# Caring for Kukulcania Hibernalis



## Ungoliant (Mar 8, 2012)

I have three _K. hibernalis_ spiders (two females and one male). Although I've always liked spiders, I don't have any experience keeping them. I was wondering if anyone who has experience with these spiders can give me some pointers on caring for them (and possibly encouraging them to breed).

Right now, I am keeping them in large pickle jars. (One female and a male are in one jar, and the second female is in another jar.) Is this adequate space for them?

Are there any objects or materials that should be placed in the enclosure? One of the jars contains an empty toilet paper roll, into which the male (the only occupant at the time) moved right away. The female has since taken over that space. The other jar has an index card and some wires. They seem to like the tunnel-like rolls, so I'll probably replace the wire with one of those. (Of course, both jars have water.)

How often do they need to be fed? I have been giving them the smoky-brown cockroach nymphs that occasionally venture indoors for water. (It's an old house in a wooded area.) I find a nymph every 1-2 days, but I'm starting to doubt whether that is enough for three spiders. (The nymphs are tiny, much smaller than the spiders.)

Right now, I am keeping them near the computer, where I can observe them. Are they disturbed by noise? (The woofer is on the same bookshelf as the spider jars.)

If I had more space, could I put all three of the spiders in the same enclosure without causing a fight? (I don't know whether the two females are related. Both were found in my house. The male is probably unrelated to either, because he came from a neighbor's house.)

Besides putting the male and female in the same enclosure, is there anything I can do to encourage them to mate? (Two days ago, the female had an eggsac, but I don't see it anymore.)

If they do breed, how long do the eggs take to hatch, and about how many spiderlings might I expect? Would the spiderlings need to be moved (either as juveniles or adults)? How long do they take to reach sexual maturity?

Is there a good way to photograph my spiders without losing them? (The glass prevents me from getting a good picture.)

Thanks!


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## loxoscelesfear (Mar 9, 2012)

seems like an adequate set-up.  i go the empty toilet paper roll rout myself.  i offer a cricket every week or so.  keep females separate.  putting a mature male in w/ the female is ok.  to my knowledge, the males do not eat; they are programmed for on purpose.  i have had wild caught females produce egg sacs that hatched a month or so later.  hibernalis is unique among true spiders in that they are fairly calm when it comes to handling so photos should not be a problem.  do not pick her up.  simply coax the spider into a larger container for photographing.  do not keep the enclosure next to a thumping woofer, that will stress the spider out.

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## pitbulllady (Mar 9, 2012)

Ungoliant said:


> I have three _K. hibernalis_ spiders (two females and one male). Although I've always liked spiders, I don't have any experience keeping them. I was wondering if anyone who has experience with these spiders can give me some pointers on caring for them (and possibly encouraging them to breed).
> 
> Right now, I am keeping them in large pickle jars. (One female and a male are in one jar, and the second female is in another jar.) Is this adequate space for them?
> 
> ...



I'm with loxoscelesfear; I put a toilet paper tube in with mine, too!  My big girl, whom I've had for almost 13 years, lives in a cube enclosure made for tarantulas, which I got at a reptile show, but they do just as well in jars, large deli cups, pretty much anything that they can't squeeze out of.  They are noise-sensitive; wild specimens run for cover at any loud noise but don't seem bothered by flashlights, or even me gently touching them.  I feed them just like my tarantulas.  They can run fast, but they can't climb slick surfaces, and are somewhat handleable in that they don't try to bite(I'VE never had one bite, anyway, though females with eggsacs or 'slings will be defensive), but they do have delicate legs that break off easily.  You can easily place one in a clear plastic box to take pictures, with a background underneath, and then get it back into its enclosure.  OR, clean out the sink really well, dry it, put the drain stopper in place and put the spider in there; they cannot climb out of a sink or tub, and that is in fact where I've caught many of the specimens I've kept.  They are remarkably easy to care for, really, and females will live a long, long time.

pitbulllady

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## Ungoliant (Mar 15, 2012)

Thanks for the advice!

The female that lives alone in the larger jar (the one without the toilet paper roll) is doing very well. She has built a sizable web and immediately eats whatever I give her.

However, I am concerned about the pair in the smaller jar (the one with the toilet paper roll). A few days ago, I had to replace the toilet paper roll after I accidentally spilled water in the jar while trying to refill their water cap. (The cardboard absorbed the water and became gross.) The female has not built a new web. Instead, she spends much of her time unsuccessfully trying to reach the top of the jar, falling often. The male spends most of his time on the side of the jar. (He made a sticky spot that he can hold on to.)

Both she and the male are terrified of the last prey items that I gave them (a medium-sized roach nymph and a small earwig). I just moved the insects to the larger jar, and the other spider is killing both of them, so I assume that these species are acceptable prey.

I know that the adult male may not have much of an appetite, but I would expect the female to be ready to eat by now.

Also, the male and female also seem to be scared of each other. This may be because the female is not in her web and cannot be approached properly.

Is there anything that I could do to encourage them to settle in? I read a thread on the tarantula board where some users suggested giving _dead_ prey to a cowardly tarantula. Has anyone ever known _K. hibernalis_ to scavenge? In my experience, they tend to ignore dead things that did not die in their webs.

Thanks!


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## cacoseraph (Mar 15, 2012)

sometimes it takes a couple few weeks to settle in.  also, i would separate the male and female for the time being until she starts building at least the start of a web, if not a decent sized one.   i've seen them take prekilled off their web and eat it. that is how i am feeding my female with an eggsac right now, in fact.  can't really recall one way or the other about taking prekilled off the ground, though

also, i'm not really a fan of cardboard in most cages.  i water my kuk's by spraying their web. spraying also keeps the substrate (coconut coir ground, compressed, reconstituted) from getting too dusty.  the problem i have with cardboard is that there is always a chance of it yucking up, as you have seen.  this time it was no big deal, but imagine if the spider had finally settled down after a month if frustration, making a lovely black hole web radiating out of the tube... and you had to rip it apart to remove the tube.  i try to only use like, incorruptible materials in my cages. lots of plastic and terracotta and that's about it

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## pitbulllady (Mar 15, 2012)

Ungoliant said:


> Thanks for the advice!
> 
> The female that lives alone in the larger jar (the one without the toilet paper roll) is doing very well. She has built a sizable web and immediately eats whatever I give her.
> 
> ...


I have fed many a swatted fly or squashed cockroach to both captive and free-ranging _K. hibernalis_, and they devoured those offerings with gusto.  I've even had _L. mactans_ that would take pre-killed insects.  _K. hibernalis_ in the same colony will often share prey items, and females will share with their 'slings.  I've also seen them steal already-dead prey from others of their own kind(spider tug-of-wars are funny)and from other species, especially _Scytodes_.

pitbulllady

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## Ungoliant (Mar 15, 2012)

Thanks! I've replaced the cardboard tube with a plastic one from an old tube of latex caulk. There is actually some texture on the inside of the tube, which should make it easier for her to get up and down. I'll try giving my timid female some dead prey once she builds a web.

Meanwhile, I moved the male to the jar of the other female (the one with a nice web and a full belly). He's still afraid and avoiding the other female right now, but we'll see what happens when he comes down.


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## Ungoliant (Mar 16, 2012)

Ungoliant said:


> Meanwhile, I moved the male to the jar of the other female (the one with a nice web and a full belly). He's still afraid and avoiding the other female right now, but we'll see what happens when he comes down.


Unfortunately, it didn't end well. Despite being very well fed, the female killed the male some time last night. Not much of him remains.


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## Ungoliant (Apr 15, 2012)

My big female's jar is gross. It smells bad, because there is a half-eaten caterpillar decomposing in the bottom of the jar. I'd like to clean her enclosure, but there is no way to do it without destroying her extensive web.

I'm thinking about making a nicer enclosure for her. (There is no substrate in the old jar, which is something I want to change. I'm using peat moss and gravel for my other spiders.) She is well-fed, so even if it takes her a few days to settle in and spin a new web, she shouldn't go hungry.

My husband says that she probably likes it that way and not to move her. Is it a bad idea to move her? If so, at what point does the need for cleanliness override the concern about disturbing her web? (I realize that spiders don't have a sense of aesthetics, but it's just gross in there.)

I'm thinking about introducing some isopods as a cleaning crew, but I don't want to do that at the moment, because she really doesn't need more food right now after that caterpillar.


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## pitbulllady (Apr 15, 2012)

Ungoliant said:


> My big female's jar is gross. It smells bad, because there is a half-eaten caterpillar decomposing in the bottom of the jar. I'd like to clean her enclosure, but there is no way to do it without destroying her extensive web.
> 
> I'm thinking about making a nicer enclosure for her. (There is no substrate in the old jar, which is something I want to change. I'm using peat moss and gravel for my other spiders.) She is well-fed, so even if it takes her a few days to settle in and spin a new web, she shouldn't go hungry.
> 
> ...


I use forceps to removie larger bits of prey, and while it does mess up the web, the spider just will rebuild it.  These are some prolific webbers that can put my Green-Bottle Blue T to shame!  I usually remove the spider and put her in a cup while I'm cleaning so she doesn't panic and bolt.

pitbulllady


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## cacoseraph (Apr 15, 2012)

pitbulllady said:


> I use forceps to removie larger bits of prey, and while it does mess up the web, the spider just will rebuild it.  These are some prolific webbers that can put my Green-Bottle Blue T to shame!  I usually remove the spider and put her in a cup while I'm cleaning so she doesn't panic and bolt.
> 
> pitbulllady


pretty much what i do.  also, i tend to feed a bit less than average it seems, so all i end up with are pretty tidy little boluses... and my current spider is even nice enough to pretty much always leave them in the same spot which is fairly accessible


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## John Koerner (Apr 15, 2012)



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## Ungoliant (Apr 16, 2012)

Thanks for the advice. I went ahead and redid her enclosure. The substrate is a mixture of peat moss and gravel. There are some wires and sticks for her to use as structural supports. I also made a small "cave" for her as a retreat. For now I left a cap of water in there, but once she settles in, I may switch to misting the web. 

It's only been a couple of hours, and she's already started making a new web, so I think this will work.

P.S. pitbulllady, I enjoyed your _K. hibernalis_ photos on deviantART.

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