RookieNeedsHelp: Unexpected Argiope appensa egg sacs & sling care

[Musa Djuan]

This is the second "RookieNeedsHelp" thread of mine after this one:
http://arachnoboards.com/threads/rookieneedshelp-spider-identification.311696/#post-2837263

This time, my first, wild caught spider, Argiope apensa (Thanks for the help at my first thread) have made two egg sacs and the first one hatched already, which I thought that was just an empty egg sac because I have never paired the spider.

Argiope appensa with egg sacs

• Musa Djuan
• Oct 13, 2018
• appensa araneidae argiope argiope appensa banana spider egg sac female hawaiian garden spider mature female

Argiope appensa with 2 egg sacks

I would consider my self as a lucky beginner, because this is my first experience on keeping spider (first spider indeed), and I have already encountered such event. But I just don't know what to do with those slings nor what to do with the second egg sac, I mean they're all (From the first egg sac) have already hatched on their mom's web and I don't think I could separate them one by one

Argiope appensa and slings

• Musa Djuan
• Oct 13, 2018
• 8
• appensa araneidae argiope argiope appensa banana spider hawaiian garden spider

Argiope appensa slings, freshly hatched (probably)

What am I suppose to do? Should I cover up the ventilation with some kind of shirt, so that the slings can't escape? Should I separate the second egg sac asap? How to deal with those slings that have already hatched? How to feed them? Every information is helpful regarding this kind of situation, thanks!

 

[Musa Djuan]

Update: I caught some of the slings were outside mom's enclosure from the ventilation and covered those holes with a small piece of socks

 

[WildSpider]

For the ventilation holes, some type of cloth should work as you mentioned. It might even work to use a paper towel and just tape it on. Personally, I would leave the second sac with the mom. I've been finding springtails have been just the right size for newly hatched slings if you have those.

If you don't really want all the slings, one possibility is to remove the cloth/paper towel from the ventilation holes when they start to wander around like they're planning to leave the nest. Put the enclosure in a place where you don't mind having babies (if temps aren't too cool and there's a safe place, you could set the enclosure outside for a day or so to let them exit through the holes. To make this plan work better, you might have to add more holes). Before you do this though, you can take the ones you want and put them in their own little enclosures.

On the other hand, if you do want to keep all the slings, I would just try to keep them well fed until they get a bit bigger so it will be easier not to injure them when separating them. There will probably still be some cannibalism with this method but that just happens. When they are a little bigger, I might take the mom out so she doesn't escape and then just take your time separating them. As slings get bigger, fruitflies seem to work pretty well. There is a method for separating P. audux slings that seems very good but I don't know if it would be too rough for Argiopes. You could always try it with one to make sure it isn't going to hurt them. This is the method (skip to 5:16 to get to the transferring):

Hope this helps .

 

[Musa Djuan]

For the ventilation holes, some type of cloth should work as you mentioned. It might even work to use a paper towel and just tape it on. Personally, I would leave the second sac with the mom. I've been finding springtails have been just the right size for newly hatched slings if you have those.

If you don't really want all the slings, one possibility is to remove the cloth/paper towel from the ventilation holes when they start to wander around like they're planning to leave the nest. Put the enclosure in a place where you don't mind having babies (if temps aren't too cool and there's a safe place, you could set the enclosure outside for a day or so to let them exit through the holes. To make this plan work better, you might have to add more holes). Before you do this though, you can take the ones you want and put them in their own little enclosures.

On the other hand, if you do want to keep all the slings, I would just try to keep them well fed until they get a bit bigger so it will be easier not to injure them when separating them. There will probably still be some cannibalism with this method but that just happens. When they are a little bigger, I might take the mom out so she doesn't escape and then just take your time separating them. As slings get bigger, fruitflies seem to work pretty well. There is a method for separating P. audux slings that seems very good but I don't know if it would be too rough for Argiopes. You could always try it with one to make sure it isn't going to hurt them. This is the method (skip to 5:16 to get to the transferring):

Hope this helps .

You bet it helped! I do want to keep all those slings, remembering they can be a communal spider (at least Wikipedia said so), but in 2 or maybe 3 separate groups (if they do make it that many)... So the idea of making more holes and make a way to harvest those babies is simply brilliant. Also, I will leave the second egg sac with the mom just like you've said and hopefully, it will hatch as well.

Taped-cloth instead of sock also perfect, I just realize that the pores on my socks are bigger than those slings...

Also for that sucking method, I just can't hahaha

Thanks a lot, bud!

 

[Quetzalcoatl Nyarlathotep]

I just put my orb weavers on plants and and things inside my shed. They do pretty well that way. Plus you won't mess up the web when you go to feed them.

 

[Musa Djuan]

I just put my orb weavers on plants and and things inside my shed. They do pretty well that way. Plus you won't mess up the web when you go to feed them.

That must be one lovely enclosure you got there m8

 

[Quetzalcoatl Nyarlathotep]

That must be one lovely enclosure you got there m8

Yeah, it's nothin too special though. Just somewhere I can meditate in the webs. I mainly did it so I could scare away intruders who might steal my valuables in there. I've got a lot of axes and knives hidden away in chests in there... Luckily, I also have free-range black widows inside those chests guarding my knives... hehe

 

[Musa Djuan]

Yeah, it's nothin too special though. Just somewhere I can meditate in the webs. I mainly did it so I could scare away intruders who might steal my valuables in there. I've got a lot of axes and knives hidden away in chests in there... Luckily, I also have free-range black widows inside those chests guarding my knives... hehe

Dudee, those chests are just like in every dungeon games that have a trap both on the outside and inside hahaha..
Your shed sure sounds like a paradise for those spiders, great keeper indeed hahaha, thanks for sharing!

 

[Quetzalcoatl Nyarlathotep]

Dudee, those chests are just like in every dungeon games that have a trap both on the outside and inside hahaha..
Your shed sure sounds like a paradise for those spiders, great keeper indeed hahaha, thanks for sharing!

Well, think of it like this, everything I do, I have them in my mind when I do it. I only want them to be happy, healthy, and safe from animals or stray arachnophobes.