Care help needed for cellar spider with eggs

Charliemum

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Took this girl off my cat today was surprised to see she has an eggsack. I would like to offer her somewhere safe to have her baby's, can anyone help me with habitat please all I can find is dark cupboards lol any suggestions are welcome, thanks all
 

Charliemum

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Nope live in the uk so was hoping to make her a good viv but have no idea what to put in it 😕
 

DomGom TheFather

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I would release her. They're happy under the sink or under your bed but that's up to you. I'm sure they could adapt to whatever you provide. The ones over here seem to like any old place that doesn't get dusted. Lol
 

The Snark

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Got a corner in some room you would like spider decorated? Anywhere will do. They don't notice ambient light, or care about human proximity. As long as the web goes unharrased they are happy campers.
 

Charliemum

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I made her a house in an upside-down 5lt bucket I used to use for crickets she has instantly webbed up and has settled under the lotus pod I glued up the side for her, I also put the bucket upside-down so I wouldn't disturb her web . I had already done this before the replies as it was up an hour before I got answers and I didn't want to leave her in the little jar . 20210505_090134.jpg
She will now live with the rest of my native spiders bar 2 lol . 20210505_091501.jpg I will let her baby's go and keep her once they are ready to leave . I am super excited to watch over her and her baby's I already keep flys for my other spiders so feeding her shouldn't be a problem once she wants to eat I assumed she wouldn't while she carries her baby's. But thanks for the replies 😊 She seems to be reinforcing her eggs so I am assuming she is happy 20210505_092442.jpg sorry the pics aren't good my phone doesn't like her new viv lol .
 

The Snark

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Looks like you have enough room for several pholcids in there. They will end up having a communal web.
 

Charliemum

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Looks like you have enough room for several pholcids in there. They will end up having a communal web.
I wanted to make sure she had plenty of room for her and her baby's 😊 Can they live communally? Not that I would, I will set them free round the house once they're ready, I am just curious 😁
 

The Snark

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Can they live communally?
Absolutely. Males often gather a harem of females and they share webs quite peacefully. I let them do their thing in our bathroom ceiling at our old house since the upper wall had vent holes and it was mosquito heaven.. One interconnected web about 10 feet long with around 40-50 occupants. Just drop a piece of fruit in your containment now and then. Even large adults are content to munch fruit flies.
 
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Charliemum

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Absolutely. Males often gather a harem of females and they share webs quite peacefully. I let them do their thing in our bathroom ceiling at our old house since the upper wall had vent holes and it was mosquito heaven.. One interconnected web about 10 feet long with around 40-50 occupants. Just drop a piece of fruit in your containment now and then. Even large adults are content to munch fruit flies.
How very cool I had no idea they could be communal, that must have been pretty amazing to see 😀 thanks once again for your sound advice it is very much appreciated 😊
 

Charliemum

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Also will she eat while she has a sac? I don't want to offer her flys n them upset her. Sorry more questions lol 😆
 

The Snark

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Also will she eat while she has a sac?
I <think> she will but these critters need very little food. From observations over quite a few years they get by catching gnats and tiny flies as little as once or twice a month. Probably the greatest problem-aggravation you will experience is watching them catch prey. The webs aren't sticky and their catch method is wrangling the prey, wrapping and webbing it while giving lightning fast nips. But most flying insects manage to avoid the wrangling and find their way out of the webs. Watching them go after mosquitoes can be mega frustrating. They escape most of the time. The easiest prey for them to catch are other spiders. Most cobweb weavers are easily caught. Salticids unlucky enough to leap into their webs ditto. They are incredibly adept with those long legs. Think some elderly person who has been knitting her entire life - with eight arms.
 

darkness975

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Latrodectus can have that problem too if they make a half witted web without enough sticky strands.

My Steadoda triangulosa is more aggressive with prey capturing than my Latrodectus. But thats probably because they are used to the captive life. In the wild they are quite food aggressive.
 

The Snark

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@darkness975 So you have observed environmental adaptation? Fascinating. Over how many generations, if more than one, did this occur?
I'm loosely trying to tie together the various reasons why geometricus is displacing hesperus. I'm suspecting hesperus has locations that the geo would be unable to compete in.
 

darkness975

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@darkness975 So you have observed environmental adaptation? Fascinating. Over how many generations, if more than one, did this occur?
I'm loosely trying to tie together the various reasons why geometricus is displacing hesperus. I'm suspecting hesperus has locations that the geo would be unable to compete in.
What does the range of L. geometricus have to do with the topic of this thread?
 
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