Jumping spider baby mystery, + what do babies eat?

[WildSpider]

This is how I keep my jumping spider slings~
Many jumpers prefer to live on top of containers, so inverting the container might be a better way to keep them especially if you have a lot of slings, so they don't start spilling out in all direction every time you open the lid. Due to this I don't use substrate, and I also feed mine flightless fruit flies.
I'm not sure about maternal care in jumping spider, I know some will protect their young before this disperse. I think once dispersed it's a free for all. Not sure about the species you own, but the sling I have can be group housed for the first few instars!

I've kept jumpers like that too (upside down without substrate) and it worked pretty well for me too. If you haven't already seen it, you might find it interesting what Basin79 tried for getting them to build their retreat someplace other than the top:

Cute little guys you've got by the way .

 

[BenLeeKing]

I've kept jumpers like that too (upside down without substrate) and it worked pretty well for me too. If you haven't already seen it, you might find it interesting what Basin79 tried for getting them to build their retreat someplace other than the top:

Cute little guys you've got by the way .

I've tried to do this in my enclosure for my adult female~ but... I can't fit anymore things in there

 

[kamakiri]

Yikes . . . sorry, guys, I just saw the last two replies. As usual, many thanks!

But now I have a new problem . . . the wingless fruit flies arrived today from Ottawa (I'm in Montreal) and . . . yikes! The seller is an owner of dart frogs (?) so his packaging is not specifically for spiders, but I see that I have a problem . . . there are HUNDREDS of very, very active flies . . . wingless, perhaps, but still, trying their damnedest to get out of every crack or crevice . . .

It looks like they've been housed in a plastic food-type container (the tall ones that look a bit like the kind you get from Chinese restos for soup) with some sort of feeding material at the bottom and a seemingly regular top except for multiple holes in it; the top is then covered from the inside with some sort of filtering material I guess to allow air to enter.)

Just wondering if this is a standard method of packaging or just this seller's particular method.

My question is (after hiding it away from my kitty's relentless attentions) how the HELL am I going to somehow get one or two flies out of the container without letting the whole swarm accompany them?

Furthermore, is it good to let several flies in with the mother spider (who is now alone in the old container—I transferred four spiderlings two or three days ago and they are in the new container) or should I try to just limit it to one fly (if indeed I can separate just one!) so I can quickly see whether or not she takes it?

*Sigh* I fear I am in this venture too deep, as I have not a clue how to proceed with all these minuscule yet vigorous forms of life!

As usual, your help is mutely appreciated well in advance . . . the saga continues!

 

[WildSpider]

Just wondering if this is a standard method of packaging or just this seller's particular method.

The containers in the below video are the kind of containers I usually see at petstores but I haven't really gone outside of pet stores to find feeders at this point. You can skip to 22 sec. to get to the fruitflies.

My question is (after hiding it away from my kitty's relentless attentions) how the HELL am I going to somehow get one or two flies out of the container without letting the whole swarm accompany them?

Here's a video I found for that:

Furthermore, is it good to let several flies in with the mother spider (who is now alone in the old container—I transferred four spiderlings two or three days ago and they are in the new container) or should I try to just limit it to one fly (if indeed I can separate just one!) so I can quickly see whether or not she takes it?

The fruitflies will be too small to easily keep the mom well fed. I catch wild insects to feed to my larger wild caught (WC) spiders but a lot of people on here like to purchase those at the petstores or like you did with your fruitflies. Crickets are a popular choice when buying them. I own a lot of stinky animals so I have enough flies (normal sized ones) and occasionally other kinds of insects where I live to feed all my spiders (except my T, I buy food for her).

 

[kamakiri]

Well, I figured out a way to get the flies from their housing container . . . here's how I wrote it up for my blog:

​

I know, it looks like a fast-food smoothie of some kind. But the only "fast food" in this picture is fruit flies (not visible).

Inside the container are dozens of wingless fruit flies (about 3mm long) who are living on a self-sustaining medium.

My task was how to get the fruit flies from this container into the container with the mother jumping spider (currently all by herself in a container that has a thin layer of potting soil at the bottom) or to the container with the four spiderlings (about 1mm in diameter).

I hit upon a novel solution: I would create a sort of shuttle system, complete with air lock, shuttlecraft etc.

With an X-acto knife I first cut a hole in the filter paper of the lid where there was an existing hole in the plastic (see photo).

Then, I inverted a pill canister over the hole and waited.

Pretty soon, a couple of fruit flies wandered through the hole and into the pill container, and *snap*! I had the little bastards in the "shuttlecraft."

I taped over the hole with some scotch tape and put the top on the pill container and carried it over to the two spider houses.

The first "astroflies" descended into the New World of the mummy-spider's container. I watched them carefully; one of them got lost in the potting soil but the other one wandered around a bit among the (to it) boulders, getting closer and closer to the spider, who had come out of her shelter to see what the commotion was all about . . . and pounced!

The end was quick. Astrofly had discovered the New World, and the natives were distinctly unfriendly.

The situation in the spiderlings' container was very different . . . the flies out-size the tiny spiders by about two to one, and as of this writing (24 hours later) the flies are energetically wandering the container while the babies look on hungrily . . . Dinner is parading itself in front of them but they don't have knife and forks big enough to dismember it . . . perhaps when the flies have lost some of their energy one or more of the kids will do what comes naturally to jumping spiders, and jump . . . !

 

[kamakiri]

Ouf. The flies that I introduced to the spiderlings' container died. But the spiderlings are still there, waiting . . . Now I don't know what to do to feed them. They've lived their whole lives with nothing to eat, and they're not going to last much longer . . . PLUS, I saw another spiderling in the container with its mother. The two flies that I introduced to her container last night are gone.

I guess I need to get smaller flies.

 

[WildSpider]

Ouf. The flies that I introduced to the spiderlings' container died. But the spiderlings are still there, waiting . . . Now I don't know what to do to feed them. They've lived their whole lives with nothing to eat, and they're not going to last much longer . . . PLUS, I saw another spiderling in the container with its mother. The two flies that I introduced to her container last night are gone.

I guess I need to get smaller flies.

Have you tried prodding the fruit flies near the babies so its easier for them to catch?

 

[kamakiri]

No, the babies get around very well—assuming they have good eyesight there was no way they could miss these two flies—there is nothing to hide behind. At many points the flies walked right past the little ones, but the problem is that the flies are literally three times the size of the spiders. I mean, these spiderlings are smaller than this asterisk: * and the flies are about this size: -= I'm actually surprised the spiderlings haven't eaten each other =+(

Anyway, the two fruit flies died—so their carcasses are just sitting there on the floor of the enclosure. I wish I could make tiny signs with big arrows pointing to them that say "Food."

 

[WildSpider]

No, the babies get around very well—assuming they have good eyesight there was no way they could miss these two flies—there is nothing to hide behind. At many points the flies walked right past the little ones, but the problem is that the flies are literally three times the size of the spiders. I mean, these spiderlings are smaller than this asterisk: * and the flies are about this size: -= I'm actually surprised the spiderlings haven't eaten each other =+(

Anyway, the two fruit flies died—so their carcasses are just sitting there on the floor of the enclosure. I wish I could make tiny signs with big arrows pointing to them that say "Food."

It's possible the fruit flies might still work but a smaller food available that I also use are Springtails. Maybe @pannaking22 or @NYAN have ideas on helping the jumpers to eat the fruit flies?

 

[NYAN]

It's possible the fruit flies might still work but a smaller food available that I also use are Springtails. Maybe @pannaking22 or @NYAN have ideas on helping the jumpers to eat the fruit flies?

I’ve found that fresh slings won’t eat right away. Usually it takes a few days. Try pinhead crickets, or prekilled prey since they are so small. Other people have used springtails too.

 

[WildSpider]

I’ve found that fresh slings won’t eat right away. Usually it takes a few days.

Do they have to go through a molt or two before they eat do you think? It seems like the species of slings I've raised usually molt a time or two before I've attempted to feed them.

 

[kamakiri]

The person who sent me the fruit flies says she has smaller versions of them—maybe that's the springtails you're referring to. She sent them XPress post so I should have them by Monday!

Meanwhile I sprayed some water into the babies' container—at least they can get some moisture. Humans can live for forty days on nothing but water so I'd imagine spiders could do triple that.

 

[WildSpider]

The person who sent me the fruit flies says she has smaller versions of them—maybe that's the springtails you're referring to. She sent them XPress post so I should have them by Monday!

Meanwhile I sprayed some water into the babies' container—at least they can get some moisture. Humans can live for forty days on nothing but water so I'd imagine spiders could do triple that.

You might want to wipe the water up. It's pretty easy for baby jumpers to drown. If you're worried about water, you could probably put a damp paper towel in there and they can come drink off of that and then you can change it out every day or so so it doesn't mold.

One way to check for dehydration in general for spiders is the abdomen will be smaller and more shriveled. I think it also looks a bit flatter than normal on the top of the abdomen. If severe, the legs may begin to curl.

 

[kamakiri]

The spray is really fine and it's only on one side of the container. It's actually just a dusting, really. The little ones are all on the other side of the container. To them, the container would appear to be about 30 stories tall and a city block wide =+)

 

[pannaking22]

Agreed with NYAN. They may take the fruit flies, but smaller prey would likely be accepted faster. Once they harden up though you'll have an answer.

 

[kamakiri]

What's "harden up"?

 

[WildSpider]

What's "harden up"?

Just what it sounds like . Right now the exoskeleton is a bit soft and it will eventually get harder. After a spider molts, they will be soft like this and the spider needs to be left alone for a while since its so vulnerable at this time. Usually food is not given for some amount of time (the amount depends on the spider's size) to let it harden up as the prey could hurt the spider or the spider's fangs can break off (since they're soft too).

 

[kamakiri]

Wow . . . you basically need a microscope to see these babies—they look like black specks against any background—and it's only when they begin to move that you see that they're alive.

I feel so sorry for them not being able to eat anything but I console myself that in the wild, they no doubt would have died long ago.

On Monday the smaller flies arrive so let's pray these little guys can hold out till then . . .

 

[pandabacon]

Wow . . . you basically need a microscope to see these babies—they look like black specks against any background—and it's only when they begin to move that you see that they're alive.

I feel so sorry for them not being able to eat anything but I console myself that in the wild, they no doubt would have died long ago.

On Monday the smaller flies arrive so let's pray these little guys can hold out till then . . .

I thought the babies would cannibalize each other if no other food was available? Eventually you end up with the bigger ones who survived. Probably better to get food if you want to release or maximize how many you end up with but they should work it out right?

 

[kamakiri]

Aargh . . . I hope not! So far they have all seemed to be very friendly to each other (the mother could have eaten the babies if she had wished, but she didn't). So maybe the kids will be a chip off the old block!

No matter what, I have to wait till Monday and then pray for a miracle. Let's hope the flies are small enough and the spiderlings are hungry enough!