D. tenebrosus and Hibernation

[davisfam]

Hii, soo.. I was reading through some old threads and found something about the D. tenebrosus hibernating as immature adults and juviies. Is this true?! If so, what exactly do we need to do with our D. tenebrosus during this 'hibernation period'.. ?? We believe she is an adult not an immature adult, btw. This is all new information to us so ANY HELP would be appreciated. Is the Fishing Spider the only species that hibernates during this time? :?

We like to make our spidiies feel as comfortable as possible so information would be appreciated muchoo! THANKS!!

 

[loxoscelesfear]

Adult, immature, or true spider slings do not have to be cooled down in captivity that I am aware of. Unless you choose to cool them down.

 

[jsloan]

Is the Fishing Spider the only species that hibernates during this time?

It depends on the location. While many spiders in northern regions manage to stay active under thick layers of snow in the winter, other species in the same areas will hibernate or become inactive until it warms up. However, the same species which hibernates in northern winters might not do so in warmer regions where the winters are not severe. That's why, for instance, the same species might have a two year life cycle when found in northern areas, but a one year cycle in warmer regions. This is certainly the case for many species of wolf spider, for example. Anyway, to answer your question, lots of spiders hibernate or become inactive in cold weather, depending on the location and conditions.

On a related subject (has to do with winter) I'm beginning to suspect that the amount of daylight might influence molting from subadult to adult in northern regions. I keep subadult trues I've collected to wait for their final molt so I can identify them. Those caught later in the season and which haven't molted by winter usually don't molt until the following spring, even though I have them in a warm house and feed them regularly. So, it's not always just temperature which determines annual cycles.

 

[Widowman10]

loxo and jsloan are right. spiders do not need a cool-down period. there's been some debate in the past about this between some people who breed. bottom line was- either way worked, but the spider did not need a cool-down period if the temp was kept normal.

 

[davisfam]

Thanks for ALL the information from EVERYone, it's appreciated more than each of you know. We were soo lost and confused on this whole hibernation process and to be honest, I was scared for my Fishing Spider's life, LOL!

Our D. tenebrosus has been acting very well.. lazy, for the past few weeks now. She refuses to eat but def. still destroys her prey! Haa We have left her alone now for the past 3-4 days besides misting her cage each day. She seems to be doing just fine so I guess we'll just let her be.

When will she want to eat again?! It's been almost 2 weeks since her last meal. We just want to make sure we're doing this right, LOL!

Once again, THANKS for all the help!!

 

[loxoscelesfear]

She may be due for a molt, an egg sac, or just not hungry. They can go a long time w/out food. Nothing to worry about. I would leave her alone for a couple of weeks.

 

[davisfam]

She may be due for a molt, an egg sac, or just not hungry. They can go a long time w/out food. Nothing to worry about. I would leave her alone for a couple of weeks.

I was thinking along the lines of an upcoming molt as well because the last time she molted was at the end of August although because of her large size, I wasn't sure if she was a MF or still in the sub-adult stage.

Would it be at all helpful if I were to post a picture of her?! Her current size is hard to put into words because she is so large and I haven't measured her leg span, etc. since August.

 

[spider pest]

I have a mature female D. tenebrosus. She tends to "load up" and then not eat for 2-3 weeks. Her abdomen size doesn't really go down too much, but when she's hungry, she becomes much more active. I've wondering about this myself as the cold weather is creeping in.

FWIW, last weekend I was in a mountanous region of PA. The temperatures were in the upper 30's F range at night, and immature Dolomedes sp were abundant in the woods, and quite active.

 

[davisfam]

I have a mature female D. tenebrosus. She tends to "load up" and then not eat for 2-3 weeks. Her abdomen size doesn't really go down too much, but when she's hungry, she becomes much more active. I've wondering about this myself as the cold weather is creeping in.

FWIW, last weekend I was in a mountanous region of PA. The temperatures were in the upper 30's F range at night, and immature Dolomedes sp were abundant in the woods, and quite active.

Interesting. Our D. tenebrosus did the same thing as your describing with your spidiie. She ate like a starving child for about a week straight and then refused to eat ANY prey we put in her home. Don't get me wrong, she'll still destroy the prey, just not feed on it. Also, her abdomen size is about the same, just like you described soo, that makes me feel better about her not eating for the past 2-3 weeks. I really appreciate the input especially since you own this species as well. Thanks!

P.S. I think it's soo weird how active the immature spidiies were being since it's so cold, I would have figured that their activity would decrease. Oh man, you just don't stop learning when it comes to spiders! LOL!