as you can see in the photo of my mature female). This is the way the male will find his way to her.
Due to my major screw-up, I have yet to have facilitated an actual mating, but I'll update this thread or this post when I do.
Care, keeping, and miscellaneous information of use: Most of my H. venatoria live in mason jars. The larger ones live in small critter keepers or in those tiny tanks intended for betta fish (which is, of course, not enough room for a betta, but plenty for a spider). They don't need substrate and they won't do anything with it, although it does help for appearance's sake, because a container will gather a lot of poop and food boluses.
Maintenance is next to impossible. These guys are extremely fast and jumpy and I have never caught one that escaped without it either turning up somewhere in the house on its own for me to recapture, or unless I had a partner to help me catch it. Use extreme care when removing whatever waste you can or when rehousing. They will go anywhere. In air vents, down drains, into your purse or in the clothes in your dresser. Rehousing in a bathtub will not stop them from climbing out and making a getaway. They jump, and not like arboreal tarantulas jump - they can jump upward. They can also fall great distances, using a strand of silk to slow their fall, but I have never seen one actually hang from it. The silk is impressively tough. It feels similar to sewing thread or even fishing line.
All that said about escape hazards, keeping your H. venatoria where their containers might be jostled a little is not a bad idea (on top of filing cabinets, for example). Most will become used to a certain amount of vibration and won't bolt as soon as you open their containers to put food in or take it out. I have some specimens that will even take just a few steps forward when prodded with a paintbrush, because they've gotten used to it. If your spider does escape (and you have quick reflexes) there's no danger in just grabbing them up in your hand. I've done it with three different specimens so far and never been bitten. Even if you were bitten, their fangs are very tiny and may not even break skin.
These little monsters are extremely hardy and will survive just fine in a mason jar with nothing else in it except the occasional prey item dropped in. No heat or humidity is necessary. They almost never refuse a meal, even if their abdomens are swollen round, and will easily take on prey larger than themselves. Fascinating to watch hunt! They do seem to appreciate a light misting to their containers shortly before a molt, but (probably obviously) do not like being sprayed directly. Molting takes place upside-down and over a period of no more than thirty minutes or so.
If you get to watch your H. venatoria molt, you might see them do their stretching, rest a bit, and then go about cleaning their shed exuvium fastidiously. I have no clue why they do this; your guess is as good as mine.
I'm not sure exactly how long they live, but males mature within maybe 4-5 months of hatching, given plenty of food. I've had my largest female for about half a year now. She has molted twice in my care and each time she has grown, despite already having a leg span that has to be close to 5 inches if not more. I assume that with abundant food as spiderlings, a specimen could reach her size or larger, though she's the largest I've seen so far. Container size may also have something to do with adult size and rate of maturity (smaller container seems to mean smaller adult size), but again, small critter keepers/faunariums or a half-gallon sized enclosure if you're feeling generous is plenty of room.
In summary: this was my first pet arachnid species, and a great beginner for a foray into the world of true spiders!! The speed is something to be appreciated and handled with care, for sure. This is not a spider you will ever be able to hold in your hand (I've tried lmao), but it is a highly entertaining addition to anyone's collection and the prices for them seem reasonable if you're not in a place to just catch them outdoors. The weather is warming up and I'm finding more and more of them about, so if you're interested in wild-caught, I can see what I can do! Otherwise, with my male all grown up, I hope to be able to provide CB spiderlings!
Future topics will hopefully include:
Proper breeding, brooding, motherhood, how the spiderlings will function communally if left in a large container with the mother, and whether I can get a certain number of them out without them all going everywhere.
I would also like to try out "chilling" them in the refrigerator for short periods so that it's easier to work with them. One of mine was caught fortuitously during the winter, and she was considerably more mellow. But I really don't want to accidentally kill or permanently harm my bugs. :C
Anyway. I'm still new here so I'm sorry if this should've been posted elsewhere, and someone with the authority is welcome to move it if so. I just want it to be easy to find so that others can profit from the information I've gathered so far and will continue to expand on!
Hope to write back soon.
