How cannibalistic is a widow mom?

[Code Monkey]

Well, I've now got 100+ one week old little L. mactans in a jar with their mom and *two* other egg sacs (she's just been an egg pumping machine - laid the latest one last night). Current game plan was to leave well enough alone as she so far has not been eating any of the bite sized snacks. Then, these guys can eat their brothers and sisters when they hatch in a week or so giving me both population control and cheap widow sling food :D

But, what I'm wondering is should I move mom? Will she eventually just start chowing down on everybody in sight, or will she remain averse to eating her children so long as she is kept well fed? I'm not worried if she eats *some* of them, just not looking to see the next generation wiped out.

[Wade]

I would suspect that they're too small to attract her interest at this point, but I've never tried raising them with mom. You should be able to refrigerate the newer sacs until you want to hatch them, by the way. She will continue to produce viable sacs until she dies, I had one produce 12 from time of capture to death!

Wade

[Code Monkey]

Originally posted by Wade
She will continue to produce viable sacs until she dies, I had one produce 12 from time of capture to death!

Now here's a little bit of info I will keep away from the wife :D She was already horrified to learn there was a second eggsac (and she has no idea about the 3rd).

So based upon the above, I take it that the sacs do just fine on developing without mom's maternal futzing? I'd been leaving her in with everything because she was always moving the sacs around the cage for her own reasons and I didn't want to endanger the hatching process.

[Paul Day]

"Then, these guys can eat their brothers and sisters when they hatch in a week or so giving me both population control and cheap widow sling food "

You might end up with a large population of males as a result of this, since the males grow much faster then females. I recently tried this with Hogna aspersa (who lays huge clutches) and every single dozen remaining turned out to be male.

Pauly

[johns]

Armored wolf, Paul?

[Paul Day]

Yeah... or more frequently called "the Tiger Wolf Spider"... the perspective depends on if you are talking about juv. or males (tiger), or adult females (armored)...

Pauly :)

[Kugellager]

Code Monkey,

I have a L. hesperus that has so far made 12 egg sacs...all the ones I have kept have 'hatched'...I have been putting the egg sacs in a smaller medicine vial about a week before i think they will hatch with only pinholes in the top...don't want them infesting my house...I have noticed that when time is close to 'hatching' if I lightly mist a small portion of one side of the medicine vial they will be all out w/in about 24 hours...then I take them to some wild place and let them out.

I have kept them in a container one time with the mother...was too slow in moving egg sac...and they spent about 1 1/2- 2 weeks with her...didn't notice if she ate any.

I have also noticed that every time i fed her there would be a new egg sac in her container w/in a day or two.

I just caught a male in my coat closet about a week ago :rolleyes: wasn't from any of my clutches though...too full grown.

John
; ' /

[Wade]

Once she starts producing sacs, her abdomen size waxes and wanes like the moon! Balloon up, drop sac, balloon up, drop sac...

Wade

[Kugellager]

My L. hesperus is exactly the same way. I can pretty much tell by how fat she is if she will make another egg sac...that and along with when I last fed her. Its amazing. The male I have is pretty scrawny...the males seem to eat little or none once they mature.

John
; ' /