Wolfspider eggsac! HELP ASAP!

Bothrops

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 6, 2004
Messages
578
One of my Lycosa sp. layed an eggsac about 1 week ago. She has it attached to her abdomen. I don't know when is it going to hatch.

My question is.. how can I separate the babies once they go down from their mother??

I read somewhere that the babies weave a dense web, and they can escape through the holes :wall:

Please, help me, and tell me how should I react in front of this situation!

Thanks in advance,
Bothrops

P.S: Sorry for my bad english :(
 

KUJordan

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
344
alright, well first thing is not to worry because once the eggsac opens then the little spiderlings will climb onto their mother's back and you'll then have about 2 weeks to figure out a plan and prepare for them.

after about 10-14 days of riding their mother's back they will begin to venture off by themselves and yes, they will all together make a very dense web and eventually make their way UP and wherever they, conclusively, feel they want to go. Just as they begin to disperse from their mother you can snag them up individually. They will be easy to catch and you can begin to take care of them.

DON'T house them communally when you take them from their mother's enclosure- they'll eat the crap out of each other.

Remember- they can't climb plastic/glass on their own but as a group they can make a big sheet web and eventually work their way up to the top.

Good luck with them!
 

Bothrops

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 6, 2004
Messages
578
Thank you very much.

One more question.. are they usually so skittish and as fast as the adults? Do they tend to run?

I will be able to separate them with a brush? (like I separate the T spiderlings)

Thanks a lot again,
Cheers,
Bothrops

P.S: By the way... should I feed the mother? When?
 

AviculariaLover

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 20, 2006
Messages
279
Good luck! I had a female wolf spider this summer who laid an egg sac. All was fine and dandy, the babies were riding around on her back. But they didn't all leave at one, they took their time, one by one. And they can climb through anything! I had to keep a thin t-shirt on top of the cage, they got through my mesh. I waited until they were mostly all off the mother to separate them, and it was a huge hassle, because they scatter everywhere really fast, and they started ballooning! I had to take them outside and put the cage in a bucket and separated them into vials with a paintbrush but I let most of them go in my garden, and as it was many escaped on their own.

I kept them successfully in vials with some dirt in the bottom, and added a few drops of water per day. They were fed pinhead crickets which the vast majority took with ease. Out of 40 that I kept, 5 died, but the rest were great eating machines and grew quickly. After a few weeks however I had to leave for college and released them in the garden. It was lots of fun though.

I kept feeding the mother while she had her eggsac and while she had babies on her back, nothing stopped her! She was an eating machine.

So yes, you should be able to get them with a brush but they can be really quick! And make sure you'll have some really tiny pinhead crickets. I used a brush to pick up the crickets as well. Good luck, you'll surely have fun.
 

KUJordan

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Nov 22, 2005
Messages
344
yep, as already said, they'll be pretty easy to work with using a paint brush. and again as stated the mother should continue to eat throughout the whole process of having children.

as far as food for the little ones goes...you can just take large crickets and cut them into small peices and give each sling a piece. they will eat it readily and grow very quickly. good luck and keep us updated!
 

Bothrops

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 6, 2004
Messages
578
Thanks to both, I hope to be able to separate them without escapes, I'll put the jar into a bigger plastic cage, with height, and try to separate them one by one with a brush.

I'll keep you update!

Cheers,
Bothrops
 
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