P irminia eggsac

[IntermittentSygnal]

First time breeding error.
I successfully paired my irminas. I made a crucial error by not rehousing the female into a smaller, controlled enclosure afterwards. Said female is in a 12x12x20 Zilla, where she has lived for 10 months. She constructed a new burrow (referred to below as her lair) in early-mid November. She didn't look especially fat as I assumed she would if gravid, so I thought she was just holing up again for a couple months as I had fed her a ton in preparation. This week I saw her eggsack. I intend on letting mom care for them until they molt into slings.

Questions: Any recommendations on adjustments to the current enclosure to ease the removal of slings?
Possibly partitioning off the corner with acrylic pieces on the two sides that are not against the glass and one also on the top (3 pieces glued together)?
If the above line is not possible, XXL panty hose the entire enclosure?

2) Are 40 dram Thorton vials a good size for first, individual homes?

If any more pics are needed (or a short video), I can do more. Thank you for any advice you are able to give.







Cork is completely open in the back, although she's never used it. Her old cave is on the opposite side. I'm not sure if the two are attached by a tunnel in the back or not.


Relation between old and new burrows

 

[fcat]

Congrats

 

[viper69]

Why do you need to rehouse into a smaller box?

 

[Arachnophobphile]

First time breeding error.
I successfully paired my irminas. I made a crucial error by not rehousing the female into a smaller, controlled enclosure afterwards. Said female is in a 12x12x20 Zilla, where she has lived for 10 months. She constructed a new burrow (referred to below as her lair) in early-mid November. She didn't look especially fat as I assumed she would if gravid, so I thought she was just holing up again for a couple months as I had fed her a ton in preparation. This week I saw her eggsack. I intend on letting mom care for them until they molt into slings.

Questions: Any recommendations on adjustments to the current enclosure to ease the removal of slings?
Possibly partitioning off the corner with acrylic pieces on the two sides that are not against the glass and one also on the top (3 pieces glued together)?
If the above line is not possible, XXL panty hose the entire enclosure?

2) Are 40 dram Thorton vials a good size for first, individual homes?

If any more pics are needed (or a short video), I can do more. Thank you for any advice you are able to give.

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Cork is completely open in the back, although she's never used it. Her old cave is on the opposite side. I'm not sure if the two are attached by a tunnel in the back or not.
View attachment 488525

Relation between old and new burrows
View attachment 488526

Personally I pull the eggsac but I'm sure you have your reasons leaving the sac. I'm curious to what is the DLS size of your female? My mature female is only 5 inches and she's good in her 8x8x12 and I pulled her ghost sac. I bought her a 12x12x18 thinking she would hit 6 or more inches but that never happened.

Hopefully she doesn't eat the eggsac. I can't think of a way to isolate them all without babies everywhere.

With a Cork tube which mine has I used a wet cloth and draped it over her cork tube so I could do maintenance. That wet cloth kept her contained in the tube.

Maybe try that then pull the cork tube loose to see where she is if you change your mind and want to pull the sac.

One thing my irminia wouldn't do is leave her eggsac for nothing. I pulled everything out of her enclosure then cupped her as she bit it multiple times but it still went smooth. She would not bolt but stayed right on top of her eggsac.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Why do you need to rehouse into a smaller box?

Making it easier to contain, and later remove, 100ish slings. I watched Dave’s Little Beasties sling removal from mom irminia and it looked far simpler in his enclosure than the enclosure I have my irminia in. I’ll be sifting for slings for days.

Personally I pull the eggsac but I'm sure you have your reasons leaving the sac. I'm curious to what is the DLS size of your female? My mature female is only 5 inches and she's good in her 8x8x12 and I pulled her ghost sac. I bought her a 12x12x18 thinking she would hit 6 or more inches but that never happened.

Hopefully she doesn't eat the eggsac. I can't think of a way to isolate them all without babies everywhere.

With a Cork tube which mine has I used a wet cloth and draped it over her cork tube so I could do maintenance. That wet cloth kept her contained in the tube.

Maybe try that then pull the cork tube loose to see where she is if you change your mind and want to pull the sac.

One thing my irminia wouldn't do is leave her eggsac for nothing. I pulled everything out of her enclosure then cupped her as she bit it multiple times but it still went smooth. She would not bolt but stayed right on top of her eggsac.

My female is around 5ish”. I just like to give them space and wasn’t sure if she still had more to grow when I got her. The 20” height is definitely overkill.
The cork is a half round, it’s all open in the back. My P sp Rufus will have a full one next rehouse for exactly the reason you listed there.
As much as I hate to disturb a sitting mum, I may try to gently remove that cork, if I can’t figure out a way to put false walls in. As you said, she won’t leave the sack.

 

[NMTs]

Congrats! I wouldn't risk the disturbance of putting in the false walls, or even pulling the cork out while she's on the sac. The female's burrow will be well lined with silk, which will serve to contain the slings pretty well, and the slings won't venture out of the burrow until a few days after they've molted to 2i, so if you're paying attention you should be able to isolate the majority of them in the burrow when it's time to remove them.

I have to say, though, it would be a hell of a lot easier if you pull the sac at ~30 days and put them into a nursery instead of waiting for the floof bomb to explode in the enclosure...

 

[viper69]

I have to say, though, it would be a hell of a lot easier if you pull the sac at ~30 days and put them into a nursery instead of waiting for the floof bomb to explode in the enclosure...

@IntermittentSygnal def true

 

[l4nsky]

I have to say, though, it would be a hell of a lot easier if you pull the sac at ~30 days and put them into a nursery instead of waiting for the floof bomb to explode in the enclosure...

@IntermittentSygnal - Since this is your first eggsack and these can be a bit high strung as slings, I would strongly recommend taking this route instead of letting the female open the eggsack.

Regardless of what method you choose, separating your first eggsack at 2i is going to be quite a nerve-racking, yet amazing growth experience which will require you to stay calm at all times. Ever had difficulty rehousing a single bolting sling into an enclosure? Well, now you might have 100+, all in one enclosure, all ready to bolt if mishandled. You're going to be thrown into the deep end of the pool really quick here. It's going to be quite a bit easier on you, safer for the slings, and arguably less stressful on the female if that one enclosure is an incubator deli instead of her fully furnished enclosure.

Congratulations by the way .

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Thank you all for your help. I won’t disturb her at all while she’s sitting. I will reconsider pulling the sack. It just feels like a betrayal to a very mild irminia (I expect she won’t be when I’m stealing her babies though). I don’t know exactly when she dropped. She’s back in a corner and I didn’t think she was gravid (not large). I did look back at the corner every few days and noticed legs up against glass in different positions, which confirmed (to me) that she wasn’t clutching a sack. I noticed last night that she was stretched out beside the sack and not holding it, so she may have just been stretching her legs when I checked in on her in the past weeks. That sack could be coming up on 4 weeks, it could be at 1.

 

[ladyratri]

Looks like you already have advice from the best of the best. Good luck with whatever approach you end up taking...

...and I absolutely need photos of the ~400 orange 80s leg warmers!!

 

[Arachnophobphile]

Thank you all for your help. I won’t disturb her at all while she’s sitting. I will reconsider pulling the sack. It just feels like a betrayal to a very mild irminia (I expect she won’t be when I’m stealing her babies though). I don’t know exactly when she dropped. She’s back in a corner and I didn’t think she was gravid (not large). I did look back at the corner every few days and noticed legs up against glass in different positions, which confirmed (to me) that she wasn’t clutching a sack. I noticed last night that she was stretched out beside the sack and not holding it, so she may have just been stretching her legs when I checked in on her in the past weeks. That sack could be coming up on 4 weeks, it could be at 1.

Don't let her chill demeanor fool you. My female irminia is very chill never any threat pose except for removing her from her eggsac.

Chilling on the 24th



September 2023 after removing her from her ghost sac. She held that pose for 15 minutes+



First and only time I got a threat pose from her. She bit multiple times in quick succession trying to cup her without any threat pose

 

[TheraMygale]

I noticed Dave sometimes keeps certain females in smaller enclosure for breeding. Other in bigger.

i dont think you made a mistake. There is still time to think and prepare.

if you do decide to pull the sac, go through with it. I think its the messing around and stopping that starts a “threat” in the mothers instinct.

there is a lot of very insightful advice in this thread you created and its all positive. I think you are going to figure out the best route for you and im happy you are getting this experience.

congrats!

i wish you were in my localility. Id defenitely get one or three from you.

even though Dave does a lot on his own. He gets super help with Camera Lady. Might be an idea to get someone with you on stand by, depending on the route your choose.

i am used to doing everything alone now, and i think a helper that has no experience would be a nuisance. But if you have spider pals, this is a great way to share a wonderfull experience.

 

[angelarachnid]

The females Psalmopoeus sp and Tapinauchenius sp web over thier young when N2 to asssit them in moulting into spiderlings, I would strongly suggest NOT removing the eggsac and leave it with the female. If you remove the egsac you run the risk of a large amount of moult monsters. I was told a way around this (you still get a few moult monsters) but it is not my discovery to tell sorry.

As for seperating the young well that will be the joy of having a planted up container.

if you leave the sac with the mother to hatch you might want to consider blocking all of the open edges around the doors so you dont have to look all over the room for the spiderlings once the disperse.

 

[Matt Man]

I would concur with the others and if possible pull between days 22 and 30. (You can guestimate)
If you can isolate her when she is away from the burrow you may be able to remove the whole thing. So if she winds up near the top, get something under her so you can work unbothered.
Congrats!

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

I would concur with the others and if possible pull between days 22 and 30. (You can guestimate)
If you can isolate her when she is away from the burrow you may be able to remove the whole thing. So if she winds up near the top, get something under her so you can work unbothered.
Congrats!

She’s never away from the burrow. She’s 20” down in the very, very bottom corner. She’s burrowed so deep, there’s nothin but glass under her.
@angelarachnid I have pantyhose on the top 3” or so (covering the lid holes) and another piece around the bottom vent holes. I’ll have to tape the slats where door opens. No sticky will be towards the inside.

 

[Matt Man]

She’s never away from the burrow. She’s 20” down in the very, very bottom corner. She’s burrowed so deep, there’s nothin but glass under her.
@angelarachnid I have pantyhose on the top 3” or so (covering the lid holes) and another piece around the bottom vent holes. I’ll have to tape the slats where door opens. No sticky will be towards the inside.

she may came out at some point, perhaps after they hatch

 

[Brewser]

Here' to a Very Successful Hatch.
And a Jungle Full of Sun Tigers!

 

[cold blood]

I agree with NM....Pull the sac....it makes things WAY easier on you, prevents the mom from eating it, and should there be an issue, like a dead egg, pulling it will allow you to save the remainder.....on top of that, you can feed mom sooner, giving her a quicker recovery from the stress of reproduction. I can't think of a single positive in leaving it to hatch with mom....just a bunch of potential negatives.

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

Hello, sack pullers. I'm looking for advice/ideas to pulling this sack that is 20" down from the lid. I have 20" tongs and long, cooking chopsticks (as distractors to bite), but even with those, both of my hands would have to be in the enclosure with an angry irminia, trying desperately to keep me from getting her sack. All the videos I've watched had females in 8x12s. Thank you for any suggestions you may have.

 

[Arachnophobphile]

Do what I did, remove her from the enclosure first. Then you can remove the egg sac.

She will not travel away from the sac making it easier to cup her. Expect multiple strikes at the catch cup. It is doable and better than just using tongs trying to get the sac.

If you try pulling the sac with the tongs she will more than likely follow upwards.

Update:
I just viewed the photos again. Is she inside the cork tube?