# spider hatchlings



## toxic667 (Feb 3, 2011)

my spider had laid eggs months after i caught her, which came as a huge surprise because i had her in a jar sealed... anywhoo the eggs hatched and its been a few weeks since i last fed hed. the problem is i dont know how to feed them because her and 30 babies are hanging upside down on the top of the lid.if i was to open the jar id either squish the little guys or have them all escape on me.

heres a picture, the mom is the big brown on and all the little specs are babies. they all crawl around on the bottom of the lid.







what should i do?


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## Widowman10 (Feb 4, 2011)

what species??


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## revilo (Feb 4, 2011)

hi,

i would say 30 babies that is a little number, good to handle...
put them in another container, maybe a plasticcup.
than you can prepare this new container like you want for better feeding possibilities.
i like to use this method which you can see on the pics below, but others are working fine the same...

sorry, must send pics in a second post - pc problems...

---------- Post added at 04:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 AM ----------

here are the pics.
plasticcup - holes with a needle or small nail for air circulation - than big hole with a scissor - a ball of plasticine, to close the hole - at feeding time i put the funnel inside - water you can spray inside through the hole the same.

works well, espacially withs species which are climbing walls or hanging on the top of the lid...

to answer your question about what to feed them :

what species is in my opinion secondary. why ? because every species, which is in breed in hobby, you can raise with the usual small insects - springtails, fruitflies, microcrickets... 
for species which are hanging on the top like yours, small fruitflies will work the best (but feed the fruitflies with, for example, juice or banana before).

primarily important is how big your babies are. in case they are to small to be able to hunt on the small drosophila sp. it's making the thing more difficult...
but most species are able to do so.

















bye, oli


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## toxic667 (Feb 6, 2011)

Well I have no Idea what species she is and now there are 4 egg sacs the babies are small but you can see their legs and stuff I'd say the tip of a pencil size. You can definitely see them. Idk how I'll get the top off without hurting any of them. Ill post a pic later of mommy so you know what species she is and what she looks like.


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## revilo (Feb 7, 2011)

hi,

maybe seems ridiculous but it should be a theridiidae...however picture her to get sure.
babies are much more durable than they look alike...
and all are hanging in a net - means no direct contact to enclosure while opening the lid...and the black net will not hurt them...


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## toxic667 (Feb 9, 2011)

mommy:













hope this helps its been like a month and i havent fed them :/


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## tom (Feb 9, 2011)

*species id*

Steatoda triangularis female, often has several egg cases in a row. family theriididae.non venemous, very common.especially indoors.Cheers, Tom


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## revilo (Feb 10, 2011)

tom said:


> Steatoda triangularis female, often has several egg cases in a row. family theriididae.non venemous, very common.especially indoors.Cheers, Tom


hi tom,

you are right. only it's triangulosa (not ...aris) and theridiidae (doppel ii after the d).
 only to have a correct writing...

cheers, oli


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## toxic667 (Feb 10, 2011)

thanks guys. i still have nothing to feed them seeing as theres a good 6 feet of snow outside and all i have are large circkets :/


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## The Spider Faery (Feb 11, 2011)

toxic667 said:


> thanks guys. i still have nothing to feed them seeing as theres a good 6 feet of snow outside and all i have are large circkets :/


My S. triangulosa just laid 4 sacs also ('tis the season in Ontario apparently!)  I've had 2 sacs hatch already.  The slings will eat each other for a while..Either that or the mom was eating them too because from the first sac that I left with the mother, there are only a few (if any) babies left.  The second sac I seperated and they're getting bigger and doing well.  Also, if your pet shop sells small pinhead crickets, you can prekill a couple crix and the babies will 'share' the food.


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## TomM (Feb 17, 2011)

I found a gravid S. triangulosa last spring that laid 3-4 sacs.  I let all of the slings (and the mother) free after they reached 3rd or 4th instar from the first few sacs.  The last sac I kept about 10 or 12 slings from and let them cannibalize until there was one really plump female (whom I still have).  They are fun to watch during feeding.  This year for New Years I was visiting my cousin in NC and found a HUGE S. grossa.  Same shape and behavior as the triangulosa, but about 2-3 times bigger and completely black.  She actually just laid a sac last week so I'm pretty excited to see how big these slings are.  Anyways, sorry for rambling, congrats on the sacs and enjoy your Steatoda.  Side note: Steatoda can live for a few years, which is pretty cool for a true spider.


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## BetseyQofAutumn (Mar 10, 2011)

*My first hatching!*

Hey folks,
Can someone advise me? I've got a Steatoda and she laid an egg sac about a month ago. I'm anticipating the little guys to emerge next week. Currently, she's in a jar topped with netting secured by the jar ring. Do I need to get a bigger jar? Will the netting contain them, or do I need to cover it with pantyhose? When they arrive, what can I get from the pet store to feed them?


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## Widowman10 (Mar 10, 2011)

BetseyQofAutumn said:


> Hey folks,
> Can someone advise me? I've got a Steatoda and she laid an egg sac about a month ago. I'm anticipating the little guys to emerge next week. Currently, she's in a jar topped with netting secured by the jar ring. Do I need to get a bigger jar? Will the netting contain them, or do I need to cover it with pantyhose? When they arrive, what can I get from the pet store to feed them?


hey betsey, check out THIS LINK for lots of pertinent information, hopefully it will help.

p.s. are you in colorado?


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## The Spider Faery (Mar 10, 2011)

BetseyQofAutumn said:


> Hey folks,
> Can someone advise me? I've got a Steatoda and she laid an egg sac about a month ago. I'm anticipating the little guys to emerge next week. Currently, she's in a jar topped with netting secured by the jar ring. Do I need to get a bigger jar? Will the netting contain them, or do I need to cover it with pantyhose? When they arrive, what can I get from the pet store to feed them?



They will be _very_ small, so pantyhose over the holes can't hurt.  That's what I use.  My female has been laying sacs since Jan 1 and there's been 8 sacs in total!  So be prepared for multiple clutches, because you just might be in for them.

Personally, I've been letting the spiderlings cannibalise, because you're not going to easily find prey items when they're first or even 2nd instars.  I left the first sac with the mother and she ended up eating the babies, I think.  So, I seperated the second sac, and all that's left of the second sac now after over two months is one big baby spider and maybe 2 smaller ones, so definitely give them a larger container if you want to keep as many as possible because their numbers will dwindle quickly and probably faster the less room they have.  They are not communal, especially the older they get.  

I've noticed the bigger ones are now showing interest in prekilled pinhead crickets, but even pinhead crix are still larger than the babies.


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