Dolomedes tenebrosus (Aw yeah)

billrogers

Arachnoknight
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Jan 18, 2016
Messages
216
I've been trying to catch one of these gals for a few months now and I finally caught a beautiful specimen this last week!
I've kept this species before, but not for awhile. Do they need high humidity? What is their life span? She is missing one leg, will she grow it back like tarantulas do?

Any answers appreciated! Pics to follow!
 

loxoscelesfear

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
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Feb 13, 2006
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1,096
Not much to keeping these. Mist a couple times a week. High humidity not necessary w/ teneb's. Keep in well ventilated enclosure w/ bark or whatnot to climb. Females live 2 -3 years. They can regenerate legs after a molt or two.
 

billrogers

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
216
Not much to keeping these. Mist a couple times a week. High humidity not necessary w/ teneb's. Keep in well ventilated enclosure w/ bark or whatnot to climb. Females live 2 -3 years. They can regenerate legs after a molt or two.
Thanks for the info! If she produces a sac can it be removed like a tarantula's?
 

Necromion

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
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Mar 5, 2011
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170
These are pretty easy animals to keep, they dont often need humidity outside of whats normal outside conditions in your area. They can be kept in about a 5 gallon tank maybe a little smaller. You can feed them just like Tarantulas, and in my experience they will even eat right up to a molt. They like to web up their enclosure, and I should also note that despite being called Fishing spiders they dont need open water or do they exclusively eat aquatic prey.
 

billrogers

Arachnoknight
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Jan 18, 2016
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Soooooo... I kind of have a problem. My family moved across the country this week and so the last time I checked on her was Monday. Today we arrived at our house and when I opened her enclosure she laid an egg mass. Not an egg sack, an egg mass. There is a big hunk of eggs that are not covered in web. It is just sitting on the floor of her enclosure and she is ignoring it. Is had been hours and she has not gone back to work on it. I'll probably remove it tomorrow if she doesn't do anything to it.

Any suggestions?? I am really surprised.
 

Tigrosa

Arachnosquire
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Feb 6, 2016
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105
Cant help ya with the egg issue, unfortunately. But I can tell you how I keep my fishers.

This species does benefit from mid-to-high humidity... remember, their natural habitat is within hollow trunks of mature trees. Mature trees can hold upwards of four hundred gallons of water, and they are VERY humid. You don't want to saturate the enclosure, but misting every few days plus a water dish is a good start. Like all arboreal spiders, they require a broad, flat, rough surface (cork bark) to dangle from as they molt. Without this, they WILL have a bad molt and they WILL die.

They can take down impressively sized prey... in the wild, they will feed on wood roaches, camel crickets, small fish, amphibians, and other spiders. They are also capable of incredible aerial acrobatics to catch moths. They will occasionally take mealworms and waxworms, but it's tough to get them to show any interest in prey that is on the ground. I've had the best luck with feeding them crickets.

That's about it... they're pretty simple. They don't like it too wet, or too dry, or too warm. The main challenge with keeping them is working in the enclosure without losing them. They are LIGHTNING fast... they put any tarantula to shame, and they will run right up your arm and hit the ground running.

Here's my tenebrosus and her enclosure.
 

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Tigrosa

Arachnosquire
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Feb 6, 2016
Messages
105
The leg will most likely not grow back... if she's laying eggs, she is probably in her final instar.
 

billrogers

Arachnoknight
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Jan 18, 2016
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216
The leg will most likely not grow back... if she's laying eggs, she is probably in her final instar.
I figured she was mature because of her size. I will work on a bigger enclosure for her in the next day or two (she's in a temporary)
 

billrogers

Arachnoknight
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
216
Cant help ya with the egg issue, unfortunately. But I can tell you how I keep my fishers.

This species does benefit from mid-to-high humidity... remember, their natural habitat is within hollow trunks of mature trees. Mature trees can hold upwards of four hundred gallons of water, and they are VERY humid. You don't want to saturate the enclosure, but misting every few days plus a water dish is a good start. Like all arboreal spiders, they require a broad, flat, rough surface (cork bark) to dangle from as they molt. Without this, they WILL have a bad molt and they WILL die.

They can take down impressively sized prey... in the wild, they will feed on wood roaches, camel crickets, small fish, amphibians, and other spiders. They are also capable of incredible aerial acrobatics to catch moths. They will occasionally take mealworms and waxworms, but it's tough to get them to show any interest in prey that is on the ground. I've had the best luck with feeding them crickets.

That's about it... they're pretty simple. They don't like it too wet, or too dry, or too warm. The main challenge with keeping them is working in the enclosure without losing them. They are LIGHTNING fast... they put any tarantula to shame, and they will run right up your arm and hit the ground running.

Here's my tenebrosus and her enclosure.
Thanks for the info and pics! Your is so cute! How big/how old is she?
 

Tigrosa

Arachnosquire
Joined
Feb 6, 2016
Messages
105
I caught her last june, when she was about the size of a quarter. She's molted no less than six or seven times since then, and she's over two inches in length now! The growth rate on these things is pretty incredible.
IMG_3506.JPG
I've got pretty big hands...

I also have a little juvenile Dolomedes albineus that I collected in march. It hasn't shown nearly the same vigor as far as growth rate that my tenebrosus has... but I'm sure it's just a matter of time.
 

JAFUENTES

Arachnodragon
Joined
Nov 26, 2014
Messages
218
I remember as a kid catching these by the river. I kid you not I've caught 100 separate specimens and released in one day before. But that was years ago.
 

Hellblazer

Arachnosquire
Joined
May 13, 2016
Messages
134
I caught one of these on my porch tonight. After reading this thread I wish I would've kept it for awhile.
 
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