Phiddipus breeding questions

I have a pair of Phiddipus who are mature. They have been for a couple of months. The female has been holed up for weeks in a silk retreat she considerably thickened in that time. She rarely comes out...even for prey or water. I want to out them together but am concerned she has gone without eating much and it may not go well for the male. Anyone have experience with breeding this genus?

What species of Phidippus do you have and are they wild caught or captive bred? Her reclusive behavior could also partially be due to it still being winter. I have a couple Phids that haven't emerged from their hides since around December and I'm keeping them at room temp. You'll definitely want to make sure that she's well fed and watered before introducing the male. Hopefully her activity increases as things warm up.

I believe they are Phiddipus princeps.

I taped the two containers together yesterday. After a few mins, the male sought out the female. She seemed interested but after a min or so went to threat display. When the male persisted, she jumped him. They tussled for a few secs and split up. I separated them again. I hoped she had not bitten him. It appears he is ok. The other issue is that he has been sexually mature since mid to late november, the female since late December. I am afraid he might get too oldnd weak to survive...or even be able to mate. Thoughts on lifespan?

If Saltisdance sees this, I'm sure he'll chime in. If your male is mature, I can't imagine he's going to last that much longer, but you never know! More likely his sperm may not be very viable anymore.

SUCCESS!!! The old guy had it in him after all. They were at it for a while...en copula for at least 30-40 mins.

Long courtship before that. I taped the containers together and placed in a partly sunny window. After several minutes, both spiders increased activity levels. The femalegrabbed another indian meal moth (she had already eaten two that morning). While she was feeding, the male went to her container. He then entered her tunnels and parked in her refuge...a highly thickened web pocket. He stayed in the refuge but hung out of it with the first two pairs of legs and would tap from time to time. The female largely sat feeding for several minutes and then after having eaten came into brief contact with the male and it was a quick spar and separation. The male went to the opposite end of the refuge which is open at both ends. The female then pounced on another meal moth. While she was feeding, the male and femaled faced each other. After a long time of displays, stroking of the female's legs, tapping, etc. the male moved in. The pictures tell the rest.

For those who love the amazing photgraphy in the galleries...this won't be that! Crappy cell phone through backlit plastic lined in webbing. Add to that the Talenti gelato container with printing. Well...you get the picture (pun intended). The separation was fast and the female almost ran away...going back to the join between containers. After a few minutes, she tried to go back into her refuge but the male had gone back into it and would not leave. For a half hour or so, she went to another part of her tunnel. Then she went walkingand went all the way into the male's container. Since the male never left her refuge, and it was dark outside, I split the conainers vack with each spider un the other's lair.

So, do I let them mate again?

Cool! My attempt at breeding P. regius last year didn't go well, as the female paid no attention to the male so after a few months of trying i gave up. And of course once matured, males don't last that long. I believe if the male did have retained viable sperm, that you only need to mate them once. Not for sure though. I love Phids!

Congrats! One breeding should be fine, assuming the male's sperm is still good.

First breeding for me.

I fed them large flies starting Sunday afternoon. Female did not eat hers until around mid-day Monday and not much of it as she had gorged on moths a few days prior. I put them together for about an hour yesterday. They watched each other for a while...displaying but the closest the male got was around 2 inches away. The female did not respond to advances and after several stare downs, the male retreated to his side. I separated them after about an hour. Will try again in a day or so.

Move the female into an opaque enclosure. They become very skittish while brooding. the instant they perceive a threat, they dive in to protect the wee ones.


An opaque enclosure will stop them from seeing you, and will enable you to feed and water them.