Black Widow Enclosure

davus

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 8, 2004
Messages
47
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 :D
 

Alex S.

Arachnolord
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Messages
645
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

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 8, 2004
Messages
47
thanks for that alex..its a little colder over here so what would you recommend heat wise?
 

conway

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 8, 2003
Messages
175
i keep my tarantulas at room temperature with no heat mats and ive had no casualties so i guess you can do the same
 

alex

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Dec 26, 2003
Messages
558
I kept my widow in a petbox with a few sticks.
 

Brian S

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
May 29, 2004
Messages
6,526
I used to keep widows myself. They can be kept in about anything. I always kept them on the dry side.
 

SocialistDray

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 19, 2004
Messages
7
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.
 
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Stormcrow

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 14, 2002
Messages
297
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! :)
 

conway

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 8, 2003
Messages
175
were not "dorks" lol, were not ignorant bastard boys and girls who go Eeeeeew thats gross...grr makes ya wanna give em a punch! {D :mad:
 

Horrido

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 18, 2004
Messages
37
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. :D
 

Stormcrow

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 14, 2002
Messages
297
I have freshly hatched L.hesperus 'lings, am ready to go... muahahahaha!


:D
 

Horrido

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 18, 2004
Messages
37
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 :confused: ;). 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. :eek: Man, was she nasty about that. :mad:
 

Stormcrow

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 14, 2002
Messages
297
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

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 18, 2004
Messages
37
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)?
 
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