- Joined
- Feb 22, 2013
- Messages
- 3,292
Just felt like sharing, since this is a relatively uncommon spider. I was lucky enough to get a male E. uatuman from @sdsnybny just days after I bought my female. He's a bit long in the tooth, so I didn't have high hopes for him. I tried pairing them a week ago, and he's a tapping fool. Very brave too, he had no qualms about going down into her burrow. They are shy breeders, so I left him in for about six hours. I only ended up taking him out because I believe she may have struck at him. He was on the opposite end of the enclosure clearly trying to get out.
Well, fast forward to last night. I put him in again at around 6PM, and once again he was tapping almost nonstop. Imagine my delight when I saw her tapping back. Fast forward to around 1AM, and he's next to her burrow cleaning himself. She was sitting atop her burrow right next to him, obviously not tapping.
I'm fairly convinced that he got a good insertion just based on both of their behavior. I'm going to keep him separate for a week or two, get him a good meal, and allow him to reload his palps. Then he's going back in with her for an indefinite cohab unless I see immediate aggression. Again, he's old, and my attempts at sending him off have proven fruitless because of it. He may as well get another insertion and serve as a decent meal.
(Note: If you've got a female and want him, PM me)
An interesting note on this species, for those curious. They have a very peculiar tapping ritual. The male alternates tapping his palps, almost like playing bongos. Meanwhile, his abdomen almost vibrates. The female tapping is a bit nerve-wrecking. It almost looks like a feeding response where they lunge forward, but she stays put rather than moving anywhere. She also rubbed the ground with her pedipalps. It was quite fun to watch their flirting, not a bad show.
The girl in question, hopefully now ready to be a mama
Well, fast forward to last night. I put him in again at around 6PM, and once again he was tapping almost nonstop. Imagine my delight when I saw her tapping back. Fast forward to around 1AM, and he's next to her burrow cleaning himself. She was sitting atop her burrow right next to him, obviously not tapping.
I'm fairly convinced that he got a good insertion just based on both of their behavior. I'm going to keep him separate for a week or two, get him a good meal, and allow him to reload his palps. Then he's going back in with her for an indefinite cohab unless I see immediate aggression. Again, he's old, and my attempts at sending him off have proven fruitless because of it. He may as well get another insertion and serve as a decent meal.
(Note: If you've got a female and want him, PM me)
An interesting note on this species, for those curious. They have a very peculiar tapping ritual. The male alternates tapping his palps, almost like playing bongos. Meanwhile, his abdomen almost vibrates. The female tapping is a bit nerve-wrecking. It almost looks like a feeding response where they lunge forward, but she stays put rather than moving anywhere. She also rubbed the ground with her pedipalps. It was quite fun to watch their flirting, not a bad show.
The girl in question, hopefully now ready to be a mama
0.1 E. uatuman, 3.5"
Looking forward to breeding this girl. Just have to let her settle in for a week or two.