Latrodectus Hesperus

[Ferrachi]

Just doing a bit a research on the Latrodectus Hesperus (Western Black Widow) and hoping to find out a few things from members who currently have or had them:

How difficult are they to keep ?

What type of set up is required ?

How often are they fed and water ?

How long do they live ?

Thanks...

 

[ignithium]

i have many widow keeping them in vials for small or for adult in glass jar just put a few sticks in it for the web and its all thats need i dont using substrate even. I dont feeding very often like once a week for small and once in two week for adult you can drip some water on side. Male dont live very long but female can live 3-5 year. I keeping all species the same but i think the lifespan of male varies a little from different species. Don't have hesperus but mostly hasselti, elegans, menavodi, dahli, tredecimgutattus, mactans, geometricus. Spider is very pretty to look at so i like it but they dont moving at all even if you touch them and the web is very sticky and strong makes it hard to rehouse.

 

[Ferrachi]

i have many widow keeping them in vials for small or for adult in glass jar just put a few sticks in it for the web and its all thats need i dont using substrate even. I dont feeding very often like once a week for small and once in two week for adult you can drip some water on side. Male dont live very long but female can live 3-5 year. I keeping all species the same but i think the lifespan of male varies a little from different species. Don't have hesperus but mostly hasselti, elegans, menavodi, dahli, tredecimgutattus, mactans, geometricus. Spider is very pretty to look at so i like it but they dont moving at all even if you touch them and the web is very sticky and strong makes it hard to rehouse.

Thanks ! very helpful info... would you be able to post a couple of photos, if you are able ?

 

[ignithium]

also forget to include maybe depend on species but mostly for me the smaller one and adult male eat only prekilled food they dont attack it if its still alive

 

[Ferrachi]

also forget to include maybe depend on species but mostly for me the smaller one and adult male eat only prekilled food they dont attack it if its still alive

Interesting... good to know

 

[ignithium]

Thanks ! very helpful info... would you be able to post a couple of photos, if you are able ?

Here's photos of some of my widow setup the Tupperware containers are phoneutria but the rest is Latrodectus

middle one is not dead i swear she just made her web on the floor of the vial for some reason idk

 

[Ferrachi]

Here's photos of some of my widow setup the Tupperware containers are phoneutria but the rest is Latrodectus

middle one is not dead i swear she just made her web on the floor of the vial for some reason idk

That's awesome !! Thanks again... gives me some ideas on how to keep them

 

[ReignofInvertebrates]

They’re some of the easiest spiders to keep. They don’t require much space, are easy to care for, and are pretty cost effective.

 

[The Snark]

Install between toilet tank and wall. They keep themselves.

 

[Ferrachi]

They’re some of the easiest spiders to keep. They don’t require much space, are easy to care for, and are pretty cost effective.

Thank you... really considering one of these. Just hope it doesn't escape... LOL

 

[Ferrachi]

Install between toilet tank and wall. They keep themselves.

So in other words, they can live and survive anywhere... LOL

 

[chanda]

I've kept L. hesperus off-and-on for years - in fact, my very first pet spider (to help me get over a lifetime of arachnophobia) was a gorgeous female L. hesperus. They are super easy to keep. I've kept them in empty 2-liter soda bottles, 20 oz. water bottles, and 32 oz. deli cups. They are not picky about substrate - or lack thereof - and their need for ventilation is minimal. They do appreciate having some twigs or something to attach their webbing to, though they can also anchor directly to the sides of the cup. They also like having a dark hidey-hole that they can retreat to during the daytime - though this does make them less visible sometimes. (When I kept them in the water or soda bottles, they would frequently make their retreat inside the lid. To prevent getting bit or having the spider escape when opening the lid, I covered the mouth of the bottle with a bit of nylon stocking before putting the lid on. That way, when I removed the lid, the spider was still inside the bottle and not inside the lid.)

One thing to keep in mind with your container is if you are bringing in a wild-caught adult female (or keeping males and females together) you may end up with offspring. Even unmated females will produce egg sacs, but they are not parthenogenetic, so the eggs will not hatch. But if the female has mated, they can produce multiple egg sacs after only a single mating. (I've had a female produce as many as 7 or 8 fertile sacs, with the last ones a year or more after I collected her.) When they hatch, the spiderlings are very, very tiny and will easily fit through most ventilation holes or through screen-type lids. They also have an innate drive to disperse rapidly, before their siblings start munching on them. Since I'm sure you don't want hundreds of baby black widows dispersing throughout your home, if you do have sacs, you'll need to either destroy the sac (pull it with long tweezers, then crush or freeze it) or make sure you have an escape-proof container. When I've allowed egg sacs to mature in captivity, I either kept them with no ventilation (in the water or soda bottles) or with those bug cup lids with the fabric mesh over the holes or just the tiny pinprick ventilation holes (the ones they sell for raising fruit flies).

If you do end up with babies, you'll have to make the call as to what to do with them. What I've found is easiest is to just leave the container closed and let them eat each other until the population is down to a manageable number, then start feeding them fruit flies. (They're going to have to kill and eat something to survive, so it might as well be surplus spiders.) That reduces the chances of an escape, because if you have hundreds of babies dispersed throughout a container, all looking for a way out, there's a pretty good chance of a few escaping every time you open the lid to feed them.

My experience has been that while young spiderlings may be timid and require small or pre-killed prey, from larger juvenile on up, widows are very aggressive feeders, easily tackling live crickets up to their own size - or even a little larger. They have also sometimes learned a feeding response - which is something you'll want to watch out for. Normally, when you open the bottle, cup, or other enclosure, they will instinctively retreat away from the opening - but over time, they can learn to associate the enclosure being opened with prey and may begin approaching the opening instead. If they start doing that, you can keep a small paintbrush or something similar handy and use it to gently nudge them away from the opening before dropping in the cricket - and of course, keep your fingers away from the opening. They can be very quick to lunge after that cricket when you put it in - and you would not want them to tag your finger by mistake!

They do not require any supplemental water, getting all they need from their prey. I usually feed mine one cricket (roughly the size of her abdomen) about once a week. If I only have smaller crickets, then I might toss in two. If they're a bit on the big side, no worries - widows can easily take on larger prey. (I've seen one kill a lizard in my back yard, many times her own size.)

http://imgur.com/a/fWNGZ

I've had wild-caught widows live up to two years in captivity, though they don't always go that long.

 

[Ferrachi]

I've kept L. hesperus off-and-on for years - in fact, my very first pet spider (to help me get over a lifetime of arachnophobia) was a gorgeous female L. hesperus. They are super easy to keep. I've kept them in empty 2-liter soda bottles, 20 oz. water bottles, and 32 oz. deli cups. They are not picky about substrate - or lack thereof - and their need for ventilation is minimal. They do appreciate having some twigs or something to attach their webbing to, though they can also anchor directly to the sides of the cup. They also like having a dark hidey-hole that they can retreat to during the daytime - though this does make them less visible sometimes. (When I kept them in the water or soda bottles, they would frequently make their retreat inside the lid. To prevent getting bit or having the spider escape when opening the lid, I covered the mouth of the bottle with a bit of nylon stocking before putting the lid on. That way, when I removed the lid, the spider was still inside the bottle and not inside the lid.)

One thing to keep in mind with your container is if you are bringing in a wild-caught adult female (or keeping males and females together) you may end up with offspring. Even unmated females will produce egg sacs, but they are not parthenogenetic, so the eggs will not hatch. But if the female has mated, they can produce multiple egg sacs after only a single mating. (I've had a female produce as many as 7 or 8 fertile sacs, with the last ones a year or more after I collected her.) When they hatch, the spiderlings are very, very tiny and will easily fit through most ventilation holes or through screen-type lids. They also have an innate drive to disperse rapidly, before their siblings start munching on them. Since I'm sure you don't want hundreds of baby black widows dispersing throughout your home, if you do have sacs, you'll need to either destroy the sac (pull it with long tweezers, then crush or freeze it) or make sure you have an escape-proof container. When I've allowed egg sacs to mature in captivity, I either kept them with no ventilation (in the water or soda bottles) or with those bug cup lids with the fabric mesh over the holes or just the tiny pinprick ventilation holes (the ones they sell for raising fruit flies).

If you do end up with babies, you'll have to make the call as to what to do with them. What I've found is easiest is to just leave the container closed and let them eat each other until the population is down to a manageable number, then start feeding them fruit flies. (They're going to have to kill and eat something to survive, so it might as well be surplus spiders.) That reduces the chances of an escape, because if you have hundreds of babies dispersed throughout a container, all looking for a way out, there's a pretty good chance of a few escaping every time you open the lid to feed them.

My experience has been that while young spiderlings may be timid and require small or pre-killed prey, from larger juvenile on up, widows are very aggressive feeders, easily tackling live crickets up to their own size - or even a little larger. They have also sometimes learned a feeding response - which is something you'll want to watch out for. Normally, when you open the bottle, cup, or other enclosure, they will instinctively retreat away from the opening - but over time, they can learn to associate the enclosure being opened with prey and may begin approaching the opening instead. If they start doing that, you can keep a small paintbrush or something similar handy and use it to gently nudge them away from the opening before dropping in the cricket - and of course, keep your fingers away from the opening. They can be very quick to lunge after that cricket when you put it in - and you would not want them to tag your finger by mistake!

They do not require any supplemental water, getting all they need from their prey. I usually feed mine one cricket (roughly the size of her abdomen) about once a week. If I only have smaller crickets, then I might toss in two. If they're a bit on the big side, no worries - widows can easily take on larger prey. (I've seen one kill a lizard in my back yard, many times her own size.)

http://imgur.com/a/fWNGZ

I've had wild-caught widows live up to two years in captivity, though they don't always go that long.

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences and info... very good info and especially the egg sac because I do plan on getting a female but I'll find out whether she's wild caught or captive bred.

That's insane how they can take down a lizard many times their size ! That photo is awesome... Thanks again !

 

[The Snark]

So in other words, they can live and survive anywhere... LOL

Calif. Dept. of Parks and Rec. Keeping us firefighters busy during the off season some of us took the glorious job of cleaning the restrooms. About 9 out of 10 had at least one Hesperus, usually behind the toilet. For future reference, those webs are STRONG. Often took over 100 PSI with a quick attack to dislodge the residents.

 

[Ferrachi]

Calif. Dept. of Parks and Rec. Keeping us firefighters busy during the off season some of us took the glorious job of cleaning the restrooms. About 9 out of 10 had at least one Hesperus, usually behind the toilet. For future reference, those webs are STRONG. Often took over 100 PSI with a quick attack to dislodge the residents.

Oh wow, that's a lot... 9 out of 10 ? I guess they're pretty common in Cali... Have you ever kept any of the ones you've come across ?

Didn't realize their webs are that strong !

 

[The Snark]

Hesperus are, or were, ultra common in Calif. Read a survey some time ago, a bay area university did a survey out by Concord, a newer large tract home area. 93 out of 100 water meter boxes had one or more of them. Cool, dark and preferably damp. What's more interesting is it has to be ballooning of very young spiders dispersing in given areas and they either have a way of sensing and finding such locations or they ballooned in such numbers a few found such safe havens and attrition removed most of the rest.

 

[Ferrachi]

Hesperus are, or were, ultra common in Calif. Read a survey some time ago, a bay area university did a survey out by Concord, a newer large tract home area. 93 out of 100 water meter boxes had one or more of them. Cool, dark and preferably damp. What's more interesting is it has to be ballooning of very young spiders dispersing in given areas and they either have a way of sensing and finding such locations or they ballooned in such numbers a few found such safe havens and attrition removed most of the rest.

It's funny how they aren't easy to come by over here, even to buy and over there, if you really look for them, you can find many of them

 

[Ferrachi]

Here's photos of some of my widow setup the Tupperware containers are phoneutria but the rest is Latrodectus

middle one is not dead i swear she just made her web on the floor of the vial for some reason idk

Your small L Hesperus... what size are they ? I'm looking at some that are 1/6 of an inch... is that too young ? You can't even tell the males from the females when they're that small.

 

[ignithium]

Your small L Hesperus... what size are they ? I'm looking at some that are 1/6 of an inch... is that too young ? You can't even tell the males from the females when they're that small.

From my photo these are L. Elegans about maybe 1/3 inch I think? At this age, the female are almost exact size of mature males if it's L2 it's impossible to tell really. When I buy spiderlings I just buy a large number that way u guarantee some males and females

 

[Ferrachi]

From my photo these are L. Elegans about maybe 1/3 inch I think? At this age, the female are almost exact size of mature males if it's L2 it's impossible to tell really. When I buy spiderlings I just buy a large number that way u guarantee some males and females

I'm thinking of getting maybe 5 or 6 of them, hopefully some will be females... when they're 1/6 of an inch in size, how hard is it to feed them ?