Wolf spider babies!

[LeonExotic]

I don't know if I have posted here about the wolf spider I caught a month or two ago, but that happened. It turned out that she was gravid and has been in her burrow with the egg sac for some time...until this morning. When I went to check on her she was standing out in the open with tons of little babies on her back!


I'm not really sure what to do with these babies right now. I'm also a bit worried about escape because I'm pretty sure they can get through the vent holes which are only 3 or so inches from the substrate.

Should I try to desperate the babies from mom at some point? Do I need to worry about escape, or will they grow fairly quickly?

 

[darkness975]

I don't know if I have posted here about the wolf spider I caught a month or two ago, but that happened. It turned out that she was gravid and has been in her burrow with the egg sac for some time...until this morning. When I went to check on her she was standing out in the open with tons of little babies on her back!
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I'm not really sure what to do with these babies right now. I'm also a bit worried about escape because I'm pretty sure they can get through the vent holes which are only 3 or so inches from the substrate.

Should I try to desperate the babies from mom at some point? Do I need to worry about escape, or will they grow fairly quickly?

You should post this in the True Spiders & other Arachnids Forum. http://arachnoboards.com/forums/true-spiders-other-arachnids.12/

You don't want to try and remove them yourself - let them come off on their own.

They are likely able to get through your vent holes. I would place the Enclosure inside of another one with smaller holes.

I thought I remember reading somewhere that Lycosidae are unable to climb smooth glass/plastic. I never experimented with this myself but it may give you some peace of mind if it turns out they can't. It'll be easier to keep track of them.

 

[Nightstalker47]

I'm pretty sure they will wander off on their own when ready, I caught a nice wolf spider species once and it also produced a sac, eventually all the babies came out and stayed with the mother.

I released the mother and slings shortly thereafter so I don't know how fast they grow, although I'm sure it's pretty fast. If your worried they can escape I would do what darkness suggested, place them in a larger container with smaller holes. Do you plan on keeping them? I would keep a sling or two and release the rest back into their natural habitat.

 

[Ddannison]

You should post this in the True Spiders & other Arachnids Forum. http://arachnoboards.com/forums/true-spiders-other-arachnids.12/

You don't want to try and remove them yourself - let them come off on their own.

They are likely able to get through your vent holes. I would place the Enclosure inside of another one with smaller holes.

I thought I remember reading somewhere that Lycosidae are unable to climb smooth glass/plastic. I never experimented with this myself but it may give you some peace of mind if it turns out they can't. It'll be easier to keep track of them.

I just had a tiny Lycosidae eggsac hatch and the newborn babies can climb smooth surfaces quite well.

 

[chanda]

They absolutely can climb smooth glass or plastic and they can fit through the tiniest ventilation holes. Even Vaseline on the glass doesn't really slow them down - I've tried. Because the mother was locally wild-caught, you can safely release any excess babies back into the wild once they've left the mother's back. That's what I've done in the past when I've had wolf spiders that turned out to be gravid. I kept a few of the babies to raise, gave a few to friends, and released the rest. You don't need to separate them from the mother - they will leave on their own when they are ready. To prevent escapes, you could try stretching some fine mesh fabric over the ventilation holes and taping it down - and watch for escapees when you open the cage to feed or water mom.

 

[LeonExotic]

Thanks for the help guys. I may just release them all after they leave her back. I was considering keeping some but they're so tiny I can barely see them. I'm good with my one big one

 

[Ungoliant]

Wolf spiderlings ride on their mother's back until their first molt (a few days to a week), at which point they disperse to fend for themselves.

Thanks for the help guys. I may just release them all after they leave her back. I was considering keeping some but they're so tiny I can barely see them. I'm good with my one big one

The easiest way to do this is to rehouse mom once the slings have separated and then gently lay out the old substrate in your yard (assuming this is a native species). Otherwise, trying to find and extract each sling would be a real chore.

 

[Crone Returns]

My mama wolf had a whole herd of kids on her back. I had to speak sternly to them after they dispersed, remind them that I'm not their mother!! Quit climbing on me!
But they're sooo cute lol.