# Black Widow Question



## bojesse57 (Nov 8, 2010)

About a month ago I found a black widow spider in my mom's backyard.  I caught her and put her in a small plastic container.  She has been doing well, but, about three nights ago as I was making my rounds to feed my tarantulas, brown recluse, and black widow I discovered that my black widow has made an egg sac.  Since it's been close to a month since I first caught her I was wondering if there was any chance that the eggs are fertilized.  THERE IS NO CHANCE THAT A MALE COULD GET INTO THE CONTAINER AND MATE!!!  Just wondering if it was possible if I might be getting some babies soon and how long does it usually take a black widow to lay her eggs after mating?  Please help.  Thanks and God Bless!!!


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## Anubis77 (Nov 8, 2010)

Oh yeah, wouldn't doubt it's fertilized if she was wild caught. They can store the sperm for a long time. Best (or worst) part of it is they'll make multiple eggsacs. Expect a widow nursery. They're fun to raise, if you're into that sort of thing.

Reactions: Wow 1


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## davisfam (Nov 9, 2010)

There is a very good chance that your Widow's new egg sac is fertile. Widows can store sperm for decent amounts of time. Many people have reported owning widows that still made fertile egg sac’s around 9 months to a year after they collected the specimens. You will just have to wait and see how dark the egg sac gets in a few weeks. Don't forget to remove the egg sac from Mama Widow's cage before the slings hatch (in 25-40 days). Make sure to also put the egg sac in something with VERY tiny air holes or else you'll have slings escaping all over the place! 

Also, "Widowman 10" is very experienced with this species and will prob. chime in with more information too! Good Luck! :]


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## Silberrücken (Nov 9, 2010)

Why would one need to remove the sac before hatching? Seriously, I need to know, 'cause my L. geo now has 2 sacs....   

:8o:8o:8o ...think I need to do some quick reading... :8o:8o:8o

S.


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## Anubis77 (Nov 9, 2010)

Silberrücken said:


> Why would one need to remove the sac before hatching? Seriously, I need to know, 'cause my L. geo now has 2 sacs....
> 
> :8o:8o:8o ...think I need to do some quick reading... :8o:8o:8o
> 
> S.


Easier to deal with spiderlings separated from the mother than trying to catch babies with her around or removing her and in the process risking the escape of a few babies. Just makes it more manageable.


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## Widowman10 (Nov 9, 2010)

haha, yeah. remove the sac before it hatches. you'll make that mistake, oh, maybe once   it's so much fun chasing 500 tiny little flying specs of pepper as they disperse like pieces of an exploding star. 

and widows can store sperm for ridiculous amounts of time. female widows can retain sperm for up to 600 days  600!

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Travis K (Nov 9, 2010)

This may or may not be a stupid question but, can widows retain sperm after molting?  I would think not, but that is just an assumption on my part.


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## Widowman10 (Nov 9, 2010)

Travis K said:


> This may or may not be a stupid question but, can widows retain sperm after molting?  I would think not, but that is just an assumption on my part.


they certainly can, although i'm not sure for how long before. some widow people will breed a penultimate female very near a molt with a male. right after mating, she will molt, then lay a sac later.

this strategy is used to prevent the eating of the male in some of the more aggressive species.


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## bojesse57 (Nov 9, 2010)

How do I raise baby black widows?  I put them in a seperate container and then what?  Do I let them all live together and if so for how long?




Widowman10 said:


> haha, yeah. remove the sac before it hatches. you'll make that mistake, oh, maybe once   it's so much fun chasing 500 tiny little flying specs of pepper as they disperse like pieces of an exploding star.
> 
> and widows can store sperm for ridiculous amounts of time. female widows can retain sperm for up to 600 days  600!


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## Widowman10 (Nov 9, 2010)

bojesse57 said:


> How do I raise baby black widows?  I put them in a seperate container and then what?  Do I let them all live together and if so for how long?


i would let them cannibalize down to a manageable number. unless you want to feed 300 little mouths 3 times a week. i most certainly don't. let them live together until you get the number you are comfortable taking care of. then separate them and care for them individually.


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## spidersnstuff (Nov 9, 2010)

This same thing happened to me, I just dumped ants and flies, and whatever onto the colony, communal feeding can be observed


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