I rescued a young black widow from my mother's patio and two days later, she already has an egg sac.

[Reluctant Widow Mother]

So, I figured I'd rescue a black widow from my mother's patio. I put her enclosure on top of my bookcase and named her Patty.

She's a knickknack
Patty Black
Give the bug a home
Can hardly wait
Till she's full grown

One black widow is fine, but within two days she had an egg sac. I'm really not prepared to deal with that fact. I half-heartedly looked for spiderling containers, but baby black widows are so tiny, I'm not sure there's a container I trust to hold them. If there were, then maybe I'd give it a go, but I've never raised spiders before. I have a pair of hognose snakes and I'm reluctant to breed them because of the constant power outages in California. I'm on the second floor, which gets deadly hot without A/C. I've actually had to take the snakes to a hotel room a couple of times, so adding a bunch of black widows to the equation probably isn't a good idea.

The crazy thing is I feel sorry for the spider. After I captured her from her web, she spent two days curled up in a little ball in the best hiding spot. She was too afraid to build much of a web, but put a lot of effort into that egg sac and spends a lot of time "hugging" it. So, I took away her home and now I'm contemplating putting the egg sac in the freezer. I feel like a heel.

I put an ad in craigslist, but so far, no one has responded, not even to laugh at me.

<edit>

So, Ararchnoboards: Any guidance you could give me would be appreciated.

 

[The Snark]

What exactly are you asking? Coping with spiderlings can be as simple as releasing them. If/when they emerge taking their container outside and letting them go.

 

[Ungoliant]

One black widow is fine, but within two days she had an egg sac. I'm really not prepared to deal with that fact. I half-heartedly looked for spiderling containers, but baby black widows are so tiny, I'm not sure there's a container I trust to hold them. If there were, then maybe I'd give it a go, but I've never raised spiders before.

If they're native to your area, I would just release the spiderlings.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

Selling wild collected native wildlife in California -- like many states -- is not legal. You could probably give it away, but giving away animals, especially ones that are perceived to be dangerous, often brings out the worst in people. Might pull that CL ad, and release the spiders when the time comes.

In the future, consider relocation instead of capture.

 

[The Snark]

We have several subtle connotations here, and sentiments involved. You didn't collect a black widow, you collected a pet. Your pet turned out to be pregnant and you never gave thought to coping with the 'litter'.
We can give you practical, even scientific advice from here until the apocalypse but first and foremost you need to get a better grip. Have a chat with yourself. Putting the hatchlings back in the same area where you found the mom is a no brainer. Back to their natural habitat.
Second option is keep them all in the same container and let them cannibalize each other. A couple of instars down the road reexamine you're take on things. Keep more pets, release some or all or them, entirely your call. To you, they're something sentimental. But they are also simply doing what mom nature has had in mind for them and you've stuck yourself in their lives.
But do keep in mind what @Malum Argenteum said. Consider both the law and ethics. Attempting to profit off of them? Not a road I'd go down.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

My advice is to get rid (get rid = see posts #2 and #3) of the spider as soon as possible, the last thing that someone who isn't into spiders needs is the risk of being surrounded by 'widows'... Which are pretty nasty, venom talking, as you know

 

[darkness975]

So, I figured I'd rescue a black widow from my mother's patio. I put her enclosure on top of my bookcase and named her Patty.

She's a knickknack
Patty Black
Give the bug a home
Can hardly wait
Till she's full grown

One black widow is fine, but within two days she had an egg sac. I'm really not prepared to deal with that fact. I half-heartedly looked for spiderling containers, but baby black widows are so tiny, I'm not sure there's a container I trust to hold them. If there were, then maybe I'd give it a go, but I've never raised spiders before. I have a pair of hognose snakes and I'm reluctant to breed them because of the constant power outages in California. I'm on the second floor, which gets deadly hot without A/C. I've actually had to take the snakes to a hotel room a couple of times, so adding a bunch of black widows to the equation probably isn't a good idea.

The crazy thing is I feel sorry for the spider. After I captured her from her web, she spent two days curled up in a little ball in the best hiding spot. She was too afraid to build much of a web, but put a lot of effort into that egg sac and spends a lot of time "hugging" it. So, I took away her home and now I'm contemplating putting the egg sac in the freezer. I feel like a heel.

I put an ad in craigslist, but so far, no one has responded, not even to laugh at me.

<edit>

So, Ararchnoboards: Any guidance you could give me would be appreciated.

Pull the sack and leave it in a container. When the slings hatch, take it to a safe area and release them.