Western Black Widow

[vbrooke]

Does anyone know how long a WC western black widow will live in captivity if never breed?:?

 

[What]

Is it a mature female?

From maturity I would expect between 6 months and 1.5 years of life ahead. If the female is already mature then somewhere under 1.5 years.

 

[cacoseraph]

i caught a mature, gravid hesp and kept her for about 3 years. she produced something like 13 eggsacs in the time


at one point, she had a stalagmite of corpses under her web that was over 2" tall =P

i bet you could slow grow one for four years of maturity one in four times

 

[Rizzolo]

cacoseraph is right. don't overfeed, or keep too warm and they will live up to about 3 years. i had a couple that lived that long. they are better off if you forget about them for about a month at a time. overfeeding or watering them will kill them.
anyone have experiences with longevity of other US and International Latrodectus species? Same?

 

[Rizzolo]

cacoseraph is right. don't overfeed, or keep too warm and they will live up to about 3 years. i had a couple that lived that long. they are better off if you forget about them for about a month at a time. overfeeding or watering them will kill them.
anyone have experiences with longevity of other US and International Latrodectus species? Same?

 

[vbrooke]

Yes, I believe she is a mature female. I caught her in my backyard about 6 to 9 months ago as a little speckled sling. During the summer when flies were abundent, she ate regularly. now with the cold weather not so much. We were breeding mice for our clutch of baby Red Tail Boas and did experiment with giving her a pinky. She loved it!!!! She will eat about anything from flies to mice. She is so fascinating to watch. Quick as lightning!

I've found hundreds in my house and in my yard so when she does go, there should be no trouble finding a new one.

Thanks for the input.