Jumper laid unexpected eggs. Please share your knowledge.

[JumpingSimon]

My hyllus argyroxus started spinning last night. I thougt it was just a hammock but this morning I witnessed her laying eggs. She spend all day building an egg sack and keeps reinforcing it.
I had no idea that she was gravid when I bought her. I’m aware that the eggs could be non fertilised but I found a little info that suggest that they are fertilised.
In another tread in this forum, it was described that unfertilised eggs was typically runny. My spiders eggs was not runny at all. I got to see them before she covered them in web since I witnessed her laying them. Also the guy from the other tread told the OP that when the spider kept building and reinforcing the egg sack, it was a sign that it was fertile.

So guys I really need your advice on what to do. She is not a local species, so I have to be careful that the slings doesn’t escape. How do I do that. The eggs and the mother is in a non-sling safe enclosure. The slings will be able to escape trough tiny holes. I read about somebody who suggested using butterfly-mesh or something like that to secure the enclosure. Does any of you have a more detailed explanation on how to do that?

What do I do when they hatch? How long are they going to stay with the mother? How do I separate them?

Do you have any other good advice feel free to add them.

Thanks a lot!

 

[Nicole C G]

Where did you get the information about eggs being runny? I want to fact check it. Also, are you sure your breeder wasn’t selling wild caught? If so than she might be fertile. Who did you buy it from?

 

[JumpingSimon]

Where did you get the information about eggs being runny? I want to fact check it. Also, are you sure your breeder wasn’t selling wild caught? If so than she might be fertile. Who did you buy it from?

1) Infertile eggs are usually runny. If they are in a nice clump, and the mom guards the eggs and continues to reinforce the webbing, then they are likely fertile. On the off-chance nicely clumped eggs are infertile, they will kind of dry up instead of hatch in about 2-4 weeks, or they may produce just a few slings.
2) Nothing. Mom will guard the eggs and babies until they are ready to disperse. You can tweezer food into the entrance of the nest for mom if you're feeling particularly altruistic. But be gentle.
3) Once the babies molt their exoskeletons after hatching, they will disperse in about 1-2 weeks. P. audax can be started on melanogaster fruit flies. If you raise them communally, you can just dump the fruit flies in liberally.
4) They leave all sorts of carcasses in their webs, but it's not going to be food for the slings. The slings may forage - people have smooshed up waxworms and dripped guts on the webbing of the nest for newly emerged babies to eat in a pinch. But I always start my Phidippus species on melanogaster fruit flies once they emerge.

The mom usually will start to leave the nest once the babies hatch to hunt for food. Leave flies etc in there when you see her do that. Meanwhile, don't be too worried if she looks skinny. It's their natural way of life.

More info on rearing slings: https://www.phantasticphids.com/post/jumping-spiderling-care

Also: I bought the spider at creeps4you

 

[Nicole C G]

Also: I bought the spider at creeps4you

PhantasticPhids from what I’ve heard is a trustworthy breeder so I trust their advice. So it’s very possible that they may be fertile. And I’ve never heard of Creeps4you so they might be a wild caught seller. Would you like me to collect some threads to help with caring for Slings?

 

[JumpingSimon]

PhantasticPhids from what I’ve heard is a trustworthy breeder so I trust their advice. So it’s very possible that they may be fertile. And I’ve never heard of Creeps4you so they might be a wild caught seller. Would you like me to collect some threads to help with caring for Slings?

Thank you that would be really helpful if you would do that
Creeps4You is quite big here in Denmark. They deliver to Danish Zoos and stuff like that. But I found out that they don’t breed their own spiders but cooperate with breeders (I recently asked the owner a question and he told me that he called the breeder and asked) so yeah it’s hard to tell where they get their spiders from :/

Oh and here is a little video of my jumper reinforcing the egg sack. She has been doing that all day long

 

[Nicole C G]

Thank you that would be really helpful if you would do that
Creeps4You is quite big here in Denmark. They deliver to Danish Zoos and stuff like that. But I found out that they don’t breed their own spiders but cooperate with breeders (I recently asked the owner a question and he told me that he called the breeder and asked) so yeah it’s hard to tell where they get their spiders from :/

Ok so I decided there aren’t very many threads that are to the point. So, I’ll just tell you the basics myself. (Keep in mind I’ve never had a spider lay eggs or raised slings, but this is information I’ve gathered from people who have)

First buy a large pack of small deli cups. Like this:

Amazon.com: 8 oz Clear Plastic Dessert Cups with Dome Lids No hole - 25 Sets Disposable Snack Bowls for Ice Cream, Parfait, Banana Pudding, Jello and Individual Desserts at Party, Fruit Cup with No Leaks : Health & Household

Buy 8 oz Clear Plastic Dessert Cups with Dome Lids No hole - 25 Sets Disposable Snack Bowls for Ice Cream, Parfait, Banana Pudding, Jello and Individual Desserts at Party, Fruit Cup with No Leaks: Cups - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

But in your country of course. Next you can buy some fake plants like these
I’ve already used most of it
Next, glue a a leaf or a flower to the inside using a spider safe glue (simply search “spider safe glue” and you’ll find many discussions about it) poke holes using something smaller than the slings. If the slings are super tiny or something you can cut a hole in the cup and put some super thin fabric that is translucent but doesn’t have obvious holes over the hole. You will have to make a lot of these depending on how many eggs there are. Also you will know when they can be separated when they leave the nest a few weeks after hatching. To catch them, put the enclosure in a large bucket or a large flat surface and open it up. Use a soft paint brush and swipe up on their butts to attach their draglines. Then carefully put them into the cup with the flower or leaf. It’s best to get a small cup when they are small so they can find their food easily. Speaking of food, when they are small you can feed them Drosophila melanogaster. As they grow, the nest step up in size is Drosophila Hydei. Then house flies. Also make sure there is a little bit of water for it to drink but not drown.

 

[JumpingSimon]

Ok so I decided there aren’t very many threads that are to the point. So, I’ll just tell you the basics myself. (Keep in mind I’ve never had a spider lay eggs or raised slings, but this is information I’ve gathered from people who have)

First buy a large pack of small deli cups. Like this:

Amazon.com: 8 oz Clear Plastic Dessert Cups with Dome Lids No hole - 25 Sets Disposable Snack Bowls for Ice Cream, Parfait, Banana Pudding, Jello and Individual Desserts at Party, Fruit Cup with No Leaks : Health & Household

Buy 8 oz Clear Plastic Dessert Cups with Dome Lids No hole - 25 Sets Disposable Snack Bowls for Ice Cream, Parfait, Banana Pudding, Jello and Individual Desserts at Party, Fruit Cup with No Leaks: Cups - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

But in your country of course. Next you can buy some fake plants like these View attachment 396022
I’ve already used most of it
Next, glue a a leaf or a flower to the inside using a spider safe glue (simply search “spider safe glue” and you’ll find many discussions about it) poke holes using something smaller than the slings. If the slings are super tiny or something you can cut a hole in the cup and put some super thin fabric that is translucent but doesn’t have obvious holes over the hole. You will have to make a lot of these depending on how many eggs there are. Also you will know when they can be separated when they leave the nest a few weeks after hatching. To catch them, put the enclosure in a large bucket or a large flat surface and open it up. Use a soft paint brush and swipe up on their butts to attach their draglines. Then carefully put them into the cup with the flower or leaf. It’s best to get a small cup when they are small so they can find their food easily. Speaking of food, when they are small you can feed them Drosophila melanogaster. As they grow, the nest step up in size is Drosophila Hydei. Then house flies. Also make sure there is a little bit of water for it to drink but not drown.

Thanks a lot! The step that I’m really nervous about is the separating step. I‘m afraid one or more will get away and it isn’t a local species so that could be a problem. Other than that I’m up for the challenge.

 

[Nicole C G]

Thanks a lot! The step that I’m really nervous about is the separating step. I‘m afraid one or more will get away and it isn’t a local species so that could be a problem. Other than that I’m up for the challenge.

If you do it in a large bucket or on a large flat surface (preferably the opposite color of the slings) if you see one crawl away you can see it and scoop it up. Another way is to put a few in each container, then separate them after they are all maybe 4 per container. Because then there will be less time for them to be wandering around.

 

[JumpingSimon]

Update fron the egg sack. Mom is eating. Offered her a wax worm in the morning and a fly in the afternoon. Both handed to her with tweezers. She was quickly to take both and started webbing on her egg sack after she was done eating. Guess it requires a lot of energy.

Funny thing is that the wax worm was still asleep from the fridge when she took it. So she accepted it even though it didn’t move.

 

[Nicole C G]

Update fron the egg sack. Mom is eating. Offered her a wax worm in the morning and a fly in the afternoon. Both handed to her with tweezers. She was quickly to take both and started webbing on her egg sack after she was done eating. Guess it requires a lot of energy.

Funny thing is that the wax worm was still asleep from the fridge when she took it. So she accepted it even though it didn’t move.

It definitely requires a lot of energy for them to make their egg sacks. I’m glad she’s still willing to eat.

 

[JumpingSimon]

It definitely requires a lot of energy for them to make their egg sacks. I’m glad she’s still willing to eat.

Yes I’m also happy about it. I have seen some people opening the egg sack on youtube videos but I really don’t see the point of doing that. As far as I know, the babies will find their way out by themselves when they are ready, or is that something that I misunderstood?

 

[Nicole C G]

Yes I’m also happy about it. I have seen some people opening the egg sack on youtube videos but I really don’t see the point of doing that. As far as I know, the babies will find their way out by themselves when they are ready, or is that something that I misunderstood?

I have seen those too. They will start to explore when they are ready. Opening the sack would probably just stress them. The only reason I would be ok with someone opening a sack is if a scientist was studying 1st instead jumping spiders, which in that case it’s beneficial and the scientist probably would open it more carefully then some random person on YouTube. XD

 

[jrbly26]

My hyllus argyroxus started spinning last night. I thougt it was just a hammock but this morning I witnessed her laying eggs. She spend all day building an egg sack and keeps reinforcing it.
I had no idea that she was gravid when I bought her. I’m aware that the eggs could be non fertilised but I found a little info that suggest that they are fertilised.
In another tread in this forum, it was described that unfertilised eggs was typically runny. My spiders eggs was not runny at all. I got to see them before she covered them in web since I witnessed her laying them. Also the guy from the other tread told the OP that when the spider kept building and reinforcing the egg sack, it was a sign that it was fertile.

So guys I really need your advice on what to do. She is not a local species, so I have to be careful that the slings doesn’t escape. How do I do that. The eggs and the mother is in a non-sling safe enclosure. The slings will be able to escape trough tiny holes. I read about somebody who suggested using butterfly-mesh or something like that to secure the enclosure. Does any of you have a more detailed explanation on how to do that?

What do I do when they hatch? How long are they going to stay with the mother? How do I separate them?

Do you have any other good advice feel free to add them.

Thanks a lot! View attachment 395996

Hi I realize this is an old post but I’m in the same predicament you were in !! I have the exact same enclosure for my jumping spider and she just laid and egg sac and had been reinforcing it etc . My partner wants to move her and sac to different enclosure so when babies hatch they don’t escape this enclosure . But I’m scared to do that bc don’t want to upset her and don’t want to damage the sac etc . What happened with yours ? Please and thank you !!

 

[Nicole C G]

Hi I realize this is an old post but I’m in the same predicament you were in !! I have the exact same enclosure for my jumping spider and she just laid and egg sac and had been reinforcing it etc . My partner wants to move her and sac to different enclosure so when babies hatch they don’t escape this enclosure . But I’m scared to do that bc don’t want to upset her and don’t want to damage the sac etc . What happened with yours ? Please and thank you !!

The sack became infested with mites and only a couple of slings survived, as they needed to be removed manually.

Don’t move the sack unless you absolutely have to.