# Dysdera crocota (Sow Bug Killers) are they communal?



## ragnew (May 3, 2007)

I was out flipping some rocks today, and found a few of these little guys camping out under a few different ones. I decided to grab a few containers, and ended up taking a few of them home.

I've got a few questions regarding them though...

1. Are they communal? I've got them seperated now, but would really like to be able to keep them together if possible.

2. How do you tell the different sexes? I think it'd be pretty cool to get them to breed, but need to see how to sex them.

3. I know these little beasties pound down the rolie polies, but has anyone tried them on crix or anything else? If so, how did the fare?

Thanks guys, I appreciate the time.


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## cacoseraph (May 3, 2007)

Re-Aligned said:


> I was out flipping some rocks today, and found a few of these little guys camping out under a few different ones. I decided to grab a few containers, and ended up taking a few of them home.
> 
> I've got a few questions regarding them though...
> 
> ...



1) they aren't communal but they do tolerate each other very well. i routinely find more than one under the same rock. i kept a number together and it wasn't an instant slaughter. i even got babies a couple months after i started keeping them

2) males should have enlarged pedipalps once they are near mature

3) yeah, they eat pretty much everything


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## ragnew (May 3, 2007)

Right on, thanks Caco. It was pretty crazy, before I really sat down and did any research on them, I was under the impression that I snagged myself a trapdoor of somekind ...I was wrong, heh.


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## beetleman (May 3, 2007)

yeah, those suckers are killer!:clap: i used to find them up in NEW YORK(springtime)where i used to live, man they would tear any little bug apart,kept them for alittle while the let them go.


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## cacoseraph (May 4, 2007)

Re-Aligned said:


> Right on, thanks Caco. It was pretty crazy, before I really sat down and did any research on them, I was under the impression that I snagged myself a trapdoor of somekind ...I was wrong, heh.


i actually ran through my work telling people that i had caught a trapdoor the first time i snagged one of these, heh


oh yeah, and the babies are a trip. little neon orange dots with legs.


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## duncan27 (Jun 18, 2008)

I find these little guys out here (southern cali).  Just recently got the itch to go bug hunting again thanks to my 3 yr old   . 

Well while gathering up some dirt and grass for some millipedes I caught I found a baby about 3mm long, but unfortunatley lost him due to speed and plenty of room to run.  

Although disappointed that I lost the baby (never found one this small before) I looked around and found a bigger one.  My son hasn't seen it yet and I want to add it to his bug stock.  Nice little shelf of critters, praying mantis, ant farm, millipedes, a couple centipedes and some giant water bugs.  Most caught in the yard.  The water bugs were caught in the mountains nearby.

Ok went off track here.  Just some thoughts on how to best keep this little guy.  How should I set him up?  How deep substrate, what type of decorations (grass and debrie, plain and flat??)  I have seen these guys in both types of areas.  Foodwise, I know they eat anything.

While catching him I got a threat display  ... boy add a couple inches of length to him and it would definately be scary. One set up I will have pics to add


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## froggyman (Jun 18, 2008)

careful on their bite its not dangerous but man does it hurt


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## duncan27 (Jun 18, 2008)

yeah I kinda figured that.   tongs will be in hand


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## proper_tea (Jun 18, 2008)

I've actually had trouble getting these things to eat anything other than sow bugs.  I find they're really picky.  Lemme know how the communal set up goes, 'cause I've been wanting to try that as well.  I've certainly found more than one living within inches of each other under the same rock.


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## duncan27 (Jun 18, 2008)

I don't know if it is as much living as much as they happened to choose those spots for the night.  If I am correct they are hunters that are on the prowl and you know as they say "Where I lay my head is home".  

I will let you know how mine eat.  He is very health with a large ripe grape of a body so I think I will probably wait a couple days before trying to feed him.


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## proper_tea (Jun 22, 2008)

I don't know how nomadic they are really.  I'd say at least half that I've found have been in some sort of silk burrow.  I find it hard to imagine that they would use that much silk just for a night.


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## MaartenSFS (Jun 30, 2008)

http://www.forestryimages.org/images/768x512/1368061.jpg

Their jaws are massive.. :worship:


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## buthus (Jun 30, 2008)

Sorta on subject...
They seem to have a relationship with the small reddish/brownish ants around my neck of the woods.  I often find groups of sub-adults molting within their protective web sacs under flat rocks and wood ...totally engulfed by an ant colony.  I have to suspect that they take advantage of the ant security shield.  
 Crocota are sorta the cow of the spider world at least around my parts. Lots of other species eat them. 
As for communal ...nope.


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## duncan27 (Jun 30, 2008)

I find they eat other spiders around here.  Seen one take out a wolf spider and fed mine a mouse spider.  

Other than the mouse spider I have only fed her pill bigs.  She is all closed up in a cacoon right now and I think with an egg case


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## proper_tea (Jun 30, 2008)

Just to address the original post again... I now have 3... 2 males and a female... living in a deli cup... They're tolerant like your neighbors in the suburbs... mostly they want nothing to do with each other, other than to have a brief territorial spat that always ends with "nobody got hurt."

Actually pretty fascinating to watch em work it out.  I'd like to get an idea of what their threshold for shared space is...

(i.e. find a few more and throw them in there.)


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## duncan27 (Jul 1, 2008)

After I found a baby (3mm) stow away in some dirt I grabbed for my millipedes I gained an intrest in this sp.  I am on the look out for more right now and will be following your lead.  

What should I look for to determine male femal.  I know in general with spiders, mature male have the boxing gloved pedipalps and males tend to be long and spindly femal more stocky.  Is this true of this sp?


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## proper_tea (Jul 1, 2008)

Yeah... just look for the boxing gloves... and the females seem to generally be larger and bulkier...


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## proper_tea (Jul 7, 2008)

So, just to update on my communal situation...

One of the males died... not as a result of the other spiders, but (I'm assuming) age.  

The male and the female are now sharing the same silk retreat!  I'd say that kind of behavior is more than just tolerance.  There are plenty of other places for them to be, but they are living together...

pretty cool, huh?


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## duncan27 (Jul 7, 2008)

yeah she will tolerate him until she is knocked up and then starts nagging him... he will leave shortly after


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