How do i know if my jumper is adult and carrying infertile eggs?

[Fee36]

My female jumping spider is a little beauty but she is constantly stalking the floor of her enclosure for food she is trying to build something that looks like a lazer show across the top of her enclosure even though she has a nice big hide I think it might be too big and dark for her as she built her own on top of it & hasn't molted in quite a while but her abdomen is so swollen for the side of the rest of her. She's next to my male but with a visual barrier but I think they maybe know each other are still there hence my thoughts about her maybe carrying infertile eggs. Is their final molt a more difficult one hence the need for food etc? Could she even be adult yet? I've only had her since November and she was only 5-6mm when we got her don't know what instar but she was tiny I'll show pics from her then and now. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[smittywerbenmanjensen]

To be quite honest, it's all just a waiting game at this point. She will sit on top of her eggs for roughly 2-3 weeks and then will either abandon the sac or simply eat it. From the sounds of her webbing, she may be gravid with infertile eggs (only if you know for fact she has not been paired or had her final molt with you). I would just let her be for now! Once they are adults, the feeding schedule should not change much for the laides (mine always have an insatiable appetite from egg production). The typical life span of a jumping spider is roughly 1-2 years, with most demises being around the 1 year mark. Enjoy the time you have with her, they aren't here for long.

 

[Fee36]

Thanks for your reply, no she definitely hasn't been paired and I don't know if she's had her final molt are they different from other molts, is there a way to tell? I'm fairly new to this and care for her very much so what your saying about just enjoying her is exactly what I plan to do she has brought so much joy to my life and brought me out of a very long and dark depression. I would love her to have slings but I'm not advanced enough to do the pairing.

 

[smittywerbenmanjensen]

You're most welcome! From what it sounds like, she may be an adult already - meaning, she won't molt anymore. Females typically lay anywhere from 3-5 eggsacs, but you will notice as she gets older the sacs will become weaker. If you aren't trying to pair her, and she does in fact lay a sac. Just let her hangout until she realizes it isn't viable. You won't see her frequently for roughly 2/3 weeks, but still mist as they usually come out for water. You can also try food, but remember to take anything out after 24-hours if she doesn't eat it.