Latro eggsack.. when to remove?

[fishwithoutabik]

Well, I have been wanting one of our local widows for quite a while and today a coworker brought me a jar containing a gorgeous black widow (looks to be mactans i think) and two egg sacks.

So, I have read that it is best to put them in a jar w/out air holes so when they hatch they can cannibalize down to a reasonable number etc. However, my question is this: When can I separate the widow and the sacks? Does she need to care for them for a period of time like a tarantula would? Do they need to be incubated in some way?

[What]

What I do with my Latro sacs is wait a week or so to ensure they are fertile(females will cut them out of their webs if not) then remove them to another deli cup.

Depending on my mood and the amount of stuff I am working with other than the latros I will either leave them in the eggsac and let them hatch normally or rip open the eggsac and watch them develop in the bottom of the delicup.

[fishwithoutabik]

I think they are fertile because the girl pulled the widow and the sacks from the web and placed them in a jar with some sticks. the sacks were at the bottom and the widow made a web and stuck them up in it towards the top of the jar.

[Widowman10]

just leave it alone with the female for 3-4 weeks. when it starts to darken up, just take it out and put it in an airtight jar. just remember, the adults aren't that moisture-sensitive, but the babies need some humidity. there are many methods/opinions on how to do it, and what's is perfectly cool. *it's just the way i've always done it* :rolleyes:

[buthus]

Whats with this airtight stuff? Ventilation is important. Fresh air is important. If you add moisture to a non-vented container, the water condenses getting everything wet which is not good for the sling. Mold is a problem too.
Use a pin and put plenty of airholes through the lid. Latro slings arent really that small.

I now (in most cases) leave the sacs with mommy.

[Widowman10]

Whats with this airtight stuff? Ventilation is important. Fresh air is important.

yeah, but if you don't want to poke tons of little holes with a needle, just open up the lid every day to get some fresh, circulating air in there. that's what i do. and yes, don't let it get too wet in there, just better than dry will do.

[fishwithoutabik]

Darken up? How dark? They are currently kind of a tan beige color.

[Widowman10]

Darken up? How dark? They are currently kind of a tan beige color.

you'll be able to see a noticeable difference... ;)

if you can't see a good difference, you might want to pull it in 3-4 weeks just to be safe.

:D

[buthus]

yeah, but if you don't want to poke tons of little holes with a needle, just open up the lid every day to get some fresh, circulating air in there. that's what i do. and yes, don't let it get too wet in there, just better than dry will do.

Ive prepped the cups and transfered thousands of slings ...pokin some holes through lids is hardly a time consumer compared to everything else. Ill be darned if i have the time to open all the lids everyday. ;)

[jrlh84]

I use 1oz deli cups for my widow slings and poke many many holes in the lid using just the very TIP of a pin/needle. I like to grab a misting spray bottle and mist through the holes in the lid. Just spray real hard and close. Some of the water will go through the small holes and make perfect minute water droplets for the slings. I never have to open the container at all this way, and it is ventilated and humid for them.

[fishwithoutabik]

So here is another question...

... How exactly would one go about seperating these teensy critters? I mean they are going to be quite small, delicate, and numerous, nevermind the fact that I don't accidentally want to free them in my house hehe. Thanks for all of the info so far. I am trying to arm myself with as much info as possible sooner than later

[jrlh84]

Just let them thin out to a manageable amount of slings. I like to let mine reduce to one. But 8-10 wouldnt be too bad. I moved mine with a small paint brush, and do it in your garage or outside or something :)

[fishwithoutabik]

I am hoping to keep 100 or so.. I actually know several people who are excited about getting a widow if everything goes well with this sack.

[Widowman10]

use a pair of needles. they work great, and i can work fast and efficiently with them. separate over a piece of white paper so you can see them all. :D

[Raikiri]

I put eggsacs into bigger containers and let them hatch there. If there are too much inside I bring an other conatiner, open the previous one and let half of the slings go into the new one. Then I cover it and deal with just the first box.. You can easily separate them, just open the box and hit it carefully many times. They will land in the new box by their silk 'ropes'. Put some papers into the box, those make them move slower, so you will have more time and can put more slings into.

[fishwithoutabik]

Last night I decided to rehome the widow and her 3 sacks due to the fact that they were still in the container that the girl brought them in (a mason jar with little visibility and huge holes). I noticed that one of the sacks had been cut down and was quite shriveled. I opened it to find little dried specks.
The other sack (also one of the ones she was caught with) was still in the web, but beginning to cave in on itself as well.
The third sack (the one she made after being at my house for a few days) is still round and perfect looking.

So what are some reasons that could have caused the first two sacks to shrivel?
Are they likely infertile? Or is this more of a humidity issue?
In the case of humidity, I put some moist coco coir at the bottom of the new enclosure and a few drops of water in her web (not near the sacks). Any advice at this time would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[buthus]

The two sacs have already hatched. If you look closely you often can spot the little round hole where the slings chewed thru. The little flaky specs are remains of when the slings molted away their egg-"shell" while inside the sac.
A dead sac (eggs in it but fails to hatch) will dry up clustered... the egg mass becomes a hardened ball.