Breeding Damon diadema

[dtknow]

Seemed like plenty of room for one. As for two...well I'll get back to you in a few months if my male is still around...LOL

If I get nervous there is always another enclosure for him to be put in.

 

[8+)]

I think what you have is a young male with an older female. Notice how while his chelae are shorter than the females, they are longer in relation to the first femurs.

I think I messed up on the humidity, one of mine dropped her eggs.

 

[dtknow]

Sorry to hear that 8+)....think it was too dry?

Yep, indeed this is a young guy with an older lady.

 

[Brettus]

Yeah. They seem quite affectionate actually.

I was reading that this species is one of the most 'social' of the arachnids. This university conducting research into them said that the female calms her offspring by stroking them with her whips, and that if you put two siblings in an unfamiliar tank they seek each other out. Stuff I spose you can observe when hopefully you have a whole family

 

[JesseD]

Yeah until one sibling gets bigger than the other and decides one to have some fine family cuisine.

 

[M.F.Bagaturov]

I'm second one thinking that You have two females or the lower specimen is an immature male, that's You should have no success in breeding either.
But they can still cohabiting very well as they're the nice species of amblypygi which can live communnlly in rather large numbers and of different generations.

If You look for some educated materials for You on these, find the time to read this:
Linda S. Rayor & Lisa Anne Taylor (2006) Social behavior in amblypygids, and a reassessment of arachnid social patterns. The Journal of Arachnology, Volume 34, Number 2

Here, You can see how the adult male looks different (note the ) comparing to the adult female.

 

[lucanidae]

If he didn't have a mature male, he wouldn't have gotten sperm packets deposited. The mating was succesful, eggs are usually found on the underside of the female in 1-3 months and take about 90 days to hatch. High humidity is important especially during this time. They then spend a week on the mother's back and then molt to the free living form. Groups of siblings do not usually begin to get agressive for almost a year. Sometimes one will outsize the others in 6 months and get a little pushy, but cannabilism is rare. Oh yes, and Dr. Rayor's paper is very good, I've been carrying for her colonies and listening to her talk on these for a few years now.

 

[M.F.Bagaturov]

Sure, as he doesn't had adult male in fact there should be no sperm-pockets.
Frankly spesking I don't saw any in my case, but the male is indeed is clear.
That's what i have for some time now. Can't wait for eggs will hatch out.

 

[lucanidae]

Sure, as he doesn't had adult male in fact there should be no sperm-pockets.

He does have sperm stalks, you can see them in his pictures. Thus, he does have a mature male.

QED.

 

[dtknow]

He's a little guy, but he got the job done.

What temps should I be keeping these at for this time? They are at the low 70's in the day perhaps dropping lower during the night. I could warm them a bit during the day but not sure about changing the night temps.

Should I decrease ventilation to maintain higher humidity? Currently I just flood the substrate periodically and any humidity is quickly lost(critter keeper). The female doesn't drink much but the male drinks a lot from the water dish and the substrate.

M. F. Bagaturov: Wowee...that is a lot of eggs! Hope they do well for you.

lucanidea: Any opinion on the need to rest the females? I know that some reptiles(geckos) can literally breed to death. Wonder if the same holds true for these. Since it takes more than half a year in the wild to raise the offspring the probbaly breed only a little more than once a year in the wild.

 

[lucanidae]

We use kritter keepers with some plastic wrap over the parts of the lid. The cages are flooded once a week, and tend to be dry by the next flooding. We keep ours in the mid 70's at all times, but I don't think it will make a difference except maybe to slow down the process a little.

Big arachnid breeding is usually seasonal, thus you would expect a yearly breeding maximum. Less breeding will almost certainly prolong the females life, as will recharge periods. Our oldest females certainly have not produced clutches every year.

 

[dtknow]

i'll add some plastic wrap then.

One more thing...is it possible at all to observe the presence of eggs when you are looking at the girl from above? She is quite plump now.

 

[M.F.Bagaturov]

Hello!

He's a little guy, but he got the job done.

What temps should I be keeping these at for this time? They are at the low 70's in the day perhaps dropping lower during the night. I could warm them a bit during the day but not sure about changing the night temps.
Should I decrease ventilation to maintain higher humidity? Currently I just flood the substrate periodically and any humidity is quickly lost(critter keeper). The female doesn't drink much but the male drinks a lot from the water dish and the substrate.
M. F. Bagaturov: Wowee...that is a lot of eggs! Hope they do well for you.
lucanidea: Any opinion on the need to rest the females? I know that some reptiles(geckos) can literally breed to death. Wonder if the same holds true for these. Since it takes more than half a year in the wild to raise the offspring the probbaly breed only a little more than once a year in the wild.

You should not change the condition, at least at any decent character, only maintain the humidity of hi level.
They suffer of higher temp to death.
As for the arachnids bred to death i believe nobody can be sure, but some doubts were existed. But I don't think that any of these long-lives bred over once per year and with some older ages the gap between the breedings are biger and biger as it is known for tarantulas

 

[M.F.Bagaturov]

Hi!

i'll add some plastic wrap then.
One more thing...is it possible at all to observe the presence of eggs when you are looking at the girl from above? She is quite plump now.

You can see it clearly as the female's sac is cristal clear and the eggs seen very good - like on the pic of mine of the same species like Yours.

Sorry, I miss the pictires where does spermatophor presented - can You point me on it? Thanks!

 

[8+)]

Sorry, I miss the pictires where does spermatophor presented - can You point me on it? Thanks!

Look right in front of the male's left chela, in the pics on the first page of this thread.

 

[8+)]

Sorry to hear that 8+)....think it was too dry?

Yes KK... I have plastic wrap over it now.

But, good news is my other female has babies on her back!!! They're in an opaque container, but I'll try to get some pics.

 

[dtknow]

Ok. Will add plastic wrap to mine also!

 

[dtknow]

They've since mated again. No sign of eggs though.

 

[dtknow]

They've mated 3 times total.

The female is very plump looking...but I have no way to see her underside for the eggs! And no I don't plan on poking at her to find out. Hopefully i'll catch her strolling around in the night.

 

[8+)]

The babies left the mother's back and since they all congregated on a piece of slate in the water bowl, I just lifted out the slate and put them in their own enclosure. Four of them drowned in the water ; leaving me with 17 babies!

They are eating pinhead crix, and doing well...