Surprise Eggsack?

[Botar]

Just got back from backpacking tonight and I found my Carribbean Sandy Gray (anyone have a scientific name for this one?) had filled it's water dish (milk jug lid) with webbing and camouflaged it with substrate. It's abdomen has shrunk by about half and it is perched over the silk filled milk jug lid. I'm assuming it is wild caught (I got it as a freebie from Arachnocenter) so I have no idea if anything in the sac is fertile or not. I have moved it off to itself. Here are my questions: Do I offer food? It filled it's water dish with the webbing... aparently it had dried out. Do I put a new water dish in and offer water? I did not have enough substrate in the container for it to burrow, but it moved all the substrate out of one corner of the kritter keeper, where it now sits over the water lid. Any suggestions?

Botar

 

[LaRiz]

Botar,

If it's wild caught, then the eggsac could very well be fertile. You should treat it as such. No harm in that.
Though, this doesn't sound typical of a western hemisphere species eggsac. Unless I'm reading your post too fast I've never heard of a Carribbean Sandy Grey (not saying they don't exist), and I wonder if it is from that region, how did it get here. I've heard of Pterinochilus sp. Sandy greys. Could it be that you're tarantula is from Africa. That would explain the hammock style eggsac.
Did you remove the eggsac from her enclosure? If so, you probably shouldn't put it back with her.
At this point, you might have to take care of it.
You can water the tarantula, but I doubt she'll be ready to eat. Currently, where is the eggsac?
john

 

[Botar]

I got it from Arachnocenter and I'm just assuming it is wild caught. I have not done anything with the eggsack or the T... I just moved the enclosure to an area with less of a possibility for it to be disturbed. So the T is still over the eggsack. I've found a scientific name for it, but the description doesn't really match the T... so I have no idea if the common name and scientific name match up. Besides, from what I understand, common names don't really mean a whole lot. I'll get a picture and post it on here tomorrow of the T and it's eggsack... what can be seen of it anyway.

Botar

Edit: I believe it to be a New World species... complete with bald spot on the abdomen and all.

 

[MrT]

Botar, how fun.
I'd put in the waterdish and offer it food. Shes got to be hungry and thirsty and the eggs need humidity. Maybe two water dishes.
The eggs cant get wet or they'll rot.

E

 

[MrT]

If shes not hungry she'll still kill the prey, protecting the eggsac.
At least my brooding G. rosia does.

E

 

[Vayu Son]

><

Not to insult anyone, but ive heard common and scientific names from arachnocenter dont mean much anyway.

If im wrong, then you should just be able to call them up and clarify the whole thing.

-V

 

[LaRiz]

I wouldn't feed her...

Botar,
You should provide water, but I wouldn't feed her. She'll be alright in that dept. She probably wouldn't feed anyways. When my female produce a sac, they don't eat for at least a month. And even after I pull the sac after 30 days, most females will not even think about eating. Feeding at this point is not a good choice. I had a friend that has a female Poec. rufilata, who had an eggsac. He saw her out one day and decided to toss in some crickets. Before he could tell me what happened, I was like, "nooooooooo (in slowmotion)".
Moving her with eggsac to a quiet location is the best thing for her. The less disturbance and vibrations, the better chance of her processing the sac and not eating it.
If it's not fertile, she'll let you know by either eating it or discarding it.
I don't know my Carribbean species so I couldn't guess on what it was. Perhaps I used to know, but that info is really imbedded in this brain somewhere. I'll see what I could dig up as far as genus goes.
Good luck Botar,
john

 

[LaRiz]

Re: ><

Originally posted by Vayu Son
Not to insult anyone, but ive heard common and scientific names from arachnocenter dont mean much anyway.
-V

No insults, I've heard the same thing.
john

 

[LaRiz]

Botar, found it...

The genus is more than likely:
Citharacanthus
species is either:
niger, or longipes
Sound good?
john

 

[LaRiz]

Re: Botar, found it...

Originally posted by LaRiz
The genus is more than likely:
Citharacanthus
species is either:
niger, or longipes
Sound good?
john

Botar,
Dug up some more on this species. It appears that some believe that C. longipes niger is a Cuban subspecies of Cith. longipes. US dealer may think that C. longipes niger was imported late last year from Central America, somewhere.
Don't know the details.
john

 

[Vayu Son]

><

Maybe its a gray squirrel with extra appendages super glued to it, and the tale snipped.


-V

 

[LaRiz]

HAH!

Does this squirrel have a bubble helmet and go by the name of "Sandy Cheeks"?

 

[Vayu Son]

><

Thats the same one! she also developed spinnerets to aid her clever facade.


-V

 

[LaRiz]

Originally posted by MrT
If shes not hungry she'll still kill the prey, protecting the eggsac.
At least my brooding G. rosia does.
E

I'm not trying to step on your toes, Mr.T, or your good advice. I'm just overly careful when faced with tarantulas caring for eggsacs. I think, in my cases, it pays off.
john

 

[chaset]

Cuban Species

Any Species from Cuba I imagine would be hard to get? I thought exports from Cuba were banned

 

[Botar]

Thanks to all for the help. I've moved it to a secluded location and provided water. I've yet to provide food.

Here is a picture of it on the eggsack... any ideas to the species? The eggsack does not appear to be very big, as it fits in a milk jug lid. Is that an appropriate size? I'm calling it an eggsack out of a process of elimination basically... I've no experience with eggsacks. I'm going to leave it with her.

Botar

 

[Botar]

Here is another picture of her from behind... might help with ID.

Botar

 

[VI6SIX]

Judgeing from the pic I am going to go with my original guess of PHormictipus platus even though I could very well be wrong and often am

 

[VI6SIX]

nice fluffy sac looks good you probaly got a decent chance of getting some slings outta it

 

[Immortal_sin]

very cool Botar! Nothing funner than an eggsac that MIGHT be fertile...much less fun is an eggsac that is definately NOT fertile, which is what I woke up to this morning! (see: Immaculate conception thread)
I have no idea what the ID of your girl is though, she doesn't look remotely familiar...and since she is from....well, you know....
you might have a hard time with a positive ID.
Sounds like you are doing everything right...I'd also go with water dish, no disturbances, and no food.
Good luck!
Holley