Black Widow Enclosure

[davus]

Hi guys has anyone kept black widows on here and if so has anyone got any pictures of their enclosures as im trying to get a few ideas for my little lady

 

[Alex S.]

Latrodectus are very hardy spiders that do well in captivity. A medium sized jar with a thin layer of peat moss at tha bottom and a couple of vertical sticks works fine as an enclosure. Lightly mist the web once a week for water.

Alex S.

 

[davus]

thanks for that alex..its a little colder over here so what would you recommend heat wise?

 

[conway]

i keep my tarantulas at room temperature with no heat mats and ive had no casualties so i guess you can do the same

 

[davus]

ok cheers m8

 

[alex]

I kept my widow in a petbox with a few sticks.

 

[Brian S]

I used to keep widows myself. They can be kept in about anything. I always kept them on the dry side.

 

[davus]

is lighting necessary or will natural light be ok?

 

[Brian S]

Natural lighting is just fine

 

[davus]

thanks for that brian

 

[SocialistDray]

widows love anything. the more the better. my "coolest" setup. is a skull and crossbones ina 10 gallon. height more than length. I use the nice bulbs for reptiles from petco mart. anywhere really. its a little to hard for natural light. they adapt to anything. and thye dont mind adapting. its fun for them i believe. i handle my widows. but as he said. dont mess with them when they have eggsacs. or when a male is present.dont forget about them either. the more u look at them. the more they feel safer around you and they probably know your not gonna hurt them. and if they do bite. its usually dry. theyre beautiful spider. the MAIN collection in my house.

 

[Stormcrow]

Glad to have another Latrodectus enthusiast join us. Though I am not sure the Widow dry bites frequently yet I could be wrong as there is no scientific evidence that I know of. But hey, JPD was dry bitten by a Red Widow.

BTW, welcome aboard Dray!

 

[SocialistDray]

thx

nice to know im not the only " dork " out there keep in touch... keep the spiders thriving

 

[conway]

were not "dorks" lol, were not ignorant bastard boys and girls who go Eeeeeew thats gross...grr makes ya wanna give em a punch!

 

[Invert Nerd]

im a nerd ,and damn proud of it, but i still can kick some ass

 

[Horrido]

Mine's sitting in an old spice bottle. Not very large, but she seems happy. She gets pet store crickets, and bugs I catch in the house or the yard. I've had my "ladies" live up to 2.5 years or more.

We should hold either a size or molting challenge to see who can rear the biggest widow.

 

[Stormcrow]

I have freshly hatched L.hesperus 'lings, am ready to go... muahahahaha!

 

[Horrido]

LOL! I saw L. hesperus and thought Lygus hesperus. lol I couldn't figure out why you were rearing lygus bugs for your black widow :?, THAT'S not gonna make her happy! Please refrain from confusing the six-legged folks, society is difficult for us as it is . lol


So, what do you keep your black widow in so that you aren't worried about little black widow 'lings migrating throughout your residence? When I discovered that widows can hold sperm through a molt and found an eggcase in there, she got tossed in the fridge to chill and the case removed shortly thereafter. Man, was she nasty about that.

 

[Stormcrow]

I keep them in various snap top disposable storage containers and vials with ventilation holes punched in by large sewing needles. But you want ones that snap tightly or the 'lings will find a means of escape.

Interesting facts - Western Black Widow (L.hesperus) produces North America's largest female Widow spiders but the Southern Black Widow (L.mactans) are commonly considered North America's most venomous Widow species.

 

[Horrido]

So, you're saying when I want to really impress people visually, juggle the Western species, but for those in the know, the Southern?

Working out in the field, we've come across some relatively different looking black widows. A few will have red markings down the crests of their backs. Are they sub-species or just color variations for the standard?

And, has the pic of the widow/redback/whatever it was with the snake been posted here (I assume it has)?