Neobarrettia spinosa Breeding

[ReignofInvertebrates]

I’m in the process of pairing my male and female at the moment. I know several people have gotten these to hatch, and I’d like to know what conditions are most likely to stimulate egg-laying and how to care for the eggs once they are laid. I’ve been really struggling to find info online, I wish more people would work with these amazing insects!

 

[thesitarplayer]

This guy was consistently breeding them for a while but I can’t seem to find the actual method he used and he doesn’t seem to be active lately. I’ve gathered that they lay in deepish sand/mixed substrate, incubation is lengthy and with a cold period being needed.

 

[Hisserdude]

This guy was consistently breeding them for a while but I can’t seem to find the actual method he used and he doesn’t seem to be active lately. I’ve gathered that they lay in deepish sand/mixed substrate, incubation is lengthy and with a cold period being needed.

Yeah, sadly that guy never divulged their breeding methodologies... Sad that they kept that a secret, they are the only person I know of who bred Neobarrettia successfully over consecutive generations. It does seem like the eggs will need seasonal cues, being kept in the 60s or so over winter and semi-humid, then bumped back up to the 70s-80s in the spring along with a significant humidity bump.

 

[Beetles]

Yeah, sadly that guy never divulged their breeding methodologies... Sad that they kept that a secret, they are the only person I know of who bred Neobarrettia successfully over consecutive generations. It does seem like the eggs will need seasonal cues, being kept in the 60s or so over winter and semi-humid, then bumped back up to the 70s-80s in the spring along with a significant humidity bump.

I may be able to talk to some collectors about breeding if that could help.

 

[thesitarplayer]

From a keeper on instagram

 

[ErinM31]

It’s helpful to hear that this species probably lays its eggs in substrate. I was looking for info and found an article from the San Diego zoo on a species from Malaysia that will only lay its eggs in plants.

I just found a mature female and am arranging to set up a large terrarium for her as I search for a male. I will report conditions of any success!

 

[Beetles]

Yeah they need sub. You can use something that mimics cocofiber and a sand mix that is a few inches deep. The only real info released from breeders is a cool period is needed for a while to induce hatching.

 

[ErinM31]

Yeah they need sub. You can use something that mimics cocofiber and a sand mix that is a few inches deep. The only real info released from breeders is a cool period is needed for a while to induce hatching.

That’s good — I can provide that substrate no problem and much easier than trying to maintain a live plant vivarium! The temperature in my apartment varies a lot with the seasons (so far its been helpful in breeding New World terrestrial tarantulas). I think my plan will be to leave some most eggs wherever they’re laid in the terrarium but, if I can, to remove some to keep at an even cooler temperature for a few months.

Edit: I found that N. spinosa is included in Orin McMonigle’s Invertebrates for Exhibition and they do indeed lay eggs in sandy substrate which should be kept damp (I like the suggestion of providing this in 32oz deli containers) and then the difficulty is in getting them to hatch.

 

[ErinM31]

I’ve seen mine with her ovipositor in the 32 oz deli cup of substrate I gave her; I think I’ll switch it out soon and see if keeping it cool for a month in the wine cooler is sufficient to induce hatching. Otherwise, I’ll go with letting the temperature drop when and for how long it does over winter here.

She has been fascinating to watch! I think she has an instinct for grasshopper-like prey, the way she dives for it and then goes for the “throat” and her precision! I’ve also tong-fed her mealworms, which she examined curiously and took with much less enthusiasm but did eat. I know there is risk of disease in feeding her wild-caught grasshoppers but since they are from the same area as she, I feel I’m not introducing a risk that she would otherwise have avoided. Maybe if I raise any young on roaches they will become accustomed to hunting them for food? I think she did finally take a hisser nymph (or I may yet find it) but at first she lived for a while with two individuals of different species in her terrarium until I removed them.

 

[ErinM31]

This post is to mark the day I’ve moved one of the cups of substrate into a wine cooler at 65F with the plan of keeping it there for a month and then see if the eggs will hatch. The other cup of substrate I plan to let experience a more natural winter period unless I have great success with this artificial winter period.

 

[Loisr]

I have a pair here and would like to know if you were successful in getting the eggs to hatch. Last year, I cooled the eggs through the Winter, then warmed them in the Spring. No luck.

 

[Jonathan6303]

Mbullock on tarantulaforum seems to have bred them. Might be able to help