A. sp "eutylenum" eggsac...Help!

[dtknow]

Well, it looks like asking a question about if this girl was going to molt gave her other ideas. Normally she would be wandering around her little sweaterbox enclosure and would only retreat to the hide(piece of cardboard placed like a tunnel) when teased/poked(I did this every once in a while to get her into the idea of the hide as a place of safety). Anyway, for a week or so she was being really good and I never saw her coming out. Today I happened to notice some silk on the lid. Thats pretty odd considering the only webbing previously was to cover the dirt in the hide with a thin carpet. So I peek in on her and she's holding a big eggsac and her butt is way smaller! It doesn't look like much. I think they are supposed to be round...hers sure isn't. It is reminescent of the shape some tissue paper ends up in after you've blown your nose and crumpled/flattened it to swish it into the trashcan. From what I saw observing her for a few minutes it has a definite top and bottom, since one side has dirt on it, the other practically clean. She is caring for it, though

What should I do? The area isn't exactly high traffic, but I do walk through occasionally. I have no idea how long she's had it but probably a week at the most. When I came down the stairs(she's on the first floor) this afternoon I took a peek and she was not with it, maybe she was scared by me coming downstairs. But a few minutes later she crept back and got back to brooding it. Also, the back of the hide is actually facing out towards the hallway(the opposite of how I should have placed it) and she has her eggsac right up against the side nearest the hallay. Should I put something over this side to darken it? I'm guessing one thing I should do is not go over there to peek at her...esp. since her container is directly on the floor so she can no doubt feel the vibrations of me walking.

Hope this wasn't too long. To be honest, I don't expect anything...but it would be great if things turned out!

A picture of her.

 

[Talkenlate04]

Well I would just leave her to it. Mother knows best. In about 40 days if you want to take it from her and see how things are going we can cross that bridge when we get there. But it sounds like she is being a great mom so far so just bother her as little as possible and wait! With any luck you could have 100's of little guys running around soon.

 

[dtknow]

She's in the sweaterbox at floor level with two yogurt cups on it. Coincidentally one of the cups contains an albopilosum sling...so I'll have to sneak the little critter away without disturbing her. A B. vagans sling is in a margarine container nearby. Pity the rest of the critters on this shelf!

Should humidity be a worry ATM? I refreshed her waterdish pretty recently and it may still have some water. The sweaterbox does have air holes and their is just the tiniest amount of condensation in one spot on the lid so I think humidity may be comparable to a plugged up burrow? This probably also explains her resistance to using the hide before this happening.

 

[DrAce]

Personally, and I have no experience with eggsacs, I think you should just leave her be... minimise interferance, but don't get too worried. I would move the spiderlings, and just walk away. She'll do what she wants and in 40 days, pull the eggsac and have a look.

The humidity inside the sac is likely to be pretty much ok, I'd just let things be. You would probably do more harm by interfering too much at the moment.

Of course, that's all just opinion.

 

[cacoseraph]

all the bugs i have gotten babies from have done just fine with TONS of loud noises and vibrations from my room mates music studio. i think bugs eat their eggs or whatever for reasons other than vibrations most of the time

 

[dtknow]

Interesting stuff! What species are you talking of? I'm guessing vibrations would include people doing Stomp? LOL

I could move her to a small room she could have all to herself. Would it be safer to leave her in this area, or move her there?

 

[LeilaNami]

Where is this tarantula native to?

 

[hamfoto]

Don't worry about the eggsac shape...they're not always perfectly round. As long as she is kept the same basic way as she has been, and is happy, she'll be fine.
You could cover a part of her cage with a towel to block the light on that side where she is sitting with the eggsac to make her feel more safe.
Other than that...she should be fine taking care of it. Just keep the care the same as usual. If she doesn't have a water bowl in there I would put one (not huge) in there so she can go get a drink if she wants.
She will leave the eggsac from time to time and wander around and then go back.

Chris

 

[dtknow]

Leilanami: California. I collected this female myself last year a little ways from where I live(the area seems safe ATM but at least one guy is developing his land into house). I think the tarantula would be best designated as Aphonopelma sp. aff. eutylenum but am unsure. I do have locality data and have a pipe(?)dream of perhaps releasing some juveniles at the site providing it is still there and I get some of course!

Hamfoto: Thanks for the help! She has a waterdish which I fill occasionally(I doubt they ever find water to drink in the wild, and I have yet to catch her actually drinking). I don't know if it is smart to open it and turn it around to check the waterdish(naturally, I slid the sweaterbox in backwards to make maintenance difficult :wall: ).

On the towel...I wonder if she would be more comfortable simply with ambient light than me lifting the towel every once in a while to peek. I guess I could just leave her alone for 40 days but it seems best to be able to observe what is happening.

 

[dtknow]

Also, does anyone feed them while they have eggsacs? On another forum Stan Schultz said it is ok, but it seems it would not happen in the wild if they seal off their burrows.

I have moistened the substrate a bit in addition to keeping the waterdish full. She appears to be a good mother so far.

 

[hamfoto]

Just keep doing what you're doing...you don't need to feed her. Your ideas about sealing the burrow are correct.

Chris

 

[dtknow]

Well well, I got back from vacation and last I checked she is still sitting on those eggs. Before I left I decided to offer her a cricket which dissapeared promptly...though I didn't see it actually consumed. Lets imagine some little burrowing critter crossed tunnels with mama tarantula

Has anyone else gotten an eggsac from any of the Western Aphonopelma species? 30-40 days seems to be the general guide as for when to pull the sac...but I wonder if perhaps this species may incubate slower.

Also, what is wrong with letting mom do ALL the work up till slinghood? I know that the wait would kill me and it wouldn't happen but anyway...

I'm also wondering that if this does work what the heck am I going to do to deal with all the slings. I've looked around and from all my reading this is the first time anyone has gotten a sac from one of these. Hopefully people will be interested in the little goobers, if it all works of course! I will probably keep 20 or so and perhaps let some go after a year or two back where mom came from, if that area is still there.

 

[mitchell123]

Buy this for your slings.

http://www.thorntonplastics.com/

 

[dtknow]

Thanks!

Also, after some reading...I now believe I have Aphonopelma iodus. They are known to occur in my(Fresno) County.