Sicarius egg sac question (pics)

[thebugfreak]

Okay, before you guys murder me for keeping a Sicarius in a shoe container, I have that thing in a 10gal tank with a screen lid making it safe. Also, none has ever escaped even out of the shoe container since the sand isn't deep enough. I just didn't want to put them in a 10 gal, but didn't want to spend money getting a new tall glass cage, so I compromised. So please no comments on the housing.

Anyway, I bred my Sicarius, and she got gravid, and today I found that she had dug a pit and kind of laid a sac? But the sac is empty! It seems like midway she changed her mind about making it. And she is very skinny now, so I know she deposited her eggs or got rid of them. Or something... I gently combed through the sand but nothing. Looked under the container to see any irregular patterns and still nothing... Any tips on what I should do next? Right now, I am going to separate the male, and try again in a month.

Thanks for your time!

 

[thebugfreak]

Sorry for the flipped pic...

 

[pannaking22]

She was likely disturbed while making the sac and just decided to give up on it. Either that or she made it and it fell apart. Feed her and wait for another sac. If she is gravid, all it takes is a good meal and she will make another. It may be beneficial to give her something to lay the sac on as well. I was using a piece of cork bark in all my female's enclosures and they all laid on the bark. It's a sturdy surface with lots of surface area for her to attach web to.

 

[thebugfreak]

Thanks! I put a small piece of wood in the center that i was hoping she would use. So then do you think she dosent need to be paired up again for another sac? How long do they retain the sperm?

Also if the egg fell apart then that could mean that there are eggs scattered around the sand? How long did they take for yours to hatch? Thanks for your input!

 

[pannaking22]

My females were likely WC and each gave me three sacs despite not having any males. I have no idea how long it had been since they had mated, so it seems like they can retain it for a long time.

The eggs could be scattered in the sand, but they won't hatch. It took about 4 months for them to hatch, but my females could drop a sac twice a month if fed frequently, so the sandlings very quickly became never ending lol

 

[thebugfreak]

Mine are WC too. But only got really fat and started to eat a lot once I paired them up for about a week.

Oh I see. Why do you say that the eggs won't hatch? I'm assuming the sac keeps in a bit of humidity? Haha wow that mush have been fun

 

[pannaking22]

Yours may have already been gravid then. How long has it been since you paired them? They have a pretty long gestation period, though good meals will shorten it. I think the sac does help keep a bit of humidity in because nothing hatched out in the enclosure the duds were in, even after giving them an extra two months. It made things entertaining to say the least, especially during feeding time I still have a bunch of them running around, but I'm going to wait until spring I think to sell off the rest.

 

[gromgrom]

She was likely disturbed while making the sac and just decided to give up on it. Either that or she made it and it fell apart. Feed her and wait for another sac. If she is gravid, all it takes is a good meal and she will make another. It may be beneficial to give her something to lay the sac on as well. I was using a piece of cork bark in all my female's enclosures and they all laid on the bark. It's a sturdy surface with lots of surface area for her to attach web to.

interestingly enough, I've disturbed mine mid act, and she went back a few minutes later and completed it. Maybe the eggs werent fertile? (male is a dud?) I know I've had best success with allowing her near my scorp lamps to incubate her embryos. Not like I need more

I've seen pictures and read that they WILL make a sac on the side of an enclosure if they cannot find another suitable place.

No idea though for the exact reason for the abortion. Luckily, they get fed up pretty quick and you can try another mating attempt.

 

[thebugfreak]

Yours may have already been gravid then. How long has it been since you paired them? They have a pretty long gestation period, though good meals will shorten it. I think the sac does help keep a bit of humidity in because nothing hatched out in the enclosure the duds were in, even after giving them an extra two months. It made things entertaining to say the least, especially during feeding time I still have a bunch of them running around, but I'm going to wait until spring I think to sell off the rest.

They were paired 6/20/14 so almost 6 months. Im not sure how long they take either. I found only one article someone wrote in the UK that seemed most helpful... but it's a shame that the eggs wont survive. It was a huge sac compared to the ones ive seen online but maybe the pics were out of porportion. Btw, the Sicarius in the pic is the mature male. They are interesting spiders!

---------- Post added 12-11-2014 at 02:49 PM ----------

interestingly enough, I've disturbed mine mid act, and she went back a few minutes later and completed it. Maybe the eggs werent fertile? (male is a dud?) I know I've had best success with allowing her near my scorp lamps to incubate her embryos. Not like I need more

I've seen pictures and read that they WILL make a sac on the side of an enclosure if they cannot find another suitable place.

No idea though for the exact reason for the abortion. Luckily, they get fed up pretty quick and you can try another mating attempt.

I didnt disturb mine. Or at least i think i didnt. Found it like that at night. Yeah ill have to try again although i dont know why she picked the side when i had like a bark in the center. Do you know if laying on the side of the tank has any adverse effects on the survival of the egg?
Ill have to try next month after fattening him up haha. The male has been mature since may. I dont know how long they survive after maturity...

 

[pannaking22]

interestingly enough, I've disturbed mine mid act, and she went back a few minutes later and completed it. Maybe the eggs werent fertile? (male is a dud?) I know I've had best success with allowing her near my scorp lamps to incubate her embryos. Not like I need more

I've seen pictures and read that they WILL make a sac on the side of an enclosure if they cannot find another suitable place.


No idea though for the exact reason for the abortion. Luckily, they get fed up pretty quick and you can try another mating attempt.

I've kept mine at room temp, but that was during the summer and my roommate and I tried to minimize using the AC, so it was warmer than normal. The last one hatched in September I think. Congrats on number 6 by the way, gromgrom

You know, I do remember disturbing my female one night and she went right back to building the sac. She was always the one that dropped broken sacs with the eggs spilling out, so maybe it was just a "her" problem.

Sicarius are a very interesting genus to keep. They have the strangest behaviors, but that just makes them that much more fun to keep And sometimes it is fun to tell people that you aren't keeping a pet hole, instead you're keeping a pet sand box lol.