Latrodectus breeding questions

[NYAN]

It looks fat, maby it is still a sub.. All my mature males are slim..

That’s what I was thinking also.

 

[Joogvanhedel]

the second pic, first pic looks adult

 

[NYAN]

the second pic, first pic looks adult

Right, he’s slim and has large black pedipalps. Currently he’s sitting in the female’s web doing nothing. Should I take him out or leave him longer?

 

[NYAN]

He’s been like this for around a week, not sure how much longer he has.

 

[NYAN]

Females just tried to eat him, uh oh. I spooked him and he moved though.

 

[NYAN]

Maybe he’s gay. I’m not sure if I can’t be so accepting though since I want eggs.

 

[Joogvanhedel]

Try again over a day or 2, it wont work now :-(

 

[NYAN]

Try again over a day or 2, it wont work now :-(

Will do. Do you suspect that my enclosure is too small and may be causing issues? I keep them in 5.5 oz deli cups.

 

[Joogvanhedel]

I use tall 0.5 and 1 liter cups (+/- 17 / 35 oz) But i think you can also do it smaller..

 

[NYAN]

I use tall 0.5 and 1 liter cups (+/- 17 / 35 oz) But i think you can also do it smaller..

I was going to upgade to 32 oz, maybe we will see.

 

[NYAN]

I’m trying again with hesperus right now. The last male died since the last try. This male looks similar to the last one except he’s slightly more fat. It seems to be going better than last time, but I don’t know if anything is going on. I’ve watched the male for at least half an hour and he wiggled a bit and went around the females web( possibly destroying her web like he should but I don’t know for certain). He then approached the female a few times and it seemed like he was spinning web on her? The female would move a bit and he would get spooked and retreat only to return back to the female. Currently he’s still going around the enclosure. At one point he was right ontop of the female. Actually, this is almost comical. The male is almost certainly emerging to spin a web on the female and she responds by doing nothing then flicking her leg so he either falls off or gets spooked.

 

[NYAN]

Wow. I think he just mated. He spent about 15 mins walking around the female and sitting around her. He just now went and placed his palps up against the underside of her abdomen and sat there for 10 or so seconds. I honestly couldn’t get the view of what was happening. Not to be graphic, but they don’t actually penetrate do they?

 

[NYAN]

Hi again. I figured I would update everyone on my breeding. I am down to 2 males of hesperus, however I believe I had 2 successful pairings with one male. I am now trying with hasselti again today as the males look mature.

 

[NYAN]

It seems the hasselti went well. Both males weren’t eaten though which is confusing. Last I checked they were both trying to go at it again.

 

[JoP]

It seems the hasselti went well. Both males weren’t eaten though which is confusing. Last I checked they were both trying to go at it again.

Hasselti are highly cannibalistic, so both males getting eaten sounds just about right. I've heard of matings happening without cannibalism in most Latro species, but hasselti pairings seem to almost always result in the male being eaten; just a quirk of that particular species.

 

[NYAN]

Hasselti are highly cannibalistic, so both males getting eaten sounds just about right. I've heard of matings happening without cannibalism in most Latro species, but hasselti pairings seem to almost always result in the male being eaten; just a quirk of that particular species.

Both males were not eaten though.

 

[JoP]

Both males were not eaten though.

Oh, sorry, misread your post - thought it said both males were eaten. If they survived, that's a bit unusual; doesn't necessarily mean that successful copulation didn't occur, but there's a chance it might not have.

 

[NYAN]

Oh, sorry, misread your post - thought it said both males were eaten. If they survived, that's a bit unusual; doesn't necessarily mean that successful copulation didn't occur, but there's a chance it might not have.

That’s the weird thing though. I watched the males place their pedipalps where they are supposed to. I left them in there and when I get back we will see.

 

[NYAN]

Well, both are dead. One of them appears to have been eaten like it was any other prey item though since it is wrapped in silk. The second one is curled up and dead at the bottom of the enclosure. I wonder what this all means..

 

[Joogvanhedel]

It means you will have many baby's If you stay during the mating, you can separate them on time. If you leave them overnight, they will be eaten..