# Steatoda grossa



## Glubu (Feb 7, 2012)

Hello, 

As I'm new on this forum and new with spiders I wanted to ask some stuff about my three false widows (Steatoda grossa) . (captured from my brother's tank)

How often do I need to feed them?
How should I feed them? (I've read that I need to throw some fruitflies into the web, but this is quite difficult)
How can you see when they need to shed?

Some pictures of the animals:


----------



## Ciphor (Feb 7, 2012)

Welcome to the board, nice lookin steatoda. Fruit flies would be a pretty small meal for that spider. They will eat just about anything their size (crickets, flies, rolly-pollies, other spiders, crane flies, beetles, etc.). I would stick to feeding her things half her size however.

Just toss the food in there, it will get killed eventually whether it starts out in the web or not.

Feed her every other week once, and mist water in once a week (not needed but helps keep her hydrated)

That _S. grossa_ in your picture is an adult, which means it wont molt again. When true spiders like this one reach sexual maturity they stop growing. _S. grossa_ typically live 3+ years, but in some cases have lived over 5 years, which is much different then most true spiders that live only 2 years.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Glubu (Feb 7, 2012)

Thanks a lot for all that information!
Was searching for days to get those awnsers!
I have three of these spiders and this is the smallest one.
The others have a lot larger back and they've also layed egg-sacs.

I've heard from someone that crickets could kill the spider, but this isn't true?


----------



## Ciphor (Feb 7, 2012)

Crickets have a decent bite, but I would not be concerned with "Store bought" crickets. Spiders kill stuff like that for a living. I've only ever seen a cricket kill a spider once, and the cricket was bigger then the spider, and was a native wild cricket, with a much bigger head and mandibles.

That being said, the particular species of spider you have there (_S. grossa_) are exceptionally tough and skilled hunters. You have nothing to be concerned with as long as you are not giving her something to challenging (preying mantis, centipedes, other cobweb spiders like daddy long legs or food that is simply to big for your spider)


----------



## Scourge (Feb 8, 2012)

You keep your brother in a tank?!

haha, just kidding. I've kept Steatoda sp. before, very simple to keep.


----------



## Glubu (Feb 8, 2012)

Thank you Ciphor 

@Scourge Lol wish I could do that, would be a lot easier 

I've made a few more pictures but it really is hard to get them on camera.
I've moved one of the females into a bigger enclosure so thought "lets make some pictures."


----------



## jakykong (Feb 8, 2012)

They are fun spiders  I've been keeping them for a few months now (lots of egg sacs... at least 3 hatched, one with a mere 11 slings, sadly ).

The only thing is I've found they like a little more stuff to climb on, although they don't need much space. What has worked well for me is a deli cup with a C-shaped or V-shaped piece of cardboard to web with. Works like a charm, with the added bonus that rehousing is easy - pick the cardboard up and the spider + web come with it. 

But somehow I doubt that they're very picky about things! They seem to adapt well to plenty of environments. 

I was going to note, that as far as feeding them, they don't seem to use the web much for hunting. They use it to figure out where the prey is, but prey very rarely actually gets stuck in the web. It jostles it, and the spider runs over and starts silking them up. They're really easy to feed 

Edit: FWIW, Ciphor already beat me to the main points, which he informed me of a few months back when I started keeping. He definitely knows his stuff


----------



## Ciphor (Feb 8, 2012)

Thanks Jakykong. cardboard works well, they need something because they can't climb on smooth surfaces. Only thing I would add about housing is to try and give them a retreat (throw a dead leaf in), they love to hide & are _very_ reclusive by nature. In your first series of images you can see how she has wedged herself down in a spot, that is her trying to find a hide. Some homes are absolutely infested with _Steatoda_, and the owners never see a single one. Kinda stinks to give them a place to hide as you will see them only when you feed, but it will proglong their life with less stress.

That really is a nice looking _S. grossa_.


----------



## jakykong (Feb 9, 2012)

Thanks for the extra info! 

I used the C-shaped cardboard so that they had a place to hide near the bottom. Very hidden there unless you have a flashlight and look in from the top. But I'll give an extra hiding place to a couple and see if it changes their behavior any. I was assuming they were at least somewhat comfortable since they keep giving me egg sacs


----------



## Glubu (Feb 9, 2012)

Thanks a lot again.
They all three have stuff to hide at but I see all three hanging in their web.
The one was in that spot is now hanging in her web aswell.
I've seen 1 of the spiders eat well asfar as you can see it. 
I've seen that she was with her head on the fruit fly


----------



## Glubu (Feb 9, 2012)

An other question: Is it possible to keep them together in a tank or a big box?


----------



## jakykong (Feb 9, 2012)

I had a MM and MF that lived together for probably a month, before the female started chasing the male away (glad I was there when it started or he might not have been so lucky ). The spiderlings seem perfectly OK together for now, but they haven't grown enough to really see how they behave in close quarters.

But, mine get deli cups, so I can't speak from experience about tanks.

From what I can tell, though, as long as they have enough room to make separate webs, they'll be OK. They don't leave their webs easily, much less voluntarily.

... And yes, they eat really well  So far, when mine eat and then turn kinda purple-ish, they're getting ready to lay an egg sac. Otherwise they stay more or less black. And, of course, don't over-feed. They'll live longer that way. I've been giving mine small meals every week (small = a bean beetle, which is about 1mm long) and they are NOT skinny . Not sure on minimum requirements, but I suspect quite a bit less frequently than mine (especially if the meals are bigger).


----------



## Glubu (Feb 9, 2012)

Thank you for the information  Didn't know that many people actually have experience with these spiders.
How is the bite of false widows? Is the venom dangerous for people?

EDIT:
What should I do with egg-sacs. already got 5 i've placed them in a cricket box


----------



## Glubu (Feb 9, 2012)

Thank i'm going to need some help now.
I've been hunting in my brothers room again and found a (I think) Sub-adult and a juvenile.
The juvenile is about 1mm... What should I feed "it"?
Really like the markings they have when they aren't adult yet!
I'm afraid I will never find the juvenile back though 
They are both in a nice jar now with lots of sticks 

Juvenile:






Sub-adult:


----------



## Ciphor (Feb 9, 2012)

First I wouldn't move the egg sacs. Ruptures in the lining of the sac that regulate humidity will cause it to fail, and those eggs rupture pretty easily like most cobweb eggs.

As for them being "sub-communal", they are not. They are however highly tolerant and cautious. Cannibalism is rare with this species because of this. Now, in the wild, when they bump into each other, they will simple move away and keep away. But I've done research, and can tell you if you drop one in the web like prey, 5 times out of 10 it becomes prey. Bottom line, they avoid trying to eat each other because of the risk. Should you place them together and let them seperate themselves? You can, it will work, I've done it, I've also seen them living in proximity to each other in my home and garage.

The downside, unneeded stress. How much will it impact there lifespan I am uncertain of, as this is not uncommon in their natural behavior. It is best if you do this from an early age, as this is how it happens in the wild. Slings disperse from their mothers web, and wind up growing and making homes in close proximity. They mature and their webs get bigger, and sometimes will connect to some extent.

There is actually another older thread on this board about some successful attempts. Remember, they are NOT communal or sub-communal. This is a tolerance, and the tolerance ends when the hunger begins. If you do do this, you will need to sort of over feed them to lessen the risk of cannibalism. http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?144019-Steatoda-grossa-group

_Steatoda _bites are not dangerous, but have been described as being moderately painful, like a wasp sting over a honey bee sting. Small blistering has also been confirmed in a few cases. Generally, they do not bite. I have seen some pretty aggressive behavior from mature males though, such as biting my wood collecting stick. Spiders do have different temperaments, and you should treat each spider as an individual with all species, and try and keep that in mind. I've personally handled literally hundreds of male and female _Steaotda sp._ and never even been dry bit. Usually they will just curl up and play dead to be honest.

---------- Post added 02-09-2012 at 04:52 PM ----------




Rolf Oldenburg said:


> Thank i'm going to need some help now.
> I've been hunting in my brothers room again and found a (I think) Sub-adult and a juvenile.
> The juvenile is about 1mm... What should I feed "it"?
> Really like the markings they have when they aren't adult yet!
> ...


That second one could be an adult. Some keep their markings pretty nicely. It could also be a different species. If that one laid an egg sac, it is an adult.

Juvinile _Steatoda_ eat like champs. I've seen super small ones take down full sized horse flies and ear wigs, that were at least 10 times the spiders size. I feed mine small crickets & fruit flies. Fruit flies are preferred.


----------



## jakykong (Feb 9, 2012)

^^ What he said  

They also seem to handle bean beetles very well. Staple diet of my adults, too. (I like them because they're very easy to keep around.) 

Steatoda hunt differently than, say, a Tarantula. They wrap their prey up in silk before biting, so the risk of injury from their prey is minimal. I've found that if they're hungry enough, they can eat almost anything. Mine have eaten Blatta lateralis roaches (and small dubia), isopods, bean beetles, crickets, fruit flies for the hatched sacs... Of all the spiders I have around they are the least picky.

I have been taking the sacs from the mother as soon as they start to darken. I haven't had any losses doing that, but they're basically ready to hatch by that time -- much more delicate earlier, as Ciphor mentioned. I mostly did because I didn't want the mother and slings in the same container. It's also not particularly easy to keep the newborns in a container (they're smaller than fruit flies!), so if you do this, be sure to keep them somewhere you don't mind a few escapees. 

This is just my personal experience, so take it with a grain of salt.

Edit: For what it's worth, I'm not leaving mine together. The slings are together because they're too small to easily separate. But I guess groups of spiders never really interested me as much as the individuals


----------



## Glubu (Feb 10, 2012)

Thank you again.
The I think sub-adult have not laid an egg sac and it really can't be an adult.
These spiders are really fun and I hope the juvenile will become a strong an big spider 
How long does it take till it will be a sub-adult?

Edit:
I've got an other 2 sub-adults that have a nice red collour with white markings.
All my spiders have eating except the largest female. (And the juvenile that I can't find  )
I am going to stop capturing these beautiful spiders now because I already have 7 

Picture of one of the new sub-adults (Female I guess):






*link to see it as big as possible: http://oi43.tinypic.com/dqhft1.jpg


----------



## jakykong (Feb 10, 2012)

Not laying an egg sac yet doesn't mean it's not an adult (although the reverse is certainly true: If it does lay an egg sac it's _certainly_ an adult). I'm not sure exactly how long it takes for them to mature, but it should be in the range of a few months; their total lifespan is something like 5 years at the outside.

As far as not eating, sometimes mine stop eating before they molt, sometimes they stop eating before they lay an egg sac (well, to be more accurate, they gorge and then stop eating), and sometimes they just get fat and stop (although I try not to feed so much that that happens!). 

If you are able, I would remove the uneaten prey - crickets have a tendency to die and rot. I certainly understand if you can't, though; the webs get in the way.

Have fun!


----------



## Ciphor (Feb 10, 2012)

I've seen lots of small adults, lots of big adults, and lots of _S. grossa_ adults that keep their markings exactly like the one in your pictures. They look adult to me, but only time will tell.

I leave my remains in the jar with the spider. To tough to get out, and any mold that grows is harmless. Throw some isopods in the jar, problem solved. Spider will eat the isopods. Very efficient 

When I was experimenting back in the day, I used fresh bamboo to grow mold with my spiders. I tested this with several species including _S. grossa_, and they did not seem to be effected. One jar was literally half full of mold, the spider webbed with it, and ended up fine after 3 weeks till the mold started to reduce, and I cleaned it. Very few fungus & molds impact arachnids. Just my 2 cents, most people remove remains and are concerned with the micro-fauna involved in decomposition, which is completely normal.


----------



## jakykong (Feb 10, 2012)

Mold may not affect the arachnids, but it certainly affects me. I live in close quarters with my arachnids, and mold allergy is a real concern. But that might not apply in every case 

Where I caught mine, there were plenty of dead insects covering that windowsill (it'd been untouched for probably the better part of a decade). If decomposition were really harmful to them, I'm sure they would have had problems there, too. I just remove prey as a general principle of cleanliness. 

My $0.02.


----------



## Glubu (Feb 11, 2012)

So even if the spider is just about 5milimeter it could be an adult? (The cricket is german size 2. about 3milimeter I guess.)
I would try to get the crickets out and try again in 1 week as I have read in an other thread that you should wait a week.
I really hope the smallest ones keep their markings and their collours 

What to do when a spider (My biggest spider) does web a cricket but just leaves it? Should I take it out or just leave it?

And my English isn't that good so I wonder what "mold" means? The remaining of a cricket that have died , or the remainings of a shed spider? (I'm sorry for not totally understanding it, but in my country the Netherlands our mother tongue isn't English and I'm just 14 years old  )


----------



## jakykong (Feb 11, 2012)

Rolf Oldenburg said:


> So even if the spider is just about 5milimeter it could be an adult? (The cricket is german size 2. about 3milimeter I guess.)
> I would try to get the crickets out and try again in 1 week as I have read in an other thread that you should wait a week.
> I really hope the smallest ones keep their markings and their collours
> 
> ...


5mm DLS or 5mm body length? I usually find they get to be about 1cm body length when they're adult.
As long as water is provided (mist once a week SLIGHTLY to get some droplets in the web - but they don't like it wet!), once every month is also fine. I personally feed every 2 weeks.
Most of them keep their markings at least until adulthood. Once they're mature, males turn a bit reddish and a different shape (but do keep the abdominal markings), and females sometimes keep the markings and sometimes lose them. 

If the cricket isn't eaten, it's totally up to you. A cricket is no threat to a Steatoda because the cricket can't climb the web to reach it, even if it wanted to chew . The pros and cons are mostly to do with having a dead cricket in the enclosure - if it rots/molds, it might not hurt the spider but you still might not like it. OTOH, if you leave the cricket, then you don't have to disturb the web to reach it.

Mold is fungus, usually described as "fuzzy" that grows in terrariums sometimes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mold The remains when a spider molts (sheds) is usually called an exuvium (plural exuvia), or somewhat informally, a "molt". 

Hope it helps!


----------



## Glubu (Feb 11, 2012)

jakykong said:


> 5mm DLS or 5mm body length?


DLS. (If that means with legs) body is probably 3mm.
From the shape I can't tell wether it is a female or male because the males still have to shape when they get adult?

Thank you for explaning the mold part. I've got confused with molT and molD


----------



## jakykong (Feb 11, 2012)

Rolf Oldenburg said:


> DLS. (If that means with legs) body is probably 3mm.
> From the shape I can't tell wether it is a female or male because the males still have to shape when they get adult?
> 
> Thank you for explaning the mold part. I've got confused with molT and molD


Mine pretty much look the same until their last molt, except the males are maybe a little smaller. Once they molt out into an MM, you'll see the difference immediately. 

I guess maybe because I'm so used to it, but I honestly never even noticed that "molt" and "mold" are only one letter apart :laugh: I can see how that would be confusing. Glad I could help!


----------



## Ciphor (Feb 13, 2012)

Males will have longer legs and a more slender body. Females have a more round, full rump and are typically much darker.

Female: http://bugguide.net/node/view/580794/bgimage
Male: http://bugguide.net/node/view/211165


----------



## Glubu (Feb 15, 2012)

Small update 

They have all eaten except the juvenile.
One of the small spiders have also shed/molt.
Looks awesome how fast they hunt and what they do!


----------



## TheTyro (Feb 15, 2012)

Tiny juvenile S. grossa in my area readily eat ants. Conveniently, one of the few spider species I know of which seems to actively eat them.


----------



## Ciphor (Feb 15, 2012)

TheTyro said:


> Tiny juvenile S. grossa in my area readily eat ants. Conveniently, one of the few spider species I know of which seems to actively eat them.


_S. grossa_ can handle a lot of foods, however I do not believe feeding anything ants is a good idea, as most contain levels of acid? Kinda a general statement sorry, but I'm pretty sure ants are not good food for spiders. I believe most spiders avoid eating ants, and only some spiders have specialized the ability to eat them. I do not believe _S. grossa_ is specialized for that meal, they just in general are hearty and highly opportunistic eaters. I'd be curious to measure the lifespan of your _Steatoda_ and see if the higher level of acid in it's diet is impactful to it's reproduction & lifespan. The _Steatoda sp._ around my home eat mostly other spiders, flies & Isopods, with the occasional beetle, earwig, crane fly or moth, though I might go dig through one of the many bug graveyards in my garage that rest under cobwebs, might find some ants 

---------- Post added 02-15-2012 at 10:30 PM ----------




Rolf Oldenburg said:


> Small update
> 
> They have all eaten except the juvenile.
> One of the small spiders have also shed/molt.
> Looks awesome how fast they hunt and what they do!


If you like how _Steatoda_ kill, you should catch a common house spider - _Parasteatoda tepidariorum_. They are even more skilled then _Steatoda_ and really cool to watch them kill prey 10X their size. They eat/egg/eat/egg/eat/egg/die at such a rapid pace! Most people find them plain & boring, I find them quite interesting!


----------



## TheTyro (Feb 15, 2012)

Ciphor, I don't feed them ants - the spiders catch them all on their own. My past, captive S. grossa were fed mostly flies and crickets. These were sub-adults or adults.

Now, the S. grossa I speak of are not pets, just rogue animals living indoors and out. I've looked at prey items caught in their webs and ants were there in the several dozens, among earwigs, small beetles and various small flies. They are opportunistic feeders and ants are a natural part of their wide-roaming diet. 

The ants I observed were mostly smaller, red ants. I do not know what impact they have on the spiders - I wouldn't think any spider to be fond of them - but eat them, apparently they do.


----------



## Ciphor (Feb 16, 2012)

I know what you meant 

I was simply saying, they are eating the ants opportunistically, not preferably, and to not feed your captive spiders ants unless they are a species that specializes in eating ants.


----------



## Mocknbird2 (May 8, 2012)

*Steatoda Grossa life span*

I've been keeping S. grossa since first finding one in my kitchen spice drawer in 2000.  I moved shortly thereafter and a bunch of them had followed me in my boxes.   I subsequently ended up with a flour moth infestation and the steatoda population exploded.  They were everywhere but I became quite familiar with them.  I ended up keeping them ever since.  (in escape proof containers)  The well fed females breed like crazy though and I have to release the babies outside every so often.  
It took me a couple years (I know, I couldn't believe it either) to get rid of the moths.  Meanwhile, they made a super food source for my pet s. grossa. 

I studied the S. Grossa and became fond of them.  The mothers are protective while the babies are small and the fathers won't eat their young.  But the babies sometimes eat eachother even with abundant alternative food sources.   

I've kept a couple females ever since.  I keep males too, but  they never seem to live beyond a couple years.   My oldest females have lived 5 or more years.  They older females take well to captivity and show no desire to escape.  They do come face me when it's time for food or water and I imagine they seem to know I'm there to care for them. 

They do well enough on isopods and I've raised a few on small ants.  But they did better on the moths. Seemed to grow faster.  During summer I'll feed them most anything I can catch including baby slugs.  I've fed them earwigs but wouldn't feed wigs to other spiders.  I made the mistake of feeding a wig to my half grown tegenaria gigantea and the next day the wig was fine but my t. gigantea had been eaten (her abdomen anyways.  Her poor cephalothorax remained behind and she was still alive.  Poor thing.  
Sorry for straying there.
Anyways, the female S. grossa can live over 5 years.  The male, 1 - 2 yrs.  The males do better if kept with babies.  Occasionally I've had a couple where the female didn't eat the male and they raised young together for a little more than two years.  






Ciphor said:


> Welcome to the board, nice lookin steatoda. Fruit flies would be a pretty small meal for that spider. They will eat just about anything their size (crickets, flies, rolly-pollies, other spiders, crane flies, beetles, etc.). I would stick to feeding her things half her size however.
> 
> Just toss the food in there, it will get killed eventually whether it starts out in the web or not.
> 
> ...

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Ciphor (May 9, 2012)

Mocknbird2 said:


> I've been keeping S. grossa since first finding one in my kitchen spice drawer in 2000.  I moved shortly thereafter and a bunch of them had followed me in my boxes.   I subsequently ended up with a flour moth infestation and the steatoda population exploded.  They were everywhere but I became quite familiar with them.  I ended up keeping them ever since.  (in escape proof containers)  The well fed females breed like crazy though and I have to release the babies outside every so often.
> It took me a couple years (I know, I couldn't believe it either) to get rid of the moths.  Meanwhile, they made a super food source for my pet s. grossa.
> 
> I studied the S. Grossa and became fond of them.  The mothers are protective while the babies are small and the fathers won't eat their young.  But the babies sometimes eat eachother even with abundant alternative food sources.
> ...


Hi,

I wont touch most of this, but a couple things, needed some clarifying.

Earwigs (order Dermaptera) are harmless to spiders equal or greater in size, and would never attempt an attack on one. They eat primarily plants and organic mater, especially the ones in the PNW. They will eat small insects, but were talking 1/5 the size of the earwig max. They will scavenge for food, so if your spider was dead already, the earwig may have eaten some of it. A rupture in the abdomen of a true spider is a 100% death. Earwigs are not aggressive predators by any means, and having many years experience breeding them and feeding them to _Tegenaria spp._ in the NW, I highly recommend them as a food source if it is an option.

You said your spider faces you when you approach it, this is very odd to me, as it is a well known fact _Steatoda spp._ have very poor vision, and hunt by feeling vibrations, like all spiders in the Theridiidae family.

Again as said earlier in the thread ants are not a good meal for most spiders. They contain Formic acid, which is highly corrosive. Some highly opportunistic spiders (like _Steatoda sp._) will eat them, but it will take a toll on the spiders life down the road if they eat to many.


----------



## Mocknbird2 (Jun 6, 2012)

Thanks for the great info.  Esp regarding the ants and formic acid.  The spids weren't doing well on the isopods which were about the only thing I could find other than ants and millpedes (and slugs which they don't seem to like either,even though I got lucky once.)
I wasn't kidding about the earwig eating the tegenaria spider.  It really happened.  Now, I didn't see it happen.  But they were the only two creatures in the jar and the spider (may have been hobo instead of giant, but was definitely tegenaria) was healthy and uninjured as far as I could tell.  I put them together believing the spider would eat the earwig.  I really don't like earwigs.  Especially after they munched my corn plants last summer.  My S. Grossa have eaten earwigs, no problem.  Can't think what else may have happened.  The only explanation I can think of is that the earwig ate the spiders abdomen.  

I see you're in washington.  If you'd like me to show you what I was referring to regarding my S. Grossa FMs facing me, I'd be happy to. I don't know what they're responding to.  Note, I didn't say they looked at me......they do, however, face me.  

As intelligent, well educated humans, it's tempting to think we know everything about a given subject.  I understand that some of my comments may have come off as anthropomorphic or girly.  But I was just commenting off the cuff.  Conversationally.......I didn't edit myself.  I didn't think I would be facing such critical attitudes.  But I tend to be naive and too trusting of other humans in general.>  I'm not mean spirited or critical (I have my moments)  and I forget that this is many others' default setting.  

This is a hobby for me, not my career.  I have spent many independent hours observing these critters, so I share some of my experiences.  I've also read that S. Grossa supposedly have poor vision, but my own observations have made me question this.  How many learned papers have stated that hobos have dangerous, even deadly bites, only to be called into question now that more conclusive studies have been done?
Your comment was somewhat condescending.  I'll give you the benefit of the doubt in hopes that you're just trying to be helpful and enlightening.  
I'm always happy to gain knowledge.  
You don't have to touch any of this either.
: )



Ciphor said:


> Hi,
> 
> I wont touch most of this, but a couple things, needed some clarifying.
> 
> ...

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Ciphor (Jun 6, 2012)

It's all good. I am often unintentionally condescending, anyone here can agree to that 

Theridiid vision is not a speculation though, it is factually poor. The hobo was never regarded as deadly, but instead was implicated in 2 key instances. 1, Dr. Vests "claims" he observed dermonecrosis on shaved rabbit flesh in 1984. 2, a woman who suffered a bite from a confirmed hobo had some pretty bad ulcers, but this is a very questionable case due to how much more we have learned about dermal infections in the recent decade and she very well may have had MRSA. New research has shown without a doubt that Hobos are not medically significant. Those two cases mentioned above are the only barrier keeping the spider from an official release by the medical community, which may come pretty soon anyway as a consensus has been reached.

No attitude intended, my apologies, I mean well. I am critical tho yes, as I hope others are of me.

The last thing I'll add is, I don't doubt your experiences, but most of what you say is very odd, and I mean it in that, I have never seen it or heard of it. So it is odd to me. Like this last post where you said your _Steatoda_ were not doing well on isopods. Some of the wild webs I've collected corpses from were comprised of almost nothing but isopods. They have proteins in their venom/saliva that are specific to crustaceans. They are built to eat them.

Edit to add: I'll say one last thing tho, the earwig definitely did not overpower the Tegenaria and kill it. It is simply an impossibility, like a ford focus winning a race against a full blown hemi charger. Most likely it was that spiders time to die, and the earwig capitalized on the death and starting eating it after it died.


----------



## The Snark (Jun 6, 2012)

*Theridiid eyesight*

A study was undertaken of L. Hesperus around 1970 of their eyesight and their ability to pinpoint prey trapped in their webs. The theory was the spider doesn't use it's eyesight at all when locating and trapping prey. I read several field reports where it was determined that the spider uses the first 4 legs in a sensory capacity but how it kept track of the vibrations in the web remained a mystery. There were no positive conclusions reached and the study was abandoned without publishing. 

Over the years I have thought about that study and it seems to me it was simply done a few years too early. If they had the development of modern day computers to assist them, to refer to, I suspect things would have easily become clear. My hypothesis is the spider operates a 'clock speed' just like a computer CPU. It inherently is able to track the microsecond time delays in the vibrations. As many people have noted, theridiids often don't dash directly from their hide to trapped prey but pause once or more. The pauses being for their computer to recalculate the location.


----------



## John Apple (Jun 7, 2012)

well steatoda do respond to vibrations and felt sound so to speak...vision like said is basically a light and dark thing.....they can see when something blocks the light or when the light invades the dark such as a flashlight or room lights on......when I approach mine they do only respond to me touching the rack and the responce is a bit of spastic gotta find shelter and hide movements.....egg sacs are transluscent to say the best....you can see the eggs pretty clearly and when they darken they are approaching dispersal......
I have found these easy to breed and rear....they make a rather normal scaffold web and will eat and wrap anything....yes even ants lol....prey seems to succumb to a bite even faster than some other of the more popular therids....mine eat adult lateralis with no problems what so ever


----------



## Ciphor (Jun 7, 2012)

lateralis?

They will definitely eat ants. But it's not good for them lol. They are insanely easy to breed and rear, couldn't agree more. The hard part is getting them to stop lol.


----------



## LIL G (Mar 6, 2013)

Hey mate im from New Zealand and here we have the Seashore/Giant Earwig...They can attack large insects and will go for a human.


----------



## John Apple (Mar 6, 2013)

lateralis....probably spelled that wrong...red runners...roaches....lol.....
Honestly though I would love to see a pic of these giant man eating earwigs, but remember any earwig picked up and molested will produce a smell or try and pinch you....


----------



## Glubu (Mar 6, 2013)

I haven't been very active lately, I had to let go of all my_ S. grossas_ about 4-5 months ago, but recently started again with them. They are awesome little spiders. I feed mine crickets, a young female, I think a yearling, took a cricket down that was 3-4 times her size. 

I keep them in rather large enclosures. With some cocopeat, about 2-3 inches, a few sticks and some_ Hedera helix_. The male isn't webbing and so far not eating, he is probably only thinking about mating but my female is too young for that. 

They are really skilled hunters and I really enjoy them!

Edit: 

Just caught this mature female _Steatoda grossa_ from one of my Brother's enclosures he uses for his poison dart frogs. The little cricketbox where she is in on the photograph was just for moving her from the poison dart frog to her own enclosure. She's already moving and she is quite red. And looks quite fat. :biggrin: 
I'll stick with these 3 and won't get any more... I think... Hopefully...


----------



## Glubu (Mar 29, 2013)

Well... I said I would stick to those 3 in my previous post, but now I've got 7 females. The newest female I had to move from my brother's frog enclosure because she has 2 eggsacs. The eggsacs and the female are both in a sort of tipi, so I didn't have to disturb the female or the eggsacs too much. 
I do have a question though, the female in the tipi was in a high humidity area, and is now in quite a dry area (in the usual S. grossa enclosure.). Does this affect the eggsac and should I keep the humidity high? Or doesn't this matter?

I'm very new into eggsacs of any spider, so haven't really got a clue. It should hatch within a month, and when it starts to get dark they are about ready to hatch, right?

Sorry for all the questions haha.


----------



## Ciphor (Mar 31, 2013)

Rolf Oldenburg said:


> Well... I said I would stick to those 3 in my previous post, but now I've got 7 females. The newest female I had to move from my brother's frog enclosure because she has 2 eggsacs. The eggsacs and the female are both in a sort of tipi, so I didn't have to disturb the female or the eggsacs too much.
> I do have a question though, the female in the tipi was in a high humidity area, and is now in quite a dry area (in the usual S. grossa enclosure.). Does this affect the eggsac and should I keep the humidity high? Or doesn't this matter?
> 
> I'm very new into eggsacs of any spider, so haven't really got a clue. It should hatch within a month, and when it starts to get dark they are about ready to hatch, right?
> ...


_Steatoda_ are IIRC* a cosmopolitan genus, meaning they can occur pretty much anywhere in the world if they get the opportunity. Very similar to _Latrodectus spp._ in those regards.

Humidity, no humidity, doesn't mater. The gal and her young should both be fine. They do prefer a normal dry environment, and this particular species is most at home in your home. The only reason she posted up in the frog enclosure was the free buffet.


----------



## Glubu (Apr 1, 2013)

Alright, thank you Ciphor  I'm a little bit of a worrier when it comes to animals hehe.


----------

