Latrodectus feeding issue

akazaran

Arachnopeon
Joined
Aug 21, 2019
Messages
30
I bought 3 Latrodectus spiders((1 L. hasselti, 1 L menavodi and 1 L. mactans mexicanus) last week and I tryed to feed them today for the first time.I gave them some subadult crickets but the problem is that the crickets stay at ground level in the enclosure and the spider s web are above ground level so the crickets dont get traped. Should I wait that the spider built more web before feeding them? And is there a risk that the crickets eat the spiders? The cricket are about 1.3 cm long.
Thank for helping
 

NYAN

Arachnoking
Joined
Dec 23, 2017
Messages
2,511
Give the spiders a week to settle in. They need to construct their webs with tripwires in order to hunt. The crickets shouldn’t eat the spiders unless they get access to them during molting.
 

StampFan

Arachnodemon
Joined
Jul 12, 2017
Messages
756
I bought 3 Latrodectus spiders((1 L. hasselti, 1 L menavodi and 1 L. mactans mexicanus) last week and I tryed to feed them today for the first time.I gave them some subadult crickets but the problem is that the crickets stay at ground level in the enclosure and the spider s web are above ground level so the crickets dont get traped. Should I wait that the spider built more web before feeding them? And is there a risk that the crickets eat the spiders? The cricket are about 1.3 cm long.
Thank for helping
I had the same problem with a tiny baby Latrodectus. Tried a few things including *really* tiny isopods, but ultimately it was fine with a *tiny* piece of cut mealworm placed on the web with the fine tweezers. Munched away.
 

Pepper

Arachnosquire
Joined
Mar 27, 2018
Messages
131
Agree with NYAN. Once the spiders settle in and web, they will construct "trip wires" from the main web to the ground that will ensnare the cricket and alert the spider, who comes down and wraps the prey up using its back legs so fast that if you blink, you missed it. Really cool to watch.
 
Top