winterqueen111
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2025
- Messages
- 2
Hello! New here and looking for some help.
I found a wolf spider on my porch about a week ago. Our temps were dropping that night with snow and temps into the teens (Fahrenheit) in the next coming days.
I wasn’t sure her chances of survival so I brought her in with the intention of releasing her after this cold snap passed.
She looked gravid, but I had doubts about that since it’s winter. Well yesterday morning I checked on her and sure enough there was an egg sac in her burrow.
I’m not sure what to do from here.
Our day/night temps are going to be back in the 40s(F) starting Friday (today is Saturday) but night temps will be in the 20s starting next Sunday with more snow on Monday. I’m not sure how momma and eggs/slings will do if I release. Our temps don’t really level out until March.
would it be best to release her or keep her and my grand spiders until weather is better?
I also read that burrowing wolf spiders will lay eggs in winter but they won’t come out of their sac until spring. Is that true? And if it is are inside temps going to factor into that?
I watched a video of a breeder collecting slings from mom when they are ready and I think I can do that (if that is the best option out of this situation) but I would probably need to move her from her current habitat.
So here is some information that might be helpful
She is in a 2.5 gallon enclosure. Air holes are big enough for a sling to slip through if they can climb the acrylic (mom doesn’t seem to be able to climb it though)
Enclosure has creature soil, leaf litter and worm casings all mixed together and moss and large leaf cover on top. As well as charcoal or burnt wood(??) It is what my springtails came in and I just left them in there.
she burrowed in one of the corners. She is moving in the burrow with her egg sac, but has not left the burrow in at least 3 days now.
I fed her a meal worm the night before her egg sac appeared.
I don’t have a gauge in her enclosure but room temp is about 75F and I’m not doing much to keep humidity up I assume she would want it to be similar to room humidity which is 35-45% (do I need to increase humidity?
So I guess these are my questions and if you have any advice beyond these questions I am all ears.
Do I release on Friday when temps go back up for a few days or keep until temps are more stable?
Is it likely they won’t even hatch out until spring or do I need to get prepared?
I have small 4oz food prep cups with lids. Will this be okay for slings when they are ready to be split from mom or should I get something larger?
Should I move her out of her current habitat? I have an enclosure for a jumping spider that is 8x4x4 that can be used as a terrestrial enclosure. Would that be better than the one she is in now?
if I do need to move her when would be the best time for that? She’s burrowed now. Should I wait for her to come out? Wait for her to open her sac?
she has access to water at all times, but what about feeding? Offer her food in her burrow, wait until she comes out or leave her alone until babies are out of the sac?
If it’s best for me to raise the slings what do I need to know? Humidity? Substrate? I assume malanogaster fruit flies would be the best option on feeding?
thanks for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any help offered.
I found a wolf spider on my porch about a week ago. Our temps were dropping that night with snow and temps into the teens (Fahrenheit) in the next coming days.
I wasn’t sure her chances of survival so I brought her in with the intention of releasing her after this cold snap passed.
She looked gravid, but I had doubts about that since it’s winter. Well yesterday morning I checked on her and sure enough there was an egg sac in her burrow.
I’m not sure what to do from here.
Our day/night temps are going to be back in the 40s(F) starting Friday (today is Saturday) but night temps will be in the 20s starting next Sunday with more snow on Monday. I’m not sure how momma and eggs/slings will do if I release. Our temps don’t really level out until March.
would it be best to release her or keep her and my grand spiders until weather is better?
I also read that burrowing wolf spiders will lay eggs in winter but they won’t come out of their sac until spring. Is that true? And if it is are inside temps going to factor into that?
I watched a video of a breeder collecting slings from mom when they are ready and I think I can do that (if that is the best option out of this situation) but I would probably need to move her from her current habitat.
So here is some information that might be helpful
She is in a 2.5 gallon enclosure. Air holes are big enough for a sling to slip through if they can climb the acrylic (mom doesn’t seem to be able to climb it though)
Enclosure has creature soil, leaf litter and worm casings all mixed together and moss and large leaf cover on top. As well as charcoal or burnt wood(??) It is what my springtails came in and I just left them in there.
she burrowed in one of the corners. She is moving in the burrow with her egg sac, but has not left the burrow in at least 3 days now.
I fed her a meal worm the night before her egg sac appeared.
I don’t have a gauge in her enclosure but room temp is about 75F and I’m not doing much to keep humidity up I assume she would want it to be similar to room humidity which is 35-45% (do I need to increase humidity?
So I guess these are my questions and if you have any advice beyond these questions I am all ears.
Do I release on Friday when temps go back up for a few days or keep until temps are more stable?
Is it likely they won’t even hatch out until spring or do I need to get prepared?
I have small 4oz food prep cups with lids. Will this be okay for slings when they are ready to be split from mom or should I get something larger?
Should I move her out of her current habitat? I have an enclosure for a jumping spider that is 8x4x4 that can be used as a terrestrial enclosure. Would that be better than the one she is in now?
if I do need to move her when would be the best time for that? She’s burrowed now. Should I wait for her to come out? Wait for her to open her sac?
she has access to water at all times, but what about feeding? Offer her food in her burrow, wait until she comes out or leave her alone until babies are out of the sac?
If it’s best for me to raise the slings what do I need to know? Humidity? Substrate? I assume malanogaster fruit flies would be the best option on feeding?
thanks for taking the time to read this and I appreciate any help offered.
