# Just caught a Fat Black Widow



## Pacmaster (Mar 24, 2009)

Found this girl today under a piece of wood.
Shes got the fattest abdomen I ever seen.
When I found her, it looked as though she had just molted either yesterday or last night.
There were also 3 BIG, empty egg sacs around her.
She is very weak, from the suspected molting, but has enough energy to not sit still for a decent pic.
Im gonna go set her up in a cube, and let her settle in.
I should be able to get some decent pics in a day or 2.







Would it be a bad idea to keep this spider on the same shelf in close proximity to my prized avics?


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## LeilaNami (Mar 25, 2009)

Pacmaster said:


> Found this girl today under a piece of wood.
> Shes got the fattest abdomen I ever seen.
> When I found her, it looked as though she had just molted either yesterday or last night.
> There were also 3 BIG, empty egg sacs around her.
> ...


If she's wild caught, I'd at least keep her across the room to at least stall any transfer of parasites.


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## Widowman10 (Mar 25, 2009)

put it wherever, it's fine  good lookin gal you got there. i know they can be extremely active at cold temps, but what makes you think she just molted? and if there were empty sacs around (probably left over from awhile ago) fatten her up, warm her up, and she might pop out some more for ya!

def post some pics when you get her set up in her cube. plenty of water and food!


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## Pacmaster (Mar 25, 2009)

What makes me think it just molted was that it was about a mm away from a shed, and very weak.
I havent even looked at the thing since I took those pics.
Ill go check it when I go in there later.
She is huge.
There were 3 big empty sacs within inches of her.

Do they throw multiple sacs?
Lets say she does make another sack, how does one contain the slings as I assume they are micro?


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## Widowman10 (Mar 25, 2009)

Pacmaster said:


> Do they throw multiple sacs?
> Lets say she does make another sack, how does one contain the slings as I assume they are micro?


yes, like even 20 sacs  the slings are tiny, but not micro. shouldn't be too bad.


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## brandi71183 (Mar 25, 2009)

I have had one that size lay 5 sacs at one time. They are tiny, but very interesting to watch them grow. Just watch for any small holes in what ever you keep the slings in. Feed them well or they will canabolize. She is very pretty! I miss having mine.


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## Widowman10 (Mar 25, 2009)

there's some pretty good info about rearing slings here on the boards, but i keep mine in a decent sized jar and let the slings (with my hesperus, not my bishopi ) cannibalize down to a manageable number. weeds out the weakest and saves a TON of work for me, especially when i have about 2,000 of the little buggers at once.


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## Pacmaster (Mar 26, 2009)

5 sacks in a row?!?!?!
Thats amazing.

How long in between each sack?
She looks really fat, fatter than any I seen.

Would she molt in between sacks, or after she is done?

you keep them in non-ventialted containers?
When you say small holes, are we talking pin-size or what?


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## Widowman10 (Mar 26, 2009)

Pacmaster said:


> 5 sacks in a row?!?!?!
> Thats amazing.
> 
> How long in between each sack?
> ...


Q1- depends. could be a few days, could be months.
Q2- no, she would not molt between sacs.
Q3- well, sorta. ventilation is important. i tend to do that and air it out twice a day to give good circulation of air. others use fine mesh coverings.
Q4- like, if you were to poke a needle through a piece of paper. about that size (maybe a little bigger) is about right for holes.


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## Pacmaster (Mar 26, 2009)

K, so just in case Ill do my vent holes with a hot sewing pin.

Im curious about the molting part tho.
I know that I saw what I saw . . .

She is looking rather strong tonite, and starting to spin a few threads in her mayo jar.
Ill have to get moving on her cube.
These things live a long time?
I know they got really small mouths, would baby lobsters be ok to offer her?
If she can only eat fruitflies or pinheads, she can take a hike back outside . . .


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## Widowman10 (Mar 26, 2009)

Pacmaster said:


> These things live a long time?
> I know they got really small mouths, would baby lobsters be ok to offer her?
> If she can only eat fruitflies or pinheads, she can take a hike back outside . . .


up to 3-4 yrs. if kept right. full adults will only live another yr or 2 for you though.

ha, they'll eat anything they can catch in their web. i use adult crix/small dubias/hoppers/flies/moths/anything (i stress anything) else i can find. they are not picky and will eat anything. even saw one chowin down on a pinky mouse one time...


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## Pacmaster (Mar 26, 2009)

Nice, sound fairly simple.
Anyways, they are all over here in the summatime.
Ive never really tried to keep one before, just moved them away from the house.
I think it would be fun to watch . . .

So you think that putting wc spiders on the same shelf as my Ts shouldnt be a problem?
I seen a couple large garden-type spiders at my work as well . . .


Its funny, I was always into herps, but never into spiders and Ts, but now that I broke down and tried them, Im hopelessly addicted.
Every spider I see I want to put in a cube.
I even let the daddy-long-legs go nutso in the corners now . . .
But I would never want to jeopardize my prized avic collection for some vagrant street spider.


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## brandi71183 (Mar 26, 2009)

Pacmaster said:


> 5 sacks in a row?!?!?!
> Thats amazing.
> 
> How long in between each sack?
> ...


Mine laid all her sacs in one night. She did not have time to molt between. If they are like T's and they molt, they would lose any eggs they had left. Plus she liked to guard her sacs. I would do as someone said above and use the smallest needle or pin possible and poke very small holes.

It was also very cool to watch her make her sacs. I never had one eat a sac. She did rotate it often and take breaks for food.


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## Widowman10 (Mar 26, 2009)

Pacmaster said:


> So you think that putting wc spiders on the same shelf as my Ts shouldnt be a problem?
> I seen a couple large garden-type spiders at my work as well . . .
> 
> Its funny, I was always into herps, but never into spiders and Ts, but now that I broke down and tried them, Im hopelessly addicted.
> ...


yes, it will be fine on the same shelf. yes. widows are very interesting trues, what got me hooked. and they are not "vagrant street spiders."  haha



brandi71183 said:


> Mine laid all her sacs in one night. She did not have time to molt between. If they are like T's and they molt, they would lose any eggs they had left. Plus she liked to guard her sacs. I would do as someone said above and use the smallest needle or pin possible and poke very small holes.
> 
> It was also very cool to watch her make her sacs. I never had one eat a sac. She did rotate it often and take breaks for food.


5 sacs all at one time, in one night? hmmm, i dont' know... :? 

and they don't eat their sacs. and they don't rotate their sacs either- the only time you might see some rotation is in the initial creation of the sac, covering it with web. 

also, take the sac away from the mother after a few weeks (they aren't really defensive/possessive of the sac, they would much rather flee. in other words, they don't really guard all that much like T's do) and put it in another container. will be a whole lot easier that way.


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## Irks (Mar 26, 2009)

Widowman10 said:


> also, take the sac away from the mother after a few weeks (they aren't really defensive/possessive of the sac, they would much rather flee. in other words, they don't really guard all that much like T's do) and put it in another container. will be a whole lot easier that way.


Sometimes yes, sometimes no. When removing a sack, I've had a widow bite the stick so hard it shook noticeably in my hand. And I've had others just run for their life at the first sign of a large intrusion into their web. Either way, unless you're using your fingers, it shouldn't be a problem. Much easier to remove and deal with than have them hatch with mama.


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## Widowman10 (Mar 26, 2009)

Irks said:


> Sometimes yes, sometimes no. When removing a sack, I've had a widow bite the stick so hard it shook noticeably in my hand. And I've had others just run for their life at the first sign of a large intrusion into their web. Either way, unless you're using your fingers, it shouldn't be a problem. Much easier to remove and deal with than have them hatch with mama.


rarely yes, most of the time, no  but either way, good point about the fingers- i wouldn't try it b/c you wouldn't know what mood she's gonna be in! and i can just imagine the headache of leaving 300 slings with momma :wall:


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## Pacmaster (Mar 27, 2009)

Thanks for the info, she is doing well and no egg sacs yet!

I gotta get her a cube made up, this weekend Ill do it.
I see them in all kndsa locations, do they like room or cramped quarters better?


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## jsloan (Mar 27, 2009)

Pacmaster said:


> I see them in all kndsa locations, do they like room or cramped quarters better?


You can keep it in a small container (pickle jar, for example) but if you put it in something larger, like a 10 or 20 gallon terrarium, the spider will eventually build a broad, impressive web.  In the wild some _Latrodectus_ webs can reach up to several feet in diameter.

Remember, you don't have a tiny little spider there.


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## Widowman10 (Mar 27, 2009)

jsloan said:


> You can keep it in a small container (pickle jar, for example) but if you put it in something larger, like a 10 or 20 gallon terrarium, the spider will eventually build a broad, impressive web.  In the wild some _Latrodectus_ webs can reach up to several feet in diameter.
> 
> Remember, you don't have a tiny little spider there.


case in point, when i was in utah this past summer, i was observing widow webs that were well over 4-5 feet. i would not have believed it unless i saw it. now granted, these were the supporting threads and the widow didn't really hang out on these parts, but they were still very much part of the web. but also, they survive/thrive in deli cups too. 

give it a bigger enclosure so you can watch all the cool stuff


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## Pacmaster (Mar 27, 2009)

Ill take that into consideration, Im gonna go look for suitable containers tomorow.
Thanks!


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## Widowman10 (Mar 27, 2009)

use what you want, but i use something _similar_ to this:


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## buthus (Mar 28, 2009)

That jar set-up would be perfect if you turned it over.  Widows prefer solid structure overhead.  One way to do it is to pour in a layer of plaster or cement/mortar dirt mix ..to make a hardened stable surface.  Note: mortar/cement while drying can be slightly poisonous...so make sure its set in the sun for a few days after it has hardened.  (or dry it out by baking at a low temp in the oven).  
Having the jar lid at the bottom is also nice because it allows one to open the jar without messing up her "inner sanctum" tighter webbing.


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## Widowman10 (Mar 28, 2009)

buthus said:


> That jar set-up would be perfect if you turned it over.  Widows prefer solid structure overhead.
> 
> Having the jar lid at the bottom is also nice because it allows one to open the jar without messing up her "inner sanctum" tighter webbing.


good call. i actually keep mine in a large biscotti jar. it would be good to provide some sort of structure above, maybe something solid like you were saying (for a retreat). i have tried (and do not like) the flipped jar. not as applicable and doesn't look as good IMHO. but, there is still a need for a retreat, hence the solid overhead structure. 

good call buthus.


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## Pacmaster (Mar 28, 2009)

I have a large zip-tie container that I think Ill use.
Its basically a large straight plastic jar with a screw-on cap.
The only thing I dont like is that its round, all my other cages are cubes and I like my stuff uniform.
Guess Ill just have to sacrafice . . .

ill post pics later this eve, I gotta do my waterpump on my vehicle now.


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## kalvaer (Mar 28, 2009)

I was sitting outside my office the other day, and suddenly saw a male widow "sneaking" up to a female behind a pot plant. I rushed back into the office to grab a camera, and by the time I got back, the male had been killed and wraped up in a neat little ball. 

The natural web was pretty small though (South African species). Though I must admit I am to scared still at this point to try keep on at home. Then again, I have enough of them running around free to worry about housing.


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## buthus (Mar 29, 2009)

kalvaer said:


> I was sitting outside my office the other day, and suddenly saw a male widow "sneaking" up to a female behind a pot plant. I rushed back into the office to grab a camera, and by the time I got back, the male had been killed and wraped up in a neat little ball.
> 
> The natural web was pretty small though (South African species). Though I must admit I am to scared still at this point to try keep on at home. Then again, I have enough of them running around free to worry about housing.


Would be very interested in knowing what part of SAfrica you're at. ..and if your into the species... would LOVE to see some pics of your local widows.


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## kalvaer (Mar 29, 2009)

buthus said:


> Would be very interested in knowing what part of SAfrica you're at. ..and if your into the species... would LOVE to see some pics of your local widows.


Well I have 3 different looking widows, that I know of at work. 2 are certainly brown versions (could be the same species), and then 1 that is black (Less comman and I have to search for them).  I stay in the south of Johannesburg of Southern Africa BTW

Here are the only two decent photo's I got while rushing to try grab the camera.


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## Raikiri (Mar 29, 2009)

A good site of Latrodectus spp. in southern Africa:

http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2005/april/buttonspider.htm


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## jsloan (Mar 29, 2009)

kalvaer said:


> Here are the only two decent photo's I got while rushing to try grab the camera.


Are those adults?  If so, they might be _L. geometricus._


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## Pacmaster (Mar 29, 2009)

So heres my new enclosure for my fat widow.
I ended up going with a clear cube, it would just bother me too much to have a round container on that shelf . . .
Its got a piece of cork, and some twigs, which it is already utilizing as she started to spin a web.
Her abdomen is sooooo fat, she must be about to make an eggsac any day . . .
It has the full hour-glass, so what species is it?(from Ca)


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## Ritzman (Mar 29, 2009)

I believe L. mactans.


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## Pacmaster (Mar 30, 2009)

I remember in the last few days, reading an old thread that told the differences of species in reference to the shape of the red, and where they are found.
But I cant find the thread again, but if I remember correctly, the ones with the full hour-glass are supposed to be east-coast or is it viceversa . . . :? 
Anyways, shes a big fatty and she seems to like the cube as she is setting up shop.


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## Ritzman (Mar 30, 2009)

I know the ones we have around here (variolus) have red markings and the markings vary from spider to spider(maybe different locales). The widows I have seen with hourglass markings were mactans. Your widow could be hesperus though.


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## Pacmaster (Mar 30, 2009)

Found it . . . 



Kugellager said:


> From what I have read L.mactans generally has the hourglass as one whole marking while L.hesperus generally has it seperated into two triangles as in my pics.
> 
> Also L.hesperus is confined to the western US while L.mactans is generally found in the eastern US.
> 
> ...


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## Widowman10 (Mar 30, 2009)

ok, enough. that first spider is L. geometricus. not enough close to mactans/variolus/hesperus... although i don't believe anybody said it was a typical black. anyway...

enclosure looks pretty good too. they will thrive anywhere.

pacmaster, again, if you are in CA, your spider is probably nothing other than hesperus, again, most likely (95%) not mactans/variolus/anything else. 


generally speaking: west of the mississippi, hesperus. south, mactans. north (and somewhat south) variolus. red, bishopi. brown (orange hrglass, yellow dots around spinnerets), geometricus.

generally speaking (part 2): hesperus: typical, good-looking hrglass, equal triangles. mactans, anvil-shaped, 2 parts of glass look different. variolus, separated glass, easily distinguished from hesperus. geometricus: orange, bottom half slightly larger than top half, pretty symmetrical. red: lacking bottom half of glass in most.



*again, generally speaking, and in most cases this rings true. there is variation though*

have fun...


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## Pacmaster (Mar 30, 2009)

LOL, thanks for clearing that up, I figured I didnt find such a rare thing at my work of all places!
She seems to be liking that cube, her webbing is taking some shape as we speak.
They really are beautiful with the jet-black coloring and red hourglass!
Just the way their legs move and how they crawl back up a dangled thread, is the definition of spider.
I never really appreciated them(or spiders in general) until I started buying tarantulas . . .
Now its like every big spider I see, I want to take home and put it in a cube.

I cant wait to feed this girl, but she just looks sooo fat that I think if I feed her shell pop!
Is this a clue that a sac is soon to come?


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## Widowman10 (Mar 30, 2009)

Pacmaster said:


> LOL, thanks for clearing that up.
> She seems to be liking that cube, her webbing is taking some shape as we speak.
> They really are beautiful with the jet-black coloring and red hourglass!
> Just the way their legs move and how they crawl back up a dangled thread, is the definition of spider.
> ...


they are beautiful.  

and be careful with grabbing spiders willy-nilly and putting them in cubes  best to know exactly how to care for something (research it fully) before trying to care for it.

she won't pop. if she's full size (and mated, which if wild-caught, she is 99% most likely gravid), she probably won't molt, so she prob has some babies (eggs) in her.


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## Pacmaster (Mar 30, 2009)

No worries, shes the only vagrant Ill keep around  
My buddy has some garden-type spider whos meal ticket is about to run out . . .
I aint trying to feed the whole neighborhood . . . 
The only reason I took her home is cause they are EVERYWHERE over here, so I figure it shouldnt be too hard to keep alive!

So you have said that she wont molt, but I take it she will eat?
And when you said before they have multiple sacs, thats from 1 breeding, right?
Will she stop having sacs, or keep making them till she dies?

Its no wonder they call you Widowman!


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## buthus (Mar 30, 2009)

kalvaer said:


> Well I have 3 different looking widows, that I know of at work. 2 are certainly brown versions (could be the same species), and then 1 that is black (Less comman and I have to search for them).  I stay in the south of Johannesburg of Southern Africa BTW


You could run into 4 or 5 species   ...more likely 4 that are native.  From what I understand Mactans (US native) has also been found there.
Your geometricus you showed here is most likely that...but it MAY be something more interesting. L. rhodesiensis is the ONLY other brown clad specie besides geometricus.  How I understand it, is there was one significant split ...you have your tred/mactans species ("black" clads ...includes L. pallidus and L.bishopi ...so take the word "black" or leave it  ) and then you have geos (brown clads).  Not to long ago someone figured out that many of the geos in southern Africa are actually something fairly brand new. ..
actually considered the newest latro to develop. ...L. rhodesiensis.  Which imo is pretty cool.   I dont think there is any way to tell them apart visually except if sacs are available.  L. rhodesiensis sacs are big and smooth! ...and geo sacs have crazy spikes all over them.    

so!  go find more and look for ones with big, smooth sacs ...take pics...oh, and dont forget to step back and get shots of the webbing, structure and immediate environment. Look for geos close by ...they should be right there next to them ...show us how close the two species hang.


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## kalvaer (Mar 30, 2009)

If I remember correctly, the sacs close by these had the spikes, but I have seen the smooth sacs around. I need to get a new camara and a 105mm macro lens to get some nice shots of them, But i'll see what can be found


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## buthus (Mar 30, 2009)

kalvaer said:


> If I remember correctly, the sacs close by these had the spikes, but I have seen the smooth sacs around. I need to get a new camara and a 105mm macro lens to get some nice shots of them, But i'll see what can be found


Smooth sac could be from one of your local blackies, but maybe!  

  Yep..take pics and show us your latros!


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## Widowman10 (Mar 30, 2009)

hey buthus, i could hardly find _any_ pics of the rhodes widow. they did look a bit different though (and i know, color variation, not good...). does the rhodes widow have the yellow dots around the abdomen like the geo does? to me, that pic was a pretty solid match for a geo, i even looked up the others like you did. either way, good call on the sacs. that would be a great way to tell. 

interesting stuff.


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## Widowman10 (Mar 30, 2009)

Pacmaster said:


> So you have said that she wont molt, but I take it she will eat?
> And when you said before they have multiple sacs, thats from 1 breeding, right?
> Will she stop having sacs, or keep making them till she dies?


she will eat

yes, from 1 breeding, although they've done some experiments showing that some females have been mated with multiple males (the emboli breaking off in the female is how they knew that). 

keep making them until she gets really really old. i say that because they have been known to pop out like, 20 sacs.


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## jsloan (Mar 30, 2009)

Pacmaster said:


> I cant wait to feed this girl, but she just looks sooo fat that I think if I feed her shell pop!


She'll probably stop eating before that happens.  However, it is possible the abdomen can get large enough that a bump to the spider or cage can make it fall off.  That happened with a _Xysticus sp._ (Thomisidae) I had once.  I fed it and fed it, and it ate and ate, and its abdomen grew and grew and ballooned out - and one day I set its jar down on the desk (not heavily, just normally) and its abdomen just fell off.  And that was the end of that spider!  No joke.  That actually happened.

This probably won't happen to yours, but I wanted to tell that story anyway.  

Do make sure she always has water, however.


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## Widowman10 (Mar 30, 2009)

jsloan said:


> She'll probably stop eating before that happens.  However, it is possible the abdomen can get large enough that a bump to the spider or cage can make it fall off.  That happened with a _Xysticus sp._ (Thomisidae) I had once.  I fed it annd fed it, and it ate and ate, and its abdomen grew and grew and ballooned out - and one day I set its jar down on the desk (not heavily, just normally) and its abdomen just fell off.  And that was the end of that spider!
> 
> This probably won't happen to yours, but I wanted to tell that story anyway.


haha, i was wondering if something like that has ever happened  

not funny for the spider, but you know... 

some of the widows i've seen are HUGE. i know this is probably one of the rarest things to happen also. i wouldn't worry


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## Pacmaster (Mar 30, 2009)

That is an amazinf story, and if I had to guess- Id say mine is about as close to that as possible right now.
Imma wait to see if it shrinks down some, then feed her.

I aint seriously worried about this, but she IS really fat . . .  

Widowman, again- Thankyou for all your great advice, Ive learned alot since posting . . .


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## Widowman10 (Mar 30, 2009)

on the subject of glasses and patterns and whatever, here is a somewhat decent (and rough) idea of what i was saying. although, there is a lot of variation, and i would draw them a little differently, but it's a fairly good depiction. gives some range info that is decent as well (but not complete by any means).


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## Pacmaster (Mar 31, 2009)

Well!
Guess what?!?!?







So now,of course, Ill have a few more questions . . .
I did read alot about the sacs, and I found out alot about hatching them, but I want to know a little about the sacs themselves.

Are the eggs already in there- does it spin around the eggs or put eggs into complete sac?

How long does it take to make that sac- it wasnt there at like 1 or 2 am last night, and I didnt specifically check her this morning, just found it at 830 tonite.

I can see that her abdomen is remarkably smaller, I assume that was eggs, or was it the amount of silk needed to spin the sac?

Would tonite be a good time to try to feed her?


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## Pacmaster (Mar 31, 2009)

Widowman10 said:


> on the subject of glasses and patterns and whatever, here is a somewhat decent (and rough) idea of what i was saying. although, there is a lot of variation, and i would draw them a little differently, but it's a fairly good depiction. gives some range info that is decent as well (but not complete by any means).



Great link!
She is most definately hesperus.


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## Widowman10 (Mar 31, 2009)

1- it spins the silk around the eggs, it doesn't 'deposit' them inside the sac or anything
2- it takes just a few hours to make a sac, pretty quick process
3- mostly eggs
4- sure! whenever, really


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## buthus (Mar 31, 2009)

Widowman10 said:


> hey buthus, i could hardly find _any_ pics of the rhodes widow. they did look a bit different though (and i know, color variation, not good...). does the rhodes widow have the yellow dots around the abdomen like the geo does? to me, that pic was a pretty solid match for a geo, i even looked up the others like you did. either way, good call on the sacs. that would be a great way to tell.
> 
> interesting stuff.


The page on S.African "button spiders" has a pic ...otherwise all I have on the specie is some literature and a bud down that way that has asked a few questions and looked around for them.  They are there in patches...usually amongst geos.  
As for visual ID.. from what i understand (from the pitiful amount of info i have), there is little to nil difference except for the sacs.  The main difference is sexual which is usually the first thing to cause a split ...indicating a separate specie.  I guess someone finally realized... hey! smooth sacs...thats weird and stuck one under a microscope to take a gander at its naughty bits. ...bingo! new specie.




edit: 





> it spins the silk around the eggs, it doesn't 'deposit' them inside the sac or anything


 Sorta do though... but upside down ...they "stick" the eggs up into the  top dome shaped chunk of sac that they construct first ...then they wrap/cover the heck out of the eggs.  Ive had a few just spew out eggs into their web or insufficient sac starts ...usually it seems this can happen to old girls about to kick the bucket or during extremely fast temperature increases.
As for sac numbers ...hesperus tend to produce 5 to 10 viable sacs during their lifetime and often a few towards the end of their life that are infertile or just go bad for whatever reasons old age can bring.  Over 15 sacs is probably rare...esp if all turn out fertile.  Ive had at least a few longish living hesperus that, for whatever reason only produced a couple/few sacs right after mating then one or two duds before death.  
Recently I had a big healthy girl produce a single sac with very few eggs of which only a couple made it to slings ...she mated, a week later produced her sac and then died a couple weeks after that ...go figure.


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## Spider-Spazz (May 11, 2009)

Pacmaster said:


> Found this girl today under a piece of wood.
> Shes got the fattest abdomen I ever seen.
> When I found her, it looked as though she had just molted either yesterday or last night.
> There were also 3 BIG, empty egg sacs around her.
> ...



Oooooh.
I had 4 Bw before.
They were gorgeous.


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## ZergFront (May 23, 2009)

*Really Cool*

I used to have a black widow when I was 9 for about a month. Then, because of my normal kid A.D.D, I got bored of it and let it go back to the garage.

 Right now, I'm sticking to one species of jumping spider and both have egg sacs. For ventilation and sling escape-proofing I used pantyhose I cut off a few inches above the "ankle" and put it over the jar. For water, they have a kitchen sponge cut into a small cube that's moistened daily (fresh sponge - spiders are sensitive to even a little soap). I also have a sponge with a honey/water mixture because I read some jumpers do take sips of nectar from flowers to supplement their diet, but mine never used them. I guess that's my two cents.

 I don't think it's good for spiders so I don't do this anymore, but when I was 15 I used to rub a little perfume over the rim of the jars if I wanted to observe them without the lid on. I found that spiders really hate strong smells. Every spider that came to the edge came to an abrupt halt and went back down. Like I said though, won't be doing that anymore because I don't know if it has ill effects.


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## agama (May 23, 2009)

wow she is big


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## Endagr8 (May 23, 2009)

ZergFront said:


> I used to have a black widow when I was 9 for about a month. Then, because of my normal kid A.D.D, I got bored of it and let it go back to the garage.
> 
> Right now, I'm sticking to one species of jumping spider and both have egg sacs. For ventilation and sling escape-proofing I used pantyhose I cut off a few inches above the "ankle" and put it over the jar. For water, they have a kitchen sponge cut into a small cube that's moistened daily (fresh sponge - spiders are sensitive to even a little soap). I also have a sponge with a honey/water mixture because I read some jumpers do take sips of nectar from flowers to supplement their diet, but mine never used them. I guess that's my two cents.
> 
> I don't think it's good for spiders so I don't do this anymore, but when I was 15 I used to rub a little perfume over the rim of the jars if I wanted to observe them without the lid on. I found that spiders really hate strong smells. Every spider that came to the edge came to an abrupt halt and went back down. Like I said though, won't be doing that anymore because I don't know if it has ill effects.


Lose the sponges.  Water dishes filled with water (no sponge/cotton/etc.) are MUCH better.


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## ZergFront (May 23, 2009)

*huh?*

Won't they drown? My wolf spider drowned in a filled little jelly jar lid. 
X-D


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## Endagr8 (May 23, 2009)

ZergFront said:


> Won't they drown? My wolf spider drowned in a filled little jelly jar lid.
> X-D


Nope; if drowning is an issue, place a rock or two in the dish so the spider can crawl out. In addition to being breeding grounds for bacteria, it's debatable whether spiders can obtain moisture from sponges/cotton/etc. With most true spiders you're probably better off misting the sides of the containers every few days.


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## ZergFront (May 24, 2009)

*Oh*

Oh OK. I thought that with regular hot water soakings sponges would be good. 

 I like this board. ^_^


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## Canth (May 24, 2009)

For jumping spiders or widows, I don't think a water dish is neccessary. A light mist every few days would be fine.


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