P. regalis w/ eggsac...

LaRiz

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Today was eggsac pullin' day for a P. regalis of mine, so I thought I'd snap some pics. Male was supplied by Greg (thanks Greg!).
 

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LaRiz

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What so interesting about this pic is that you can see bits of corkbark this specimen has incorporated into the outer eggsac webbing. The bits were not picked up, but picked off the underside of the corkbark hollow. Something I haven't seen yet.
 

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LaRiz

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Quarter for scale (quarter is approx. 1")
Poecilotheria regalis
 

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LaRiz

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...and in the rearing container they go. In about a month, they'll be feeding and independant little spiderlings.
 

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alidpayne

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I can't wait till we have an eggsac.

They are sooo cute.

Congrats.

Ali
 

conipto

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Congratulations John!

How hard was getting the eggsac from her? How many did you wind up with?

Bill
 

petitegreeneyes

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I want to know too if she put up a serious fight, since she looks like she is guarding them with her life. How sweet, more baby pokes in the trade.
 

invertepet

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Hey John, how about you describe your rearing container and process for us! :D I've always been kind of especially fascinated with post-removal eggsac tending. I usually leave them with the females.

Good luck!

bill
 

Weapon-X

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re

awesome John!, great pics of the eggs with legs by the way--Jeff
 

LaRiz

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Thanks everybody...

Bill and Becky,
It wasn't hard at all taking the eggsac away from her. Just hafta have the right tools. Looooong forceps/tweezer (mine are about 20" long) and something to distract her. Like a long straw. And you have to be gentle and quiet. The hardest and most hair-raising'est was Psalmopoeus irminia.
As soon as I touched that eggsac, she went up the tweezers like a machine gun. If that was my hand, I would have been bitten, at least 5 times.

Bill (Invertepet),
Oh man, this is the only way to go. I can't imagine tip-toeing around a mother w/her eggsac for more than 30 days. Once you get 'em in their post embryo stage, it's all down hill. I mean, why risk it after 30 days. You hear others with stories of how they were ready to pull an eggsac, after like, 50 days, only to find out that the female had just eaten it.
Using this method, the most I've ever lost was three (Poecilotheria rufilata). Some, like Cyriopagopus thorelli last year, all hatched.
This P. regalis eggsac has only one that doesn't look good to me (legs all scrunched up).
The only thing I don't like about snatching the eggsac at 30 days is, I feel really bad about taking the female's babies away from her. After, it's almost like they're sad. Here's a spider that you haven't seen out in the open for more than 60 days ago, all of sudden, is wandering around the enclosure looking for her eggsac. It's a pretty heartbreaking sight.
With this P. regalis, I'm relieved she doesn't have it anymore, as her cage dried out much. And I don't disturb when a female has a sac, no watering, definitely no food. I don't even touch the stand that particular enclosure is resting on.
It's my ritual I guess.
I can email you some info on how I do it, if you wish. Just ask. It's soooo easy.
john
 
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Lostkat

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WOW! Amazing pics there LaRiz. Now those are what I call fat T's :)

Do they move around at all at that stage? Good luck with your babies, hope they all hatch out to be healthy little pokies.
 

deifiler

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Wow those pictures are very good, what camera and mega-pixels are you using?

I ask because I could really do with a new camera - mine simply can't cut high detail pictures
 

Joy

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Re: Thanks everybody...

Originally posted by LaRiz
[The only thing I don't like about snatching the eggsac at 30 days is, I feel really bad about taking the female's babies away from her. john [/B]
I feel just the same. If only there were some way of determining beforehand whether they were going to turn around and eat those babies! Great pix, John, and the little regalis look great.

Joy
 

Buspirone

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Could you make a surrogate egg sack....like maybe try putting those little yellow plastic BBs used in toy guns wrapped in a few layers of tissue paper or paper towel. Then, maybe they'll take the surrogate and just abandon it as bad instead of causing momma the distress or won't they take a fake?
 

rknralf

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John,
I'd like the information on your rearing container. I've got an Avicularia avicularia thats holding a sac now and I would like to pull it and place it in some type of container.
If you could provide details on the container and how to safely open the eggsac, it would be greatly appreciated. I've been nervous about leaving them with the mother since I lost an Aphonopelma seemani eggsac last year.
Any information would be greatly appreciated!
Ralph
 

Tangled WWWeb

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Congratulations!!!


I agree that it is sad to see the female frantically searching for her eggs, but it is much sadder to find that the eggs have "vanished" in the middle of the night.
 

Wade

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So...exactly how bad are pokes about eating sacs? I just finished rotating a male between 3 adult females (in about 2 weeks with each) so I'm hopeful about getting at least one sac out of it. I haven't had alot of luck opening and artificially incubating eggs thus far, but I think I've been letting it get too damp.

I've also heard of giving a female T a cotton ball as a surrogate sac. Anyone try this?

Wade
 

LaRiz

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thanks again, everybody

Lostkat,
post embyros will move, but they're not mobile at all. 1st instars are mobile, but are not eaters yet. 2nd instars are totally independant spiderlings.

deifiler,
Camera, Make: Kodak, model: DX3500. 2.2 Megapixel. I've got some additional lenses for some macro shots too, a 7X and a 10X. Together it makes a, yup, you got it, a 17X. This thing is too easy to use, and transferring them to a computer is just as easy. There are much better cameras than this cheapo. But it works.

Buspirone,
I've used a surrogate sac in the past with Cyriopagopus thorelli. This consisted of the webbed "shell" of the old sac, with a cotton ball stuck inside. The female held onto it for about 3 days, then tossed it out.

rknralf,
drop me an email. It make take some time, but I'll give you what I know.

Wade,
I think Poecs tend not to eat their eggsacs, myself. Though, I've heard of some eating them for reasons both known and unknown. I think if you keep them very well undisturbed you have a more than better chace of them not eating their babies. The room that houses all my creatures is on the top floor of my home. This is virtually a no traffic area. Also, when something has an eggsac, my children, and wife, know to be very quiet, not to walk so heavy, if they're up there for some reason.
At what point are you opening your eggsacs? Open it too early, and things may not turn out as you wished them. 30 days is a safe timeframe. You can take and open it earlier, but what is that line? I opened a 2nd Cyriopagopus thorelli once at 26 or 27 days, and found all eggs. A couple of days later, they all hatched out fine.
john
 
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