gravid H. maculata questions

[Lycanthrope]

my H. maculata i got at christmas time (curtosy of Invertepet) started to get, well, really fat. i contacted Bill @ invertepet and was informed that there is a very good possibility she came in gravid. the last few days here she's looked like she could pop any minute. she has built a web/peat fortress that takes up 1/4th of her large kk. at the bottom of this she has dug a bowl shaped crevice. my questions are this : if she lays a sac, how soon afterward is it safe to take it from her? how long is the typical gestation period for this species? what can i do to keep her from eating it before its safe to remove it? i looked around on the web, there just isnt very much info on breeding and rearing H. mac eggsacs. also i had thought this species would lay eggsacs up high, being aboreal. yet she has made what appears to be the typical bowl shaped dip in the substrate burrowers lay thier sacs on. sorry no pics, but any help would be appreciated. if things go well, you may be seeing a "How many slings" contest soon.;P

 

[invertepet]

I'd just let her have it for a while - at least 3-4 weeks. Then if you're concerned or if she starts to lose interest, you can take it, if you want to do the incubation thing.

The incubation process can be arduous, depending on how in-depth you want to get. Some advocate just taking the eggsac, leaving it in a dry to ever-so-slightly dampened paper towel-lined deli cup and turning it once a day or so.

Still others have had success with a lightly heated sweaterbox (or shoebox, you know the kind) with a medium layer of damp vermiculite, lots of aeration holes and a deli cup placed in the middle with either paper towel (not damp) or even fine mesh supporting the eggsac so that it's held above the bottom of the cup. Using paper towel or mesh (I'd suggest a plastic mesh) allows air to get to all sides of the eggsac. Some people suggest daily rotations.

The problem with rotating an eggsac yourself is, you're not a mommy spider and you don't possess her delicate sensory organs and touch, so you have no idea if the eggs are starting to stagnate, or if certain ones that have been too close to the middle for too long need to be manipulated to the outer edges of the sac. It's believed by some that, when on the ball (pun intended), spider moms can detect the positioning of individual eggs within the sac and can shift the placement of the eggs so that they have fairly equal exposure to the bottom, top, middle, etc. --- As well as when it's time to open it up because the nymphs are starting to move around on their own.

So, it's up to you. Some spiders will feed with eggsacs (leave the sac to take a cricket or two), and some won't. Most tarantulas can go the 2-ish+ months incubating a sac without eating.

Good luck!

bill

 

[conipto]

Incidentally, if you do decide to take the sack away from an adult female H. maculata, I just thought I'd say.. good luck

Bill

 

[Lycanthrope]

thanks bill. ide really love to leave to sack with her, but i hear alot about t's eating thier own eggsacs. that and the thought of rounding up all those spiderlings when they disperse . definately food for thought though.

Incidentally, if you do decide to take the sack away from an adult female H. maculata, I just thought I'd say.. good luck

actually theres a question i left out: how the heck do i convince her to let the eggsac go? shes quick and id hate to get nailed.