l.violeceopes breeding questions

[8 leg wonder]

So I have a freshly molted MM. 6.5-7" l.violeceopes and a female that's the same size and would like to pair them.

My first question is whether my female is large enough to attempt to breed. Has anyone had success breeding female lampropelma at smaller sizes?

Secondly what's the best way to go about pairing these two. Do I introduce them for the evening and separate them or should I let them cohabitate?

Cheers,
Jordan

 

[Poec54]

If she's truly close to 7", yes. A lot of people have a hard time measuring their spiders, so the accuracy is up to you.

I've bred violaceopes and gotten 4 good sacs (one was a double clutch several months later). I pair them the same way I do Poecs:

- Fatten the female for a month or so, preferably not too long after she's shed.
- Feed the male well, you want both in top condition (and not hungry).
- The female's cage should be roomy, not cramped, or the male won't have room to manoeuver and may get killed. If her cage isn't big enough, put it inside a larger plastic storage box.
- Put the male in one evening (I use a 32 oz deli cup for transfers, and never shark tank any tarantula). You want him as calm as possible, so he's thinking about the female, not about you. Put him in gently in the opposite end of the cage from the female. Leave them alone.
- Come back the next morning and take him out. Do no re-pair them.
- Feed her well, and keep the male in good shape in case she molts and he's needed again. Cohabitating is how you lose males.

I got my double clutch from a single night, a total of 250 large (3/4") slings at 2nd instar, 100% survival of all eggs and slings. Can't beat that.