Raising wolf spider babies

[padkison]

Once wolf spider babies disperse from the mothers back, can they be kept communally for any length of time without significant cannibalism?

Anyone with experience at this please reply. I'd like to know yes or no and if yes, what the set up should be to minimize cannibalism.

Thanks

 

[Stefan2209]

Once wolf spider babies disperse from the mothers back, can they be kept communally for any length of time without significant cannibalism?

Anyone with experience at this please reply. I'd like to know yes or no and if yes, what the set up should be to minimize cannibalism.

Thanks

Hi,

to my experience they can be kept together, BUT: you´ll need to observe very, very acurate for just the slightest signs of cannibalism and you need to feed them really masses of prey. It´s an absolutely must that there is ALWAYS prey available.

Even if there is prey available, someday they will start to just snack on each other. When this starts you´ll have in no time just 2 or 3 very fat slings, so better watch out.

Personally, even if it´s possible, i´d advise to separate them, as soon as possible.

The size of the enclosure is still species depending and of course depends on the amount of slings, too.

Greetings,

Stefan

P.S. Might pay out to ask user "Steven" for his opinion on this, he´s much more knowledgeable about Lycosids, than i am.

 

[Steven]

Stefan has answered it allready, i can only add my own experinience:
When the lycosids start to leave the mother,... i've seperated the mom from the "main" enclosure and left the bunch of slings running around together for aprox 2 weeks (like Stefan noted,... be sure they have PLENTY of dustcrickets running around) i don't know in which kind of enclosure you have the mother wolfspider in,.. but wolfspiders need quite large running areas.
After 1 week of keeping them together you'll notice some slings will look much fatter then others and probarly some slings have disappeared into the belly of the fatter slings time to get those delicups out and start to seperate them.

I use plastic enclosure with 15cm (6") substrate and plenty of corkbark for hidingplaces,... usually they build their burrow somewhere in a corner of the tank.

PS: what spec. are you talking about ?

 

[Stefan2209]

PS: what spec. are you talking about ?

Hi Steven,

thanks for pipin´ in!

Guess he´s talking about this one:

Oh darling, pleeeaaasssseee, give it to meeee..... scnr

Greetings,

Stefan

 

[padkison]

I've started feeding them B. lateralis roach nymphs. I shake a bunch into a deli cup and mush them with the end of a pen. The little spiders seem to like them. One had a dead roach 2x his size he was dragging around the side of the glass.

 

[Stefan2209]

I've started feeding them B. lateralis roach nymphs. I shake a bunch into a deli cup and mush them with the end of a pen. The little spiders seem to like them. One had a dead roach 2x his size he was dragging around the side of the glass.

Hi again,

sounds ok, roaches are good prey items to my opinion and wolfes don´t care too much about what they eat, as long as it´s plenty....

Good luck with those babies!

Greetings,

Stefan