Help! Egg Sac?

[jennm]

I found this jumper crawling out of my bed in November. I was half asleep and couldn’t find it after, so I thought maybe I hallucinated it. 3 months later I found it on my bedroom wall and since it was cold outside still, I decided to keep it. I was never sure if it was a male or female. And I recently moved it from a small cub container to a larger critter keeper. Since moving it last weekend. This web enclosure was made. It was active and now I haven’t seen it in 3 days. I’m not sure if it is laying eggs or molting.
I put a fly in the container this afternoon and it still hasn’t come out which is unusual. I can sorta see the outline of its body, I can’t tell if the stomach is facing the bark or the web but I did see it’s legs move a bit. Any info is greatly appreciated since I am new to this. TIA! Ahhh it also has a red spot on its back if that will help identify if it make or female.

 

[egyptiancrow]

well i cant judge it very well from these photos, it looks like a thick molting hammock. an egg nest usually has 2-3 entrances and is rather circus tent like in its appearance. its face also looks like that of a younger phidippus and not a mature one, though they can vary quite a bit. it looks like a juvenile to me. it could be possible its an egg nest though since its been with you since nov, but it looks really young and the nest doesnt look what my females make. if you see babies feel free to tag me in.

for a successful molt keep the humidity up and avoid fussing or stressing the spider out. it should be just fine! molting makes them nervous and they dont come out or like being messed with, and they may sneakily eat at night but wont hunt most of the rest of the time. feeder flies are safe to leave in with a molting spider, so you can let them hunt it or not overnight. if they dont eat it id remove it and then let them do their thing. if you can get better photos later i can see about sexing and properly iding it. looks like a phidippus audax but id take that with a grain of salt until i can see their back markings proper

 

[jennm]

Thank you so much for responding. I really feel like it’s a male, but that’s just my intuition. I found a semi ok pic of its abdomen, all my pics have a glare. Thank you again, that was very helpful. I’m gonna leave the fly overnight and take it out tomorrow if it’s still in there. I’ve been spraying once a day to keep it humid. I hope it is a successful molt! Such an amazing little creature I’ve been enjoying interacting with.

 

[egyptiancrow]

indeed it looks like a phidippus audax with a very bright orange spot! but unfortunately before maturity males can have orange as much as a female, so the face is the best way to tell. when they come out it should also be easier to tell since theyll have molted! if you have been wanting an easier way to photograph your little friend i highly reccomend a clip on macro lens for your phone! i use a fancy one that was 44 bucks but theres plenty of cheaper options. this was my little subadult male audax from the fall.

 

[Nicole C G]

indeed it looks like a phidippus audax with a very bright orange spot! but unfortunately before maturity males can have orange as much as a female, so the face is the best way to tell. when they come out it should also be easier to tell since theyll have molted! if you have been wanting an easier way to photograph your little friend i highly reccomend a clip on macro lens for your phone! i use a fancy one that was 44 bucks but theres plenty of cheaper options. this was my little subadult male audax from the fall.

What fancy one do you use?

 

[egyptiancrow]

What fancy one do you use?

the xenvo pro lens kit!
though the light it comes with is basically worthless for macros, its cold tone and it wrecks a lot of the color- i got a separate light that has daylight, warm light, and cool light instead.

 

[jennm]

indeed it looks like a phidippus audax with a very bright orange spot! but unfortunately before maturity males can have orange as much as a female, so the face is the best way to tell. when they come out it should also be easier to tell since theyll have molted! if you have been wanting an easier way to photograph your little friend i highly reccomend a clip on macro lens for your phone! i use a fancy one that was 44 bucks but theres plenty of cheaper options. this was my little subadult male audax from the fall.

thanks again! I actually have a clip on macro lens for my phone and have no idea why I never used it. The fly was dead this morning. Doesn’t look like he was eaten. Thought maybe killed it because it was an annoyance. How long does the molting process normally take?

 

[Nicole C G]

thanks again! I actually have a clip on macro lens for my phone and have no idea why I never used it. The fly was dead this morning. Doesn’t look like he was eaten. Thought maybe killed it because it was an annoyance. How long does the molting process normally take?

(Noticeable) Premolt can take anywhere from a day to a few weeks.

 

[egyptiancrow]

thanks again! I actually have a clip on macro lens for my phone and have no idea why I never used it. The fly was dead this morning. Doesn’t look like he was eaten. Thought maybe killed it because it was an annoyance. How long does the molting process normally take?

yup like nicole said it can take just a few days or a long time, the older the spider is the longer it takes usually.

 

[jennm]

yup like nicole said it can take just a few days or a long time, the older the spider is the longer it takes usually.

Thank you both. I’m fairly certain he/she is molting. I saw a tiny bit of movement again today and I think this is roughly the 4th day it’s been tucked away and hasn’t eaten!

 

[jennm]

Thank you both. I’m fairly certain he/she is molting. I saw a tiny bit of movement again today and I think this is roughly the 4th day it’s been tucked away and hasn’t eaten!

after a week plus of hiding someone finally came out today! Not sure if it molted, certainly looks larger and darker. Here are some pics! Not the greatest but…any guesses on male or female? I’m still feeling male!

 

[jennm]

after a week plus of hiding someone finally came out today! Not sure if it molted, certainly looks larger and darker. Here are some pics! Not the greatest but…any guesses on male or female? I’m still feeling male!

 

[egyptiancrow]

i need to see them pedipalps a little clearer. for after a molt dang, thats a big butt! looks so well fed. i will say that my males tend to have much bulkier looking pedipalps far earlier in developement than this one looks, its fully possible i just cant see it that well but i would guess female since its just not that obvious. this male spider is much younger than yours appears to be. does yours have this sort of clubbed like apperance?

 

[jennm]

It’s pedipalps are definitely bushy! No it’s doesn’t have that type of clubbed appearance to me. Would it have molted inside the sack? I have a short 3 second blip that you can see the pedipalps better. I can’t get it to upload. It came out for water, didn’t roam around like normal and has since retreated back to the sack. Peaking out the top. Maybe not molted yet???

 

[egyptiancrow]

It’s pedipalps are definitely bushy! No it’s doesn’t have that type of clubbed appearance to me. Would it have molted inside the sack? I have a short 3 second blip that you can see the pedipalps better. I can’t get it to upload. It came out for water, didn’t roam around like normal and has since retreated back to the sack. Peaking out the top. Maybe not molted yet???

yup unlike tarantulas they molt inside! but yes, if you dont see a molt inside the nest shes probably not done yet. they can appear bigger bc their skin is "losening"

just keep the humidity up and let her do her thing!

 

[jennm]

yup unlike tarantulas they molt inside! but yes, if you dont see a molt inside the nest shes probably not done yet. they can appear bigger bc their skin is "losening"

just keep the humidity up and let her do her thing!

Thank you! Are we calling it a she now? lol

 

[jennm]

yup unlike tarantulas they molt inside! but yes, if you dont see a molt inside the nest shes probably not done yet. they can appear bigger bc their skin is "losening"

just keep the humidity up and let her do her thing!

Thank you! Are we calling it a she now? lol

Here is a quick video of the pedipalps

 

[egyptiancrow]

still looks like a girl, indeed!

 

[jennm]

still looks like a girl, indeed!

Okay! She is officially named Spidelpop! And she is still shacked up in her sack! Thanks again for your help!

 

[jennm]

still looks like a girl, indeed!

She finally came out today. Dragging her molt out of the sack. She is missing 3 legs on one side and the pedipalp on that side other than that she seems okay, definitely not a chonky. She is crawling around her enclosure now. Still has orange spots on her back. Here are some pics.